Smoking (level: intermediante)


Hi guys,
Today I´m sharing a class plan that I´ve decided to prepare after reading about that Indonesian baby who smokes 40 cigarettes a day.
That´s so bizarre! Here in Brazil it´s been a year since the smoking ban law became a reality, and to read something so shocking like that makes us wonder: Maybe the governments should interfere when parenting fails.
So, I started my class by asking my students if they are for or against these laws (in which the governments say what people can or can´t do).
These are some ideas of questions:

• Do you smoke?
• Does anyone in your family smoke?
• How do you feel when you are around smokers?
• Are you for or against the law that forbids people from smoking in closed areas? Why?
• There is a bill of law in California that wants to forbid parents from smoking in the car when children are with them. What do you think about it?

After discussing those questions, work on the following vocabulary

Explain the meaning of words such as second-hand smoke, because this is what happens to the children in the car.

Then move on to the following site,I always use it as a listening activity.

This is the end of part 1 (it usually takes me one hour and a half, but this depends on how long your students will take in the speaking part)

The second part also starts with a conversation about smoking and parenthood.

• Should parents smoke around their kids?
• Should they allow their kids to smoke at home?
• What´s the legal age to buy cigarettes in your country?

Then it´s time to the reading part, I always use the breaking news English because the material is great

If you still have some time left, you can wrap up the class by showing them this video: (the conversation in the video is quite fast, so listening before playing to your students to make sure it fits their level)



There are also some questions ideas here

Enjoy!