Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Life's Pleasures

British people have voted a good night's sleep as life's "greatest little pleasure". The Batchelors Cup-A-Soup company conducted a survey into what gave Britons most pleasure. Bed activities filled four of the top ten spots. Cuddling a loved one in bed came third, having a lie-in was fifth and sleeping in freshly-washed sheets sixth. Finding £10 ($16) in your pocket was life’s second greatest pleasure for Brits. Also in the top ten were crying with laughter, making someone smile and catching up with an old friend. There were plenty of things in the list that most people around the world would agree with. These include realizing that your queue in the supermarket is the one moving fastest, and at number 50, popping bubble wrap.

Batchelors spokesman Rob Stacey gave his thoughts on the findings of the survey, which 3,000 Britons did. He said: "It's often the little things that brighten up life, like getting into bed after a long day. You can't beat that feeling.” Mr. Stacey observed that almost all of the things in the top fifty didn’t need money. He stated: “Often the little gestures such as a quick cuddle or a compliment can really help to cheer someone up if they are having a bad day, and can even be more welcome than splashing out on expensive presents.” He added that it was “often the smaller things that can make a big difference”. Stacey may be happy that curling up on the sofa with a good book and a hot drink (or soup) came thirteenth in the poll.

*See the full list.

WARM-UPS

1. SLEEPING: Walk around the class and talk to other students about sleeping. 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.

a good night’s sleep / pleasure / cuddling / crying / old friends / supermarket queues / thoughts / brighten up life / a long day / gestures / compliments / a good book / soup

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

3. PLEASURE: Do these things make you happy? Complete this table. Tell your partner(s) what you wrote. Change partners and share what you heard.

	Pleasures	Displeasures
Computers
English
Trains
TV
Mobile phones
Restaurants

4. SLEEP: Students A strongly believe sleep is life’s greatest pleasure; Students B strongly believe the opposite and that sleep is a total waste of time. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. RANKING: Which of these are best? Rank them and share your rankings with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you heard.

sleeping
catching up with old friends
reading books
popping bubble wrap

finding money in your pocket
cuddling loved ones
crying with laughter
standing in a fast-moving queue

6. SOUP: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘soup’. 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.	British people voted in a survey about sleeping patterns.	T / F
b.	The top four pleasures in a survey related to beds and sleeping.	T / F
c.	Crying with laughter was one of the top ten pleasures for Brits.	T / F
d.	British people like standing in fast-moving supermarket queues.	T / F
e.	A total of 3,000 people voted in the survey on life’s little pleasures.	T / F
f.	Most of the pleasures in the survey needed money.	T / F
g.	The survey found people loved buying expensive presents.	T / F
h.	Many Brits liked drinking soup and reading a book on the sofa.	T / F

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

1.	voted	a.	longer sleep
2	cuddling	b.	finished
3.	lie-in	c.	line
4.	realizing	d.	noticed
5.	queue	e.	selected
6.	thoughts	f.	actions
7.	observed	g.	opinions
8.	gestures	h.	hugging
9.	splashing out	i.	understanding
10.	came	j.	spending money

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

1.	a good night's	a.	with laughter
2	a survey into what gave	b.	ten spots
3.	four of the top	c.	sofa with a good book
4.	crying	d.	brighten up life
5.	your queue in	e.	on expensive presents
6.	the findings of	f.	feeling
7.	the little things that	g.	the survey
8.	You can't beat that	h.	Britons most pleasure
9.	splashing out	i.	sleep
10.	curling up on the	j.	the supermarket

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

British people have voted a ____________ night's sleep as life's "greatest little pleasure". The Batchelors Cup-A-Soup company conducted a survey into what ____________ Britons most pleasure. Bed activities filled four of the top ten spots. Cuddling a ____________ one in bed came third, having a lie-in was fifth and sleeping in freshly-washed sheets sixth. Finding £10 ($16) in your pocket was life’s second greatest pleasure for Brits. Also in the top ten were ____________ with laughter, making someone smile and ____________ up with an old friend. There were plenty of things in the ____________ that most people around the world would agree with. These include realizing that your queue in the supermarket is the one moving ____________, and at number 50, ____________ bubble wrap.

crying
loved
popping
good
fastest
catching
gave
list

Batchelors spokesman Rob Stacey gave his ____________ on the findings of the survey, which 3,000 Britons did. He said: "It's often the little things that ____________ up life, like getting into bed after a long day. You can't beat that ____________.” Mr. Stacey observed that almost all of the things in the top fifty didn’t need money. He stated: “Often the little gestures ____________ as a quick cuddle or a compliment can really help to ____________ someone up if they are having a bad day, and can even be more ____________ than splashing out on expensive presents.” He added that it was “often the ____________ things that can make a big difference”. Stacey may be happy that curling up on the sofa with a good ____________ and a hot drink (or soup) came thirteenth in the poll.

