Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Miley Cyrus

Actress and singer Miley Cyrus has shocked her millions of fans by quitting Twitter. Cyrus deleted her Twitter account on October 8th. She was one of the most followed celebrities online. More than 1.1 million people followed her regular 140-character posts. Reports are that Miley turned her back on Twitter because her actor boyfriend Liam Hemsworth asked her to. Cyrus is not telling whether or not it is true she gave in to her boyfriend’s demands. Hemsworth stars with Cyrus in the upcoming movie The Last Song. Gossip blogs are saying Miley wanted to switch off unwanted online attention and that she wanted a little more privacy in her life. Her fans and followers have already started a “Miley come back” campaign.

Miley Cyrus is one of America’s biggest teenage stars. She is most famous for her Hannah Montana TV show and movies. Her departure from Twitter has split public attention. Her adoring fans desperately want her back. One fan uploaded a post that said: “She can't delete her Twitter - Twitter IS Miley Cyrus.” Miley commented on how her boyfriend might have been the reason for quitting the micro-blogging site, saying: “FYI Liam doesn’t have a Twitter and he wants me to delete mine, with good reason.” A lot of her fans believe she should have been stronger and not given in to her boyfriend’s demands. Her on-screen persona Hannah Montana would never have been so weak-willed.

WARM-UPS

1. MILEY CYRUS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about Miley Cyrus. 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.

being shocked / Twitter / celebrities / posts / people’s demands / blogs / campaigns / teenage stars / departures / fans / quitting / good reason / being strong / weak-willed

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

3. BEING ONLINE: What do you think of the following? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you heard.

	Why I like it	How it could be better
E-mail
Blogs
Facebook / Twitter
Chat
Online gaming
Surfing

4. PRIVACY: Students A strongly believe Miley Cyrus was right to quit Twitter for privacy reasons; Students B strongly believe Miley was wrong- she should be more loyal to her fans. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. QUITTING: Which of these things would you find it most difficult to quit? Rate them from: 10 = absolutely impossible to quit; 1 = as easy as pie. Change partners and share your ratings again.

chocolate
surfing the Internet
watching TV
waking up late in the morning

overeating
being lazy
my worst bad habit
other ________________

6. BLOG: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘blog’. 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.	Miley Cyrus quit her job as a model for Twitter.	T / F
b.	Miley was the most followed celebrity on Twitter.	T / F
c.	Miley told her boyfriend Liam not to back Twitter.	T / F
d.	Miley’s fans have started a campaign to get Miley back to Twitter.	T / F
e.	All of the public is on Miley’s side.	T / F
f.	One of Miley’s fans suggested Twitter was nothing without Miley.	T / F
g.	Miley’s boyfriend asked her to quit her Twitter account.	T / F
h.	The article suggests Miley should have been stronger.	T / F

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

1.	quitting	a.	requests
2	deleted	b.	really
3.	regular	c.	well-known
4.	demands	d.	canceled
5.	attention	e.	divided
6.	famous	f.	stopping
7.	split	g.	role
8.	desperately	h.	frequent
9.	persona	i.	indecisive
10.	weak-willed	j.	focus

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

1.	Miley Cyrus has shocked her	a.	back on Twitter
2	She was one of the most followed	b.	have been stronger
3.	Miley turned her	c.	attention
4.	Cyrus is not telling whether or	d.	public attention
5.	switch off unwanted online	e.	want her back
6.	Her departure from Twitter has split	f.	millions of fans
7.	Her adoring fans desperately	g.	been so weak-willed
8.	her boyfriend might have	h.	celebrities online
9.	her fans believe she should	i.	been the reason for quitting
10.	Hannah Montana would never have	j.	not it is true

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

Actress and singer Miley Cyrus has ____________ her millions of fans by quitting Twitter. Cyrus deleted her Twitter account on October 8th. She was one of the most ____________ celebrities online. More than 1.1 million people followed her regular 140-character posts. Reports are that Miley ____________ her back on Twitter because her actor boyfriend Liam Hemsworth asked her to. Cyrus is not ____________ whether or not it is true she ____________ in to her boyfriend’s demands. Hemsworth stars with Cyrus in the ____________ movie The Last Song. Gossip blogs are saying Miley wanted to ____________ off unwanted online attention and that she wanted a little more ____________ in her life. Her fans and followers have already started a “Miley come back” campaign.

