Category Archives: Culture

The Power of Random Acts of Kindness

“Researchers found that people who perform a random act of kindness tend to underestimate how much the recipient will appreciate it. And they believe that miscalculation could hold many of us back from doing nice things for others more often.” C. Pearson, The New York Times, Sept. 2, 2022

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key

Excerpt: The Unexpected Power of Random Acts of Kindness Catherine Pearson, The New York Times, Sept. 2, 2022

“In late August, Erin Alexander, 57, sat in the parking lot of a Target store in Fairfield, Calif., and wept. 

Her sister-in-law had recently died, and Ms. Alexander was having a hard day.

A barista working at the Starbucks inside the Target was too. The espresso machine had broken down and she was clearly stressed. Ms. Alexander — who’d stopped crying and gone inside for some caffeine — smiled, ordered an iced green tea, and told her to hang in there. After picking up her order, she noticed a message on the cup: ‘Erin,’ the barista had scrawled next to a heart, ‘your soul is golden.’

‘I’m not sure I even necessarily know what ‘your soul is golden’ means,’ said Ms. Alexander, who laughed and cried while recalling the incident.

But the warmth of that small and unexpected gesture, from a stranger who had no inkling of what she was going through, moved her deeply… The notion that kindness can boost well-being is hardly new. Studies have shown that prosocial behavior — basically, voluntarily helping others — can help lower people’s daily stress levels, and that simple acts of connection, like texting a friend, mean more than many of us realize.”

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

NOTE: Lessons can also be used with native English speakers.

Level: Intermediate – Advanced

Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.

Time: Approximately 60 minutes. 

Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.


Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and improving oral skills. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing. 

I. Pre-Reading Activities

 Predictions: Using a Pre-reading Organizer

Directions: Examine the title of the post and of the actual article. Next examine  any photos. Write a paragraph describing what you think this article will discuss. A pre-reading organizer may be used.

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

Directions: Try  to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. You use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance. 

  1. A barista working at the Starbucks was also having a hard day.
  2. he espresso machine had broken down and she was clearly stressed.
  3. Ms. Alexander smiled, ordered an iced green tea, and told her to hang in there.
  4. The warmth of that small and unexpected gesture, from a stranger moved her deeply.
  5. Researchers found that people who perform a random act of kindness tend to underestimate how much the recipient will appreciate it.
  6. We just don’t think the positive impact of our behaviors is as positive as it is.
  7. With a study like this, I hope it will inspire more people to actually commit random acts of kindness,” she said.
  8. Underestimating the power of small gestures is a mistake.
  9. The participants  were given a hot chocolate from the snack kiosk.
  10. In that experiment the people doing the kind thing consistently underestimated how much it was actually appreciated.

 

Grammar Focus: Word -Recognition

Directions: Students choose the correct word to complete the sentences taken from the article. They are to choose from the options presented.

Researchers recruited 84 participants/participant on two/too cold weekend/weekends at the/a  ice skating rink on/at Maggie Daley Park in Chicago.  They were/was given an/a hot chocolate from the snack kiosk and/an were told they can/could keep it or give it two/to a stranger as an/a deliberate act of kindness. The 75 participants who gave/give away their/there hot chocolate was/were asked/ask to guess how “big” the act of kindness would feel to the recipient on a scale from 0 (very small) to 10 (very large), and to predict how the recipient would rate they’re/their mood (ranging from much more negative then/than normal to much more positive than normal) upon receiving the drink.

Reading Comprehension: Identify The  Speakers

Directions: Read the following quotes from the speakers in the article. Then identify the speakers. 

  1. “I’m not sure I even necessarily know what ‘your soul is golden’ means.”
  2. “We have this negativity bias when it comes to social connection. We just don’t think the positive impact of our behaviors is as positive as it is.”
  3.  “The people doing the kind thing consistently underestimated how much it was actually appreciated.”
  4. “I have found that kindness can be a really hard sell.”
  5.  “People have bought groceries and baby formula for others in Hallie’s honor. They’ve donated school supplies and given hydrangeas to strangers.” “No small act goes unnoticed.”
  6. “She did it so I wouldn’t find them all immediately, and it did take me a while. But it was meant to bring a smile to my day when I returned.”

