Thursday February 3, 2005
Pre-Intermediate +

THE ARTICLE

‘Have a break, have a Kit-Kat’. This is an advertising slogan every British person is more than familiar with. It has been used for decades to promote the UK’s best-selling chocolate bar– Kit Kat. They have probably heard this little phrase so often it has become part of their everyday vocabulary. The term ‘Kit Kat’ will now also become part of the Japanese exam-preparation time lexicon. High school and university students across Japan have been buying up the chocolate bar like there’s no tomorrow. The reason? The name ‘Kit-Kat’ in Japanese sounds like ‘kitto-kattsu’, which can be translated as ‘definitely win’, or, in classroom lingo, ‘I will pass my exams’. They have thus become edible lucky charms. Superstitious Japanese students have been buying so many of the chocolate bars that the makers are having trouble keeping up with demand. Even parents have been buying them, in addition to cooking the traditional fried pork dish, which is used for exam success, just in case there is an extra element of luck involved. We talked to one university student, Yoko Yamada, who said, “I don’t know why but having a Kit Kat bar in my school bag gives me more confidence to pass my exams.” When asked about the taste of Kit-Kat, Yoko answered, “I don’t know. I don’t really like chocolate, so I’ve never tasted one”.

Lesson & plan in Word.doc

Example Class Handout in .pdf

WARM UPS / COOL DOWNS

1. CHAT:  Talk in pairs or groups about Kit Kat / lucky charms / superstition / exams / definitely winning / exam confidence / …

To make things more dynamic, try telling your students they only have one minute (or 2) on each chat topic before changing topics / partners. Change topic / partner frequently to energize the class.

2. CHOCOLATE BRAINSTORM: Spend one minute writing down all of the words you associate with chocolate. Share these words with your partner and talk about them.

3. MY CHOCOLATE LIFE: Talk to your partner about the role chocolate plays in your life. The history of chocolate and you.

4. EXAMS: Talk to your partner / group about what you do to prepare for exams. Make a short presentation on the perfect exam preparation routine an present to other groups or the whole class. After the presentations have finished, go back to your original partner and discuss what you heard, and how you can make your original presentation better

5. LUCKY CHARMS: The following are lucky charms from around the world. Discuss with your partner why they are lucky charms and discuss how they could help you pass an exam:
(a)  rab bit’s foot
(b)  horse shoe
(c)  four-leaf clover
(d)  shamrock
(e)  Buddha image
(f)  crucifix
(g)  turtle
(h)  ship’s anchor
(i)  Snoopy key ring
(j)  Kit Kat bar
(k)  other??.

PRE-READING IDEAS

1. WORD SEARCH: Students look in their dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … of the words ‘chocolate’, and ‘bar’.

2. TRUE / FALSE: Students look at the headline and predict whether they believe the following statements about the article are true or false:
(a)  ‘Have an exam? Have a Kit Kat’ is a famous advertising slogan in the UK.  T / F
(b)  Kit Kat is Britain’s best-selling chocolate bar.  T / F
(c)  The term ‘Kit Kat’ will become part of Japanese vocabulary.   T / F
(d)  Japanese students have been buying lots of Kit Kats.  T / F
(e)  ‘Kit-Kat’ in Japanese means ‘I will get married’. T / F
(f)  Kit Kats have become edible lucky charms.  T / F
(g)  Japanese parents dislike this imported ‘custom’ and tell their kids to study instead of buying chocolate bars. T / F
(h)  Fried fish is the traditional Japanese dish prepared for exam success. T / F

3. DEFINITIONS: Students match the following words with the most likely definitions (Please think about the headline!):

(a) break (n)
(i) a kind of chocolate bar with wafer inside
(ii) a short time to rest while working, often for lunch or a snack and drink

(b) slogan (n)
(i) a phrase used like a logo in advertising to make a company or product easy to remember
(ii) to keep trying to do something without ever giving up

(c) decade (n)
(i) a period of ten years
(ii) a geometric shape that has ten sides

(d) lexicon (n)
(i) all of the words in a language, or all of the words known by a person
(ii) a chemical put into chocolate to make people stay awake longer