turned
gave
shocked
switch
followed
privacy
telling
upcoming

Miley Cyrus is one of America’s biggest teenage stars. She is most ____________ for her Hannah Montana TV show and movies. Her departure from Twitter has ____________ public attention. Her adoring fans desperately want her back. One fan ____________ a post that said: “She can't delete her Twitter - Twitter IS Miley Cyrus.” Miley commented on how her boyfriend might have been the ____________ for quitting the micro-blogging ____________, saying: “FYI Liam doesn’t have a Twitter and he wants me to ____________ mine, with good reason.” A lot of her fans ____________ she should have been stronger and not given in to her boyfriend’s demands. Her on-screen persona Hannah Montana would never have been so ____________.

believe
uploaded
site
famous
reason
weak-willed
split
delete

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

Actress and singer Miley Cyrus _________________ millions of fans by quitting Twitter. Cyrus deleted her Twitter account on October 8th. She was _________________ followed celebrities online. More than 1.1 million people followed her regular 140-character posts. Reports are that Miley ___________________ Twitter because her actor boyfriend Liam Hemsworth asked her to. Cyrus is not telling _________________ is true she gave in to her boyfriend’s demands. Hemsworth stars with Cyrus in the upcoming movie The Last Song. Gossip blogs are saying Miley wanted _________________ unwanted online attention and that she wanted a little more privacy in her life. Her fans and followers _________________ a “Miley come back” campaign.

Miley Cyrus is one of America’s biggest teenage stars. She ___________________ her Hannah Montana TV show and movies. Her departure from Twitter has _________________. Her adoring fans desperately want her back. One fan uploaded _________________: “She can't delete her Twitter - Twitter IS Miley Cyrus.” Miley commented on how her boyfriend might have been _________________ quitting the micro-blogging site, saying: “FYI Liam doesn’t have a Twitter and he wants me to delete mine, with good reason.” _________________ believe she should have been stronger and not given in to her boyfriend’s demands. Her on-screen persona Hannah Montana would never have ___________________.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

weak

will

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:

shocked
followed
regular
back
switch
privacy

most
public
adoring
wrong
good
demands

STUDENT MILEY CYRUS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Miley Cyrus 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.

MILEY CYRUS 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 ‘blog’?
c)	What do you know about Miley Cyrus?
d)	What do you think of Miley quitting Twitter and her 1.1 million followers?
e)	Do you understand why so many people use Twitter?
f)	When was the last time someone shocked you?
g)	Which celebrities would you most like to follow on Twitter?
h)	How surprised are you Miley gave in to her boyfriend’s demands?
i)	Would you be able to cope with being famous and the public wanting to know every tiny detail about your life?
j)	Do you think Miley should reactivate her Twitter account?

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

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

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	What do you think of teenage stars? Are they talented?
c)	Sixteen-year-old Miley Cyrus earns millions of dollars a year. Is this OK?
d)	Why is it the media find this such a big story? Do you think it’s newsworthy?
e)	How far would you follow your favourite singer /actor / sports star?
f)	Why do you think Miley’s boyfriend wanted her to quit Twitter?
g)	Do you think Miley should have been a better role model?
h)	Do you have any role models?
i)	Where do you think this story will go from here?
j)	What questions would you like to ask Miley Cyrus?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

Actress and singer Miley Cyrus has shocked her millions of fans (1) ____ quitting Twitter. Cyrus deleted her Twitter account on October 8th. She was one of the most followed celebrities online. More than 1.1 million people followed her (2) ____ 140-character posts. Reports are that Miley turned her (3) ____ on Twitter because her actor boyfriend Liam Hemsworth asked her to. Cyrus is not telling whether or not it is (4) ____ she gave in to her boyfriend’s demands. Hemsworth stars with Cyrus in the (5) ____ movie The Last Song. Gossip blogs are saying Miley wanted to switch off unwanted online attention and that she wanted a little more (6) ____ in her life. Her fans and followers have already started a “Miley come back” campaign.

