Consumer society

Objective & content

This sheet on consumer society opens on Zoe's blog post, "My buy-nothing month": after spending sixty pounds on Black Friday deals in one evening, she spends a whole month without buying anything new. She notices the adverts and influencers all around her, repairs her old jeans, goes to a clothes swap and finds a second-hand jacket in a charity shop. The blog post carries every word of the tasks, from adverts, brand and discount to on impulse, fast fashion, landfill and budget. By the end, pupils understand and use the words of advertising and shopping habits, and talk about buying less and better.

Pedagogical guide

The vocabulary work comes out of the blog post, never from a list. Page 1 checks understanding with six multiple-choice questions. Page 2 asks pupils to name six pictures from a box of eight words (billboard, needle and thread, charity shop), then to match eight words such as a deal, an influencer and second-hand with their meanings. Page 3 uses eight words in new sentences, with two extra words in the box, and ends on a word search: pupils first find the 14 words from clues about the blog post, then look for them in the grid; the letters left over spell a hidden message. It is the hardest task, as pupils must recall each word before they can find it. Every task tests words, never grammar. The sheet fits the cycle 4 theme "École et société".

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Ask pupils what they last bought and why; write the shopping words they know on the board.
2. (10 min) Pupils read the blog post and answer the six questions.
3. (10 min) Page 2: name the pictures, then match the eight words with their meanings.
4. (10 min) Page 3: complete the eight sentences.
5. (12 min) Pupils write the 14 words from the clues, then find them in the grid and read the hidden message.
6. (8 min) Correct with the answer key on page 4; ask the class Zoe's question: "Do I need it, or do I just want it?"

Adaptations

[S] Read the blog post aloud together first; ask pupils what they last bought on impulse.

[A] After the word search, pupils write three tips for a buy-nothing week. To take it further, pupils analyse an advert in English (who it targets, what it promises), or the class organises a clothes swap.

Materials & prerequisites

One copy of the three pupil pages per pupil, in colour or in black and white. Pages 4 and 5 are the answer key with teacher notes: keep them. Pupils should know the past simple, the present perfect and relative clauses with where and that.