Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Facebook depression

A new study suggests that social media sites have created a new phenomenon known as "Facebook depression". The American Academy of Pediatrics recently warned parents about the possible dangers of networking websites on their children’s mental health. Report co-author Gwenn O’Keefe described the way social interaction is changing: "For some teens and tweens, social media is the primary way they interact socially, rather than at the mall or a friend's house," she said. Ms O'Keeffe added: "A large part of this generation's social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cellphones. Parents need to understand these technologies so they can relate to their children's online world, and comfortably parent in that world."

The report says it is essential for parents to be aware of how social media sites can affect children and that the Internet is not always a healthy environment for kids. The writers also urged parents to be on the lookout for cyberbullying, sexting and online predators. They recommended parents take an active role and discuss things like bullying, privacy and feeling down because of what’s happening on Facebook. A recent poll stated that 22 per cent of teenagers log on to a social media site more than 10 times a day and more than half at least once a day. There are conflicting reports as to whether Facebook helps youngsters, by allowing them to express themselves, or isolates them from society.

WARM-UPS

1. DEPRESSION: Walk around the class and talk to other students about depression. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

social media / phenomenon / Facebook / depression / dangers / social development / essential / healthy environment / cyberbullying / sexting / a recent poll / isolates

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. FACEBOOK: Good or bad for kids? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

	Good	Bad
Social interaction
Self-expression
Networking
Privacy
Digital footprint
Friends

4. SOCIALIZATION: Students A strongly believe social media helps kids to socialize; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. WEBSITES: What’s the best? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

Facebook
Flickr
Farmville
MSN

Google
YouTube
Twitter
BreakingNewsEnglish.com

6. SOCIAL MEDIA: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the term ‘social media’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	The condition known as ‘Facebook depression’ is a new phenomenon.	T / F
b.	An American organization for the aged highlighted this condition.	T / F
c.	The report author said teens preferred to interact at malls, not online.	T / F
d.	The author said parents needed to get with it regarding social media.	T / F
e.	The article says the Internet is not always healthy for kids.	T / F
f.	The report said parents should talk to their kids about bullying.	T / F
g.	A survey found that 10% of kids use social media sites 10 times a day.	T / F
h.	All reports agree that Facebook leads to the isolation of children.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	depression	a.	necessary
2	interaction	b.	happening
3.	primary	c.	depressed
4.	occurring	d.	communicate
5.	relate	e.	cuts off
6.	essential	f.	misery
7.	urged	g.	main
8.	feeling down	h.	communication
9.	conflicting	i.	recommended
10.	isolates	j.	contradictory

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	social media sites have created	a.	is changing
2	the possible dangers	b.	and discuss things
3.	the way social interaction	c.	interact socially
4.	the primary way they	d.	to express themselves
5.	relate to their children's	e.	be aware
6.	it is essential for parents to	f.	a new phenomenon
7.	urged parents to be	g.	happening on Facebook
8.	take an active role	h.	online world
9.	feeling down because of what’s	i.	of networking websites
10.	allowing them	j.	on the lookout

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

A new study suggests that social media sites have created a new phenomenon (1) ____________ as "Facebook depression". The American Academy of Pediatrics recently (2) ____________ parents about the possible dangers of networking websites on their children’s mental health. Report co-author Gwenn O’Keefe described the way social interaction is (3) ____________: "For some teens and tweens, social media is the (4) ____________ way they interact socially, rather than at the mall or a friend's house," she said. Ms O'Keeffe added: "A large (5) ____________ of this generation's social and emotional development is (6) ____________ while on the Internet and on cellphones. Parents need to understand these technologies so they can (7) ____________ to their children's online world, and comfortably (8) ____________ in that world."

