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the ARTICLE (for teachers) What color do you prefer? The seemingly innocuous answer may predict your personality, according to a recently developed test. The new test requires but sixty seconds or so to complete, asking takers to order as many as fifteen colored squares in terms of preference. For example, which color do you like the least, black, grey, or white? Much like other personality tests, this one can steer individuals to jobs that match up with their personality profiles. However, the difference lies in the fundamentals of this particular test, as most other tests are verbal and may not translate well to other languages or cultures. The new test, solely based on colors, can be used the world over. The test has already been administered to more than 750,000 people, including more than 800 famous CEOs. The test predicted that the group of CEOs as a whole was ideally suited for upper-management. Yet surprisingly, many were also similarly suited for careers as social workers, artists, and teachers. They overwhelmingly preferred magenta, red, and yellow compared to the general public at large, which the test indicates as less of a perfectionist, less assertive, and more emotionally unstable than average. As more people take the test, the results will increasingly be refined to better predict personalities. No one as yet knows why or how color can so accurately serve as an indicator, as the answer lies deep within the brain and neuroscience. In the future, there may be alternative uses too, such as detecting psychological disorders or degenerative diseases like dementia. Marketers, advertisers, and other industries that rely on psychology and influence are already exploring methods to effectively use colors to generate favorable responses as well. Expect to see more about colors and their influence in the near future. Teacher's Notes: * Underlined words in red typeface are the recommended vocabulary for this lesson. Heads Up English - 1
WARM-UPS Select one or all of the following warm-up activities. 1: Define: What does "personality" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples? 2: Brainstorm: Brainstorm with a partner(s) words and ideas associated with "personality" 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: "Color Predicts ( )." Why did you choose this word for the blank? 5: Do you agree or disagree? Why? a. A test can accurately predict personality. b. Personality tests are very important for employers. c. Personality tests are very important for people because it tells them the perfect job. d. CEOs and other leaders tend to have strong, dominant personalities. e. I want to change my personality! Heads Up English - 2
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. innocuous q. guide b. steer r. forceful c. solely s. give d. administer t. very much e. ideal u. affect f. overwhelming v. worsen g. assertive w. harmless h. refined x. improve i. degenerate y. only j. influence z. perfect 2: Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word. assertive innocuous ideally steer refined administered influence degenerative overwhelmingly solely a. The seemingly ( ) answer may predict your personality. b. This test can ( ) individuals to jobs that match up with their personality profiles. c. The new test, ( ) based on colors, can be used the world over. d. The test has already been ( ) to more than 750,000 people. e. The test predicted that CEOs as a whole were ( ) suited for upper-management. f. They ( ) preferred magenta, red, and yellow compared to the general public at large. g. The test indicates that most CEOs are less of a perfectionist and less ( ). h. The results will increasingly be ( ) to better predict personalities. i. The test may detect psychological disorders or ( ) diseases like dementia. j. Industries that rely on psychology and ( ) are already exploring methods to use colors. 3: Define: Define each word, correctly pronounce it, explain the meaning and/or usage, and offer an example sentence to the class. a. innocuous c. solely e. ideal g. assertive i. degenerate b. steer d. administer f. overwhelming h. refined j. influence Heads Up English - 3
WORD RECOGNITION 1: Word Search: Find the target words (in bold). Time yourself, and see how many words you can find in three minutes, five minutes, or ten minutes. assertive innocuous ideally steer refined administered influence degenerative overwhelmingly solely O A S S E R T I V A H D A E I O V P P H Y G U T Y E Y D C N D T E D E Q E F E G A L M N F L U Q R M U R L E J G E I E L R T I Y W J W N E Q I L N U E K F E E Q H E G E L C O I L U S E V I T R E S S A O S S F N K U Q G A O I L R H U S T N C M O O T K D V E M O Y G E I E L R I U E W E F U I I W R Z Z T V L A C T Z C A T N G E E A E N L A S O C C T A S G D S Z J L C Q O O N D N L B Y L C S Y K N X N D E N I F E R Y Y T O T U I T L S M I B O N V Y L 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, five minutes, or ten minutes. assertive innocuous ideally steer refined administered influence degenerative overwhelmingly solely soles influential degenerated overexcited fined inoculation administering idol steers assertively influx steer degenerate administered solved assertion ideally refining overwhelmingly sole innocuous generic advantage overwhelming steering innocuously solely ideal administrator idolatry acerbic influence steerage refinement refined degenerative incubus overwhelmed assertive solution generative overbought unassertive administration influencing influenced starry refine reality innocuousness Heads Up English - 4
