Qse adv tg p138-143

QSE Adv TG p138-143 7/9/09 11:31 PM Page 138 Communication
Objectives:
– use expressions for minimising and the language of empathy and sympathy. – use vocabulary, phrases and idioms related to stress management. Educational
Ss will address sources of stress and assess techniques for coping with stress.
Objectives:
Connected
Topics:
Grammar:
Key Vocabulary:
The BIG question: ARE WE SERIOUSLY STRESSED?
VIEWPOINT
There are many factors which can trigger depression:genetic predisposition, environment, medical Facts: The statistics are from an annual US
problems, certain thinking patterns and stressful school survey, The National Survey of events in life. About 80 per cent of those who try American Attitudes Substance Abuse VIII: Teens and Parents, conducted by The National Centeron Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA).
EQ: What kinds of things make you depressed or
The three main factors leading to teenage use unhappy? What do you think could cause long-term of drugs and alcohol are high stress, frequent depression? What do you think life would be like if boredom and more than $25 a week spending you were depressed for long periods? Quotes: Natalie Goldberg (born 1948) is an American
author known for teaching writing through Zen.
http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/teens/a/blcasa030819.htm, www.casa.org EQ: Why is stress an ignorant state? Do you agree
with the quote? Is the stress you feel in proportion to
EQ: Why do you think this is the case? Based on
your own observations, is this true? Do you knowany high stress teens? What causes their stress? How Charles Schulz (1922–2000) was the American cartoonist known for the Peanuts comic strip. Brookemead Associates Ltd 2009
QSE Adv TG p138-143 7/9/09 11:31 PM Page 139 EQ: What is the meaning of this philosophy? Is it
with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). SVT is a meant to be serious or humorous? Why? What do you heart condition where the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) can be up to 250 times a minute orfaster and which can be corrected by surgery or use Cartoons: The pictures are of:
of a pacemaker. Politics can be one of the most – a patient about to receive some bad news stressful occupations since it involves working long days, always being in the public eye and doing According to the Book of Lists, fear of public speakingranks number one in fears, even over fear of death or EQ: How stressful do you think a politician’s life is?
What would a day in the life of the British PrimeMinister be like? Is bad health linked to stressful 1 WORD POWER
A 1 is based on a CAE speaking test activity that
Watching Fish Found to Ease Human Stress
This article discusses a recent scientific study that EQ: How are these situations the same or different?
looked at the relationship between stress and Have you ever experienced any of these situations? watching fish. There is the old saying that a dog is a man’s best friend and in terms of stress they A 2 gives students an opportunity to practise the
are just that. Petting an animal can lower blood language of empathy and sympathy in Language
pressure and heart rate. A New York City Hospital study found that heart patients were more likely tosurvive their first year after surgery if they owned a 1 WORD POWER A2
Sample answers
pet. The study of fish and stress-reduction is more I know exactly how you feel you feel. I’ve had my
recent. Fish have shown to calm children with appendix out. It was scary going into the operating Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Alzheimer theatre. / I can imagine what that flight must have
patients have also found some benefit. Herbert been like. I’ve flown through rough weather too. / Benson’s Relaxation theory supposes four conditions I know exactly how you must feel. I hate speaking
for relaxation: the presence of an object to focus on, a passive attitude, a quiet environment and acomfortable position, which may be the reasons B gets students to analyse the efficacy of some
EQ: Do you have a pet? Do you think pets reduce
1 WORD POWER C
Sample answers
stress? Do you think some pets reduce stress more thanothers? Why / Why not? 1 Some events which can cause post-traumatic
stress disorder: military combat, natural disasters,
car accident, near-death experiences or violent
2 READING
personal assaults like rape.
2 When overly stressed, people become burnt out.
A is a skimming activity that will help students with
They can develop depression over feelings of not the Use of English section of the CAE exam and ARTICLES
2 READING A
1 frail 2 procedure 3 random 4 bid 5 proven
Blair the Fitness Fan
This article discusses Tony Blair’s health and
B 1 This question relates to a type of question in the
stress-reducing techniques. He was diagnosed Trinity exam which requires students to speculate and Brookemead Associates Ltd 2009
QSE Adv TG p138-143 7/9/09 11:31 PM Page 140 conclude on the unstated feelings of people. Students health benefits of laughter have been known for should provide some basis for their responses. some time. Laughter can lower blood pressure,reduce stress hormones, boost the immune system 2 READING B2
Sample answers
and release endorphins – the body’s natural People were stressed by reading out loud. Then, blood pressure was measured to see if the presenceof fish in an aquarium reduced stress. It did.