primary
known
parent
changing
relate
occurring
warned
part

The report says it is (9) ____________ for parents to be aware of how social media sites can affect children and that the Internet is not always a (10) ____________ environment for kids. The writers also (11) ____________ parents to be on the lookout for cyberbullying, sexting and online predators. They recommended parents take an (12) ____________ role and discuss things like bullying, privacy and feeling (13) ____________ because of what’s happening on Facebook. A recent (14) ____________ stated that 22 per cent of teenagers log on to a social media site more than 10 times a day and more than half at least once a day. There are (15) ____________ reports as to whether Facebook helps youngsters, by allowing them to express themselves, or (16) ____________ them from society.

urged
poll
healthy
down
isolates
essential
conflicting
active

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

A new _______________________ social media sites have created a new phenomenon known as "Facebook depression". The American Academy of Pediatrics _______________________ about the possible dangers of networking websites on their children’s mental health. Report co-author Gwenn O’Keefe _______________________ interaction is changing: "For some teens and tweens, social media is the primary way they interact socially, _______________________ or a friend's house," she said. Ms O'Keeffe added: "A large part of this generation's social and emotional development _______________________ the Internet and on cellphones. Parents need to understand these technologies so they can relate to their children's online world, _______________________ in that world."

The report says it is _______________________ be aware of how social media sites can affect children and that the Internet is not always a healthy environment for kids. The writers _______________________ be on the lookout for cyberbullying, sexting and online predators. They recommended parents _______________________ and discuss things like bullying, privacy and feeling down because of what’s happening on Facebook. A _______________________ 22 per cent of teenagers log on to a social media site more than 10 times a day and more than _______________________ day. There are conflicting reports as to whether Facebook helps youngsters, by allowing them to express themselves, or _______________________ society.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘social’ and ‘media’.

social

media

Share your findings with your partners.

Make questions using the words you found.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

suggests
warned
described
primary
large
relate

aware
urged
active
poll
least
express

STUDENT FACEBOOK SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Facebook in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

FACEBOOK DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the term ‘social media’?
c)	How important are social media sites to you?
d)	What do you think of ‘Facebook depression’?
e)	Do you think parents are worried about their kids being online?
f)	How could Facebook affect children’s mental health?
g)	What do you think of the way social interaction is changing, from face-to-face to websites?
h)	Does it matter if kids spend a long time online or on their cellphones?
i)	Do you think social interaction was better before the Internet came along?
j)	How can parents deal with ‘Facebook depression’?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	Do you think parents are worried about their kids being online?
c)	Do you think kids are generally safe online?
d)	What do you know about cyberbullying, sexting and online predators?
e)	What do you think of Facebook?
f)	What do you think Facebook will be like in the future?
g)	Do you think one day we’ll be doing everything in life online?
h)	Is Facebook a good form of expression for kids?
i)	How much does Facebook isolate children?
j)	What questions would you like to ask the report authors?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

A new study suggests that social media sites have created a new phenomenon (1) ____ as "Facebook depression". The American Academy of Pediatrics recently warned parents about the possible dangers (2) ____ networking websites on their children’s mental health. Report co-author Gwenn O’Keefe described the way social interaction is changing: "For some teens and tweens, social media is the (3) ____ way they interact socially, (4) ____ than at the mall or a friend's house," she said. Ms O'Keeffe added: "A large part of this generation's social and emotional development is occurring (5) ____ on the Internet and on cellphones. Parents need to understand these technologies so they can relate (6) ____ their children's online world, and comfortably parent in that world."

The report says it is essential (7) ____ parents to be aware of how social media sites can affect children and that the Internet is not always a healthy environment for kids. The writers also (8) ____ parents to be on the lookout for cyberbullying, sexting and online predators. They recommended parents take an active role and discuss things like bullying, (9) ____ and feeling (10) ____ because of what’s happening on Facebook. A recent poll stated that 22 per cent of teenagers log on to a social media site more than 10 times a day and more than half at least once a day. There are (11) ____ reports as to whether Facebook helps youngsters, by allowing them to express themselves, or (12) ____ them from society.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	knowing	(b)	knows	(c)	knew	(d)	known
2.	(a)	for	(b)	from	(c)	of	(d)	by
3.	(a)	primarily	(b)	primary	(c)	primed	(d)	prim
4.	(a)	rather	(b)	instead	(c)	or	(d)	in place of
5.	(a)	however	(b)	during	(c)	while	(d)	for
6.	(a)	by	(b)	of	(c)	at	(d)	to
7.	(a)	from	(b)	for	(c)	so	(d)	to
8.	(a)	urged	(b)	urges	(c)	urging	(d)	urge
9.	(a)	private	(b)	privacy	(c)	privet	(d)	public
10.	(a)	reduce	(b)	below	(c)	down	(d)	under
11.	(a)	conflicting	(b)	conflicts	(c)	conflict	(d)	confidentially
12.	(a)	isolate	(b)	isolated	(c)	isolation	(d)	isolates