(e) translated (v)
(i) when a bus or train doesn’t come on time
(ii) the meaning of a word or sentence changed from one language into another

(f) definitely (adv)
(i) to describe the panic students sometimes experience before taking an examination
(ii) to describe something you are 100% sure something will happen

(g) lingo (n)
(i) slang for ‘language’
(ii) a kind of dance that involves arching your back and moving under a low bar

(h) edible (adj)
(i) something that is safe to eat without any danger to your health.
(ii) the quiet atmosphere in an examination room

(i) charm (n)
(i) a kind of tea that provides you with energy
(ii) a small object people carry with them or put in their cars for good luck

(j) confidence (n)
(i) the negative feeling you have that you can’t do something
(ii) the positive feeling you have that you can do something

4. SYNONYM MATCH: Students match the following synonyms from the article:

(a)	break	bit
(b)	slogan	push
(c)	promote	language
(d)	lexicon	manufacturers
(e)	translated	motto
(f)	lingo	interpreted
(g)	makers	customary
(h)	traditional	self belief
(i)	element	vocabulary
(j)	confidence	rest

5. PHRASE MATCH: Students match the following phrases based on the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

(a)	advertising	there’s no tomorrow
(b)	every British person is more	as ‘definitely win’
(c)	part of their everyday	luck
(d)	buying up the chocolate bar like	charms
(e)	can be translated	trouble
(f)	lucky	confidence
(g)	the makers are having	vocabulary
(h)	keeping up with	slogan
(i)	element of	than familiar with
(j)	gives me more	demand

 

WHILE READING ACTIVITIES

1. GAP-FILL:  Put the missing words under each paragraph into the gaps.

Have an exam? Have a Kit-Kat

‘Have a __________, have a Kit-Kat’. This is an advertising __________ every British person is more than familiar with. It has been used for decades to promote the UK’s best-selling chocolate bar– Kit Kat. They have probably heard this little __________ so often it has become part of their everyday vocabulary. The term ‘Kit Kat’ will now also become part of the Japanese exam-preparation time __________. High school and university students across Japan have been buying up the chocolate bar like there’s no tomorrow. The reason? The name ‘Kit-Kat’ in Japanese sounds like ‘kitto-kattsu’, which can be translated as ‘definitely win’, or, in classroom lingo, ‘I will pass my exams’. They have thus become __________ lucky charms. Superstitious Japanese students have been buying so many of the chocolate bars that the makers are having __________ keeping up with demand. Even parents have been buying them, in addition to cooking the traditional fried pork dish, which is used for exam success, just in case there is an extra __________ of luck involved. We talked to one university student, Yoko Yamada, who said, “I don’t know why but having a Kit Kat bar in my school bag gives me more __________ to pass my exams.” When asked about the taste of Kit-Kat, Yoko answered, “I don’t know. I don’t really like chocolate, so I’ve never tasted one”.

trouble       slogan      phrase      confidence      break     edible     element     lexicon

2. TRUE/FALSE:  Students check their answers to the T/F exercise.

3. SYNONYMS:  Students check their answers to the synonyms exercise.

4. PHRASE MATCH:  Students check their answers to the phrase match exercise.

5. QUESTIONS: Students make notes for questions they would like to ask the class about the article.

6. VOCABULARY:  Students circle any words they do not understand. In groups pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find the meanings.

POST READING IDEAS

1. GAP-FILL: Check the answers to the gap-fill exercise.

2. QUESTIONS:  Students ask the discussion questions they thought of above to their partner / group / class. Pool the questions for all students to share.

3. VOCABULARY: As a class, go over the vocabulary students circled above.

4. STUDENT-GENERATED SURVEY: Pairs/Groups write down 3 questions based on the article. Conduct their surveys alone. Report back to partners to compare answers. Report to other groups / the whole class.

5. ‘CHOCOLATE’/ ‘BAR’: Students make questions based on their findings from pre-reading activity #1.