 

Discussion Questions for Comprehension /Writing

Directions: Have  students discuss the following questions/statements. Afterwards,  students share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the topics mentioned.

  1. Have you ever been kind to someone that you did not know? If so describe what happened.
  2. Has a stranger  ever been kind to you? If so describe what happened.
  3. List three new ideas  that you’ve learned about the topic from the reading,  two things that you did not understand in the reading, and one thing you  would like to know that the article did not mention.  Share your responses with your class.
  4. List three questions that you would like to ask anyone mentioned in this article. Share your questions with the class.

 

ANSWER KEY

Category: Culture, Education | Tags:

Even A Goddess Has to Work These Days!

“When the 6-year-old goddess wept for four days, it was viewed as a terrible omen for Nepal, and her tears appeared to have foreshadowed a national tragedy.” E.  Schmall,  The New York Times, July 23, 2022

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key

Chanira Bajracharya, 27, was once a kumari, a young girl worshiped in Nepal as the embodiment of a Hindu goddess. Behind her are photos of her wearing her divine regalia. Credit: Uma Bista for The New York Times

 

Excerpt: Ex-Goddess Works to Reform 700-Year Tradition. Her M.B.A. Helps. Emily Schmall,  The New York Times, July 23, 2022

“On the last day of her crying, June 1, 2001, the crown prince of Nepal killed nine members of the royal family, including his parents, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, before shooting himself.

More than 20 years later… that girl who had been worshiped as a goddess was now a woman concerned with more earthly matters: Chanira Bajracharya, a freshly minted M.B.A., was handling loan applications at the financial services firm where she works.

Her ability to land a corporate job has set her apart from most other former kumari, women who in their prepubescent youth were worshiped as the living embodiment of a Hindu goddess — but most of whom were denied education.

‘People used to think because she’s a goddess, she knows everything,” said Ms. Bajracharya, 27. “And who dares to teach a goddess?’

Since the 14th century, girls as young as 2 have been chosen from Buddhist families from the Newar community living in the Kathmandu Valley… The kumari, Ms. Bajracharya said, act as a syncretic symbol between Hinduism and Buddhism, the largest faiths in Nepal, a country of about 30 million…Most kumari before Ms. Bajracharya, including her aunt, Dhana Kumari Bajracharya, received no formal education…Ms. Bajracharya is working to change that, urging the current crop of young goddesses to study as she did, which she believes will not only help them, but also help shield an institution that critics argue deprives girls of their childhoods and human rights...Ms. Bajracharya, who remains a staunch champion of the tradition, had favorable feelings about her unusual childhood…’Those moments were the best moments of my life,’ she said…And she rejected any notion that the role had violated her rights.

‘People used to think that as a goddess, we have a very secluded life, we don’t get to speak with others, we don’t get time to play, we’re not allowed to smile,’ she said. ‘All those myths that have been so popular, sometimes I get so irritated.’ Still, no one considers it an easy role…Ms. Bajracharya’s reign as the living goddess of Patan, from 2001 to 2010, saw some of Nepal’s greatest political change, from the palace killings her tears were believed to have foretold, to the Maoist insurgency that intensified afterward. In 2008, Nepal abolished its 240-year-old monarchy and became a democratic republic.”

 

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

NOTE: Lessons can also be used with native English speakers.

 

Level: Intermediate – Advanced

Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.

Time: Approximately 60 minutes. 

Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.


Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and improving oral skills. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing. 

I. Pre-Reading Activities

 Predictions: Using a Pre-reading Organizer

Directions: Examine the title of the post and of the actual article. Next examine  any photos. Write a paragraph describing what you think this article will discuss. A pre-reading organizer may be used.

Pre-reading chart by J. Swann

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

Directions: Try  to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. You use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance. 