4 LISTEN B, C, D
B True: People’s health improves; people giggle.
C 1 You may want to help the students by pointing
False: People tell jokes; people talk to each other.
out other techniques covered in Word Power.
C If you see other people laughing, you start
C 2 This question requires students to speculate
on the ethics of keeping pets for supposedly selfishreasons. You can give students some help by asking D 1 5,000 members. 2 You see other people
students to look at the interaction between animals laughing. 3 On 13 March, 1995, Madan Kataria
and humans, and whether these might change given went to a park and said she wanted to start a laughter club. 4 Laughter yoga.
3 SPEAK YOUR MIND
5 TEAMWORK
This section covers the topics of stress as a natural This activity is designed to get students thinking function of the body, personal stress and stressful about the reality of living with debilitating occupations, teenage stress, and owning pets.
irrational fears. Each of these phobias are real, A EQ: Why do you think we are equipped to feel
stress? Do you think it would be helpful or harmful to socially acceptable than others. Try to get students have no stress at all in your body? to think about all the situations where the illnessmight have some kind of effect. B EQ: If you were overstressed, which treatments
for stress would you try? Why do some people find
some relaxation techniques helpful, but others do not? The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, Reneau Z.
What would you consider the ten most stressful jobs? Would you work in these jobs? Would the benefits ever Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic, Edmund J. Bourne EQ: Do you know anyone with a phobia? What can
C EQ: Is teenage stress ‘just a phase’ they go through?
be done to help phobia sufferers? Does the cause of the stress make the stress more serious;for example, what about exam stress versus divorce? 6 CONTROVERSY
D EQ: If animals communicate through body
language, what signs would tell you an animal was community is sometimes criticised for seeming to stressed? What kinds of stress could animals have? be over dependent on drug treatments when safer alternatives are available. In one US study, 65 percent of doctors recommended sleeping pills to This audio clip is from the Australian Broadcasting patients who would have been better off taking Corporation (ABC). Laughter Club International exercise or reducing their caffeine intake in the was founded by Dr Madan and Madhuri Kataria, evenings, which the doctors might have found out with the aim of teaching people ‘laughter yoga’, a if they had asked the patients further questions. In 20-minute session of exercises to make people several studies published by the Universities laugh. As this is done in groups, it is difficult not to of Toronto and Harvard, doctors were found to laugh when everyone around you is laughing. The be treating drug side effects with more drugs.
Brookemead Associates Ltd 2009
QSE Adv TG p138-143 7/9/09 11:31 PM Page 141 There have been examples of how over-prescribing Note: In the fight-or-flight response people have
antibiotics has led to strains of antibiotic-resistant feelings of aggression or the need to run away bacteria. In the US alone, more than 1.5 million people are treated in hospital every year from adverse Sources:
reactions to drugs; another 100,000 die. Many of Overcoming Job Burnout, Ellen S. Bernstein these deaths are largely preventable. That is not to say The Physiology Of Stress And Stress Reduction, that there is not a place for pharmaceuticals, because many illnesses can only be controlled this way.
However, the debate hinges on whether prescribing EQ: Are you aware of any health effects when
drugs is the doctor’s first or last line of defence.
you are very stressed? Have you ever felt the Sources:
fight-or-flight response? What do you think burnout industry.info Listening to Prozac, Peter Kramer 9 FURTHER DISCUSSION
The Instinct To Heal, David Servan-SchreiberDangerous Drug Interactions, Joe Gaedon This section covers the way stress may change over time, school-related stress, job-related stress andtime management. EQ: Do you think we use drugs too often for stress?
Do you think alternative treatments might help
A Try to get students to think about how stress
7 PORTFOLIO WRITING
EQ: Is there ever a stress-free period in anyone’s life?
Why? Why not?
See the Introduction to the Teacher’s Guide.