WRITING

Write about Facebook for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about Facebook. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. DEPRESSION: Make a poster about depression and how it affects people. Include a section on the Internet. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. FACEBOOK DEPRESSED: Write a magazine article about someone who has Facebook depression. Include imaginary interviews with him/her and his/her psychologist.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to a Facebook depression expert. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three ideas on how to help children who suffer from Facebook depression. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	depression	a.	misery
2	interaction	b.	communication
3.	primary	c.	main
4.	occurring	d.	happening
5.	relate	e.	communicate
6.	essential	f.	necessary
7.	urged	g.	recommended
8.	feeling down	h.	depressed
9.	conflicting	i.	contradictory
10.	isolates	j.	cuts off

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	social media sites have created	a.	a new phenomenon
2	the possible dangers	b.	of networking websites
3.	the way social interaction	c.	is changing
4.	the primary way they	d.	interact socially
5.	relate to their children's	e.	online world
6.	it is essential for parents to	f.	be aware
7.	urged parents to be	g.	on the lookout
8.	take an active role	h.	and discuss things
9.	feeling down because of what’s	i.	happening on Facebook
10.	allowing them	j.	to express themselves

GAP FILL:

Do you suffer from ‘Facebook Depression’?

A new study suggests that social media sites have created a new phenomenon (1) known as "Facebook depression". The American Academy of Pediatrics recently (2) warned parents about the possible dangers of networking websites on their children’s mental health. Report co-author Gwenn O’Keefe described the way social interaction is (3) changing: "For some teens and tweens, social media is the (4) primary way they interact socially, rather than at the mall or a friend's house," she said. Ms O'Keeffe added: "A large (5) part of this generation's social and emotional development is (6) occurring while on the Internet and on cellphones. Parents need to understand these technologies so they can (7) relate to their children's online world, and comfortably (8) parent in that world."

The report says it is (9) essential for parents to be aware of how social media sites can affect children and that the Internet is not always a (10) healthy environment for kids. The writers also (11) urged parents to be on the lookout for cyberbullying, sexting and online predators. They recommended parents take an (12) active role and discuss things like bullying, privacy and feeling (13) down because of what’s happening on Facebook. A recent (14) poll stated that 22 per cent of teenagers log on to a social media site more than 10 times a day and more than half at least once a day. There are (15) conflicting reports as to whether Facebook helps youngsters, by allowing them to express themselves, or (16) isolates them from society.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - c

3 - b

4 - a

5 - c

6 - d

7 - b

8 - a

9 - b

10 -c

11 - a

12 - d

Breaking News English

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Do You Suffer From Facebook depression? (1st April, 2011)

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT FACEBOOK SURVEY

FACEBOOK DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

WRITING

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

Do you suffer from ‘Facebook Depression’?

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Sean Banville's Book

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My 1,000 Ideas e-Book	Breaking News English HOME \| HELP MY SITE \| 000s MORE FREE LESSONS	My 1,000 Ideas e-Book

Breaking News English

PRINT

13-Page PDF Handout - with all-skills activities

LISTEN

MP3 (1:58 - 942KB)

Do You Suffer From Facebook depression? (1st April, 2011)

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT FACEBOOK SURVEY

FACEBOOK DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

WRITING

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

Do you suffer from ‘Facebook Depression’?

Help Support This Web Site

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You

13-Page PDF
Handout - with
all-skills activities