Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Penelope Cruz

Penelope Cruz make-up ad faked

A leading beauty company is in trouble after deceiving potential consumers about the merits of its new mascara. The French make-up manufacturer L’Oreal decided the natural Latin looks of actress Penelope Cruz needed enhancing to make her eyes look sexier. A TV ad featuring Cruz boasted that the product could give women "out of this world eyelashes". Unfortunately, the ad forgot to mention that as well as the mascara, Cruz’s eyes were also fitted with false lashes to make her eyes look more seductive. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decided that this was deceptive and that the advert mis-led viewers. L'Oréal has promised to be more honest in its advertising from now on. Two years ago, its misleading ads for a wrinkle cream promoted by Claudia Schiffer were banned by the ASA.

The ASA’s ruling pointed out that Cruz's sultry looks overly exaggerated nature. Advertising experts say actresses usually wear lashes to make their eyes look more dramatic in ads. The Cruz ad promised the mascara would make eyelashes look “up to 60 per cent longer". A TV viewer suspected Cruz’s eyelashes were false and complained to the ASA. L’Oreal quickly admitted its ad did not give the public the full picture. Although the ads suggested the mascara could make eyelashes look 60 per cent longer, independent tests showed there was no difference to the length of lashes. The ASA said: "While Penelope Cruz may not have been wearing a full set of eyelashes, the images of her wearing individual false eyelashes…exaggerated the effect that could be achieved."

WARM-UPS

1. MAKE-UP: Walk around the class and talk to other students about make-up. Change partners often. After you finish, sit with your original partner(s) and share what you found out.

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

beauty / being in trouble / deception / mascara / eyelashes / wrinkle cream / sultry looks / exaggerating / advertising / complaining / Penelope Cruz

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

3. COSMETICS: In pairs / groups, talk about how good these cosmetics are. Rank them in order of which make people look most beautiful.

mascara
false eyelashes
lipstick
anti-wrinkle cream

foundation
eyeliner
nail polish
other ___________________

4. ADVERTISING: Do you always believe the adverts you read or see? Talk about these ads. What goes through your mind when you see/hear them? Change the ads so they are truer. Change partners and share what you said and heard.

This make-up will make you look 60 percent more beautiful
This food will help you lose a kilogram a month
Our bank cares about our customers
You too can learn English in 3 months
Smoke a cigarette and look really cool
This Mac-Burger is extremely healthy
Use this cream and you’ll look younger
Our mobile phone is the best in the world

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

6. QUICK DEBATE: Students A think it’s OK for adverts to be creative with the truth. Students B think advertisers should never try to lie or deceive. Change partners often. Share your findings.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

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

a.	Penelope Cruz is advertising her own line of make-up.	T / F
b.	A cosmetics company tried to deceive women who want nicer eyes.	T / F
c.	An advertising watchdog said there was no problem with the ads.	T / F
d.	Ads for a wrinkle cream were banned for misleading people.	T / F
e.	Actresses in ads often wear “hidden extras” to enhance products.	T / F
f.	An executive from a rival company complained the ads lied.	T / F
g.	The cosmetics company admitted it had not given the full picture.	T / F
h.	Penelope Cruz wore a full set of false eyelashes in a TV advert.	T / F

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

1.	leading	a.	sexy
2	potential	b.	got
3.	enhancing	c.	the truth
4.	seductive	d.	possible
5.	promoted	e.	dazzling
6.	ruling	f.	pushed
7.	dramatic	g.	top
8.	the full picture	h.	overstated
9.	exaggerated	i.	decision
10.	achieved	j.	improving

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

1.	deceiving potential consumers about	a.	look 60 per cent longer
2	out of this	b.	exaggerated nature
3.	false lashes to make her eyes look	c.	viewers
4.	the advert mis-led	d.	were false
5.	misleading ads	e.	more seductive
6.	Cruz's sultry looks overly	f.	the merits of its new mascara
7.	A TV viewer suspected Cruz’s eyelashes	g.	that could be achieved
8.	its ad did not give the public	h.	for a wrinkle cream
9.	the mascara could make eyelashes	i.	world eyelashes
10.	false eyelashes…exaggerated the effect	j.	the full picture

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

Penelope Cruz make-up ad faked

A leading beauty company is in __________ after deceiving potential consumers about the __________ of its new mascara. The French make-up manufacturer L’Oreal decided the natural Latin looks of actress Penelope Cruz needed __________ to make her eyes look sexier. A TV ad featuring Cruz __________ that the product could give women "out of this world eyelashes". Unfortunately, the ad forgot to mention that as well as the mascara, Cruz’s eyes were also __________ with false lashes to make her eyes look more seductive. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decided that this was __________ and that the advert mis-led viewers. L'Oréal has promised to be more __________ in its advertising from now on. Two years ago, its misleading ads for a wrinkle cream __________ by Claudia Schiffer were banned by the ASA.

