UNIT 3 T-36
LESSON 4 READ ABOUT THE PROS AND CONS OF AN ISSUE
Choose a warm-up activity from the Warm-Up Activity Bank on page xxii.
• Read the lesson title aloud. Ask, What is a pro? (a positive factor or characteristic for or in support of something) What is a con? (a negative factor or characteristic against or not supporting something)
• Write on the board: Do you like dogs? Invite volunteers to share their dog’s name, breed, and age. Have Ss discuss in pairs why they like or dislike dogs. Then elicit stories from the class. Say, There are pros and cons to having a dog. Let’s think about them. Have Ss discuss in pairs or small groups.
TEACHING TIP A graphic organizer is a visual display that shows relationships between two facts, concepts, objects, or ideas. Graphic organizers develop critical thinking and are appealing to visual learners. They are flexible for use individually, in pairs, or with groups.
OPTION Draw a pro/con graphic organizer on the board. Have Ss copy it and complete it in a discussion about dogs.
Owning a Dog: Pros and Cons
Pros Cons
• Read the social media message aloud. Ask, Did you know that dogs can detect cancer?
1 BEFORE YOU READ
• Ask, What else do you think dogs can do to help people? Invite volunteers to share their ideas with the class.
• Have Ss preview the vocabulary before listening. Tell them to circle any words they are unfamiliar with. In pairs, have them share and compare their previous knowledge about the words they do know.
• Tell Ss to listen to the vocabulary, and then listen again and repeat. Play the audio.
• List the words on the board and ask the class what each word means. Write Ss’ ideas on the board.
• In order to gain a deeper understanding of the vocabulary, play a categories game. Put Ss in groups and have them think of as many items as they can for each category. Then have Ss write their lists on the board. Teams earn a point for every original item they have on their list that the other teams do not have.
Possible categories include:
Devices
Things to Use to Identify Yourself Places with Wards
• Remind Ss they can go to page 133 for further clarification and practice.
2 READ
• Bring Ss’ attention to the picture. Read the title aloud.
Ask, What kind of dog is this? What is the dog doing?
Have Ss discuss in pairs. Make sure they notice what the dog is wearing. Elicit answers. (For example, It is a medical detection dog. The dog is taking part in a scientific experiment. The dog is helping to detect medical problems.)
• Ask Ss to cover up the article. Read the title of the article again. Ask, What do you think? Can a dog save lives? How? Have Ss make predictions with a partner.
Give Ss time to share their answers with another pair.
TEACHING TIP This article does not have an outwardly evident format and there are no subheadings. This might seem challenging for lower-level Ss. Consider scaffolding the reading by providing the following subheadings mixed up and asking Ss to order them: Dogs can save lives. Dogs can detect cancer. Dogs can detect other medical problems too. Dogs’ sense of smell enables them to detect problems. The advantages of using dogs to detect problems. The disadvantages of using dogs to detect problems. Researchers are trying to understand more about how dogs detect problems.
• Tell Ss they are going to listen to the article about how dogs can save lives.
• Have Ss listen to and read the article. Play the audio and pause after the second paragraph. Ask Ss comprehension questions to make sure they understand the content:
1. Where did this woman live? (England)
2. What did the dog keep smelling? (a mole on her leg) 3. What was wrong with the mole? (It was a type of
cancer.)
4. What did the doctor do? (removed the mole)
• Say, We will now hear about some other things dogs can detect. Play the rest of the audio without pausing.
As Ss listen, ask them to underline the vocabulary words from 1B. Have them circle other words they are unfamiliar with, such as diabetes, distracted, drawbacks.
• Ask, Were your predictions correct? Help explain any new vocabulary, or encourage Ss to use the dictionary.
UNIT 3 T-37
3 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
• Ask, What is the main idea of the article?
• Have Ss discuss the answer to the question in pairs.
Suggest they skim the article again if necessary.
• Review the answer as a class. Ask volunteers to explain why they feel their answer is correct.
OPTION Ask pairs to write their main ideas on an index card or piece of paper and turn them in anonymously. Read them aloud and discuss why each is correct or incorrect.
• Tell Ss to preview the exercise items and answer the ones they can. Say, Read the article one more time to answer any questions you are not sure about.
• Have Ss compare their answers in pairs. Ask the questions, and call on Ss to read the answers aloud.
• Ask, Do you think researchers will make an electronic device that could work like a dog’s nose in the future?
Why or why not? Have Ss share their opinions in pairs.
• Ask a volunteer to read lines 20–23 aloud for the class.
Elicit the meaning of the word just in this context (only).
Give other examples using the word just. Write them on the board: just interested in fun and not studying, just a child.
• Have Ss complete the exercise. Review the answer as a class.
• Read the Reading Skill aloud. Say, Listing pros and cons is a good way for writers to organize their writing.
There are some common words and phrases that writers use to let their readers know that things are pros and cons. Write the pairs of words on the board.
• Have Ss complete the exercise individually and then compare their answers in pairs.
• To review, read the pros and call on Ss to respond with the cons.
• Arrange Ss in same-level pairs. Ask them to retell the most important ideas in the interview in complete sentences. Remind them to use their own words as they summarize.
• Challenge Ss to complete the exercise without looking at the book. Walk around and provide help as necessary.
• Read the question in the sidebar aloud. Ask Ss to research this as an extra activity.