6. DISCUSSION:  Students ask each other the following questions:
(a)  Do you like Kit Kats?
(b)  Do you like chocolate?
(c)  What do (did) you do to be able to pass exams?
(d)  Do (did) you have any lucky charms?
(e)  Are you superstitious?
(f)  What superstitions are there in your country?
(g)  Were / Are you confident when you took / take exams?
(h)  What kind of English words have entered your lexicon recently?
(i)  What do you think of English words becoming a part of your own language?
(j)  What are some slogans for chocolate bars in your country? Can you translate them
       into English?
(k)  What do you do to become more confident?
(l)  Do you have any special ceremony to pass exams? / Do you pray or go to church /
      mosque / temple / synagogue …?
(m) Teacher / Student additional questions

HOMEWORK

1. VOCAB EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or the Google search field to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on the lucky charms (or Kit-Kat). Share your findings with your class next lesson.

3. CHOCOLATE POSTER: Create a poster showing all of the good things about chocolate.

4. EXAM SUCCESS: Create a short guide on how to pass your English exams.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

(a)  ‘Have an exam? Have a Kit Kat’ is a famous advertising slogan in the UK.  F
(b)  Kit Kat is Britain’s best-selling chocolate bar.  T
(c)  The term ‘Kit Kat’ will become part of Japanese vocabulary.   T
(d)  Japanese students have been buying lots of Kit Kats.  T
(e)  ‘Kit-Kat’ in Japanese means ‘I will get married’. F
(f)  Kit Kats have become edible lucky charms.  T
(g)  Japanese parents dislike this imported ‘custom’ and tell their kids to study instead of
       buying chocolate bars. F
(h)  Fried fish is the traditional Japanese dish prepared for exam success. F

DEFINITIONS:

(a) break (n)
(ii) a short time to rest while working, often for lunch or a snack and drink

(b) slogan (n)
(i) a phrase used like a logo in advertising to make a company or product easy to remember

(c) decade (n)
(i) a period of ten years

(d) lexicon (n)
(i) all of the words in a language, or all of the words known by a person

(e) translated (v)
(ii) the meaning of a word or sentence changed from one language into another

(f) definitely (adv)
(ii) to describe something you are 100% sure something will happen

(g) lingo (n)
(i) slang for ‘language’

(h) edible (adj)
(i) something that is safe to eat without any danger to your health.

(i) charm (n)
(ii) a small object people carry with them or put in their cars for good luck

(j) confidence (n)
(ii) the positive feeling you have that you can do something

SYNONYM MATCH:

(a)	break	rest
(b)	slogan	motto
(c)	promote	push
(d)	lexicon	vocabulary
(e)	translated	interpreted
(f)	lingo	language
(g)	makers	manufacturers
(h)	traditional	customary
(i)	element	bit
(j)	confidence	self belief

PHRASE MATCH:

(a)	advertising	slogan
(b)	every British person is more	than familiar with
(c)	part of their everyday	vocabulary
(d)	buying up the chocolate bar like	there’s no tomorrow
(e)	can be translated	as ‘definitely win’
(f)	lucky	charms
(g)	the makers are having	trouble
(h)	keeping up with	demand
(i)	element of	luck
(j)	gives me more	confidence

GAP FILL:

Have an exam? Have a Kit-Kat

‘Have a break, have a Kit-Kat’. This is an advertising slogan every British person is more than familiar with. It has been used for decades to promote the UK’s best-selling chocolate bar– Kit Kat. They have probably heard this little phrase so often it has become part of their everyday vocabulary. The term ‘Kit Kat’ will now also become part of the Japanese exam-preparation time lexicon. High school and university students across Japan have been buying up the chocolate bar like there’s no tomorrow. The reason? The name ‘Kit-Kat’ in Japanese sounds like ‘kitto-kattsu’, which can be translated as ‘definitely win’, or, in classroom lingo, ‘I will pass my exams’. They have thus become edible lucky charms. Superstitious Japanese students have been buying so many of the chocolate bars that the makers are having trouble keeping up with demand. Even parents have been buying them, in addition to cooking the traditional fried pork dish, which is used for exam success, just in case there is an extra element of luck involved. We talked to one university student, Yoko Yamada, who said, “I don’t know why but having a Kit Kat bar in my school bag gives me more confidence to pass my exams.” When asked about the taste of Kit-Kat, Yoko answered, “I don’t know. I don’t really like chocolate, so I’ve never tasted one”.