Lesson Topics: the influence of the Internet, preserving cultures
Skill Focus: Listening, Speaking, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 1.75 hours
Lesson Plan Download: amazon-tribe-internet-advanced-lesson-062024.docx
Lesson Overview:
- After warm-up questions and a prediction exercise, students watch a short TikTok video about how the arrival of the Internet has affected a semi-isolated Amazon tribe. The video discusses its positive and negative effects.
- The video is followed by recall activity, reading comprehension questions, and a vocabulary-matching activity. Next, students match vocabulary from the video to definitions and then form discussion questions using the target vocabulary.
- There are three debate topics related to the influence of the Internet and smartphones. Next, the lesson has two role-play scenarios. The first involves a Starlink sales rep and a tribal elder. The second is between two family members and the value of living a rural, remote life.
- As a bonus, there is an activity asking students to give a presentation about safe internet usage to a remote group.
- After famous quotations, the lesson ends with a review of vocabulary and collocations before presenting some final discussion questions.
ADVANCED (C1/C2) Lesson on the Internet in the Amazon
Warm-up-Questions
- What is the longest you’ve gone without Internet access? What Internet-related services do you feel you need in your life?
- Do you wish you had grown up in a pre-Internet era? Why or why not?
- What is the most remote (far away from big city centers) place you have traveled to?
Prediction: You are about to watch a video about an Amazon tribe that gained access to the Internet. How do you think the tribe reacted or changed? Make some predictions.
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This lesson plan was created by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright). Site members may photocopy and edit the file for their classes. Permission is not given to rebrand the lesson, redistribute it on another platform, or sell it as part of commercial course curriculum. ChatGPT was used to generate answer keys and some famous quotations. For questions, contact the author.
Comprehension Question Answer Key
- …
- The filmmaker found the contrast between the Marubo people's traditional way of life and their new, modern activities like using smartphones and watching videos to be surprising.
- True
- The internet introduced issues like reduced hunting and farming, misinformation, scams, and addictive content. The tribe leaders responded by limiting internet access to specific hours.
- Internet access provided benefits such as the ability to call for help in emergencies, improved communication between villages, and better access to information about the world.
- The Marubo people have difficulty adjusting because they are dealing with the internet's effects all at once, whereas the developed world has had decades to adapt and debate its impact.
- …
Vocabulary 1-contrast, 2-scam, 3-indigenous, 4-swiping, 5-grapple with, 6-hunched over, 7-addictive, 8-antennas, 9-isolated, 10-remote, 11-frankly, 12-striking
Collocations 1-e, 2-b, 3-a, 4-d, 5-c