An ESL Lesson Plan on Consumerism and Consumption

This ESL lesson plan on consumerism and consumption is suitable to use with advanced-level students. You must use this lesson with mature students that can engage with the content…I know my adult students love this lesson! Not to mention, I love teaching it! In any case, you should use this lesson plan to practice reading, speaking and listening as well as to introduce your students to new vocabulary.

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Transcript

1. Stop buying things you don’t need ESL Lesson Plan
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3. What can you see in each image? Describe these pictures Where are these people? A D B C
4. Answer these questions about yourself Let’s talk about your buying habits. Do you prefer to shop at a mall, or do you buy from small stores? What do you like to buy? How often do you shop as a leisure activity? How often do you go shopping for food?
5. A. I don’t have a lot of disposable income. After paying for rent, food, electricity, gas, and water, there’s not much left to spend on anything. B. Shopping is mostly a waste of time and money buying things we don’t need. For me, it’s more important to save money for the future. C. Shopping is one of my favorite activities. I like to go window shopping, to see what’s new in the stores. I usually buy a couple of new things each week, even if I don’t really need them. D. I can’t control my spending. When I enter a store, I almost always purchase something. E. I dislike shopping. When I must buy something, I enter the store, buy it, and get out as quickly as possible. Do you agree? Read each statement. How closely does it reflect you?
6. Decide which kind or kinds of shopper you are What kind of shopper are you? Impulsive shopper: This type of shopper loves anything on sale. In fact, if a sign says 40% off, you can be sure the impulsive shopper will buy it. They get caught up in the excitement and often purchase items that are not needed. Careful shopper: This shopper tends to enter the store only when needed. When buying big ticket items, this shopper looks for reviews online, and finds out what other people think of the item. They may take weeks to make a final decision. Brand shopper: The brand shopper is an advertiser’s dream and loves to see a label. This shopper is heavily influenced by marketing and likes to know the latest trends and fashions. Sometimes has problems controlling monthly expenditure. Cheap-is-best shopper: This shopper will always buy the cheapest items, believing that everything else is overpriced, loves to talk about how inexpensive an item was, and often scoffs when you reveal how much you pay for certain things.
7. We are lucky to live in a world where we can purchase so many items. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, millions upon millions of new items have become available to consumers. With the introduction of the department store and shopping mall, consumers have been able to purchase thousands of items in the same location. For the first time in history, many consumers can buy a lot of things at inexpensive prices. Consumerism is a social and economic order and ideology that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever- increasing amounts. Consumerism Can you think of any disadvantages associated with consumerism?
8. It’s 4:57 in the morning. In front of the large glass doors of a major department store, an increasingly large crowd of people is gathering. A text about consumerism Look at the opening lines and answer the questions. 1. Why are people waiting in front of the doors at 5am? 2. What do you think the author is going to describe next? 3. What else do you think the author will write about in this text? 4. Can you think of words and phrases that might appear in this kind of article?
9. 1. combat: take action to reduce or prevent something bad or undesirable 1. visibly: in a way that can be perceived or noticed easily; clearly 1. gadget: a small mechanical or electronic device or tool 1. frenzy: a state or period of uncontrolled excitement or wild behavior It’s 4:57 in the morning. In front of the large glass doors of a major department store, an increasingly large crowd of people is gathering. Dressed in warm clothing to combat the frigid, winter weather, hundreds of people wait patiently, chatting among themselves. In the semi-darkness and cold, they are visibly excited. The doors are about to open. In the following 24 hours, shoppers will spend $50 billion dollars in the United States alone. Almost a quarter of this amount will be spent on electronic items, such as smartphones, tablets, computers, and other gadgets that compete with our digital obsession. This uncontrolled shopping frenzy, ironically known as Black Friday, is making us blind to the environmental and societal impacts of consumerism. 5 10 Part I
10. Answer these questions Now that you’ve read the opening paragraphs, reflect on what the author wrote. 1. Why do you think the author starts the text with a description of people waiting in the cold? 2. In your view, what is the subject of this article? Read the remainder of the text carefully, thinking about the main points that the author makes. 3. This is an opinion piece. The author’s point of view on the subject is clear. Where is it in the text? 4. The author mentions the name of the event that the people are waiting for. What is it?
11. 1. devastating: highly destructive or damaging 1. surge: a sudden powerful forward or upward movement, especially by a crowd or by a natural force such as the tide 1. compulsion: an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way 1. obsolete: no longer produced or used; out of date Our obsession with technology is making us blind to the devastating effects that consumerism has on the environment. When the department store entrance opens, the crowd will surge forward and rush to grab the latest smartphone or whichever electronic item is on sale. The marketing departments of retailers everywhere will have spent millions on advertising. Advertising that promises us a better life, if we’d only purchase that item on sale. However, our compulsion to buy, buy, buy is costing us the earth. Most electronic items today are either impossible to repair or will become obsolete. Without thinking, shoppers purchase items that will end up discarded in landfill in a short space of time. Across the planet, we dispose of up to 50 million tons of e-waste each year. 5 10 Part II
12. 1. impact: a marked effect or influence 1. conflict zone: a temporary warzone that occurs wherever factions are waging war or civil war against each other 1. ignorant: lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated Likewise, the uncontrolled consumerism of Black Friday has an enormously negative impact on society. In the frenzy, we do not stop to think about the conditions under which many of the items are made. Millions of workers operate, far from the fancy stores, in unacceptable and sometimes dangerous conditions. In Africa, minerals are mined in conflict zones to provide materials for the latest smartphone. In China, suicides have been linked to low wages in electronic manufacturing. These factories supply electronics for some of the world’s largest brands. Nevertheless, shoppers remain ignorant about the societal damage that consumerism creates. 5 10 Part III
13. 1. glossy: shiny and smooth 1. consumption: the purchase of goods and services by the public; the action of using up a resource. If any change in our shopping habits is going to occur, it will need to come from environmental groups. Advertising has never made us do anything other than consume more. Glossy advertisements promise a better life with a clean and efficient future. Marketing has no desire to make us buy less. However, not everyone buys without thinking. In 1992, the first Buy Nothing Day took place; and it occurs annually on the same day as Black Friday. The first Buy Nothing Day took place in Canada, with the hope that people would think about over-consumption. Today, more than 65 countries participate in Buy Nothing Day; though of course, it might be a losing battle. 5 10 Part IV
14. In general, do you agree with the author? What did you think? Here are some points to discuss. The author contrasts Black Friday with Buy Nothing Day. In your opinion, how confident is the author that people will stop over-consuming? The author points out several environmental and societal impacts? What are they? What does the author imply about the marketing and advertising industries?
15. Pick a heading for this text Which heading would be appropriate for the entire text? A. Consumers Don’t Control Spending B. Negative Impacts Of Uncontrolled Consumerism C. Black Friday: Out Of Control? D. Why Shopping Never Makes Us Happy E. Shopping Is An Environmental Disaster For The Planet And An Economic Disaster For Us. Can you think of a better title?
16. The one who dies with the most toys wins. Final discussion points What do you think about the following? Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell. It all depends on whether you have things, or they have you. There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less. The people who have more money and goods than any people in the history of the world spend most of their time worrying about not having enough.