  1. The 6-year-old goddess wept for four days.
  2. This was viewed as a terrible omen for Nepal.
  3. More than 20 years later, the young woman sits in a nondescript office in Patan.
  4. Chanira Bajracharya, has  a freshly minted M.B.A.
  5. There are other former kumari, women who in their prepubescent youth were worshiped as the living embodiment of a Hindu goddess.
  6. She was speaking at the family home in Patan, where she had performed her divine duties for 10 years.
  7. The tradition centers on the story of a Hindu goddess, Taleju, who gave counsel to a king.
  8. A dozen children are bestowed the title of kumari at any one time.
  9. Ms. Bajracharya, remains a staunch champion of the tradition.
  10. People used to think that as a goddess, we have a very secluded life.

Grammar Focus: Word -Recognition

Directions: Students choose the correct word to complete the sentences taken from the article. They are to choose from the options presented.

Her days/day were often spend/spent receiving a long line of visitors, who would kneel/knee at her tiny feet, which were/was never supposed to/too touch the ground outside. The devotees would place offerings/offering of cash and fruit into brass bowls as, wordlessly, Chanira would stretch out a/an arm covered in/on red satin, smudging vermilion paste, a/an religious marker called a tika, on their foreheads as a blessing.

Reading Comprehension Fill-ins

Directions: Place students in groups and after they have read the entire article, have them complete the following sentences  taken from the article. They can use the words and terms from the list provided, or provide their own terms. They are to find the meanings of any new vocabulary.

The ___of one___ were ___with ___of her in full___, a small girl with brightly painted lips and eyes lined with kohl. In one___, she is looking down imperiously at the last___of Nepal, Gyanendra, the assassin’s brother.

WORD LIST: king, photograph, kumari regalia, covered, walls, room,  photographs,

III. Post Reading Activities

WH-How Questions

Directions: Have students use the  WH-question format to discuss or to write the main points from the article. 

Who or What is the article about?

Where does the action/event take place?

When does the action/event take place?

Why did the action/event occur?

How did the action/event occur?

III Post Reading

Discussion Questions for Comprehension /Writing

Directions: Have  students discuss the following questions/statements. Afterwards,  students share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the topics mentioned.

  1. After reading this article, would you like to be a goddess? Why or why not?
  2. In your opinion, is this a positive or negative practice?
  3. What is the name of the 6-year-old goddess?
  4. What tragedy did the young goddess foresee in June 2001?
  5. Where does Kathmandu work today?
  6. Why are most of the goddesses denied an education?
  7. Approximately when did this practice of choosing girls to be goddesses begin?
  8. What happens to the children after they lose their divinity?
  9. What are the criticisms of this practice?
  10.  How is Ms. Bajracharya  working to change the future of young goddesses?
  11.  Does Ms. Bajracharya believe that her rights were violated as a child goddess?
  12. What did Nepal’s Supreme Court state about the Kumari tradition?
  13. List three new ideas  that you’ve learned about the topic from the reading,  two things that you did not understand in the reading, and one thing you  would like to know that the article did not mention.  Share your responses with your class.
  14. List 3  questions that you would like to ask any person mentioned in the article. Groups share questions as a class.

ANSWER KEY

Category: Celebrations, Children/Teens, Culture, Education, Religion | Tags:

How The Deaf Culture Name Signs

“How does a person get a name sign — the series of unique gestures used to identify someone in American Sign Language? To understand the process of name signing, a Times team turned to people who knew it best.” S. Bahr, The New York Times, August 30, 2021

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key

Monique Holt, left, Marsellette Davis, top right, and Frank Dattolo explain their name signs in the Times interactive article. “Once we in the Deaf community get to know who you are, then we can honor you with respect by giving you a sign name,” Ms. Davis said in the article. Credit…The New York Times

Excerpt:How a Question on Sign Language Led to a Deeper Look at Deaf Culture,By Sarah Bahr, The New York Times, Aug. 30, 2021

“For a team of Times journalists, the process of answering that question underscored the importance of two storytelling basics — rely on experts and think of the audience — and resulted in an interactive article in July that provided a broader understanding of deaf culture.

‘One of our priorities was to show our readers the diversity of experiences and backgrounds that exist in the deaf world,’ Ilaria Parogni, a senior editor who wrote the article, said. ‘Delving into name signs allowed us to tap into that.’

