the ARTICLE (for teachers)

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Alberta Barber
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2 the ARTICLE (for teachers) Nearly seventy countries around the world follow daylight saving time, when clocks get adjusted for longer or shorter daylight hours. In the spring, clocks get moved forward one hour or more. In the fall, the opposite occurs. Environmental and economic benefits often get cited as the rationale behind the system, as more daylight means less energy consumption and improved sales for retailers. But did you know that new research points to health benefits as well? Just an extra hour of sleep decreased the propensity to suffer from a heart attack in the days immediately following the fall time change. Of course, in the spring, the number of heart attacks increased with the loss of sleep. In fact, numerous separate studies have debunked a number of myths about sleep. For example, seven to eight hours of sleep per night is now considered optimal for everyone. Some people may function on less sleep, but at a severe price. Too little sleep can greatly impair your judgment, work performance, the health of your heart, and your immune system. What's more, in terms of reaction time and the number of accidents, there's not much difference between driving drunk and driving on six hours or less of sleep. And for sleep deprived individuals who attempt to catch up over the weekend, this pattern causes more harm than good. The body needs consistency, and irregular sleep patterns can cause stress. Strangely enough, too much sleep can be just as detrimental. Scientists haven't determined if too much sleep is the root or the symptom. So what message can you take away from this article? Don't just accept the time change this fall as a one or two hour bonus, but as an opportunity to make some lasting changes to your sleep patterns. Teacher's Notes: * Underlined words in red typeface are the recommended vocabulary for this lesson. Heads Up English - page 1

3 WARM-UPS Select one or all of the following warm-up activities. 1: Define: What does "myth" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples? 2: Brainstorm: Brainstorm with a partner(s) words and ideas associated with "sleep" for 2 minutes. Spend another 5 minutes or less discussing the words and ideas together. 3: Title: Speculate and/or discuss the contents of today's article from its title: "." 4: Speculate: Write in the missing word for today's article title: "Myths about ( )." Why did you choose this word for the blank? 5: Do you agree or disagree? Why? a. I sleep about ten hours every day. b. I catch up on sleep over the weekend. c. I wish I was able to sleep more. d. Some people only need four hours of sleep. e. People who don't get enough sleep may develop health problems. Heads Up English - page 2

4 VOCABULARY Select one of the following vocabulary acquisition activities. 1: Vocabulary match: Individually or in pairs/groups, match the words in column A (from the article) with the best choice in column B. a. rationale q. tendency b. propensity r. deny c. debunk s. damage d. optimal t. reason e. impair u. best f. deprive v. uneven g. consistency w. harmful h. irregular x. disprove i. detrimental y. cause j. root z. regularity 2: Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word. irregular deprived rationale detrimental propensity debunked root optimal impair consistency a. Environmental and economic benefits often get cited as the ( ) behind daylight saving time. b. Just an extra hour of sleep decreased the ( ) to suffer from a heart attack. c. Numerous separate studies have ( ) a number of myths about sleep. d. Seven to eight hours of sleep per night is now considered ( ) for everyone. e. Too little sleep can greatly ( ) your judgment and work performance. f. For sleep ( ) individuals, this pattern causes more harm than good. g. The body needs ( ). h. ( ) sleep patterns can cause stress. i. Strangely enough, too much sleep can be just as ( ). j. Scientists haven't determined if too much sleep is the ( ) or the symptom. 3: Define: Define each word, correctly pronounce it, explain the meaning and/or usage, and offer an example sentence to the class. a. rationale c. debunk e. impair g. consistency i. detrimental b. propensity d. optimal f. deprive h. irregular j. root Heads Up English - page 3

5 WORD RECOGNITION 1: Word Search: Find the target words (in bold). Time yourself, and see how many words you can find in three minutes. In five minutes. In ten minutes. irregular deprived rationale detrimental propensity debunked root optimal impair consistency L A T N E M I R T E D F Y R P A K Y B D R N B O E C T C A O M X O C I E R Z P O I G N T H K F N A N W K R P S T B A I C A T P F Y E I N N S I Q T O L I M W F C V T E U Z B H S N A I I B M E M P S P B Z S I A M E H R D L O U U I I E B S L I B A A R R F K V Z S E D N E T P R O P E N S E T Y N A O S P N P A B U G D P B T G O C I O O P T I M A U U B L W E C D P P W U P U U V L A N O I T A R I Z D D S N V O A C H U V Z Z Y V V H B V E L B R O E G O R 2: Target Word Pool: Find the target words (in bold) with their exact match. Time yourself, and see how many words you can find in three minutes. In five minutes. In ten minutes. irregular deprived rationale detrimental propensity debunked root optimal impair consistency rational deprivation repairable regular debunked inconsistent irrational private rooter detrimentally optimally depriving proposition container irregular propane rationality consistent optional rationale roots defrost impair propensities root optimum propeller bunk detriment determined impairing irritable unimpaired debunks consistency deprived detrimental rationed irregularity rootless inconsistency propensity impatient privacy determining debunking rooted regulation optimal option Heads Up English - page 4

