The Reading / Listening - Stress Baking - Level 3

The 2020 U.S. presidential election was a stressful event for many people. A poll conducted by the marketing research company OnePoll found that the election was a main cause of stress in 49 per cent of people. Only COVID-19 caused greater stress. The poll found that 55 per cent of the 2,000 adults in the survey believed that November the 3rd, 2020 would be the tensest day yet this year. In addition, 59 per cent said they couldn't imagine being more stressed than they already were. Furthermore, 67 per cent wanted 2020 to be over. Naomi Hirabayashi, cofounder of the self-care app Shine, said: "It's not just the election anxiety - this year has been a marathon of stress. These are not normal times."

The months of non-stop news coverage caused many people to get stressed out. One thing many people did to relieve stress was to bake. Stress baking rose in popularity in 2020. More cakes and bread have been going into ovens in the run-up to the election. Stress baking is now in the top five most effective self-care practices of 2020. The poll found that 27 per cent of people used baking as a stress reliever. Unfortunately, 41 per cent of people said the stress of 2020 caused them to gain weight. One American woman said stress baking reduced her election stress. She said: "I'm prepared and have a post-election plan. In reality, we probably won't have a clear winner for weeks after election day."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Stress Baking - Level 0,  Stress Baking - Level 1   or  Stress Baking - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.cnet.com/news/the-psychology-of-stress-baking-why-everyone-is-making-bread-in-2020/
  • https://www.delish.com/food/a31669795/stress-baking/
  • https://www.swnsdigital.com/2020/10/more-than-half-of-americans-expect-election-day-to-be-the-most-stressful-day-of-their-lives-thus-far/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. BAKING: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about baking. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       presidential / election / stress / research / adults / imagine / app / marathon / normal
       coverage / bake / popularity / cakes / bread / oven / stress / weight / plan / winner
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. STRESS RELIEF: Students A strongly believe baking is great for stress relief; Students B strongly believe it isn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. ELECTION: What are the issues regarding these things in an election? Why? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What?

Why?

Jobs

 

 

COVID-19

 

 

Education

 

 

Immigration

 

 

Foreign policy

 

 

Economy

 

 
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. CAKE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "cake". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. STRESS: Rank these with your partner. Put the best things for stress at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Baking
  • Laughter
  • Sleep
  • Studying English
  • Exercise
  • Eating
  • Music
  • Being with friends

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. event a. A thing that happens, especially one that is planned or important.
      2. conducted b. One of the people who started a company, website, organization, etc. with another person or other people.
      3. cause c. Done; carried out.
      4. survey d. Causing or showing the most stress and nervousness.
      5. tensest e. Make something happen.
      6. cofounder f. A study of the opinions or experiences of a group of people, based on a number of questions.
      7. anxiety g. A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, about something that will happen soon.

    Paragraph 2

      8. coverage h. Increase the amount or rate of something (like weight or speed).
      9. relieve i. Successful in giving the result you wanted.
      10. popularity j. The amount of news reporting by TV and radio stations, newspapers and the Internet.
      11. effective k. Ready for something to happen.
      12. gain l. Make pain, stress, or difficulty to become less serious.
      13. prepared m. Easy to see or understand.
      14. clear n. Being liked, admired, or supported by many people.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The article said the U.S. election was stressful for everyone.     T / F
  2. Over half of people in a poll said the election was a main cause of stress. T / F
  3. Over half of people polled said election day was the tensest day this year. T / F
  4. An app cofounder said we should run marathons to reduce stress.     T / F
  5. Looking at non-stop news stressed many people out.     T / F
  6. There were many cakes and bread in ovens before the election.     T / F
  7. Over half of people polled gained weight in 2020.     T / F
  8. A woman said there may not be an election winner for weeks.     T / F

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

  1. stressful
  2. poll
  3. cause
  4. in addition
  5. normal
  6. non-stop
  7. rose
  8. effective
  9. gain
  10. clear
  1. round-the-clock
  2. furthermore
  3. obvious
  4. survey
  5. successful
  6. ordinary
  7. put on
  8. demanding
  9. increased
  10. source