EXTENSION Ask, What questions do you still have about how dogs can save lives? Have Ss write down 1–2 other questions they would want to learn about and share them in pairs. For homework, have Ss research the answers to their questions. At the beginning of the next class, give them a few minutes to share what they learned with the same partner.
4 MAKE IT PERSONAL
• Read the instructions. Say, Not everyone agrees that dogs or other animals should be used to help people.
• Give an example. Say, For example, passengers on airplanes have sometimes been upset when other passengers have service animals on the airplane and those animals are large or loud.
• Have Ss work individually to list pros and cons.
Encourage them to take notes that they can use in a discussion.
EXTENSION Project articles about service animals on planes and ask Ss if they agree or disagree with the outcome (whether or not the passenger should have been asked to leave).
• Have Ss compare their answers in small groups and discuss the pros and cons of animals helping people.
Ask them to combine their charts into one big chart for the group.
• Let each group report back to the class to say whether most people in their group agree that animals should be used to help people despite the drawbacks.
OPTION Have groups copy their charts on the board.
Hold a whole-class discussion.
EXIT TICKET Have Ss write their names on a blank card or piece of paper. Have Ss make a chart of the pros and cons of having a pet. Tell them to list at least one pro and one con. Collect the cards as Ss leave to identify written areas for review.
3 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Read the article again. What is the main idea?
Answer the questions, according to the article.
1. What medical problems can dogs detect?
2. How can they detect these problems?
3. What are researchers trying to learn about medical detection dogs?
4. What kind of device would researchers like to make?
CLOSE READING Reread lines 20–23 in the article. Then circle the correct answers.
1. In line 21, why does the writer use the word just?
a. to emphasize that people have a lot of smelling sensors
b. to emphasize that dogs have more smelling sensors than people c. to emphasize that we might get more smelling sensors in the future 2. How is the second sentence connected to the first?
a. It introduces a counterargument.
b. It gives a list of examples.
c. It shows a result.
Read the Reading Skill. Complete the sentences with the words from the article. Then complete the chart with the pros and cons.
Pros Cons
So far, they have learned that there are several
to using dogs instead of other detection methods and devices.
However, there are still some to using medical detection dogs.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
PAIRS What is the article about? Retell the most important ideas. Use your own words.
4 MAKE IT PERSONAL
THINK Do you think that dogs or other animals should be used to help people despite the drawbacks? Complete the chart.
Pros of animals helping people Cons of animals helping people
DISCUSS In small groups, share your ideas. Do most people agree?
READING SKILL Identify pros and cons Writers often use key words to introduce the pros and cons of something. Look for pairs of words like advantages / disadvantages, benefits / drawbacks, and upsides / downsides.
How are dogs helping people near to you?
37 UNIT 3 I CAN READ ABOUT THE PROS AND CONS OF AN ISSUE.
Answers may vary. Possible answer: The article is about how dogs can detect medical problems.
Dogs can detect cancer, changes in blood sugar, and harmful bacteria.
advantages
Dogs don’t make a lot of mistakes. Dogs are expensive to train.
Dogs take a long time to train.
Dogs are not always easy to work with.
Dogs work fast.
Dogs make the process easier and less painful for patients.
disadvantages
Dogs can detect these problems because they have an amazing sense of smell.
Researchers want to learn exactly how dogs detect medical problems.
Researchers would like to make an electronic device that can work just like a dog’s nose.
1 BEFORE YOU WRITE
What do you remember about the article
“Could a Dog Save Your Life?”on page 36?
Read the summary of the article.Did you remember everything correctly?
2 FOCUS ON WRITING
Read the Writing Skill. Then reread the full article and the summary. Is the summary good? Check (✓) the items in the writing skill box that make the summary good.
In the full article, fi nd and underline the main idea that matches each of these sentences from the summary.
Summary sentences
1. According to researchers, dogs have an amazing ability to detect many medical problems, including cancer.
2. Dogs can identify these problems because of their fantastic sense of smell.
3. Researchers have learned that medical detection dogs are accurate, fast, and make the experience smoother for patients.
4. However, medical detection dogs take a lot of time and money to train, and they are not always as reliable as machines.
5. In the future, medical detection dogs might not work in hospitals, but they could still help us to get better at detecting medical problems.
Match the wording in the original article with the wording in the summary that expresses the same idea.
Dogs:
1. have around 300 million smelling sensors a. are not always as reliable 2. make the process easier and less painful b. are accurate
3. sometimes get tired and distracted c. have a fantastic sense of smell
4. don’t make mistakes d. make the experience smoother
WRITING SKILL Write a good summary
A summary is a short text that provides the main ideas of a longer text. A good summary:
is written in your own words
has only information found in the original text includes only the original author’s point of view has only the main ideas from the original text
includes expressions for reporting the text’s ideas, such as According to… and As the article explains…
Summary of “Could a Dog Save Your Life?”
According to researchers, dogs have an amazing ability to detect many medical problems, including cancer. Dogs can identify these problems because of their fantastic sense of smell. Researchers have learned that medical detection dogs are accurate, fast, and make the experience smoother for patients. However, medical detection dogs take a lot of time and money to train, and they are not always as reliable as machines. In the future, medical detection dogs might not work in hospitals, but they could still help us to get better at detecting medical problems.
LESSON
38 UNIT 3
5
GINA CLARK
@GinaC
Can’t get that article about medical detection dogs out of my mind!