The challenge began when The Times set out to learn how Vice President Kamala Harris received her name sign (also known as a sign name).

Name signs are an important component of ‘capital D Deaf’ culture, a term used by some deaf people to indicate that they embrace deafness as a cultural identity.

A group of five women had collaborated on a name sign for Vice President Harris…Scott Reinhard, a graphics editor, originally pitched the idea to the Culture desk and suggested talking to the women about how they arrived at the name sign.

Ms. Parogni and Alicia DeSantis, a deputy editor for visuals and multimedia, organized a two-hour video call with the five women in February…Ms. Parogni said that it quickly became clear to everyone that there was a much bigger story to be told beyond Ms. Harris — about the history of name signs and their significance to deaf people…Amanda Morris, a hard-of-hearing woman raised by two deaf parents who is fluent in ASL, offered additional support when she joined The Times in June as a disability reporting fellow…The team also took her recommendation to make a key detail in the story more prominent: Name signs cannot be assigned by a hearing person. And Ms. Morris reinforced a direction team members had decided on earlier to make the article accessible to visually impaired readers by including video transcripts — invisible descriptions of videos on a page that are read aloud to blind or visually impaired users on a screen reader”.

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

NOTE: Lessons can also be used with native English speakers.

Level: Intermediate – Advanced

Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.

Time: Approximately 60 minutes. 

Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.


Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and improving oral skills. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing. 

I. Pre-Reading Activities

 Predictions: Using a Pre-reading Organizer

Directions: Examine the title of the post and of the actual article. Next examine  any photos. Write a paragraph describing what you think this article will discuss. A pre-reading organizer may be used.

Pre-reading chart by J. Swann

 

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

Directions: Try  to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. You use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance. 

  1. A name sign — the series of unique gestures used to identify someone in American Sign Language.
  2. The process of answering that question underscored the importance of two storytelling basics.
  3. One of our priorities was to show our readers the diversity of experiences and backgrounds in the deaf world.
  4. A group of five women had collaborated on a name sign for Vice President Harris.
  5.  Scott Reinhard, a graphics editor, originally pitched the idea to the Culture desk.
  6. Ms. Parogni pitched American Sign Language  teachers throughout the project.
  7. People need more than just subtitles.
  8. Ms. Morris helped make a few of the subtitles more accurate.
  9. The team also took her recommendation to make a key detail in the story more prominent.
  10. Ms. Morris reinforced a direction team members group.

Vocabulary Cluster By Learnnc.org

 

 Grammar Focus: Structure and Usage

Directions: The following groups of sentences are from the article. One of the sentences in each group contains a grammatical  error.  Identify the sentence (1, 2, or 3 ) from each group that contains the grammatical error.

I

The signs consist of gestures that reflect a individual’s personality.

Scott Reinhard is a graphics editor.

The Times worked with several interpreters throughout the project.

II

It was clear that video, graphics and design would have to be integrated.

There was an much bigger story to be told.

More than a dozen journalists worked on the project.

III

There were questions the team had to work through.

Ms. Morris helped make a few of the subtitles more accurate.

Name signs cannot be assigned by an hearing person.

Reading Comprehension Fill-ins

Directions: Place students in groups and after they have read the entire article, have them complete the following sentences  taken from the article. They can use the words and terms from the list provided, or provide their own terms. They are to find the meanings of any new vocabulary.

One of our ___was to show our___the ___of experiences and ___that exist in the___world, Ilaria Parogni, a senior ___who wrote the article, said. Delving into___ signs allowed us to ___into that.

Name signs are an___ component of capital D Deaf  culture, a ___used by some deaf people to ___that they embrace ___as a cultural identity. 

WORD LIST: deafness indicate, term, important, tap, name, editor, deaf, backgrounds, diversity, readers, priorities, 

III Post Reading

Discussion Questions for Comprehension /Writing

Directions: Have  students discuss the following questions/statements. Afterwards,  students share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the topics mentioned.