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

  1. conducted by the marketing
  2. November the 3rd, 2020 would be the tensest
  3. they couldn't imagine being
  4. this year has been a marathon
  5. These are not normal
  6. The months of non-
  7. Stress baking rose in
  8. in the run-
  9. people used baking as a stress
  10. we probably won't have a clear
  1. up to the election
  2. of stress
  3. winner for weeks
  4. more stressed
  5. research company
  6. popularity in 2020
  7. reliever
  8. times
  9. stop news coverage
  10. day yet this year

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
yet
app
cause
normal
event
marathon
poll
imagine

The 2020 U.S. presidential election was a stressful (1) _____________________ for many people. A poll conducted by the marketing research company OnePoll found that the election was a main (2) _____________________ of stress in 49 per cent of people. Only COVID-19 caused greater stress. The (3) _____________________ found that 55 per cent of the 2,000 adults in the survey believed that November the 3rd, 2020 would be the tensest day (4) _____________________ this year. In addition, 59 per cent said they couldn't (5) _____________________ being more stressed than they already were. Furthermore, 67 per cent wanted 2020 to be over. Naomi Hirabayashi, cofounder of the self-care (6) _____________________ Shine, said: "It's not just the election anxiety - this year has been a (7) _____________________ of stress. These are not (8) _____________________ times."

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
run-up
gain
popularity
plan
effective
coverage
winner
reduced

The months of non-stop news (9) _____________________ caused many people to get stressed out. One thing many people did to relieve stress was to bake. Stress baking rose in (10) _____________________ in 2020. More cakes and bread have been going into ovens in the (11) _____________________ to the election. Stress baking is now in the top five most (12) _____________________ self-care practices of 2020. The poll found that 27 per cent of people used baking as a stress reliever. Unfortunately, 41 per cent of people said the stress of 2020 caused them to (13) _____________________ weight. One American woman said stress baking (14) _____________________ her election stress. She said: "I'm prepared and have a post-election (15) _____________________. In reality, we probably won't have a clear (16) _____________________ for weeks after election day."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) The 2020 U.S. presidential election was a stressful event ______
     a.  four many people
     b.  fore many people
     c.  form many people
     d.  for many people
2)  the marketing research company OnePoll found that the election was a main ______
     a.  causes of stress
     b.  cause of stress
     c.  caused of stress
     d.  causal of stress
3)  The poll found that 55 per cent of ______
     a.  the 2,000 adults
     b.  the 3,000 adults
     c.  the 12,000 adults
     d.  the 20,000 adults
4)  the survey believed that November the 3rd, 2020 would be the ______
     a.  tensest date yet
     b.  tensest diet
     c.  tense stay diet
     d.  tensest day yet
5)  this year has been a marathon of stress. These are ______
     a.  not normally times
     b.  not normal time
     c.  not normal times
     d.  not norm all times

6)  The months of non-stop news coverage caused many people to ______
     a.  get stress out
     b.  get stress tout
     c.  get stressed tout
     d.  get stressed out
7)  More cakes and bread have been going into ovens ______
     a.  in the ran-up
     b.  in the rune-up
     c.  in the runner-up
     d.  in the run-up
8)  Stress baking is now in the top five most effective ______
     a.  self-care practice is
     b.  self-care practicals
     c.  self-care practices
     d.  self-care practice
9)  Unfortunately, 41 per cent of people said the stress of 2020 caused them ______
     a.  to again weight
     b.  to gain weight
     c.  to grain weight
     d.  to against weight
10) prepared and have a post-election plan. In reality, we probably won't have ______
     a.  a clear winner
     b.  a clear whiner
     c.  a clear wiener
     d.  a clear winter

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The 2020 U.S. presidential election was (1) ____________________ for many people. A poll conducted by the marketing research company OnePoll found that the election was a (2) ____________________ stress in 49 per cent of people. Only COVID-19 caused greater stress. The poll found that 55 per cent of the 2,000 adults (3) ____________________ believed that November the 3rd, 2020 would be the (4) ____________________ this year. In addition, 59 per cent said they couldn't imagine being more stressed than they already were. Furthermore, 67 per cent wanted 2020 to be over. Naomi Hirabayashi, (5) ____________________ self-care app Shine, said: "It's not just the election anxiety - this year has (6) ____________________ of stress. These are not normal times."