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. The test checks only your preference for black, white, and grey. T/F b. The test works only with native English speakers. T/F c. CEOs who took the test would also make good artists and teachers. T/F d. CEOs who took the test had strong characters, but were unstable. T/F e. The test may also be used to catch problems with the brain in the future. T/F 4: Questions: Answer the questions to check comprehension. a. How does the new personality test work? b. Why might it be better than other personality tests? c. What sort of colors did CEOs prefer? d. What sort of personality traits did the CEOs have? e. What does the article say about marketing and advertising? 5: Vocabulary: In pairs/groups, remember how the words were used in today's article. a. innocuous c. solely e. ideally g. assertive i. degenerative b. steer d. administered f. overwhelmingly h. refined j. influence 6: Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence from today's article. a. The new test requires but sixty seconds or so to complete, asking takers... b. Much like other personality tests, this one can steer individuals... c. The test has already been administered to more than 750,000 people, including... d. In the future, there may be alternative uses too, such as... e. Expect to see more about colors and... Heads Up English - 5
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. What do you think about personality tests in general? Please explain. d. What do you think about this personality test? Does it really work? Please explain. e. Have you ever taken a personality test? If yes, what were the results? If no, why not? f. How would you describe your personality? g. What sort of careers would suit your personality? Why do you think so? h. What sort of careers would be unsuitable based on your personality? Why do you think so? i. What do you think about companies that give personality tests before they hire employees? j. How would you feel if personality tests determined your career or what to study at school? 5: Discuss: Discuss these careers. What sort of personalities do you expect people in these professions to have? Why do you think so? Discuss with a partner and be sure to support your answers. doctor: computer programmer: artist: your job/career: 6: Google Search: Type "personality test" into Google news and read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings. Heads Up English - 6
STUDENT HANDOUT (the article) What color do you prefer? The seemingly innocuous answer may predict your personality, according to a recently developed test. The new test requires but sixty seconds or so to complete, asking takers to order as many as fifteen colored squares in terms of preference. For example, which color do you like the least, black, grey, or white? Much like other personality tests, this one can steer individuals to jobs that match up with their personality profiles. However, the difference lies in the fundamentals of this particular test, as most other tests are verbal and may not translate well to other languages or cultures. The new test, solely based on colors, can be used the world over. The test has already been administered to more than 750,000 people, including more than 800 famous CEOs. The test predicted that the group of CEOs as a whole was ideally suited for upper-management. Yet surprisingly, many were also similarly suited for careers as social workers, artists, and teachers. They overwhelmingly preferred magenta, red, and yellow compared to the general public at large, which the test indicates as less of a perfectionist, less assertive, and more emotionally unstable than average. As more people take the test, the results will increasingly be refined to better predict personalities. No one as yet knows why or how color can so accurately serve as an indicator, as the answer lies deep within the brain and neuroscience. In the future, there may be alternative uses too, such as detecting psychological disorders or degenerative diseases like dementia. Marketers, advertisers, and other industries that rely on psychology and influence are already exploring methods to effectively use colors to generate favorable responses as well. Expect to see more about colors and their influence in the near future. Notes: Heads Up English - 7
