Lesson Plan: Reading Tolstoy Increases Emotional Level
II. While Reading Tasks
Vocabulary
Word Inference
- blind date |ˈblaɪn(d) ˈˌdeɪt| noun- a social engagement or date with a person one has not previously met: a blind date arranged by well-meaning friends.
- potboiler |ˈpɑtˌbɔɪlər| noun informal- a book, painting, or recording produced merely to make the writer or artist a living by catering to popular taste.
- empathy |ˈempəTHē| noun-the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
- gauge |gāj| verb [ with obj. ] – form a judgment or estimate of (a situation, mood, etc.): she is unable to gauge his mood.
- nonfiction |nänˈfikSHən| noun-prose writing that is based on facts, real events, and real people, such as biography or history.
- aghast |əˈgast| adjective [ predic. ]-filled with horror or shock: when the news came out they were aghast.
- squint |skwint| verb- [ no obj. ] look at someone or something with one or both eyes partly closed in an attempt to see more clearly or as a reaction to strong light: the bright sun made them squint.
- influence |ˈinflo͝oəns| noun-the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself: the influence of television violence /| their friends are having a bad influence on them.
- correlated |ˈkôrəˌlāt, ˈkär-| verb- have a mutual relationship or connection, in which one thing affects or depends on another: the study found that success in the educational system correlates highly with class.
- fiction |ˈfikSHən| noun-literature in the form of prose, esp. short stories and novels, that describes imaginary events and people.
Reading Comprehension
True /False/NA-Statements
- F- According to the results, reading something by Chekhov will help you in new social situations more so than a potboiler by Danielle Steel.
- T- The conclusion of the test was written in a study published in the Journal Science.
- NA-Reading classical literature can also help married couples.
- F- Amazon’s Mechanical Turk service was used to find a broader pool of participants.
- T- Nicholas Humphrey is an evolutionary psychologist.
- T-According to the experts, the results implied that people could be primed for social skills like empathy, just as watching a clip from a sad movie can make one feel more emotional.
- F- One of the novels used in the experiment was The Round House by Louise Erdrich.
- NA-This research included an assortment of books for children.
- F- The age range of the participants was from 18 to 75.
- T- Scientists have used emotional intelligence perception tests to study children with autism.
Grammar Focus
Structure and Usage
I-3-on
People performed better on tests measuring empathy and social perception.
II-2-a
They were paid $2 or $3 each to read for a few minutes.
III-3-does
There is much the study does not address.
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