The months of non-stop (7) ____________________ many people to get stressed out. One thing many people did to relieve stress was to bake. Stress baking (8) ____________________ in 2020. More cakes and bread have been going into ovens in the run-up to the election. Stress baking is now in the top (9) ____________________ self-care practices of 2020. The poll found that 27 per cent of people used baking as (10) ____________________. Unfortunately, 41 per cent of people said the stress of 2020 caused them (11) ____________________. One American woman said stress baking reduced her election stress. She said: "I'm prepared and have a post-election plan. In reality, we probably won't have a (12) ____________________ weeks after election day."

Comprehension questions

  1. What is the name of the polling company mentioned in the article?
  2. What was more stressful than the U.S. election?
  3. How many adults took part in the election?
  4. What did 67% of people polled want to be over?
  5. What kind of marathon did a woman say this year was?
  6. What non-stop thing did the article say stressed people out?
  7. Where did many cakes and bread go in the run-up to the election?
  8. What percentage of people baked to relieve stress?
  9. What did 41% of people gain in 2020?
  10. What did a woman say we might not have for weeks?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What is the name of the polling company mentioned in the article?
a) PollOne
b) OnePoll
c) Interpol
d) OncePoll
2) What was more stressful than the U.S. election?
a) global warming
b) money problems
c) family
d) COVID-19
3) How many adults took part in the election?
a) 3,000
b) 15,000
c) 2,000
d) 128,000
4) What did 67% of people polled want to be over?
a) 2020
b) the election
c) war
d) climate change
5) What kind of marathon did a woman say this year was?
a) a long marathon
b) a marathon of stress
c) a news marathon
d) a marathon of lies

6) What non-stop thing did the article say stressed people out?
a) news coverage
b) life
c) campaign adverts
d) tax
7) Where did many cakes and bread go in the run-up to the election?
a) in people's stomachs
b) on supermarket shelves
c) in ovens
d) missing
8) What percentage of people baked to relieve stress?
a) 27%
b) 41%
c) 59%
d) 67%
9) What did 41% of people gain in 2020?
a) a new oven
b) new friends
c) hope
d) weight
10) What did a woman say we might not have for weeks?
a) calm
b) a vaccine
c) a clear winner
d) cakes

Role play

Role  A – Baking
You think baking is the best thing to relieve stress. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): laughter, studying English or eating.

Role  B – Laughter
You think laughter is the best thing to relieve stress. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): baking, studying English or eating.

Role  C – Studying English
You think studying English is the best thing to relieve stress. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): laughter, baking or eating.

Role  D – Eating
You think eating is the best thing to relieve stress. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): laughter, studying English or baking.

After reading / listening

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

'bake'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'stress'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • 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:

    • event
    • main
    • 2,000
    • yet
    • addition
    • over
    • news
    • thing
    • cakes
    • 27
    • gain
    • reality

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic 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.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - Stress Baking

