Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Kids and Alcohol

A new study by the British Red Cross says British children between the ages of 11 and 16 need lessons in how to deal with alcohol-related emergencies. The report says one in seven teenagers has been in an emergency situation because a friend drank too much. The Red Cross has said children need to know what to do if their friend becomes unconscious due to drink, chokes, or gets injured in a drunken fight. In the past three years, almost 7,500 under-15s ended up in hospital with conditions linked to alcohol. Many more should have gone to hospital but friends did not think, or were afraid to call an ambulance. Only ten per cent of youngsters dialed the emergency services number 999 when their friends needed help. In most cases, friends did what they could and hoped for the best.

The Red Cross released its survey as part of its new campaign called “Life, Live It”. The organization wants to teach young teenagers to deal with all kinds of emergencies but feels alcohol abuse is serious enough to highlight as an issue. The Red Cross report reveals that one in five teenagers gets drunk once every three months. It goes on to say that as many as one in three 14- to 16-year-olds drink almost every weekend. The average amount of alcohol consumed is the equivalent of four large cans of beer. Red Cross spokesman Joe Mulligan said: "We need to ensure that every young person…has the ability and confidence to cope in a crisis.” He added: “We are always looking for new and innovative ways to reach young people.”

WARM-UPS

1. ALCOHOL: Walk around the class and talk to other students about kids and alcohol. 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.

new studies / emergencies / teenagers / drinking too much / fights / hospital / friends / campaigns / organization / abuse / highlight / drunk / weekend / confidence / crisis

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

3. EMERGENCIES: What would you do? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

	What do you do?	What can go wrong?
Friend collapses
Fire
Computer data lost
Car crash
No toilet but you really need to go
Terrorist attack

4. ALCOHOL: Students A strongly believe alcohol is dangerous and should be banned; Students B strongly believe alcohol should not be banned. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. ISSUES: Which of these are worst? Rank them and share your rankings with your partner(s). Put the worst at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

teen drinking
drink driving
cost to health service
domestic violence

lost work days
crime
damage to unborn babies
loud people in the streets

6. ABUSE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘abuse’. 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.	A British charity says children need lessons in how to drink alcohol.	T / F
b.	Their report found that most teenagers drank too much alcohol.	T / F
c.	Around 7,500 British teens went to hospital last year after drinking.	T / F
d.	Only one in ten British teenagers called an ambulance to help friends.	T / F
e.	The Red Cross hopes to reach kids about many kinds of emergencies.	T / F
f.	The charity says 20% of British teens get drunk every month.	T / F
g.	They also say that around 30% of younger teens drink most weekends.	T / F
h.	The Red Cross is seeking original ways of helping young people.	T / F

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

1.	deal	a.	made public
2	situation	b.	called
3.	unconscious	c.	drank
4.	linked	d.	shows
5.	dialed	e.	connected
6.	released	f.	out cold
7.	abuse	g.	circumstance
8.	reveals	h.	cope
9.	consumed	i.	original
10.	innovative	j.	mistreatment

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

1.	how to deal with alcohol-	a.	four large cans of beer
2	a friend drank	b.	up in hospital
3.	7,500 under-15s ended	c.	new campaign
4.	Only ten per cent of youngsters dialed	d.	reach young people
5.	did what they could and hoped	e.	related emergencies
6.	part of its	f.	to say that…
7.	It goes on	g.	in a crisis
8.	the equivalent of	h.	for the best
9.	confidence to cope	i.	too much
10.	innovative ways to	j.	the emergency services

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

A new study by the British Red Cross says British children between the ages of 11 and 16 need lessons in how to ____________ with alcohol-related emergencies. The report says one in seven teenagers has ____________ in an emergency situation because a friend drank too much. The Red Cross has said children ____________ to know what to do if their friend becomes ____________ due to drink, chokes, or gets injured in a ____________ fight. In the past three years, almost 7,500 under-15s ended up in hospital with conditions ____________ to alcohol. Many more should have gone to hospital but friends did not think, or were ____________ to call an ambulance. Only ten per cent of youngsters dialed the emergency services number 999 when their friends needed help. In most cases, friends did what they could and ____________ for the best.

