BNE: Eating fish every week may keep our brain more active during our older years. This is the conclusion of research conducted by the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The study found that older people who eat fish regularly have quicker and better memories. Over a lifetime of eating fish, people could be three to four years mentally younger in age. Lead researcher Martha Clare Morris said: “We found that people who ate one fish meal a week had a 10 percent slower annual decline in thinking.…People who rarely eat fish have a…faster decline in their thinking ability over time.”

Morris’s team collected information on the diets and memory loss of 6,158 people aged 65 and older. She concluded: “Eating fish may help to slow people’s decline in thinking ability as they age.” She thinks several fatty acids contained in fish may help the brain’s development. Eating fish has previously been associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or having a stroke. Oily fish, like salmon and tuna, are a rich source of the acids. The report on the benefits of consuming fish appears in the October 10 online issue of the Archives of Neurology*.

*http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/62.12.noc50161v1

WARM-UPS

1. BRAIN FACTS: Walk around the class and find as much information as you can on the brain. After you have finished, sit down with your partner(s) and share your information. What did you find out that was interesting? What was surprising? Did you hear anything that you don’t think is true?

2. FOOD FOR THOUGHT: What can you do or eat to look after your brain? In pairs / groups, talk about how the following might keep your brain throughout your life. Put them in order of most beneficial.

___  Eating fish ___  Sleeping eight hours a night ___  Avoiding alcohol ___  Eating animal brains

___  Sitting in the sunshine ___  Studying English ___  Massaging your temples ___  Watching television

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

Eating fish / the brain / research / thinking / diet / memory loss / brain development / Alzheimer’s disease / remembering information / old age / salmon / tuna

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

4. FISH: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with fish. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

5. BRAIN USE: In pairs / groups, talk what we use our brains for most at the following stages of our lives. What do we think about most?

baby       child       teenager        thirtysomething      middle aged        old person

6. MEMORIES: Complete the following sentences and then talk about them with your partner(s):

1. I’ll never forget the time I __________________________________________.
2. I remember ____________________________________ as if it were yesterday.
3. I have many happy / wonderful memories of ____________________________.
4. I often forget to __________________________________________________.
5. ______________________________________________ brings back memories.
6. The greatest tragedy in living memory is _______________________________.
7. My most unforgettable teacher is _____________________________________.
8. To remind myself to do something important, I  __________________________.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
 

a.	Eating fish may make us better at passing examinations.	T / F
b.	Old people who eat fish regularly may remember things better.	T / F
c.	Eating fish may keep us four years mentally younger.	T / F
d.	People who do not eat fish spend less time thinking.	T / F
e.	A study looked at the eating habits of more than 6,000 old people.	T / F
f.	Our body fat is important for the brain’s development.	T / F
g.	Salmon and tuna do not help the brain.	T / F
h.	The study appears in the latest issue of the “Fish and Brain” journal.	T / F

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

a.	active	gathered
b.	study	chance
c.	regularly	yearly
d.	annual	get older
e.	decline	research
f.	collected	eating
g.	age	weakening
h.	help	lively
i.	risk	aid
j.	consuming	frequently

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	keep our brain	memories
b.	the conclusion of	Alzheimer’s disease
c.	quicker and better	of eating fish
d.	a lifetime	loss
e.	a 10 percent slower	and older
f.	memory	the brain’s development
g.	people aged 65	annual decline
h.	fish may help	more active
i.	a lower risk of developing	stroke
j.	having a	research

AFTER READING / LISTENING

WHICH WORD? Strike through the incorrect word in each of the pairs in bold.

Eating fish is good for the brain

BNE: Eating fish every week may keep our brain more active during our older / bolder years. This is the conclusion of research conducted / constructed by the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The study found that older people who eat / catch fish regularly have quicker and better memories. Over / Under a lifetime of eating fish, people could be three to four years mentally younger in age. Lead researcher Martha Clare Morris said: “We found that people who ate one fish meal / bone a week had a 10 percent slower annual decline in thinking.…People who rarely eat fish have a…faster decline in their thinking ability over time / clock.”

Morris’s team collected information on the diets and memory gain / loss of 6,158 people aged 65 and older. She concluded: “Eating / Catching fish may help to slow people’s decline in thinking ability as they old / age.” She thinks several fatty / slim acids contained in fish may help the brain’s development. Eating fish has previously been associated with a lower risk / brisk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or having a stroke. Oily fish, like salmon and tuna, are a luxury / rich source of the acids. The report on the benefits of consuming fish appears in the October 10 online issue of the Archives of Neurology.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

• 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. WHICH WORD? 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. STUDENT “BRAIN” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about the brain and what we must do to look after it.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

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

keep conclusion regularly lifetime 10 percent thinking ability

diets age fatty stroke oily archives

DISCUSSION

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

1. What did you think when you first read this headline?
2. Do you agree with the headline?
3. Do you like fish?
4. Have you ever thought about the link between food and the brain?
5. Do you have a good memory?
6. What would you do if you noticed a decrease in your brainpower?
7. Do you worry about brain diseases setting in when you are older?
8. Do you think scientists will discover the cures for many of today’s diseases that affect the brain?
9. What do you do in your life that is bad for your brain?
10. Will you now eat more salmon and tuna?