Miley Cyrus is one of America’s biggest teenage stars. She is most famous for her Hannah Montana TV show and movies. Her (7) ____ from Twitter has split public attention. Her (8) ____ fans desperately want her back. One fan uploaded a post that said: “She can't delete her Twitter - Twitter IS Miley Cyrus.” Miley commented on how her boyfriend might have been the reason for (9) ____ the micro-blogging site, saying: “FYI Liam doesn’t have a Twitter and he wants me to delete (10) ____, with good reason.” A lot of her fans believe she should have been stronger and not (11) ____ in to her boyfriend’s demands. Her on-screen persona Hannah Montana would never have been so weak-(12) ____.

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

1.	(a)	from	(b)	with	(c)	on	(d)	by
2.	(a)	regular	(b)	regulars	(c)	regularly	(d)	regulated
3.	(a)	front	(b)	back	(c)	side	(d)	bottom
4.	(a)	truly	(b)	truthful	(c)	true	(d)	truth
5.	(a)	incoming	(b)	oncoming	(c)	upcoming	(d)	ongoing
6.	(a)	privates	(b)	privacy	(c)	private	(d)	privation
7.	(a)	depart	(b)	departs	(c)	departed	(d)	departure
8.	(a)	adoring	(b)	adored	(c)	adores	(d)	adoration
9.	(a)	quit	(b)	quitting	(c)	quits	(d)	quitter
10.	(a)	I	(b)	my	(c)	me	(d)	mine
11.	(a)	gave	(b)	gives	(c)	given	(d)	giving
12.	(a)	willed	(b)	won’t	(c)	wouldn’t	(d)	willing

WRITING

Write about Miley Cyrus 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 Miley Cyrus. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MILEY CYRUS: Make a poster about Miley Cyrus and other teenage stars. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. TWITTER: Write a magazine article about Twitter. Include imaginary interviews with the owner of Twitter and someone who hates it.

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 Miley Cyrus. Ask her three questions about her life. Give her three reasons why she should not go back to Twitter. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	quitting	a.	stopping
2	deleted	b.	canceled
3.	regular	c.	frequent
4.	demands	d.	requests
5.	attention	e.	focus
6.	famous	f.	well-known
7.	split	g.	divided
8.	desperately	h.	really
9.	persona	i.	role
10.	weak-willed	j.	indecisive

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	Miley Cyrus has shocked her	a.	millions of fans
2	She was one of the most followed	b.	celebrities online
3.	Miley turned her	c.	back on Twitter
4.	Cyrus is not telling whether or	d.	not it is true
5.	switch off unwanted online	e.	attention
6.	Her departure from Twitter has split	f.	public attention
7.	Her adoring fans desperately	g.	want her back
8.	her boyfriend might have	h.	been the reason for quitting
9.	her fans believe she should	i.	have been stronger
10.	Hannah Montana would never have	j.	been so weak-willed

GAP FILL:

Miley Cyrus quits Twitter

Actress and singer Miley Cyrus has shocked her millions of fans by quitting Twitter. Cyrus deleted her Twitter account on October 8th. She was one of the most followed celebrities online. More than 1.1 million people followed her regular 140-character posts. Reports are that Miley turned her back on Twitter because her actor boyfriend Liam Hemsworth asked her to. Cyrus is not telling whether or not it is true she gave in to her boyfriend’s demands. Hemsworth stars with Cyrus in the upcoming movie The Last Song. Gossip blogs are saying Miley wanted to switch off unwanted online attention and that she wanted a little more privacy in her life. Her fans and followers have already started a “Miley come back” campaign.

Miley Cyrus is one of America’s biggest teenage stars. She is most famous for her Hannah Montana TV show and movies. Her departure from Twitter has split public attention. Her adoring fans desperately want her back. One fan uploaded a post that said: “She can't delete her Twitter - Twitter IS Miley Cyrus.” Miley commented on how her boyfriend might have been the reason for quitting the micro-blogging site, saying: “FYI Liam doesn’t have a Twitter and he wants me to delete mine, with good reason.” A lot of her fans believe she should have been stronger and not given in to her boyfriend’s demands. Her on-screen persona Hannah Montana would never have been so weak-willed.

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

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Breaking News English

October 10, 2009

Miley Cyrus Quits Twitter