  1. What does ALS stand for?
  2. What is a name sign?
  3. According to the article, what did the Times reporters want to explain to the readers?
  4. What term do some deaf people use  to indicate that they embrace deafness as a cultural identity?
  5. What can gestures from the name signs reflect?
  6. Aside from using the hand and fingers, what other context clues are important when signing?
  7. Can name signs be assigned by a hearing person? Why or why not?
  8. What did Ms. Ms. Parogni do in order to prepare for this project?
  9. Who is Deborah Leiderman?
  10. Write down three new ideas  you’ve learned about the topic from the reading, two things  that  you did not understand in the reading, and one thing you  would like to know that the article did not mention. Review the responses as a class. 

ANSWER KEY

Category: Culture, Education, Language | Tags:

The End of Roe Affects Us All!

“Friday’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade will usher in a United States not seen in half a century, in which the legal status of abortion is entirely up to the states. Now that the law has changed, reproductive rights will be rewritten almost immediately.” C. C. Miller and M. S. Katz, The New York Times, June 24, 2022

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key

Abortion rights activists clad in green and carrying green signs protest outside the Supreme Court on Saturday.Brandon Bell:Getty Images

Excerpt: What Does the End of Roe Mean? Key Questions and Answers.By Claire Cain Miller and Margot Sanger-Katz, The New York Times, June 24, 202

“Abortion will remain legal in about half of states, but the rest will probably ban it. The number of abortions will probably fall, particularly among poor women in the South and Midwest…Individual states will decide whether and when abortions will be legal. Many states will continue to allow them, and some have even begun making provisions to help serve women who live in states that are likely to restrict abortion… Some women seeking abortions could obtain them in other ways, including traveling to a state where abortion is legal or ordering pills online from outside the country… Without Roe, abortion will probably decline more because women will have to travel farther to reach a state where it’s legal.”

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

NOTE: Lessons can also be used with native English speakers.

Level: Intermediate – Advanced

Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.

Time: Approximately 60 minutes. 

Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.


Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and improving oral skills. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing. 

I. Pre-Reading Activities

 Predictions: Analyzing headings and photos

Directions: Examine the titles of the post and of the actual article.  Examine any photos, then create a list of  words and  ideas  that you  and your group members think might be related to this article.  

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

Directions: Try  to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. You use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance. 

Friday’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade will leave the legal status of abortion entirely up to the states.

Now that the law has changed, reproductive rights will be rewritten almost immediately.

Abortion will probably become illegal in about half of states, although forecasts differ.

The Center for Reproductive Rights, is a group that fights abortion restrictions in court and closely tracks state laws.

Some states have old abortion laws on the books that were invalidated by the Roe decision.

In September, a law went into effect banning abortion after fetal cardiac activity is detected, around six weeks.

Without Roe, abortion will probably decline more because women will have to travel farther to reach a state where it’s legal.

California looks to enshrine abortion rights in state constitution.

Our article from December describes the demographics of the typical abortion patient.

Under Roe, the United States has been unusual in allowing abortion for any reason until around 23 weeks.

Grammar Focus: Word -Recognition

Directions: Students choose the correct word to complete the sentences taken from the article. They are to choose from the options presented.

Without Roe, abortion will/may probably declined/decline more because women/woman will has/have to travel farther to reach a/an state where it’s legal. Many women/woman who get abortions are poor, and long travel distances can be insurmountable. The states likely to ban abortion are/is concentrate/concentrated in the South, Midwest and Great Plains.

Reading Comprehension Fill-ins

Directions: Place students in groups and after they have read the entire article, have them complete the following sentences  taken from the article. They can use the words and terms from the list provided, or provide their own terms. They are to find the meanings of any new vocabulary.

Under___, around one in ___American ___would have been expected to obtain an ____at some point, according to research from the Guttmacher Institute.

That includes___ from all backgrounds. But statistics show women who receive ___ abortions in the United States are more likely to be___; to be in their 20s; to have ___incomes; and to___have a child.

