INS Alba del Vallès

4ESO

SOCIAL
ISSUES
UNIT 4
 SOCIAL ISSUES
CONTENT:

USE OF ENGLISH:
- Social issues vocabulary.
- Volunteering vocabulary.
- Modal Verbs.

WRITING:
- An opinion essay.
- Connectors.

SPEAKING:
- Social issues
- Oral presentation.
- Describing pictures.

CULTURE:
- Volunteering.
- Poverty in a rich world.

PROJECT:
- Social issues.
 What are the social issues we face today? (1)

Before starting, what do you know about the topic? What is

a social issue? Which are the social issues we face today?

WRITE YOUR ANSWERS AND POST THEM ON THE PADDLET!

WHAT DO YOU KNOW SO FAR?

Tick the boxes when you know about the topic.

 What are the social issues we face today? (2)

STREET ART PICTURES.

Your teacher is going to give you a set of street art pictures. Analyse them
with your group and decide what the author was trying to express.

Once you finish, you have become an expert and you are ready to explain
the ideas behind the works of art to other groups.
 Vocabulary: Social Problems

Click on the link and match the vocabulary on the left with the topics it is
associated with. Some words can be used in more than one topic.

SOCIAL ISSUES DIAGRAM.

Class discussion.
 Vocabulary: Social Problems (2)

What comes to mind when you hear the word “society”?

How would you describe your society?
Do you think your society is better than other societies around the world?
What makes you upset about today’s society?
What kind of improvements would you like to see in our society?

Read about these social issues. They provide you with food for thought.
Vocabulary: Social Problems (3)
Vocabulary: Social Problems (4)
 Volunteering (1)

Discuss the questions below with your partner.

1. If you could volunteer for a charity or a cause, what would you like to volunteer
for?
2. Is it better to donate your money, time or skills to a cause? Why?
3. What motivates people to volunteer their time for free?
4. What are the benefits of volunteering for the volunteer?
5. Do you have any opportunities to volunteer through your work?
6. Where or when are volunteers needed the most?
7. What do volunteers do in your country?
8. Have you, or anyone you know, benefited from volunteers?
 Vocabulary: Volunteering(1)

• (to) volunteer (verb, noun) – to give your time, labour or skills for free to
help a cause or event;
someone who volunteers.
• the voluntary / third / not-for-profit sector (noun) – organisations whose
purpose is to benefit society rather than to make a profit.
• gap year (noun) – a period of time, often before or after university, when
people participate in a personal experience such as travelling or volunteering.
• worthy cause (noun) – a cause that provides a lot of value to society,
especially a charitable cause.
• to give (something) back to the community (saying) – to help or
volunteer for a worthy cause as a way of repaying or acknowledging the
contribution society has given to the volunteer.
• to pay it forward (saying) – to respond to a person's kindness by performing
an act of kindness to another person.

1. Using the vocabulary words above, complete the following sentences

(remember to use the correct form of the word, e.g. verb conjugation or
plural noun)

1. Every Friday night I volunteer to give food to the homeless people in our
city; it's just my little way of .
2. “Thank you so much! That's so kind of you; how can I ever repay you?”
“Don't worry! It's no problem whatsoever; just__________________ .”
3. Helping victims of landmines is such a __________________ .
4. Janet __________________ at the local children's hospital in her free
time.
5. During my __________________ after finishing university, I volunteered
to help build a school in Zambia.
6. The government announced that it would abolish taxes for the
__________________ .

2. Answer the questions below.

1. Have you ever volunteered? If not, would you like to?
2. How is the voluntary sector in your country?
3. Do gap years for voluntary work really help or is it just a business?
4. What are some worthy causes you can think of?
5. Should everyone give something back to the community? What are the
best ways of doing this?
 Listening:
What are the world’s biggest problems?