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'baking'?
    3. What do you think of the US presidential election?
    4. What did you think of the candidates in the election?
    5. What do you think of elections in your country?
    6. What do you think of 2020?
    7. How stressful is election time?
    8. How stressful has 2020 been?
    9. What was your tensest day of 2020?
    10. How can we cope with a 'marathon of stress'?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'election'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you think of baking?
    5. What do you think of freshly-baked cakes and bread?
    6. Do you think baking relieves stress?
    7. What do you think is the best way to relieve stress?
    8. Who did you want to win the US election, and why?
    9. What do you think the next few weeks will be like in the USA?
    10. What questions would you like to ask a baker?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    The 2020 U.S. presidential election was a (1) ____ event for many people. A poll conducted by the marketing research company OnePoll found that the election was a main (2) ____ of stress in 49 per cent of people. Only COVID-19 caused greater stress. The poll found that 55 per cent of the 2,000 adults (3) ____ the survey believed that November the 3rd, 2020 would be the tensest day (4) ____ this year. In addition, 59 per cent said they couldn't (5) ____ being more stressed than they already were. Furthermore, 67 per cent wanted 2020 to be over. Naomi Hirabayashi, cofounder of the self-care app Shine, said: "It's not (6) ____ the election anxiety - this year has been a marathon of stress. These are not normal times."

    The months of (7) ____-stop news coverage caused many people to get stressed out. One thing many people did to relieve stress was to bake. Stress baking (8) ____ in popularity in 2020. More cakes and bread have been going into ovens in the run-up to the election. Stress baking is now in the top five most (9) ____ self-care practices of 2020. The poll found that 27 per cent of people used baking as a stress reliever. Unfortunately, 41 per cent of people said the stress of 2020 caused them to (10) ____ weight. One American woman said stress baking reduced her election stress. She said: "I'm (11) ____ and have a post-election plan. In reality, we probably won't have a (12) ____ winner for weeks after election day."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     stress     (b)     stresses     (c)     stressful     (d)     stressed    
    2. (a)     cause     (b)     causal     (c)     caused     (d)     causes    
    3. (a)     in     (b)     at     (c)     as     (d)     by    
    4. (a)     yet     (b)     as     (c)     by     (d)     to    
    5. (a)     opinion     (b)     imagine     (c)     viewing     (d)     look    
    6. (a)     lone     (b)     sole     (c)     important     (d)     just    
    7. (a)     no     (b)     nope     (c)     non     (d)     not    
    8. (a)     ivy     (b)     daisy     (c)     weed     (d)     rose    
    9. (a)     effective     (b)     happiest     (c)     recipe     (d)     ingredients    
    10. (a)     gain     (b)     grain     (c)     again     (d)     against    
    11. (a)     baked     (b)     prepared     (c)     roasted     (d)     boiled    
    12. (a)     cheer     (b)     see-through     (c)     clear     (d)     easy

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. The 2020 U.S. eisrindaeltp election
    2. A poll cdeucndot by the marketing research company
    3. 2,000 adults in the syvuer
    4. It's not just the election xitenya
    5. a otramnha of stress
    6. These are not ramlno times

    Paragraph 2

    1. months of non-stop news geaovrce
    2. rleeevi stress
    3. Stress baking rose in otluyapirp
    4. top five most ctfveeife self-care practices
    5. baking eruddec her election stress
    6. I'm aperdpre and have a post-election plan

    Put the text back together

    (...)  this year. In addition, 59 per cent said they couldn't imagine being more stressed than they
    (...)  plan. In reality, we probably won't have a clear winner for weeks after election day."
    (...)  found that 27 per cent of people used baking as a stress reliever. Unfortunately,
    (...)  The months of non-stop news coverage caused many people to get stressed out. One thing many people did to relieve
    (...)  of stress in 49 per cent of people. Only COVID-19 caused greater stress. The poll found that 55 per cent of the
    (...)  already were. Furthermore, 67 per cent wanted 2020 to be over. Naomi Hirabayashi, cofounder of the self-care
    (...)  by the marketing research company OnePoll found that the election was a main cause
    (  1  ) The 2020 U.S. presidential election was a stressful event for many people. A poll conducted
    (...)  ovens in the run-up to the election. Stress baking is now in the top five most effective self-care practices of 2020. The poll
    (...)  stress was to bake. Stress baking rose in popularity in 2020. More cakes and bread have been going into
    (...)  41 per cent of people said the stress of 2020 caused them to gain weight. One American
    (...)  2,000 adults in the survey believed that November the 3rd, 2020 would be the tensest day yet
    (...)  woman said stress baking reduced her election stress. She said: "I'm prepared and have a post-election
    (...)  app Shine, said: "It's not just the election anxiety - this year has been a marathon of stress. These are not normal times."