afraid
need
drunken
deal
hoped
linked
been
unconscious

The Red Cross released its ____________ as part of its new campaign called “Life, Live It”. The organization wants to teach young teenagers to ____________ with all kinds of emergencies but feels alcohol abuse is serious enough to highlight as an ____________. The Red Cross report reveals that one in five teenagers gets drunk once every three months. It ____________ on to say that as many as one in three 14- to 16-year-olds drink almost every weekend. The ____________ amount of alcohol consumed is the equivalent of four ____________ cans of beer. Red Cross spokesman Joe Mulligan said: "We need to ____________ that every young person…has the ability and confidence to cope in a crisis.” He added: “We are always looking for new and innovative ways to ____________ young people.”

large
issue
deal
reach
average
survey
ensure
goes

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

A new study by the British Red Cross says British children between the ages of 11 and 16 need lessons ___________________ alcohol-related emergencies. The report ___________________ teenagers has been in an emergency situation because a friend drank too much. The Red Cross has said children need to know what to do if their friend ___________________ due to drink, chokes, or gets injured ___________________. In the past three years, almost 7,500 under-15s ended up in hospital with conditions linked to alcohol. Many more should have gone to hospital but friends did not think, or ___________________ an ambulance. Only ten per cent of youngsters dialed the emergency services number 999 when their friends needed help. In most cases, friends did what they could and ___________________.

The Red Cross released its survey ___________________ campaign called “Life, Live It”. The organization wants to teach young teenagers to deal with all kinds of emergencies but feels alcohol ______________________ to highlight as an issue. The Red Cross report reveals that one in five teenagers gets drunk once every three months. It ___________________ as many as one in three 14- to 16-year-olds drink almost every weekend. The average amount of alcohol consumed ___________________ four large cans of beer. Red Cross spokesman Joe Mulligan said: "We ___________________ every young person…has the ability and confidence to cope in a crisis.” He added: “We are always looking for new _____________________ reach young people.”

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

red

cross

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:

ages
drank
due to
7,500
call
hoped

campaign
kinds
issue
once
large
ways

STUDENT KIDS AND ALCOHOL SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about kids and alcohol 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.

KIDS AND ALCOHOL 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 word ‘alcohol’?
c)	What do you think about what was said in this article?
d)	Is underage drinking a problem in your country?
e)	How is it that a country can let young people get so out of control?
f)	Is it wise to teach children how to help friends who have become unconscious due to overdrinking?
g)	What should parents do if their 13-year-old ends up in hospital because they drank too much?
h)	Do you have any experience of dealing with very drunk people?
i)	Have you ever called an ambulance? (Why?)
j)	Do you think alcohol should be banned as a dangerous drug?

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

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

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	What do you think the “Life, Live It” campaign is all about?
c)	What can we do to stop kids drinking?
d)	What happens if kids younger than 11 start drinking alcohol?
e)	Do you have the confidence to cope in a crisis?
f)	What innovative ways are there to help young people?
g)	Why do you think so many teenagers are drinking these days?
h)	What would you do if you had young children and they kept getting drunk?
i)	Should underage drinking be made a criminal offence?
j)	What questions would you like to ask the author of the Red Cross campaign?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

A new study by the British Red Cross (1) ____ British children between the ages of 11 and 16 need lessons in how to (2) ____ with alcohol-related emergencies. The report says one (3) ____ seven teenagers has been in an emergency situation because a friend drank too much. The Red Cross has said children need to know what to do if their friend becomes unconscious due (4) ____ drink, chokes, or gets injured in a drunken fight. In the past three years, almost 7,500 under-15s ended (5) ____ in hospital with conditions linked to alcohol. Many more should have gone to hospital but friends did not think, or were afraid to call an ambulance. Only ten per cent of youngsters dialed the emergency services number 999 when their friends needed help. In most cases, friends did what they could and hoped for the (6) ____.

The Red Cross released its survey as (7) ____ of its new campaign called “Life, Live It”. The organization wants to teach young teenagers to deal with all kinds of emergencies but feels alcohol (8) ____ is serious enough to highlight as an issue. The Red Cross report reveals that one in five teenagers gets drunk once every three months. It (9) ____ on to say that as many as one in three 14- to 16-year-olds drink almost every weekend. The average amount of alcohol consumed is the equivalent (10) ____ four large cans of beer. Red Cross spokesman Joe Mulligan said: "We need to (11) ____ that every young person…has the ability and confidence to cope in a crisis.” He added: “We are always looking for new and innovative ways to (12) ____ young people.”