1. Read the following questions. Now watch the video and choose the correct
answer.

1. How often does the King Alfred School organise trips to Namibia?
a) once per year b) twice per year c) three times per year

2. How did the children in Namibia react when the volunteers left?
a) they were angry b) they were upset c) they were glad

3. What did the Namibian children’s diet mainly consist of?

a) rice b) meat c) porridge

4. Even though the volunteers were supposed to be helping, what existed

between them and the Namibian children?
a) animosity b) suspicion c) inequality

2. Complete the following sentences with the correct words.

1. Helping out in a low-income developing country can be a transformational
__________________ for the volunteer.
2. It is an imperialistic view to think volunteers are __________________ by
imparting their ideal lifestyle on others.
3. Westerners cause much of the problems faced in the developing world due
to their excessive and causing of__________________ .
4. 80% of international volunteers are performing__________________ that
locals could do themselves.

3. Answer the following questions briefly.

1. What is the number one reason for volunteering abroad?
2. How long do volunteers prefer their trips to last?
3. Volunteers are unqualified to do what?
4. What are the students at King Alfred’s raising money for?
 Volunteering – for love? (1)
Read the text and answer the questions below.

Volunteering – for love? Working as a volunteer can help you to meet new
friends or even find romance in unexpected circumstances.

Benefit the community. Doing some form of voluntary work has never been
more popular with British people. Over 20 million people were engaged in
voluntary activities in 2013. Volunteering means giving up time to do work of
benefit to the community. It can be based in the UK or overseas. Voluntary
Service Overseas (VSO) has long recruited people in the UK to fill usually
professional roles in developing countries. Volunteering can take many forms,
from working with children with learning difficulties, in an animal hospital, or
planting trees. When London won its bid to host the 2012 Olympics, up to
70,000 volunteers were needed to help ensure the games were a success.

What's in it for me? Volunteers can be anyone of any age. Students and full-
time workers often manage to squeeze in some volunteer work.

But what motivates volunteers? Some do it out of a sense of altruism while

others find they have free time available. But in this selfish age more are
asking what they can get out of it. Some mention self-awareness. As Pukul,
28, who works in communications in Manchester, says, 'you're no longer doing
it for yourself but for someone else'. Many mention the opportunity to get to
know people they would not normally meet.

Do you come here often? A relatively new phenomenon is the hope of

meeting new friends or even a life partner through volunteering. In a recent
survey 20% of 18-24 year-olds and 8% of over-65s said their love lives had
improved since they began volunteering. ‘Volunteering is what speed-dating
promises but never fulfills - a way of seeing a lot of truth about someone
you've just met in a short a time as possible,’ says Mukta Das. The same poll
found that nearly half of volunteers enjoyed improved health and fitness, a
quarter had lost weight - especially those working with children or doing
conservation projects - and two-thirds felt less stressed. So, it seems
volunteering may improve your life – you may even find the person of your
dreams. Written by Magnus of the British Council's TrendUK team.

• Do you have any organisations that are similar to VSO in your country?
• Why do young people usually decide to volunteer?
• Do you think that volunteering is a good way to meet people? Why/ why not?
• Do you agree that working as a volunteer can help you to keep fit?
 Listening:
Poverty in the rich world

1. Discuss the questions below with your partner.

Do you know who Mahatma Gandhi was?

What does this quote mean? : Earth provides enough to satisfy every
man’s need but not every man’s greed. (M. Gandhi)

What does the planet provide? (food, water, materials/resources)

Does everybody take only what they need, or do some people take
more than they need?

Does that leave enough for everyone else?

2. Listen to the audio and complete the sentences with the appropriate
words.

1. The number of people living in extreme poverty has _________ in recent

decades.
2. Standard of living is what we call the amount of _________ and
_________ of life people have in a particular society.
3. Governments need to find a way of ___________________.
4. A lot of _________ in the world is in the hands of very few people.
5. Brazil has introduced some measures such as having more progressive
_________.
6. The least a worker receives in payment for work is called _____________.
7. Tax is the _______________ you pay to the government depending on
your _________ and the cost of things you buy.
8. Bill and Melinda Gates created a foundation to _________.
9. Bill Gates advice for reach people is that they look at taking their
_________ and being _________.
10. A _________ of the global wealth is owned by the richest _________ of
the world’s population.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9qRJo527J0
 MODAL VERBS (1)

1. Choose the correct answer.

1. The doctor says I might / must get more exercise.

2. You look great in brown. You should / can wear it more often.
3. His arm is broken, so he isn’t able to / may not write.
4. Tomorrow is a holiday, so we mustn’t / don’t have to get up early.
5. When you are on a diet, you ought to / could drink a lot of water.
6. He stopped the car so he should / could rest for a while.