B Try to get students to consider common
A Sources:
EQ: How stressful is school and learning for you? How
Handbook of Work Stress, Julian Barling http://stress.about.com/cs/workplacestress/a/jobstress.htm, www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html C Try to get students to think about reasons
for increasing stress – less job security, greater
8 BIOLOGY in English [CLIL]
Stress has been discussed in this unit as a biological EQ: The Japanese have a word – karoshi – meaning
reaction triggered by external, and occasionally death from overwork. How would stress be linked to internal, stimulae. Our normal state of being is this? What would motivate someone to work that homeostasis, in which our body tries to maintain this hard? What would you consider the ten most stressful balance. It regulates our breathing, our heart rate, jobs? Would you work in these jobs? Would the benefits our temperature and our stress reactions. The body always tries to be in balance with the environment D Try getting students to think about how they
we are in. When we come under increased stress, our body compensates, and this leads to knock-on effectsin other areas. The long-term effects of stress and EQ: Do you tend to arrive for appointments or
increased cortisol levels have been linked to physical class early, on time or late? Is this common in your problems like hypertension, migraines, cancer, country? How does your culture view arriving late arthritis, ulcers and colic. There may also be mental or on time? Is time management only a business problems, such as anxiety, panic attacks, alcoholism concept? Do you manage your time effectively? If so, Brookemead Associates Ltd 2009
QSE Adv TG p138-143 7/9/09 11:31 PM Page 142 10 Your answer: ARE WE SERIOUSLY
2 WRITING
STRESSED?
A Sources:
This question tries to get students to address how The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dealing with Stress for seriously society takes the effects of stress. In many cultures, it is still not acceptable to talk about being Pressure? No Problem, Michelle Steele very stressed, especially in countries where men are not allowed to show any signs of weakness. B Sources:
EQ: What do the types of programmes for stress
reduction say about how seriously your government http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/default.stm takes stress? Do you think men and women react to 3 SPEAKING STRATEGIES: Anticipating questions
WORKBOOK
This activity is one of the basic techniques that stu- 1 WORD POWER
dents should learn to give better presentations. Intrying to anticipate questions, students will be bet- This activity will get students practising vocabulary from ter prepared for the presentation in the Trinity or the unit and the phrases from Language Bank 19.
1 WORD POWER
Sample answers
3 SPEAKING STRATEGIES
1 I injured my back while I was working out at the
gym. – You must be feeling absolutely terrible.
Have you seen the doctor? / There’s nothing to
worry about. Take some painkillers. 2 I took the
red-eye flight to Lisbon and feel really tired and
See the Introduction to the Teacher’s Guide. stressed today. – I can see how difficult it must be
for you to stay awake. You look really tired. / It’s not
such a big thing. Have some coffee. 3 My doctor
said I need to watch my diet if I want to improve my
health. – I know exactly how you must be feeling.
1 to lose the plot ϭ to feel stressed or out of control
My doctor said I needed more exercise. / Let’s try to
2 to pay the price ϭ to suffer the consequences 3 to
keep things in perspective. Just eat smaller portions.
compare notes ϭ to check each other’s information 4 I felt better after taking those anti-depressants, but I
about something 4 just what the doctor ordered ϭ
didn’t like the side-effects. – That must have been
exactly the right thing 5 to let off steam ϭ to
very hard for you. Is there anything I can do? /
express strong feeling, release pent-up emotion Everything’s going to be fine. You’ll soon get used to
6 an emotional rollercoaster ϭ lead to very strong
them. 5 I’m worried about my husband – he finds it
swings / variations in feelings / emotions difficult to switch off and gets stressed. – I feel so
sorry for both of you. It can be hard to leave work
Ask students to use the idioms when answering behind. / Try to calm down; worrying won’t help.
these questions orally. This can be done as pair He just needs a hobby. 6 After serving in the army,
my father developed post-traumatic stress disorder. – I
• What would you do if you felt your life was out can imagine how painful it must have been for
him. Can he get any help for that? / There’s nothing
– If I was beginning to lose the plot, I would seek to worry about. It’s a common reaction.
Brookemead Associates Ltd 2009
QSE Adv TG p138-143 7/9/09 11:31 PM Page 143 – I think I would need to do something to let off – I haven’t compared notes with others, but I tend – I would say a few days off would be just what • What is your number one stress-reducer? – I like to go for walks to let off steam. • What happens if you work too hard? – I begin to lose the plot if I can’t spend a few – You will pay the price with poor health and – A weekend away from the kids is always – I think overwork can take you on an emotional Brookemead Associates Ltd 2009

Source: http://www.brookemead-elt.co.uk/downloads/docs/QSE_Advanced_B2-C1/QSE_Adv_Teachers_Guide/QSE_ADV_TG_09_Unit_19_Notes.pdf