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

1.	(a)	saying	(b)	say	(c)	saying	(d)	says
2.	(a)	deal	(b)	dealings	(c)	dealt	(d)	deals
3.	(a)	on	(b)	in	(c)	up	(d)	out
4.	(a)	by	(b)	date	(c)	to	(d)	on
5.	(a)	out	(b)	over	(c)	up	(d)	at
6.	(a)	great	(b)	best	(c)	worst	(d)	nice
7.	(a)	party	(b)	partner	(c)	parts	(d)	part
8.	(a)	abuse	(b)	abused	(c)	abusing	(d)	abusive
9.	(a)	goes	(b)	comes	(c)	is	(d)	has
10.	(a)	on	(b)	at	(c)	by	(d)	of
11.	(a)	sure	(b)	shore	(c)	ensure	(d)	reassure
12.	(a)	reach	(b)	arrive	(c)	accomplish	(d)	achieve

WRITING

Write about kids and alcohol 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 the British Red Cross “Life, Live It” campaign. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. KIDS AND ALCOHOL: Make a poster about kids and alcohol. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. EMERGENCY: Write a magazine article about some young teenagers who ended up in hospital because of alcohol. Include imaginary interviews with the people in hospital and their friends.

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 your country’s leader. Ask him/her three questions about kids and alcohol. Give him/her three pieces of advice on how to discourage young teens and children from drinking alcohol. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	deal	a.	cope
2	situation	b.	circumstance
3.	unconscious	c.	out cold
4.	linked	d.	connected
5.	dialed	e.	called
6.	released	f.	made public
7.	abuse	g.	mistreatment
8.	reveals	h.	shows
9.	consumed	i.	drank
10.	innovative	j.	original

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	how to deal with alcohol-	a.	related emergencies
2	a friend drank	b.	too much
3.	7,500 under-15s ended	c.	up in hospital
4.	Only ten per cent of youngsters dialed	d.	the emergency services
5.	did what they could and hoped	e.	for the best
6.	part of its	f.	new campaign
7.	It goes on	g.	to say that…
8.	the equivalent of	h.	four large cans of beer
9.	confidence to cope	i.	in a crisis
10.	innovative ways to	j.	reach young people

GAP FILL:

Kids need lessons on alcohol emergencies

A new study by the British Red Cross says British children between the ages of 11 and 16 need lessons in how to deal with alcohol-related emergencies. The report says one in seven teenagers has been in an emergency situation because a friend drank too much. The Red Cross has said children need to know what to do if their friend becomes unconscious due to drink, chokes, or gets injured in a drunken fight. In the past three years, almost 7,500 under-15s ended up in hospital with conditions linked to alcohol. Many more should have gone to hospital but friends did not think, or were afraid to call an ambulance. Only ten per cent of youngsters dialed the emergency services number 999 when their friends needed help. In most cases, friends did what they could and hoped for the best.

The Red Cross released its survey as part of its new campaign called “Life, Live It”. The organization wants to teach young teenagers to deal with all kinds of emergencies but feels alcohol abuse is serious enough to highlight as an issue. The Red Cross report reveals that one in five teenagers gets drunk once every three months. It goes on to say that as many as one in three 14- to 16-year-olds drink almost every weekend. The average amount of alcohol consumed is the equivalent of four large cans of beer. Red Cross spokesman Joe Mulligan said: "We need to ensure that every young person…has the ability and confidence to cope in a crisis.” He added: “We are always looking for new and innovative ways to reach young people.”

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - a

3 - b

4 - c

5 - c

6 - b

7 - d

8 - a

9 - b

10 - d

11 - c

12 - a

Breaking News English

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Handout - with
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Kids Need Lessons on Alcohol Emergencies (14th September, 2010)

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT KIDS AND ALCOHOL SURVEY

KIDS AND ALCOHOL DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

WRITING

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

Kids need lessons on alcohol emergencies

Help Support This Web Site

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You

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 (2:10 - 1,038KB)

Kids Need Lessons on Alcohol Emergencies (14th September, 2010)

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT KIDS AND ALCOHOL SURVEY

KIDS AND ALCOHOL DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

WRITING

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

Kids need lessons on alcohol emergencies

Help Support This Web Site

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You

13-Page PDF
Handout - with
all-skills activities