such
feeling
book
thoughts
welcome
brighten
cheer
smaller

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

British people have voted a ____________________ as life's "greatest little pleasure". The Batchelors Cup-A-Soup company conducted a survey into what gave Britons most pleasure. Bed activities ____________________ top ten spots. Cuddling a loved one in bed came third, ____________________ fifth and sleeping in freshly-washed sheets sixth. Finding £10 ($16) in your pocket was life’s second greatest pleasure for Brits. Also in the top ten were ____________________, making someone smile and catching up with an old friend. There were ____________________ list that most people around the world would agree with. These include realizing that your queue in the supermarket is the one moving fastest, and at number 50, ____________________.

Batchelors spokesman Rob Stacey ____________________ the findings of the survey, which 3,000 Britons did. He said: "It's often the little things that ____________________, like getting into bed after a long day. You ____________________.” Mr. Stacey observed that almost all of the things in the top fifty didn’t need money. He stated: “Often ____________________ as a quick cuddle or a compliment can really help to cheer someone up if they are having a bad day, and can even be more welcome than ____________________ expensive presents.” He added that it was “often the smaller things that can make a big difference”. Stacey may be happy that ____________________ with a good book and a hot drink (or soup) came thirteenth in the poll.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

great

pleasure

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:

voted
filled
finding
crying
plenty
wrap

3,000
brighten
beat
little
welcome
book

STUDENT SLEEPING SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about sleeping 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.

SLEEPING 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 ‘sleeping’?
c)	What is your greatest pleasure in life?
d)	Has your greatest pleasure changed since you were a child?
e)	Do you think people’s pleasures are the same all over the world?
f)	How important is cuddling people to you?
g)	When was the last time you cried with laughter?
h)	How does catching up with old friends make you feel?
i)	What goes through your mind when you have to wait a long time in a queue?
j)	Why do people like popping bubble wrap?

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

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

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	What are your thoughts on this survey?
c)	Do you think people will find different things pleasurable in the future?
d)	What are the little things that brighten up your life?
e)	What things do you love that don’t need money?
f)	What’s the best way to cheer you up if you have a bad day?
g)	What pleasure do you give other people?
h)	Do you like curling up on the sofa with a good book?
i)	When was the last time you paid someone a compliment?
j)	What questions would you like to ask Rob Stacey?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

British people have voted a good night's sleep as life's "greatest little pleasure". The Batchelors Cup-A-Soup company (1) ____ a survey into what gave Britons most pleasure. Bed activities (2) ____ four of the top ten spots. Cuddling a loved one in bed came third, having a lie-(3) ____ was fifth and sleeping in freshly-washed sheets sixth. Finding £10 ($16) in your pocket was life’s second greatest pleasure for Brits. Also in the top ten were (4) ____ with laughter, making someone smile and catching (5) ____ with an old friend. There were plenty of things in the list that most people around the world would agree with. These include realizing that your queue in the supermarket is the one (6) ____ fastest, and at number 50, popping bubble wrap.

Batchelors spokesman Rob Stacey gave his thoughts on the (7) ____ of the survey, which 3,000 Britons did. He said: "It's often the little things that brighten up life, like getting into bed after a long day. You can't (8) ____ that feeling.” Mr. Stacey observed that almost all of the things in the top fifty didn’t need money. He stated: “Often the little gestures such (9) ____ a quick cuddle or a compliment can really help to cheer someone (10) ____ if they are having a bad day, and can even be more welcome than splashing out on expensive presents.” He added that it was “often the smaller things that can make a big (11) ____”. Stacey may be happy that curling up on the sofa with a good book and a hot drink (or soup) (12) ____ thirteenth in the poll.

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

1.	(a)	conducts	(b)	conducting	(c)	conducted	(d)	conductor
2.	(a)	fills	(b)	filled	(c)	filling	(d)	filler
3.	(a)	in	(b)	on	(c)	up	(d)	out
4.	(a)	cried	(b)	cry	(c)	cries	(d)	crying
5.	(a)	down	(b)	on	(c)	up	(d)	over
6.	(a)	relocating	(b)	running	(c)	moving	(d)	actioning
7.	(a)	found	(b)	findings	(c)	finders	(d)	funds
8.	(a)	beat	(b)	win	(c)	victory	(d)	achieve
9.	(a)	was	(b)	as	(c)	has	(d)	ask
10.	(a)	up	(b)	in	(c)	over	(d)	down
11.	(a)	different	(b)	differences	(c)	differ	(d)	difference
12.	(a)	gone	(b)	went	(c)	arrived	(d)	came

WRITING

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

3. SLEEPING: Make a poster about sleeping. Show what it is that makes us so happy. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. PLEASURE: Write a magazine article about pleasure. Include an imaginary interview with the leader of your country, who wants to increase pleasure for all people.