6 pre- or post-comprehension 1: Word Association: Brainstorm words associated with today's topic for two minutes. Present to the class. 2: Brainstorm Questions: Brainstorm questions that you would like to ask about today's topic. Answer the questions without looking at the article. 3: True or False?: Guess (before the article) or answer (after the article) whether the sentence is true or false. If false, correct the sentence. a. More than seventy countries follow daylight saving time. T / F b. Daylight saving time has health benefits. T / F c. According to the article, seven or eight hours of sleep is best. T / F d. Some people don't need much sleep, so four hours is fine. T / F e. Too much sleep has even greater health benefits. T / F 4: Questions: Answer the questions to check comprehension. a. According to the article, what is daylight saving time? b. Fewer people have heart attacks in the fall. Why? c. What problems are there with too little sleep? d. Is too much sleep good or bad? Why? e. What message does the article try to convey? 5: Vocabulary: In pairs/groups, remember how the words were used in today's article. a. rationale c. debunked e. impair g. consistency i. detrimental b. propensity d. optimal f. deprived h. irregular j. root 6: Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence from today's article. a. Nearly seventy countries around the world follow daylight saving time, when clocks get... b. Of course, in the spring, the number of heart attacks... c. In terms of reaction time and the number of accidents, there's not much difference... d. The body needs consistency, and irregular... e. Strangely enough, too much sleep... Heads Up English - page 5

7 post-comprehension 1: Vocabulary: Circle any additional unknown words/phrases in the article. In pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand the meanings. Present to the class. 2: Class Questions: Read through the article once more, and write down any questions that you would like to discuss in pairs/groups or as a class. Discuss. 3: Summarize: Work with a partner to summarize the article in your own words. 4: Discuss: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers! a. Did you like this article? b. What was your general impression after reading this article? c. How much sleep do you get every night? Is this too much or too little? Why do you think so? d. Do you think people in general get enough sleep? Why/not? e. Do you agree that everyone needs seven or eight hours of sleep per day? Why/not? f. Do you agree that it's unhealthy to catch up on sleep over the weekend? Why/not? g. Do you agree that too much sleep is unhealthy? Why/not? h. Some countries take time off in the afternoon to rest. Is this good or bad? Why do you think so? i. If you could sleep less but stay healthy, would you want to? Why/not? j. Would you want to be an insomniac? Why/not? 5: Discuss: In the today's world, many people don't get enough sleep. What do you think are the top four reasons for this problem? Brainstorm possible answers with a partner, then share them with the class. Choose the most likely reason. Reason #1: Reason #2: Reason #3: Reason #4: 6: Google Search: Type "sleep" into Google news and read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings. Heads Up English - page 6

8 STUDENT HANDOUT (the article) Nearly seventy countries around the world follow daylight saving time, when clocks get adjusted for longer or shorter daylight hours. In the spring, clocks get moved forward one hour or more. In the fall, the opposite occurs. Environmental and economic benefits often get cited as the rationale behind the system, as more daylight means less energy consumption and improved sales for retailers. But did you know that new research points to health benefits as well? Just an extra hour of sleep decreased the propensity to suffer from a heart attack in the days immediately following the fall time change. Of course, in the spring, the number of heart attacks increased with the loss of sleep. In fact, numerous separate studies have debunked a number of myths about sleep. For example, seven to eight hours of sleep per night is now considered optimal for everyone. Some people may function on less sleep, but at a severe price. Too little sleep can greatly impair your judgment, work performance, the health of your heart, and your immune system. What's more, in terms of reaction time and the number of accidents, there's not much difference between driving drunk and driving on six hours or less of sleep. And for sleep deprived individuals who attempt to catch up over the weekend, this pattern causes more harm than good. The body needs consistency, and irregular sleep patterns can cause stress. Strangely enough, too much sleep can be just as detrimental. Scientists haven't determined if too much sleep is the root or the symptom. So what message can you take away from this article? Don't just accept the time change this fall as a one or two hour bonus, but as an opportunity to make some lasting changes to your sleep patterns. Notes: Heads Up English - page 7