2. Choose the correct continuation.

3. Complete the sentences with the modals below.

 MODAL VERBS (2)

4. Replace the words in bold with the words below

5. Choose the correct answer.

1. The restaurant isn’t as busy as I expected. We mustn’t have /
might not have / needn’t have reserved a table.
2. Jay looks happy. He could have / must have / ought to have
passed his driving test.
3. I’m so tired this morning. I couldn’t have / needn’t have /
shouldn’t have gone to bed so late.
4. You could have / must have / may have called to tell us you
were coming.

6. Complete the sentences with the correct affirmative or negative modal

perfect form of the verbs in brackets. There may be more than one
possible answer.

7. Choose the correct answer.

 MODAL VERBS (3)
2. Complete the sentences with a modal verb from the box below.
Sometimes more than one answer is possible.

1. ___________________ I use your pen, please?

2. You really ___________________ see that new documentary. It’s fantastic.
3. You ___________________ write 30 sentences for homework because you have
misbehaved.
4. You ___________________ to write 300 lines. 30 will be enough.
5. Please, excuse me but I really ___________________ go now.
6. John, you ___________________ speak so quickly. Nobody can understand you!
7. We ___________________ watch TV tonight. We haven’t decided yet.
8. If you’ve got such a bad cough, you ___________________ smoke.
9. I am happy to inform you that I ___________________ come to work next week.
10.You ___________________ make so much noise. The baby is sleeping in the
next room.
11.She ___________________ work hard because she’s a single parent and has
little money.
12.You ___________________ go now. The train leaves in an hour, so you’ve still
got some time left.
13.According to the weather report it ___________________ rain this afternoon.
14.He ___________________ speak Italian fluently because he spent 5 years there.
15.That __________________ be John over there. He said he would be in America
this week.
16.You ___________________ take the test seriously, even if you already have
enough good grades to pass.
17.I ___________________ go out tonight, but I don’t think so. I feel too tired.
18.___________________ Mary come with us?
19.You ___________________ speak French. I can speak English quite well.
20.You ___________________ take an ID card with you if you enter the stadium.
Otherwise you won’t get in.
 MODAL VERBS (4)
3. Complete the sentences with a modal verb from the box below.
Sometimes more than one answer is possible.

1. That pizza was gigantic. I'm sure Mary _______________________ eaten it all.
2. Nobody was able to tell the police who that man was, so he _____________________
be someone from here.
3. Be careful when you walk across that old wooden bridge. It ____________________ be
very safe.
4. I see you haven't finished your homework yet. It ______________ be very difficult,
then.
5. You ______________ touch the oven. It's very hot and you _______________ hurt
yourself.
6. They are putting the suspect into the police car. The police ___________________
arrested him.
7. I don't know where he is. Take a look in the garage. He ___________________ be
there.
8. You ___________________ do any more training today. You look so tried. Take a
break!
9. I can't see very well but that ___________________ be Claire over there. At least, she
looks like Claire.
10.Everyone scored over 95% in the first test, so it ___________________ been so
difficult.
11.You ___________________ drive me to the airport. I can take the bus.
12.You ___________________ always wear suitable clothes when you go skiing. 13.Pupils
___________________ go out between the various parts of the exam. It's against the
school rules.
14.Danny ___________________ swim when he was four. Now he's part of the town's
swimming team.
15.You ___________________ buy any food. The fridge is full.
16.John _______________ taken a wrong turn somewhere. Otherwise, he'd be here by
now.
17.There are signs all over the area, so you _____________ have any trouble getting
there.
18.This _______________ be the house they advertised in the newspaper. It's much too
big.
19.Mike ___________________ left the house. His cell phone is still here, and he never
leaves without it.
20. Leaving the house today without an umbrella ___________________ be such a good
idea. It looks like it's going to rain in the afternoon.
Connectors (1)
Connectors (2)
Connectors (3)
Connectors (4)
 Opinion essay

Writing task
Choose one of the topics below and write min.120 words.
 Social Issues Project (1)

After this project, you must come up with an oral presentation of the topic you
choose and organise a debate (maximum 30 minutes). You will do the projects in
groups.