WORD LIST: already, low, unmarried, abortion, abortions, women, Roe, four, women,  

Discussion Questions for Comprehension /Writing

Directions: Have  students discuss the following questions/statements. Afterwards,  students share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the topics mentioned.

  1. Will abortion become illegal everywhere in the U.S.?
  2. Where will abortion access most likely change?
  3. What are trigger laws?
  4. How will the number of U.S. abortions change?
  5. Without Roe, why will women’s rights to decline more?
  6. In South Dakota which group of women will be most affected by the new law?
  7. Who Gets Abortions in America?
  8. List three new ideas  that you’ve learned about the topic from the reading,  two things that you did not understand in the reading, and one thing you  would like to know that the article did not mention.  Share your responses with your class.

ANSWER KEY

Category: Culture, Political Issues, Psychology, Social Issues | Tags:

Should 4-Year-Olds Be Allowed to Run Errands Alone?

“A 4-year-old can run errands alone … and not just on reality TV.” M. Doucleff, NPR  April 30, 2022

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key

Credit- Malaka Gharib: NPR

 

Excerpt: A 4-year-old can run errands alone … and not just on reality TV, By Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR (Goats and Soda section) April 30, 2022

“A few years ago, my husband and I had a bit of a situation on our hands. Our 4-year-old daughter had figured out how to climb onto the roof of our home. After breakfast in the mornings, we would find her perched, like a pigeon, three stories above a busy city sidewalk. (It makes me a bit nauseous to think about it).

The first morning, I tried to coax her down by asking her nicely (“Rosy, please come down. That is dangerous.”), nagging a bit (‘Rosy, I’m serious. You have to come down. Please. Please’) and eventually issuing a flimsy threat (‘Ok. If you don’t come down, we won’t get ice cream on Friday.’)

Then the fourth time she went up there, I was a bit fed up and decided to try and fix the root of the problem, instead of just the symptoms. I was in the middle of writing a book about parenting around the world, and I had heard the same advice over and over again: When a kid misbehaves they need more autonomy; they need more responsibility…So, looking up at the little daredevil hovering over the gutters, I decided she was finally ready to do just that. So I said to her: ‘We’re out of milk. Can you run up to the market and buy us some milk?’ The market is two blocks away. ‘All by myself?’ she asked with a twinkle in her eye. ‘Yes, all by yourself.’

Now a Japanese reality show, streaming on Netflix, is reminding me of that pivotal moment – and the importance of a seemingly trivial task on children’s lives — all around the world. It’s not so much about raising ‘free range’ kids – the term often used to describe children who are free to play and explore around their homes and neighborhoods on their own — but rather it’s about raising smart, capable kids whose parents enable them to practice autonomy without sacrificing safety. Kids who have the skills they need to handle the responsibility.

The show, called Old Enough!, has aired in Japan for more than three decades, but it’s new to an American audience. On the show, children ages 2 to 4 are charged with running an errand for their parents. Camera people follow the kids. A narrator comments on their progress.

Don’t forget the curry! A very young errand runner is the star of one episode of the Japanese series Old Enough!, which assigns seemingly daunting tasks to little tykes. Netflix / screen grab by NPR

In the first episode, a toddler takes a 20-minute walk to a grocery store and picks up three items for his mom: flowers, curry and fishcakes.

The little boy couldn’t be more than 2 and a half years old. Is that a diaper I see under his shorts? Yet he manages to navigate traffic, find two of the items in the grocery, pay for them and walk out of the store…Despite all that, at the end of the episode, I still had this overwhelming sense that the child accomplished something remarkable. Seeing a little tyke – perhaps still in his nappies – handle such a complex task brought this rush of joy through me.

Credit: Malaka Gharib: NPR

And made me think, Wow, kids are so much more capable than we think! And on the flip side: Wow, American society is really holding kids back… If your kid is anything like Rosy, they will cherish and love these moments of responsibility and autonomy.”

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

NOTE: Lessons can also be used with native English speakers.

Level: Intermediate – Advanced


Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.


Time: Approximately 60 minutes.


Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.


Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and improving oral skills. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing.

