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| 3/15/2010 |  | |||||
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Sweet dreams
This unit should take 1-3 hours, depending on time and interest. It is designed for intermediate level students age 16 and above. Objectives Students will: Materials to Print
Activities Activity I: Dreams and Nightmares (10 minutes) Start the class by describing a real or imaginary dream you've had. The beginning should be realistic, just like any story. As it gets less and less realistic, students should realize that it was just a dream. Talk about the differences between a dream and a nightmare. Have students come up with a definition for both. Ask students whether they remember dreams often. Many will probably claim they don't. Brainstorm about ways to help remember dreams. If students need help, suggest the following: 1. Get a notebook and write the dream down as soon as you get up. 2. Get a cassette recorder and record them (you can speak faster than you write). 3. Tell yourself the night before again and again that you will remember your dreams. 4. Take vitamins and eat a well balance diet. Good health is supposed to help you remember dreams. Activity II: Dreams and Emotions (15 minutes) Ask students to briefly describe recurring dreams that they've had. If necessary, help students with suggestions like flying, losing a tooth, being chased, etc. Make sure students say what their emotional state was at the time (happy, sad, scared, and so on). Brainstorm about ways you feel in dreams. Make a list of the ones you have already mentioned when describing the dreams. Then, hand out copies of Printout I. Introduce the words that are new to students. You may use pantomime or describe situations when you feel that way. Once students know all the words on the list, read every word again and add the corresponding preposition: angry with/about, bored with, disappointed about, excited about, frustrated with, happy with, nervous about, upset with, sad about, scared of, thrilled with, terrified of, vulnerable to. Have students create sentences with some of the words. Activity III: How did they Feel? (10 minutes) Hand out copies of Printout II and have students do the activity. Then, divide the class in groups. Have each group create four similar "dream" situations. The other groups have to guess what the correct emotional state is. Activity IV: Dream Interpretation (20 minutes) Hand out copies of Printout III. Ask one or several students to read the text aloud. Help them with vocabulary they may find difficult, such as consciousness, brain, heartbeat, on average, vehicle, perspective and traits. Then have students do the comprehension activity. Activity V: Simple Past (15 minutes) Review the simple past of regular verbs: add -ed to the infinitive. Give examples, such as "I dreamed, he walked, we worked, they remembered," etc. Remind students that some verbs are irregular in the past simple: to have (had), to go (went), to be (was/were), to see (saw), to speak (spoke), to fly (flew), to fall (fell), etc. (Dreamt is an acceptable alternative to dreamed.) Make sure you review the negative and question formation with the auxiliary verb did with some examples: "Did you have a nightmare last night? I didn't remember my dream this morning." In order to review the simple past, ask students about the dreams they had last night: "What did you dream? Was it a good dream or a nightmare? Were you scared? Were you happy?" Then, hand out copies of Printout IV and have students do the activity. Activity VI: Dream Dictionary (25 minutes) Together, think about symbols that have appeared in your dreams. Talk about what they may mean. Then, hand out copies of Printout VI and read the "dream-dictionary" in class. Are there symbols they had already mentioned? Were their predictions correct? (Remind students that their own perceptions take precedence over any definitions in dream dictionaries. The dictionary in Printout IV includes only the most common and generic definitions. Tell students that if they prefer not to share personal dreams, they can always make them up.) Divide the class in groups. Assign one or more words of the dream dictionary to each group. Then, read the following situations in class. Students have to predict what the person may dream about tonight, according to their personal situation and the dictionary. Ask them to finish the sentence. 1. David is feeling crowded. He may dream about a desert full of ___. (cactus) 2. There are many upcoming changes in Ryan's life. He's changing jobs and he's about to be a father, but he's not scared of these things. He's very happy and confident. He may dream that he's crossing a ___. (bridge) 3. Karen is getting married and she's nervous about it. Up until know, she's had many boyfriends and never had a steady relationship. She may dream about ___ (butterflies) 4. Sarah is very self-confident. She may dream that she's ___. (flying) 5. Tom just opened a new business and he's hoping that it goes well. He's full of hope. He may dream about a ___. (balloon) 6. Arthur is worried about getting old. He may dream about ___. (hair) 7. Christina has a very bad temper. Sometimes she loses control. She may dream about a lion escaping from a ___. (circus) 8. Rebecca won the lottery today. She had been worried about her debts, but she doesn't have to worry any more. She may dream that she has ___. (false teeth) If you have time, have students create similar situations. You can also describe a feeling and have students suggest what that person might dream about. Activity VII: Debate (10-20 minutes) What do students think about the interpretation of dreams? Do they believe that interpreting dreams is useful, or is it a waste of time? Do they feel better or worse after having a nightmare? Discuss in class. Have students share experiences. Activity VIII: Ask the "Dream Doctor" (20 minutes - 2 days) Have students recall as many of the dreams mentioned during the class as possible. List the topics on the board. Divide the class in small groups. Each group should choose a dream. (If students prefer not to share personal dreams, they can invent one.) Then have them write a short description of it and send it to the "Dream Doctor" to get an "official" interpretation. Visit the site http://www.dreamdoctor.com/. This activity can be done in class, if you have access to computer, or given as homework. |