9 STUDENT HANDOUT (fill in the blank) Fill in the blank with the correct word. immune impair driving rationale decreased propensity consistency root optimal deprived detrimental opposite debunked irregular function Nearly seventy countries around the world follow daylight saving time, when clocks get adjusted for longer or shorter daylight hours. In the spring, clocks get moved forward one hour or more. In the fall, the (a. ) occurs. Environmental and economic benefits often get cited as the (b. ) behind the system, as more daylight means less energy consumption and improved sales for retailers. But did you know that new research points to health benefits as well? Just an extra hour of sleep (c. ) the (d. ) to suffer from a heart attack in the days immediately following the fall time change. Of course, in the spring, the number of heart attacks increased with the loss of sleep. In fact, numerous separate studies have (e. ) a number of myths about sleep. For example, seven to eight hours of sleep per night is now considered (f. ) for everyone. Some people may (g. ) on less sleep, but at a severe price. Too little sleep can greatly (h. ) your judgment, work performance, the health of your heart, and your (i. ) system. What's more, in terms of reaction time and the number of accidents, there's not much difference between (j. ) drunk and driving on six hours or less of sleep. And for sleep (k. ) individuals who attempt to catch up over the weekend, this pattern causes more harm than good. The body needs (l. ), and (m. ) sleep patterns can cause stress. Strangely enough, too much sleep can be just as (n. ). Scientists haven't determined if too much sleep is the (o. ) or the symptom. So what message can you take away from this article? Don't just accept the time change this fall as a one or two hour bonus, but as an opportunity to make some lasting changes to your sleep patterns. Heads Up English - page 8

10 STUDENT HANDOUT (extended listening) Listen and fill in the missing sentences. Compare your answers with a partner, and then listen once more. Nearly seventy countries around the world follow daylight saving time, when clocks get adjusted for longer or shorter daylight hours. In the spring, clocks get moved forward one hour or more. In the fall, the opposite occurs. Environmental and economic benefits often get cited as the rationale behind the system, a). But did you know that new research points to health benefits as well? Just an extra hour of sleep decreased the propensity to suffer from a heart attack in the days immediately following the fall time change. Of course, in the spring, the number of heart attacks increased with the loss of sleep. In fact, b). For example, seven to eight hours of sleep per night is now considered optimal for everyone. Some people may function on less sleep, but at a severe price. c). What's more, in terms of reaction time and the number of accidents, there's not much difference between driving drunk and driving on six hours or less of sleep. And for sleep deprived individuals who attempt to catch up over the weekend, this pattern causes more harm than good. The body needs consistency, and irregular sleep patterns can cause stress. Strangely enough, too much sleep can be just as detrimental. d). So what message can you take away from this article? e), but as an opportunity to make some lasting changes to your sleep patterns. Heads Up English - page 9

11 STUDENT HANDOUT (notes) Heads Up English - page 10

12 ANSWER KEY Vocabulary 1. Vocabulary Match: 2. Fill in the Blanks: a. t f. r b. q g. z c. x h. v d. u i. w e. s j. y a. rationale f. deprived b. propensity g. consistency c. debunked h. Irregular d. optimal i. detrimental e. impair j. root pre- or post-comprehension 1. True or False: 2. Fragments: a. F b. T c. T d. F e. F a. adjusted for longer or shorter daylight hours. b. increased with the loss of sleep. c. between driving drunk and driving on six hours or less of sleep. d. sleep patterns can cause stress. e. can be just as detrimental. Student Handout 1. Fill in the Blanks a. opposite i. immune b. rationale j. driving c. decreased k. deprived d. propensity l. consistency e. debunked m. irregular f. optimal n. detrimental g. function o. root h. impair 2. Extended Listening a. as more daylight means less energy consumption and improved sales for retailers b. numerous separate studies have debunked a number of myths about sleep c. Too little sleep can greatly impair your judgment, work performance, the health of your heart, and your immune system d. Scientists haven't determined if too much sleep is the root or the symptom e. Don't just accept the time change this fall as a one or two hour bonus Heads Up English - page 11

the ARTICLE (for teachers)

the ARTICLE (for teachers) About seventy countries around the world use daylight savings time. Each spring, clocks get moved forward one hour because the daytime hours are longer in the summer. Each fall,