    Put the words in the right order

    1. was   event   .   2020   a   presidential   The   stressful   election
    2. by   company   .   research   the   A   marketing   conducted   poll
    3. a   was   stress   .   main   of   election   The   cause
    4. already   stressed   they   being   than   Imagine   more   were   .
    5. marathon   stress   .   been   a   of   year   This   has
    6. coverage   to   people   Non-stop   caused   news   many   stress   .
    7. stress   .   to   people   relieve   thing   One   many   did
    8. most   top   the   self-care   five   practices   .   effective   In
    9. stress   used   a   baking   People   as   reliever   .
    10. won't   have   clear   a   winner   for   We   weeks   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The 2020 U.S. presidential election was a stressful eventual / event for many people. A poll waited / conducted by the marketing research company OnePoll found that the election was a mainly / main cause of stress in 49 per cent of people. Only COVID-19 caused greatly / greater stress. The poll found that 55 per cent of the 2,000 adults in the survey belief / believed that November the 3rd, 2020 would be the tensest / most day yet this year. In addition, 59 per cent said they couldn't imagine been / being more stressed than they already were. Furthermore, 67 per cent wanted 2020 to be over / cover. Naomi Hirabayashi, cofounder of the self-care upper / app Shine, said: "It's not just the election anxiety - this year has been a marathon of stress. These are not normal times / time."

    The months of non-stop news reversal / coverage caused many people to get stressed out. One thing many people did to relieve / relief stress was to bake. Stress baking rise / rose in popularity in 2020. More cakes and bread have been going onto / into ovens in the run-up / run-down to the election. Stress baking is now in the top five most effective / affective self-care practices of 2020. The poll found that 27 per cent of people used baking was / as a stress reliever. Unfortunately, 41 per cent of people said the stress of 2020 caused them to gain / grain weight. One American woman said stress baking reduced her election stress. She said: "I'm prepared and have a post- / mail- election plan. In reality, we probably won't have a clear winner for weeks after election daily / day."

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    Th_ 2020 _.S. pr_s_d_nt__l _l_ct__n w_s _ str_ssf_l _v_nt f_r m_ny p__pl_. _ p_ll c_nd_ct_d by th_ m_rk_t_ng r_s__rch c_mp_ny _n_P_ll f__nd th_t th_ _l_ct__n w_s _ m__n c__s_ _f str_ss _n 49 p_r c_nt _f p__pl_. _nly C_V_D-19 c__s_d gr__t_r str_ss. Th_ p_ll f__nd th_t 55 p_r c_nt _f th_ 2,000 _d_lts _n th_ s_rv_y b_l__v_d th_t N_v_mb_r th_ 3rd, 2020 w__ld b_ th_ t_ns_st d_y y_t th_s y__r. _n _dd_t__n, 59 p_r c_nt s__d th_y c__ldn't _m_g_n_ b__ng m_r_ str_ss_d th_n th_y _lr__dy w_r_. F_rth_rm_r_, 67 p_r c_nt w_nt_d 2020 t_ b_ _v_r. N__m_ H_r_b_y_sh_, c_f__nd_r _f th_ s_lf-c_r_ _pp Sh_n_, s__d: "_t's n_t j_st th_ _l_ct__n _nx__ty - th_s y__r h_s b__n _ m_r_th_n _f str_ss. Th_s_ _r_ n_t n_rm_l t_m_s."