I. Pre-Reading Activities

 Predictions: Analyzing headings and photos

Directions: Examine the titles of the post and of the actual article.  Examine any photos, then create a list of  words and  ideas  that you  and your group members think might be related to this article. 

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

Directions: Try to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. You use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.

  1. We would find our 4-year-old daughter perched, like a pigeon, three stories above a busy city sidewalk.
  2. It makes me a bit nauseous to think about it.
  3. The first morning, I tried to coax her down by asking her nicely.
  4. Eventually, I issued  a flimsy threat (‘If you don’t come down, we won’t get ice cream’.)
  5. When a kid misbehaves they need more autonomy.
  6. I told my friend about Rosy’s escapades.
  7. Looking up at the little daredevil hovering over the gutters, I decided she was finally ready to run errands.
  8. I began watching a Japanese reality show.
  9. Seeing a little tyke – perhaps still in his nappies – handle such a complex task is amazing.
  10. The show has a laugh track behind the commentary,  which makes it feel a bit silly.

Grammar Focus: Word -Recognition

Directions: Students choose the correct word to complete the sentences taken from the article. They are to choose from the options presented.

Autonomy has/have oodles off/of benefits for/of kids of all age/ages. Studies/study have linked autos/autonomy to/too long-term motivation, independence, confidence an/and better executive function. As a/an children/child gets older, autonomy is associated with better performance in/inn school and a decreased risk of drug and alcohol abuse.

Reading Comprehension: Identify The  Speakers

Directions: Read the following quotes from the speakers in the article. Then identify the speakers.

  1. “Learning to run errands has huge benefits to kids All around the world, little kids, even as young as ages 3 or 4, run errands for their parents. In fact, if you look across cultures, not running errands is an oddity.”
  2. “kids in many parts of Europe walk to school and make trips to the grocery store alone.
  3.    “Even youngsters who are still walking very unsteadily on their feet are conscripted [asked] by adults to hand knives, beads and food to other nearby adults.”
  4. In a study published in 2009,  they described  a 6-year-old girl in Peru who volunteers to join Izquierdo and another family on a five-day journey down river to fish and gather leaves.
  5. “Autonomous play has been a really important part of child development throughout human evolutionary history. And actually, it was a feature of American society until relatively recently as well.”
  6. They write in their book  The Self-Driven Child: “…when children don’t have enough autonomy, they can feel powerless over their lives…Over time, that feeling can cause stress and anxiety. In fact,  lack of autonomy is likely a major reason for the high rates of anxiety and depression among American children and teenagers. Autonomy provides the antidote to this stress.”
  7. “The biggest gift parents can give their children is the opportunity to make their own decisions.”
  8. “We now live in a country where it is seen as abnormal, or even criminal, to allow children to be away from direct adult supervision, even for a second.”
  9. “What counts as ‘free-range parenting’ and what counts as ‘neglect’ are in the eye of the beholder — and race and class often figure heavily into such distinctions.”

III. Post Reading Activities

WH-How Questions

Directions: Have students use the  WH-question format to discuss or to write the main points from the article.

Who or What is the article about?

Where does the action/event take place?

When does the action/event take place?

Why did the action/event occur?

How did the action/event occur?

Discussion Questions for Comprehension /Writing

Directions: Have  students discuss the following questions/statements. Afterwards,  students share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the topics mentioned.

  1. Can you remember the first time you went to a store by yourself?
  2. At what age do you think it is safe to send a child alone to the grocery store?
  3. What does the term “free range” kids mean?
  4. How Long has the reality show Old Enough! aired in Japan? Describe what the show is  about.
  5. After viewing the Japanese reality show, what was the author’s reaction?  What did she think about American society and how kids in the U.S. are treated?
  6. What are some of the benefits of teaching young children to run errands?
  7. How did the author of this article handle the situation with her daughter Rosy? Do you think it was a good solution to stop Rosy from doing dangerous things?
  8. List three new ideas  that you’ve learned about the topic from the reading,  two things that you did not understand in the reading, and one thing you  would like to know that the article did not mention.  Share your responses with your class.

ANSWER KEY

Category: Children/Teens, Culture, Education | Tags:
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