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I chose the text 5 Bad Habits to Kick Before You Travel because travel is a topic that

is likely to be of interest to many of the students and can be easily personalized in post-
reading speaking and writing tasks. It is appropriate to their level, introducing them to
some new, useful vocabulary, without overloading them too much with unfamiliar
words. At 550 words, it is a manageable length for B2 students, and the author writes in
a clear and engaging manner that will appeal to the students. Thus it is suitable in terms
of the four key factors for selecting a piece of authentic material.
1

I would begin the lesson by showing students the title of the text. After eliciting
synonyms for kick to check their understanding of the phrase, I would have them
predict with a partner what the five habits are going to be. The aim of this portion of the
lesson would be to activate students top-down thinking skills by having them do a task
that requires them to retrieve relevant vocabulary that they have already learnt. In
addition, it allows students to practice speaking as they prepare for the reading task.
During feedback, I would ask for one or two ideas from each pair until we had five up
on the board. This gives students an opportunity to share their ideas and take a look at
new words and phrases that might appear in their classmates predictions.
Next, I would distribute the text and ask students to read through it quickly to
themselves, checking to see whether any of our five class predictions were correct.
Having a specific and easily achievable goal in mind checking the predictions will
keep students from getting hung up on unfamiliar words in the text and give them a
point of reference as they approach the text for the first time. As Scrivener notes, In
order to make students better readers, we need first of all to raise their awareness that
its not always essential to understand every word.
2
This initial task will encourage
them to read for a general understanding of the text, developing a reading useful sub-
skill.
As a class, we would then discuss which, if any, of our predictions were mentioned in
the text. The aim of this portion of feedback would be to check students comprehension
of the main ideas of the text, with the secondary aim of allowing them to continue
practicing expressing themselves orally.
Students would then have a look at a list of comprehension questions before reading
through the text again and responding to the questions. This task would require them to
practice the sub-skill of intensive reading, helping students to uncover and accurately
understand [the] details in [the] text.
3
Reading the questions beforehand again gives
them an anchor while reading. They will need to study the text more closely to find the
answers, but they have a concrete set of questions to respond to and use as a guide.
Next, I would have them compare their answers with a partner and monitor for any
particularly problematic questions. Using an image of the text projected onto the board,
I would address any issues by trying to elicit from students which language in the text
point us to the correct answer.

1
CELTA Unit 21: Using Authentic Materials
2
Jim Scrivener, Learning Teaching, (Oxford: Macmillan, 2011) 264.
3
Ibid.
Following the second reading task, I would ask students to discuss in groups which of
the five habits they thought were most and least important to kick before traveling and
why. In doing so, the students would be able to personalize the text, reflecting on and
sharing their own opinions on the topic. This will increase the likelihood that they will
remember any new language they have acquired from the reading and gives them
further speaking practice.
After this discussion, as a follow-up writing activity, I would have students create their
own shortened list of three habits, with one or two sentences each, that people should
kick before traveling to Spain. Students would then share their list with a partner. By
creating their own list that is specific to Spain, students would further personalize the
topic and have a chance to experiment with the language. While remaining relevant and
manageable, the task changes the topic slightly, providing students with an opportunity
to use the new language when speaking and writing to communicate in different
contexts.
4
Moreover, it provides them with a useful opportunity to practice writing,
using the original text as a model.
To finish up the lesson, during whole class feedback I would ask for some interesting or
funny habits that students heard from their classmates, and we would discuss them
together. This would give students a final opportunity to practice speaking about the
topic while exchanging ideas with their classmates.



4
Ibid, 158.
Detailed reading task:
1. What does the author suggest travelers do to avoid spending all their time on
social media? Plan times to take pictures and videos, and only upload them at
night or when youre back at your hotel.
2. What two reasons does the author give for quitting smoking before traveling?
Its difficult to find places to smoke in public, and long flights may cause you
more stress if you want a cigarette.
3. According to the author, how might cursing impact the way people in the
country youre visiting see you? You could seem rude and/or uneducated.
4. What does the author offer as an alternative to biting your nails? Chewing gum.
5. What makes biting your nails a particularly unhealthy habit while traveling?
Because traveling exposes you to more people and more germs.
6. What does the author encourage readers to remember about the things that they
buy while traveling? That they will need to find a way to bring them back home.

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