STEP 1
Choose one of the topics below or one topic related to social issues of
your choice.
• Gender equality
• Linguistic diversity
• Economic disparities
• Religious diversity
• Environmental issue
• Voting rights
• Healthcare
• Refugee crisis
• Racial Injustice
• Gun Violence
• Hunger and food insecurity.
• Poverty

STEP 2
You need to do some research on the topic. Make sure that you visit different
websites and that you create a bibliography which includes the websites where
you got the information from.

Here you have some questions to help you, but take into account that this is a
guide and not all questions can be applied to all the topics. You may change them
or add more.

- What’s the definition of the term?

- Why is it a social issue?
- Which were the causes/consequences?
- Which is the impact of this topic in our society?
- Is it more relevant or worrying in a specific place?
- Origins?
- Are there any solutions?
 Social Issues Project (2)

STEP 3
Once you have all the information, you must create a presentation to help you
explain the topic in class. Feel free to use the app/website you prefer.

Make it attractive! Feel free to include videos, pictures, etc.

STEP 4
Before/during/after the presentation you must organise a debate.

Here you have some websites to help you:

https://busyteacher.org/7245-conducting-class-debate-essential-tips.html
https://www.alphabetpublishingbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/How-to-
Organize-a-Mini-Deb ate.pdf
https://noisyclassroom.com/oracy-ideas/five-steps-for-preparing-a-debate-with-
a-class/

STEP 5
Digital competence task: You must compare 3 of the websites that you visit in
order to assess their reliability. You must complete the grid provided, comment
on the results, and draw conclusions.
 Planning a TRIP
STEPS
1st - Choose the destination
Look at a list of countries and cities in Europe and choose a few possible
destinations. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each destination and
come to an agreement on the final destination.

2nd - Organise work

Organise roles in your group. Then find information (and make notes) about these
things:
Travel options (means of transport, prices, times, etc.)
Accommodation options (types of accommodation, prices, locations, etc.)
Culture and entertainment (places of interest, museums, attractions,
shopping areas, etc.)
Shopping opportunities (typical souvenirs, markets, opening times, etc.)

3rd - Share information

Have a group meeting to share your information. Take turns to talk about the options
you have found. Discuss each option briefly and decide on the best form of travel,
the best accommodation and a few of the best options for culture, entertainment and
shopping.

4th - Customize your brochures

Present a proposal for the trip. Propose ideas for each day that is spent in the
European city. Work together to decide how to present the following information:

Dates Culture
Travel Shopping opportunities
Accommodation Costs per head
Entertainment

Tip: Make your presentation interesting by including images such as maps, photos,
etc.
 Planning a TRIP
Schedule

Day 1: Make teams, choose the destination and organise and start the
research of information.

Day 2: You have to upload the draft with all the information about your
trip in the Classroom task at the end of the class.

Day 3: Creating the presentation. With your draft corrected, you have to
create the presentation. You have to upload the brochure in the
Classroom task at the end of the class.

Day 3: Oral presentations. Peer-assessment and teacher assessment.

Evaluation
The evaluation is going to be done through the rubrics you can find
attached to each task in your Classroom.

The teacher evaluates:

- the draft.
- the presentation.
- the oral presentation.
- the process.

Students evaluate:
- their own work (self-assessment)
- the work done by the other teams (peer-assessment)

Digital competence task

- Create a webgraphy with all the websites where you got the information from.
- Make sure that you get the information from different websites.
- Make sure that you downladed the APA extension for Chrome.