Have you ever been addicted to something?
What are the most common addictions?
Most of your students can relate to the concept of having an addiction, so I find this is always a nice topic to use with a conversation class, and since there are lots of related news articles you can find it is also nice for a reading or listening class.
You can start with some of the questions above. I normally give my students a blank chart. On the board we discuss different things people can be addicted to, be sure to include some "soft" addictions like shopping or working out.
Students pick ten and write them down in their chart. Then we try to figure out how many times a
week makes it an addiction.
For example, does being on the internet for 10 hours a week make you an addict? What about 20? What about 40? Are there exceptions? What if your work requires the internet?
How many alcoholic drinks can you have a week before you become addicted?
How many video games can you play before you become addicted?
etc. etc.
As a class have the students defend their answers and keep tally of the amounts (showing the class average at the end is always fun!)
I tend to pick one news article to read in class depending on their maturity level and interest. One my students normally like is about the boy who died playing video games.
After the reading we come up with solutions. How can we help people with addictions? Students answers tend to be very interesting!
In the end I have students pick an odd addiction (the TV show "My Strange Addiction" is available on YouTube and has some great examples). They then pretend to interview that person and write a news article.
You can learn more about Internet addiction and other process addictions by reading through the following infographic. Created by Valiant Recovery, treating the roots behind addiction not just the surface problems. For more ideas check out the infographic below.
You can also see some possible topics for mini-debates. Have students argue both sides of the topics that follow (be sure they know the vocabulary first!):
You can start with some of the questions above. I normally give my students a blank chart. On the board we discuss different things people can be addicted to, be sure to include some "soft" addictions like shopping or working out.
Students pick ten and write them down in their chart. Then we try to figure out how many times a week makes it an addiction.
For example, does being on the internet for 10 hours a week make you an addict? What about 20? What about 40? Are there exceptions? What if your work requires the internet?
How many alcoholic drinks can you have a week before you become addicted?
How many video games can you play before you become addicted?
etc. etc.
As a class have the students defend their answers and keep tally of the amounts (showing the class average at the end is always fun!)
I tend to pick one news article to read in class depending on their maturity level and interest. One my students normally like is about the boy who died playing video games.
After the reading we come up with solutions. How can we help people with addictions? Students answers tend to be very interesting!
In the end I have students pick an odd addiction (the TV show "My Strange Addiction" is available on YouTube and has some great examples). They then pretend to interview that person and write a news article.
You can learn more about Internet addiction and other process addictions by reading through the following infographic. Created by Valiant Recovery, treating the roots behind addiction not just the surface problems. For more ideas check out the infographic below.
You can also see some possible topics for mini-debates. Have students argue both sides of the topics that follow (be sure they know the vocabulary first!):
THE BEST WAY
TO GET OVER AN ADDICTION IS TO GO “COLD TURKEY.”
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WORKAHOLISM IS A SERIOUS DISEASE AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH.
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ALL ADDICTIONS ARE BAD.
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ADDICTIONS ARE A SIGN OF WEAKNESS.
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ADVERTISERS ARE GUILTY OF MAKING PEOPLE ADDICTED TO THEIR PRODUCTS.
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NO ADDICT CAN EVER BE COMPLETELY CURED.
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COCA COLA IS JUST AS DANGEROUS AS COCAINE
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I hope you enjoy these ideas in your class! My students usually find the concept that you can be addicted to something that isn't a drug really interesting and they enjoy talking about it.
