Levi’s is going to make and sell a new pair of jeans that have been designed to wear with the Apple iPod. The latest in the fashion-meets-technology revolution is a combination of two of the planet’s most recognized and fashionable icons. The linking of hi-tech with stylish fashion will be an unbeatable combination in boutiques around the world. The jeans are sure to be the “must have” fashion item of 2006. They are also sure to make rival makers of music players jealous. Strangely, the new jeans will not go on sale worldwide until late summer. The global launch is slow compared with technology releases.

The web site MacNewsDaily.com says the new jeans “seamlessly integrate iPod plug-and-play technology”. It adds music lovers will have a “fashionable way to enjoy music on the go”. The jeans include a special joystick built into the watch pocket that lets people quickly control their iPod. Levi’s president Robert Hanson said in a press release that the jeans merge fashion and technology “that provides consumers with the most innovative way to enhance their portable, digital music lifestyle.” Levi’s follows Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Burberry in designing products for the 42 million iPods sold to date.

WARM-UPS

1. MY JEANS HISTORY: In pairs / groups, talk about your history with jeans. Are they your favorite clothes? Why have they been so popular around the world for a century? What changes would you like to see in new jeans?

2. BUYING JEANS: There have been a million different designs of jeans – something for everyone. Talk about the following with your partner(s). How important are they when you buy a pair of jeans?

Price Color Quality of denim Pockets and stitching

The very latest style / fashion Maker / designer The number of rips, tears and holes In-built functions

3. TWO-MINUTE JEANS DEBATES: Face you partner. Take part in the following for-fun debates. Partner A strongly believes in the first argument.

1. Jeans are the best clothes in the world. vs. Jeans are boring.
2. Jeans should only be blue. vs. Jeans can be any color.
3. It’s OK to wear jeans at an interview. vs. Not if you want the job.
4. Jeans will become unfashionable some day. vs. Never. Never. Never.
5. You never need to wash jeans. vs. You do if you want friends.
6. Jeans can be made from silk. vs. Jeans aren’t jeans unless they’re denim.
7. Everybody looks good in jeans- young, old, rich or poor. vs. Not everybody.
8. Jeans are a symbol of America. vs. Jeans are universal.

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

Levi’s / iPod / jeans / fashion / technology / hi-tech / icons / rivals / jealousy / music lovers / joysticks / innovation / digital music lifestyle / Gucci

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

5. WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY: Talk these products that combine technology with wearability and fashion. Will you buy them? How much would you pay?

1. A pair of plug in-and-play iPod jeans with headphones.
2. Glasses that have satellite navigation maps on the lenses.
3. Underwear that records and tells you your current health condition.
4. Shirts that automatically change color to suit all occasions.
5. TV watches with a watchtop computer.
6. Jet-powered roller skates

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

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

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

a.	Levi’s will produce an iPod-sized pair of jeans as an iPod accessory.	T / F
b.	Levi’s is combining hi-tech and fashion.	T / F
c.	Apple’s rivals will be jealous of the new Levi’ s product.	T / F
d.	Levi’s worldwide launch for the iPod jeans is late summer.	T / F
e.	The jeans are an example of a new trend of plug-and-play clothing.	T / F
f.	The zip on the jeans is also a joystick.	T / F
g.	The Levi’s chairman talked about portable, digital jeans.	T / F
h.	Levi’s is the first fashion company to create products for the iPod.	T / F

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

a.	latest	envious
b.	combination	improve
c.	sure	offerings
d.	jealous	anywhere
e.	releases	mixture
f.	seamlessly	enthusiasts
g.	lovers	creative
h.	on the go	newest
i.	innovative	perfectly
j.	enhance	certain

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

a.	jeans that have been designed	sold to date
b.	two of the planet’s most	and-play technology
c.	an unbeatable	compared with technology releases
d.	The jeans are sure to be the	to wear with the Apple iPod
e.	The global launch is slow	digital music lifestyle
f.	seamlessly integrate iPod plug-	“must have” fashion item of 2006
g.	enjoy music	combination
h.	a special joystick	on the go
i.	enhance their portable,	recognized and fashionable icons
j.	the 42 million iPods sold	built into the watch pocket

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the gaps in the text.

Levi's to make iPod jeans

Levi’s is going to make and sell a new _________ of jeans that have been designed to wear with the Apple iPod. The _________ in the fashion-meets-technology revolution is a combination of two of the planet’s most recognized and fashionable _________. The linking of hi-tech with stylish fashion will be an _________ combination in boutiques around the world. The jeans are _________ to be the “must have” fashion item of 2006. They are also sure to make _________ makers of music players jealous. _________, the new jeans will not go on sale worldwide until late summer. The global launch is slow compared with technology _________.		strangely icons pair sure latest releases unbeatable rival
The web site MacNewsDaily.com says the new jeans “_________ integrate iPod plug-and-play technology”. It adds music _________ will have a “fashionable way to enjoy music on the _________”. The jeans include a special joystick built into the _________ pocket that lets people quickly control their iPod. Levi’s president Robert Hanson said in a press _________ that the jeans _________ fashion and technology “that provides consumers with the most innovative way to _________ their portable, digital music lifestyle.” Levi’s follows Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Burberry in designing products for the 42 million iPods sold to _________.		go enhance release seamlessly merge lovers date watch

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Levi's to make iPod jeans

Levi’s is going to make and sell a new pair of jeans that have been __________ to wear with the Apple iPod. The latest in the fashion-________-technology revolution is a combination of two of the planet’s most recognized and fashionable ________. The linking of hi-tech with stylish fashion will be an unbeatable combination in boutiques around the world. The jeans are sure to be the “_____ _____” fashion item of 2006. They are also sure to make rival makers of music players jealous. ___________, the new jeans will not go on sale worldwide until late summer. The global launch is slow compared with technology ___________.