STUDENT HANDOUT (fill in the blank) Fill in the blank with the correct word. workers refined ideally degenerative steer administered overwhelmingly accurately solely industries influence innocuous but profiles assertive What color do you prefer? The seemingly (a. ) answer may predict your personality, according to a recently developed test. The new test requires (b. ) sixty seconds or so to complete, asking takers to order as many as fifteen colored squares in terms of preference. For example, which color do you like the least, black, grey, or white? Much like other personality tests, this one can (c. ) individuals to jobs that match up with their personality (d. ). However, the difference lies in the fundamentals of this particular test, as most other tests are verbal and may not translate well to other languages or cultures. The new test, (e. ) based on colors, can be used the world over. The test has already been (f. ) to more than 750,000 people, including more than 800 famous CEOs. The test predicted that the group of CEOs as a whole was (g. ) suited for upper-management. Yet surprisingly, many were also similarly suited for careers as social (h. ), artists, and teachers. They (i. ) preferred magenta, red, and yellow compared to the general public at large, which the test indicates as less of a perfectionist, less (j. ), and more emotionally unstable than average. As more people take the test, the results will increasingly be (k. ) to better predict personalities. No one as yet knows why or how color can so (l. ) serve as an indicator, as the answer lies deep within the brain and neuroscience. In the future, there may be alternative uses too, such as detecting psychological disorders or (m. ) diseases like dementia. Marketers, advertisers, and other (n. ) that rely on psychology and (o. ) are already exploring methods to effectively use colors to generate favorable responses as well. Expect to see more about colors and their influence in the near future. Heads Up English - 8
STUDENT HANDOUT (extended listening) Listen and fill in the missing sentences. Compare your answers with a partner, and then listen once more. What color do you prefer? a), according to a recently developed test. The new test requires but sixty seconds or so to complete, asking takers to order as many as fifteen colored squares in terms of preference. For example, which color do you like the least, black, grey, or white? Much like other personality tests, this one can steer individuals to jobs that match up with their personality profiles. However, the difference lies in the fundamentals of this particular test, b). The new test, solely based on colors, can be used the world over. The test has already been administered to more than 750,000 people, including more than 800 famous CEOs. The test predicted that the group of CEOs as a whole was ideally suited for upper-management. Yet surprisingly, many were also similarly suited for careers as social workers, artists, and teachers. They overwhelmingly preferred magenta, red, and yellow compared to the general public at large, c). As more people take the test, d). No one as yet knows why or how color can so accurately serve as an indicator, as the answer lies deep within the brain and neuroscience. In the future, there may be alternative uses too, such as detecting psychological disorders or degenerative diseases like dementia. Marketers, advertisers, and other industries that rely on psychology and influence e). Expect to see more about colors and their influence in the near future. Heads Up English - 9
STUDENT HANDOUT (notes) Heads Up English - 10
ANSWER KEY Vocabulary 1. Vocabulary Match: 2. Fill in the Blanks: a. w f. t b. q g. r c. y h. x d. s i. v e. z j. u a. innocuous f. overwhelmingly b. steer g. assertive c. solely h. refined d. administered i. degenerative e. ideally j. influence pre- or post-comprehension 1. True or False: 2. Fragments: a. F b. F c. T d. F e. T a. to order as many as fifteen colored squares in terms of preference. b. to jobs that match up with their personality profiles. c. more than 800 famous CEOs. d. detecting psychological disorders or degenerative diseases like dementia. e. their influence in the near future. Student Handout 1. Fill in the Blanks a. innocuous i. overwhelmingly b. but j. assertive c. steer k. refined d. profiles l. accurately e. solely m. degenerative f. administered n. industries g. ideally o. influence h. workers 2. Extended Listening a. The seemingly innocuous answer may predict your personality b. as most other tests are verbal and may not translate well to other languages or cultures c. which the test indicates as less of a perfectionist, less assertive, and more emotionally unstable than average d. the results will increasingly be refined to better predict personalities e. are already exploring methods to effectively use colors to generate favorable responses as well Heads Up English - 11