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

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. What do you eat to keep your brain healthy?
4. Do you ever worry about the condition of your brain?
5. Have you noticed any changes in your brainpower over the years?
6. What do you know about the brain?
7. Do you think there are other things you can do to help keep your brain healthy?
8. Do you know of any other food that is good for the brain?
9. Do you think studying English is good for your brain?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What question would you like to ask about this topic?
2. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
3. Was there a question you didn’t like?
4. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
5. What did you like talking about?
6. Do you want to know how anyone else answered the questions?
7. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

MEMORY: In pairs / groups, match the questions and statements in the first column with those in the second.

a	Do you have a good memory?		1	I’ll never forget the time I crashed my car. I was driving….
b	Talk about an unforgettable experience.		2	My mother. She never remembers to lock the car and always forgets my birthday.
c	What’s your earliest memory?		3	Yes, then I could learn 100 languages and pass any exam.
d	Do you know anyone who is absent-minded    or forgetful?		4	Not bad, but it gets worse the older I become.
e	Do you wish you had a photographic memory?		5	I think it’s when I was four. I remember going on an airplane for the first time.
f	Are you good at putting names to faces?		6	Yes, usually the names of actors. I know the  movie but… oh….. what’s the word…!!………aarrgh!
g	Do you remember to buy everything when you go shopping?		7	Yes, many times, especially after I drank too much the night before.
h	Do you ever try to say a word but it’s on the tip of your tongue?		8	No. Terrible. Especially if I haven’t seen someone for a long time.
i	Do you know all of your family and friends’ birthdays?		9	Only if I write a list.
j	Have you ever lost your memory?		10	Yes. Of course… but I never buy them a birthday card.

Change partners and check your answers.

Ask each other the questions in the left hand column.

Return to your original partner and report on how your previous partner answered the questions.

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Eating fish is good for the brain

Eating fish every week may keep our brain more _______ during our older years. This is the conclusion of research __________ by the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The study found that older people who eat fish __________ have quicker and better memories. Over a lifetime of eating fish, people could be three to four years _________ younger in age. Lead researcher Martha Clare Morris said: “We found that people who ate one fish meal a week had a 10 percent slower ________ decline in thinking.…People who rarely eat fish have a…faster ________ in their thinking _________ over time.”

Morris’s team collected information on the _______ and memory _______ of 6,158 people aged 65 and older. She concluded: “Eating fish may help to slow people’s decline in thinking ability as they _____.” She thinks several fatty acids ___________ in fish may help the brain’s development. Eating fish has previously been associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or having a _________. Oily fish, like salmon and tuna, are a rich _________ of the acids. The report on the benefits of consuming fish appears in the October 10 online _________ of the Archives of Neurology.

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 more information on the brain. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson.

3. BRAIN TRAINING: You are the boss of Brain Training – a new company that tells people how they can improve their brainpower. Write down a weekly training schedule for the brain - to keep it active and healthy. Show your schedules to your classmates in your next lesson. Did you all include similar things?

4. MEMORIES: Write down your earliest memories in as much detail as you can remember. Tell them to your classmates in the next lesson.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. T

d. F

e. T

f. F

g. F

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:
 

a.	active	lively
b.	study	research
c.	regularly	frequently
d.	annual	yearly
e.	decline	weakening
f.	collected	gathered
g.	age	get older
h.	help	aid
i.	risk	chance
j.	consuming	eating

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	keep our brain	more active
b.	the conclusion of	research
c.	quicker and better	memories
d.	a lifetime	of eating fish
e.	a 10 percent slower	annual decline
f.	memory	loss
g.	people aged 65	and older
h.	fish may help	the brain’s development
i.	a lower risk of developing	Alzheimer’s disease
j.	having a	stroke

WHICH WORD?

Eating fish is good for the brain

BNE: Eating fish every week may keep our brain more active during our older / bolder years. This is the conclusion of research conducted / constructed by the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The study found that older people who eat / catch fish regularly have quicker and better memories. Over / Under a lifetime of eating fish, people could be three to four years mentally younger in age. Lead researcher Martha Clare Morris said: “We found that people who ate one fish meal / bone a week had a 10 percent slower annual decline in thinking.…People who rarely eat fish have a…faster decline in their thinking ability over time / clock.”

Morris’s team collected information on the diets and memory gain / loss of 6,158 people aged 65 and older. She concluded: “Eating / Catching fish may help to slow people’s decline in thinking ability as they old / age.” She thinks several fatty / slim acids contained in fish may help the brain’s development. Eating fish has previously been associated with a lower risk / brisk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or having a stroke. Oily fish, like salmon and tuna, are a luxury / rich source of the acids. The report on the benefits of consuming fish appears in the October 10 online issue of the Archives of Neurology.

MEMORY:

a - 4

b - 1

c - 5

d - 2

e - 3

f - 8

g - 9

h - 6

i - 10

j - 7

TOP