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.