They really had a lot to say on the topic. I asked them to work in small groups and make a list of how teenagers use text messaging in their countries, and then orally present and comment on them to the class.  Some of them actually said teens used it to break up with others.  Well, I couldn’t believe it, so I asked them if they thought it was OK to do so. We had a light ethical conversation about it and that was an added bonus. They always say they want to practice their conversation. Well, we certainly found a good talking point.

If I could go back and do it again, I would eliminate the second item in the ‘Before you listen’ section. I’d also give the audience a task to do as they listened to groups present their lists, like listen for vocabulary words included in the worksheet.

I gave them this worksheet to accompany a video clip from the movie “He’s Just Not That Into You”.  The clip shows two friends shopping at the drug store and discussing one’s misadventures in trying to get in touch with a potential date. The main character, Mary, is very frustrated about having to check seven electronic portals just to see if anyone has tried to get in touch with her.

• What tone do you think Mary uses when she says, “I can’t text. I’m just not charming via text.”?

Does she feel down about not being good at texting? Or, does she feel frustrated? I modeled the two ways of expressing those emotions and then we watched the clip.

The worksheet analyzes how her pronunciation manifests frustration, and offers students practice in this. It also preps them for the clip by reviewing vocabulary, main ideas, and offers two conversation activities: tell a frustrating story, explain when you like to and don’t like to use technology for socializing.

The students appreciated the topic.  I saw that it generated a lot of good discussion and opportunities to use their English skills.