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 an expert on pleasure. Ask him/her three questions about pleasure. Tell him/her your top three things that give you most pleasure. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	voted	a.	selected
2	cuddling	b.	hugging
3.	lie-in	c.	longer sleep
4.	realizing	d.	understanding
5.	queue	e.	line
6.	thoughts	f.	opinions
7.	observed	g.	noticed
8.	gestures	h.	actions
9.	splashing out	i.	spending money
10.	came	j.	finished

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	a good night's	a.	sleep
2	a survey into what gave	b.	Britons most pleasure
3.	four of the top	c.	ten spots
4.	crying	d.	with laughter
5.	your queue in	e.	the supermarket
6.	the findings of	f.	the survey
7.	the little things that	g.	brighten up life
8.	You can't beat that	h.	feeling
9.	splashing out	i.	on expensive presents
10.	curling up on the	j.	sofa with a good book

GAP FILL:

Sleeping is life’s greatest pleasure

British people have voted a good night's sleep as life's "greatest little pleasure". The Batchelors Cup-A-Soup company conducted a survey into what gave Britons most pleasure. Bed activities filled four of the top ten spots. Cuddling a loved one in bed came third, having a lie-in was fifth and sleeping in freshly-washed sheets sixth. Finding £10 ($16) in your pocket was life’s second greatest pleasure for Brits. Also in the top ten were crying with laughter, making someone smile and catching up with an old friend. There were plenty of things in the list that most people around the world would agree with. These include realizing that your queue in the supermarket is the one moving fastest, and at number 50, popping bubble wrap.

Batchelors spokesman Rob Stacey gave his thoughts on the findings of the survey, which 3,000 Britons did. He said: "It's often the little things that brighten up life, like getting into bed after a long day. You can't beat that feeling.” Mr. Stacey observed that almost all of the things in the top fifty didn’t need money. He stated: “Often the little gestures such as a quick cuddle or a compliment can really help to cheer someone up if they are having a bad day, and can even be more welcome than splashing out on expensive presents.” He added that it was “often the smaller things that can make a big difference”. Stacey may be happy that curling up on the sofa with a good book and a hot drink (or soup) came thirteenth in the poll.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - c

2 - b

3 - a

4 - d

5 - c

6 - c

7 - b

8 - a

9 - b

10 - a

11 - d

12 - d

The Batchelor's Survey Top 50 Greatest Little Pleasures in Life

A good night's sleep

Finding a forgotten tenner in your pocket

Cuddling up with a partner in bed

Crying with laughter

Having a lie-in

Sleeping in newly laundered bedding

Getting a bargain

Making someone smile

Catching up with an old friend

Laughing at things that have happened in the past

Eating a Sunday roast with your family

Someone saying you look nice

Curling up on the sofa with a good book and a hot drink or soup

Discovering you've lost a few pounds

Breakfast in bed

Waking up thinking it's a work day and then realising it's the weekend

A random person smiling at you in the street

Looking through old photo albums

Eating a takeaway

First snow fall of the year

Singing your heart out to your favourite song in car

Having lunch with friends

Listening to a baby laughing

Having a massage

Reading a book or listening to your iPod on holiday by the pool

Playing in snow

Finding a pair of jeans that fit perfectly

Being chatted up

A girly-night in

A pampering session at home

The smell of freshly cut grass

Sitting in the pub with your friends

Looking at a baby asleep in a cot

Waking up in a room with an amazing view

Clothes shopping

Receiving a letter from a friend

Fitting into an old pair of jeans again after losing some weight

Staying up all night getting to know someone special

Your mum's cooking

Getting dressed up for a night out

Watching a live band

Drinking a cold beer after work

Browsing in a secondhand book shop

Going to the cinema

Getting a new hairstyle

Your queue being the quickest in the supermarket

The cold side of the pillow

Watching a DVD

Getting tipsy

Popping bubble wrap

Back to the top

Help Support This Web Site

Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Download a sample of my book "1,000 Ideas & Activities for Language Teachers".

Thank You

SHARE THIS LESSON:

E-Mail

RSS

Breaking News English

January 2, 2010

Sleeping Is Life’s Greatest Pleasure