The web site MacNewsDaily.com says the new jeans “___________ integrate iPod plug-and-play technology”. It adds music lovers will have a “fashionable way to enjoy music ___ ____ ___”. The jeans include a special joystick built into the watch pocket that lets people quickly ________ their iPod. Levi’s president Robert Hanson said in a press release that the jeans ________ fashion and technology “that provides consumers with the most innovative way to ________ their portable, digital music lifestyle.” Levi’s follows Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Burberry in designing products for the 42 million iPods sold ___ ______.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

• 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. STUDENT “JEANS” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about jeans.

• 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:

sell revolution unbeatable must have jealous compared

seamlessly go watch merge enhance follows

DISCUSSION

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

1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
2. Do you like wearing jeans?
3. What do you think of the idea of wearable technology?
4. Would you buy pair of music player jeans?
5. What products that combine fashion with technology do you think will come in the future?
6. How jealous do you think Apple’s competitors are over Levi’s, Louis Vuitton and Gucci making iPod accessories?
7. Do you think Apple’s rivals can get companies to make accessories for their products?
8. What is your image of the iPod?
9. Do you think $400 is a reasonable price for the iPod jeans?
10. What technology do you need in your clothing?

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. When was the last time you were jealous of someone?
4. Why do you think Levi’s is launching its jeans so late?
5. Do you think other jeans makers will copy Levi’s?
6. Do you have a favorite pair of jeans?
7. Do you think Jeans are a symbol of America?
8. In the future, all clothes will have in-built technology with computers hidden inside buttons, etc. What do you think of this?
9. What other world brands should make accessories for the iPod?
10. Did you like this discussion?

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

1. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
2. Was there a question you didn’t like?
3. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
4. What did you like talking about?
5. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

TECHNOWEAR: In pairs / groups, discuss the following products of the future. Agree on a price. Write down some benefits to consumers of these products and who the target market is. Agree on a slogan for each product.

PRODUCT	PRICE	BENEFITS	MARKET	SLOGAN
A pair of plug in-and-play iPod jeans with headphones.
Glasses that have satellite navigation maps on the lenses.
Underwear that records and tells you your current health condition.
Shirts that automatically change color to suit all occasions.
TV watches with a watchtop computer.
Jet-powered roller skates

Change partners and talk about what you agreed on with your old partner(s).

Talk about which of your ideas for each product has the best chance of success.

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 new Levi’s jeans. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things?

3. JEANS: Make a poster or write an essay on the history of jeans. Read your essay or show your poster to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things?

4. WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY: Write a letter to the head of an electronics company. Tell him/her your ideas for wearable technology. Show your letter to your classmates in the next lesson. Did everyone have similar ideas?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. T

d. T

e. T

f. F

g. F

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	latest	newest
b.	combination	mixture
c.	sure	certain
d.	jealous	envious
e.	releases	offerings
f.	seamlessly	perfectly
g.	lovers	enthusiasts
h.	on the go	anywhere
i.	innovative	creative
j.	enhance	improve

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	jeans that have been designed	to wear with the Apple iPod
b.	two of the planet’s most	recognized and fashionable icons
c.	an unbeatable	combination
d.	The jeans are sure to be the	“must have” fashion item of 2006
e.	The global launch is slow	compared with technology releases
f.	seamlessly integrate iPod plug-	and-play technology
g.	enjoy music	on the go
h.	a special joystick	built into the watch pocket
i.	enhance their portable,	digital music lifestyle
j.	the 42 million iPods sold	sold to date

GAP FILL:

Levi's to make iPod jeans

Levi’s is going to make and sell a new pair of jeans that have been designed to wear with the Apple iPod. The latest in the fashion-meets-technology revolution is a combination of two of the planet’s most recognized and fashionable icons. The linking of hi-tech with stylish fashion will be an unbeatable combination in boutiques around the world. The jeans are sure to be the “must have” fashion item of 2006. They are also sure to make rival makers of music players jealous. Strangely, the new jeans will not go on sale worldwide until late summer. The global launch is slow compared with technology releases.

The web site MacNewsDaily.com says the new jeans “seamlessly integrate iPod plug-and-play technology”. It adds music lovers will have a “fashionable way to enjoy music on the go”. The jeans include a special joystick built into the watch pocket that lets people quickly control their iPod. Levi’s president Robert Hanson said in a press release that the jeans merge fashion and technology “that provides consumers with the most innovative way to enhance their portable, digital music lifestyle.” Levi’s follows Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Burberry in designing products for the 42 million iPods sold to date.

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