    Th_ m_nths _f n_n-st_p n_ws c_v_r_g_ c__s_d m_ny p__pl_ t_ g_t str_ss_d __t. _n_ th_ng m_ny p__pl_ d_d t_ r_l__v_ str_ss w_s t_ b_k_. Str_ss b_k_ng r_s_ _n p_p_l_r_ty _n 2020. M_r_ c_k_s _nd br__d h_v_ b__n g__ng _nt_ _v_ns _n th_ r_n-_p t_ th_ _l_ct__n. Str_ss b_k_ng _s n_w _n th_ t_p f_v_ m_st _ff_ct_v_ s_lf-c_r_ pr_ct_c_s _f 2020. Th_ p_ll f__nd th_t 27 p_r c_nt _f p__pl_ _s_d b_k_ng _s _ str_ss r_l__v_r. _nf_rt_n_t_ly, 41 p_r c_nt _f p__pl_ s__d th_ str_ss _f 2020 c__s_d th_m t_ g__n w__ght. _n_ _m_r_c_n w_m_n s__d str_ss b_k_ng r_d_c_d h_r _l_ct__n str_ss. Sh_ s__d: "_'m pr_p_r_d _nd h_v_ _ p_st-_l_ct__n pl_n. _n r__l_ty, w_ pr_b_bly w_n't h_v_ _ cl__r w_nn_r f_r w__ks _ft_r _l_ct__n d_y."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the 2020 us presidential election was a stressful event for many people a poll conducted by the marketing research company onepoll found that the election was a main cause of stress in 49 per cent of people only covid19 caused greater stress the poll found that 55 per cent of the 2000 adults in the survey believed that november the 3rd 2020 would be the tensest day yet this year in addition 59 per cent said they couldnt imagine being more stressed than they already were furthermore 67 per cent wanted 2020 to be over naomi hirabayashi cofounder of the selfcare app shine said its not just the election anxiety  this year has been a marathon of stress these are not normal times

    the months of nonstop news coverage caused many people to get stressed out one thing many people did to relieve stress was to bake stress baking rose in popularity in 2020 more cakes and bread have been going into ovens in the runup to the election stress baking is now in the top five most effective selfcare practices of 2020 the poll found that 27 per cent of people used baking as a stress reliever unfortunately 41 per cent of people said the stress of 2020 caused them to gain weight one american woman said stress baking reduced her election stress she said im prepared and have a postelection plan in reality we probably wont have a clear winner for weeks after election day

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    The2020U.S.presidentialelectionwasastressfuleventformanypeople
    .ApollconductedbythemarketingresearchcompanyOnePollfoundtha
    ttheelectionwasamaincauseofstressin49percentofpeople.OnlyCOVI
    D-19causedgreaterstress.Thepollfoundthat55percentofthe2,000ad
    ultsinthesurveybelievedthatNovemberthe3rd,2020wouldbethetens
    estdayyetthisyear.Inaddition,59percentsaidtheycouldn'timaginebe
    ingmorestressedthantheyalreadywere.Furthermore,67percentwan
    ted2020tobeover.NaomiHirabayashi,cofounderoftheself-careappS
    hine,said:"It'snotjusttheelectionanxiety-thisyearhasbeenamarat
    honofstress.Thesearenotnormaltimes."Themonthsofnon-stopne
    wscoveragecausedmanypeopletogetstressedout.Onethingmanype
    opledidtorelievestresswastobake.Stressbakingroseinpopularityin2
    020.Morecakesandbreadhavebeengoingintoovensintherun-uptoth
    eelection.Stressbakingisnowinthetopfivemosteffectiveself-carepra
    cticesof2020.Thepollfoundthat27percentofpeopleusedbakingasastr
    essreliever.Unfortunately,41percentofpeoplesaidthestressof2020c
    ausedthemtogainweight.OneAmericanwomansaidstressbakingredu
    cedherelectionstress.Shesaid:"I'mpreparedandhaveapost-electio
    nplan.Inreality,weprobablywon'thaveaclearwinnerforweeksafterele
    ctionday."

    Free writing

    Write about stress baking for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Baking is a great way to relieve stress. Discuss.

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    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 this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. BAKING: Make a poster about baking. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. BAKING LESSONS: Write a magazine article about all schools teaching children how to bake to relieve stress. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    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. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on baking. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how baking can relieve stress. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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