deceptive
enhancing
promoted
trouble
fitted
merits
boasted
honest

The ASA’s ruling __________ out that Cruz's sultry looks overly exaggerated nature. Advertising experts say actresses usually wear lashes to make their eyes look more __________ in ads. The Cruz ad promised the mascara would make eyelashes look “up to 60 per cent longer". A TV viewer __________ Cruz’s eyelashes were false and complained to the ASA. L’Oreal quickly admitted its ad did not give the public the __________ picture. Although the ads suggested the mascara could make eyelashes look 60 per cent longer, independent __________ showed there was no difference to the __________ of lashes. The ASA said: "While Penelope Cruz may not have been wearing a full __________ of eyelashes, the images of her wearing individual false eyelashes…exaggerated the effect that could be __________."

set
suspected
achieved
pointed
tests
dramatic
length
full

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Penelope Cruz make-up ad faked

A leading beauty company _________________ deceiving potential consumers about _________________ new mascara. The French make-up manufacturer L’Oreal decided the natural Latin looks of actress Penelope Cruz needed enhancing _____________________ sexier. A TV ad featuring Cruz boasted that the product could give women "out of this world eyelashes". Unfortunately, the ad _________________ as well as the mascara, Cruz’s eyes were also fitted with false lashes to make her eyes look more seductive. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) _____________________ deceptive and that the advert mis-led viewers. L'Oréal has promised to be more honest in its advertising from now on. Two years ago, its misleading ads for a wrinkle cream promoted by Claudia Schiffer __________________ ASA.

The ASA’s _____________________ Cruz's sultry looks overly exaggerated nature. Advertising experts say actresses usually wear lashes to make ____________________ dramatic in ads. The Cruz ad promised the mascara would make eyelashes look “_________________ longer". A TV viewer suspected Cruz’s eyelashes were false and complained to the ASA. L’Oreal quickly admitted its ad did not give ______________________. Although the ads suggested the mascara could make eyelashes look 60 per cent longer, independent tests showed _____________________ to the length of lashes. The ASA said: "While Penelope Cruz may not have been wearing a full set of eyelashes, the images of her wearing individual false eyelashes…exaggerated ____________________ be achieved."

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

beauty

company

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 exactly how these were used in the text:

leading
enhancing
boasted
mention
honest
wrinkle

overly
dramatic
suspected
suggested
set
achieved

STUDENT COSMETICS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about COSMETICS 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.

DISCUSSION

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

What did you think when you read the headline?
What do you know about Penelope Cruz?
What do you think of beauty companies?
Do you think make-up is important?
Do you think men and women spend too much money on beauty products?
Is it misleading to use such beautiful people to advertise cosmetics?
Do you think the claims cosmetics companies make about their products are all true?
What do you think of adverts for cosmetics?
What “wonder-cosmetics” would you like to see produced?
Are you convinced there is an anti-wrinkling cream that can make people look younger?

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

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

Did you like reading this article?
Do you think people use too much make-up?
Would you like 60 per cent longer eyelashes?
Do you think L’Oreal intentionally mis-led consumers?
Are there any downsides of using cosmetics?
Do you think people should question and challenge the claims made in adverts more often?
Do you think cosmetics are a waste of money?
How much money would you spend on making yourself look more attractive?
Do you think L’Oreal should pay for additional adverts to tell consumers they lied?
Did you like this discussion?

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

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

LANGUAGE

CORRECT WORD: Put the correct words from a–d below in the article.

Penelope Cruz make-up ad faked

A leading beauty company is (1) ____ trouble after deceiving potential consumers about the merits of its new mascara. The French make-up manufacturer L’Oreal decided the natural Latin (2) ____ of actress Penelope Cruz needed enhancing to make her eyes look sexier. A TV ad (3) ____ Cruz boasted that the product could give women "out of this world eyelashes". Unfortunately, the ad forgot to mention that as (4) ____ as the mascara, Cruz’s eyes were also fitted with false lashes to make her eyes look more seductive. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decided that this was deceptive and that the advert mis-led viewers. L'Oréal has promised to be more honest in its advertising from (5) ____ on. Two years ago, its misleading ads for a wrinkle cream (6) ____ by Claudia Schiffer were banned by the ASA.

The ASA’s ruling pointed out that Cruz's sultry looks (7) ____ exaggerated nature. Advertising experts say actresses usually (8) ____ lashes to make their eyes look more dramatic in ads. The Cruz ad promised the mascara would make eyelashes look “up to 60 per cent longer". A TV viewer (9) ____ Cruz’s eyelashes were false and complained to the ASA. L’Oreal quickly admitted its ad did not give the public the (10) ____ picture. Although the ads suggested the mascara could make eyelashes look 60 per cent
(11) ____, independent tests showed there was no difference to the length of lashes. The ASA said: "While Penelope Cruz may not have been wearing a full set of eyelashes, the images of her wearing individual false eyelashes…exaggerated the effect that could be (12) ____."

1.	(a)	for	(b)	over	(c)	in	(d)	on
2.	(a)	looks	(b)	looking	(c)	looker	(d)	looked
3.	(a)	features	(b)	future	(c)	featuring	(d)	feature
4.	(a)	good	(b)	well	(c)	fine	(d)	perfect
5.	(a)	time	(b)	when	(c)	then	(d)	now
6.	(a)	promoter	(b)	promo	(c)	promoted	(d)	promotion
7.	(a)	overly	(b)	over	(c)	overt	(d)	under
8.	(a)	paint	(b)	wear	(c)	do	(d)	grow
9.	(a)	suspected	(b)	suspicious	(c)	suspicion	(d)	suspect
10.	(a)	fully	(b)	full	(c)	fill	(d)	fills
11.	(a)	long	(b)	length	(c)	lengthy	(d)	longer
12.	(a)	achieving	(b)	achieves	(c)	achieved	(d)	achieve

WRITING:

Write about make-up 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 more information about Penelope Cruz. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. COSMETICS POSTER: Make a poster about the different kinds of cosmetics people use around the world. Show your poster to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things?

4. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about the truth behind the claims made by cosmetic companies. Include imaginary interviews with a cosmetic company boss and a consumer trying to look more attractive.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Which article was best and why?

5. LETTER: Write a letter to the boss of L’Oreal. Ask him/her three questions about the deceptive advertisement. Give him/her three suggestions about how to be more honest in adverts. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. F

d. T

e. T

f. F

g. T

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	leading	a.	top
2	potential	b.	possible
3.	enhancing	c.	improving
4.	seductive	d.	sexy
5.	promoted	e.	pushed
6.	ruling	f.	decision
7.	dramatic	g.	dazzling
8.	the full picture	h.	the truth
9.	exaggerated	i.	overstated
10.	achieved	j.	got

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	deceiving potential consumers about	a.	the merits of its new mascara
2	out of this	b.	world eyelashes
3.	false lashes to make her eyes look	c.	more seductive
4.	the advert mis-led	d.	viewers
5.	misleading ads	e.	for a wrinkle cream
6.	Cruz's sultry looks overly	f.	exaggerated nature
7.	A TV viewer suspected Cruz’s eyelashes	g.	were false
8.	its ad did not give the public	h.	the full picture
9.	the mascara could make eyelashes	i.	look 60 per cent longer
10.	false eyelashes…exaggerated the effect	j.	that could be achieved

GAP FILL:

Penelope Cruz make-up ad faked

A leading beauty company is in trouble after deceiving potential consumers about the merits of its new mascara. The French make-up manufacturer L’Oreal decided the natural Latin looks of actress Penelope Cruz needed enhancing to make her eyes look sexier. A TV ad featuring Cruz boasted that the product could give women "out of this world eyelashes". Unfortunately, the ad forgot to mention that as well as the mascara, Cruz’s eyes were also fitted with false lashes to make her eyes look more seductive. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decided that this was deceptive and that the advert mis-led viewers. L'Oréal has promised to be more honest in its advertising from now on. Two years ago, its misleading ads for a wrinkle cream promoted by Claudia Schiffer were banned by the ASA.

The ASA’s ruling pointed out that Cruz's sultry looks overly exaggerated nature. Advertising experts say actresses usually wear lashes to make their eyes look more dramatic in ads. The Cruz ad promised the mascara would make eyelashes look “up to 60 per cent longer". A TV viewer suspected Cruz’s eyelashes were false and complained to the ASA. L’Oreal quickly admitted its ad did not give the public the full picture. Although the ads suggested the mascara could make eyelashes look 60 per cent longer, independent tests showed there was no difference to the length of lashes. The ASA said: "While Penelope Cruz may not have been wearing a full set of eyelashes, the images of her wearing individual false eyelashes…exaggerated the effect that could be achieved."

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - c

2 - a

3 - d

4 - b

5 - d

6 - c

7 - a

8 - b

9 - a

10 - b

11 - d

12 - c

Breaking News English

THE ARTICLE

Penelope Cruz make-up ad faked

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

Penelope Cruz make-up ad faked

LISTENING

Penelope Cruz make-up ad faked

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT COSMETICS SURVEY

DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE

Penelope Cruz make-up ad faked

WRITING:

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

Penelope Cruz make-up ad faked

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