II. Categorized List

A. With your buddy, review the list: pronunciation and stress, meaning, usage.

B. Prepare a speaking topic. Select 5 -7 vocabulary items. Paraphrase the quote; discuss a Randy Pausch example; add one of your own examples.

Academic Word List + other long words

Adjective + noun

overwhelming issues (we were grappling with)

natural habitat

external validation

unnecessary diversion

extraordinary people

Verb + noun

consider their demise

impart wisdom

leave a legacy

look at (my) motivations

Verb + expressions with prepositions

had been diagnosed with (a disease)

resonate with (someone)

ruminate on (what matters most)

defer to (someone)

Adverb + adjective

incredibly meaningful

decidedly quirky

the equivalent of

reticence

(my) accomplishments

an epiphany

(my) apologies

make me unique

vanish

defined (myself)

be confronting

relented

Idioms + other useful expressions

can't help but (verb)

Verb + expressions with prepositions

couldn't let go of (my urge to give this last lecture)

(the idea of the last lecture)

was leery of (this whole last lecture idea)

was moved by (our commitment)

had lived out (my dreams)

throw oneself into Had to throw myself into (getting my family's affairs in order)

give something one's all gave it (my) all

be a workaholic (he's) a workaholic

weigh in on

an urge to show off

hear s/o out (Jai) heard me out

had s/o (Maybe she) had (me) there

set one apart (Did any of those roles) set (me) apart?

have to offer (what did I) have to offer

yearn to (find ways to leave a legacy) (I'd) been yearning to find ways to leave a legacy

bounce one's (ideas/thoughts) off of s/o bouncing (my thoughts) off of her

The specifics of the dreams, from incredibly meaningful to decidedly quirky

More than 37,000 Americans a year are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer alone

Metaphors

an avenue for An avenue for that

a green light Jai's green light

give (someone / a project) the green light

come to s/o in a flash It came to me in a flash

be rooted in Were rooted in

a vehicle for s/o or s/t (view the talk as) a vehicle for (me to ride into the future)

Grammar as Lexis

Given Jai's reticence, I knew I had to look honestly at my motivations.

It'll help them understand who I was and what I cared about.

What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew

it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

Speaking Topic

Select 5 -7 vocabulary items. Paraphrase the quote; discuss a Randy Pausch example; add one of your own examples. Practice aloud with your buddy.

"If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

What do I, alone, truly have to offer?" (p. 3)

THE LAST LECTURE

Chapter 2: My Life in a Laptop

Chronological List

A. Read the list, then predict: what will this chapter be about? Write a sentence or two here.

B. Read and listen to the CD at the same time: in pencil, underline the words you recognize, mark the stress.

catalogue your dreams

typically struggled with

reconnect

offbeat illustrations

things to get done in the wake of our move

desperately needed her there

gallows humor

I couldn't help but be struck by her frankness

casual remark

Making matters worse, I was starting to feel…

keep tinkering

a better narrative arc

C. Do vocabulary exercises. Self-correct and/or work with a buddy.

2.1 Find a collocation in the vocabulary list that matches each definition.

1. unusual drawings ___________________

2. adding to the problems _______________________

3. get in contact again __________________

4. after our move _________________

5. continued to change things __________________

6. story line _______________________

7. informal comment _______________________

8. make an organized list of one's hopes for the future ______________________

2.2 Complete this paragraph using words from the box in the appropriate form. Read aloud with your buddy.

illustration reconnect

make tinker

narrate was struck by

need

In the wake of his decision to give a last lecture, Prof. Pausch had to confront many questions. How could he organize the talk? What would make a compelling …………..arc for such a lecture? Also, what kind of offbeat …………………could he choose for visual support? It wasn't an easy task to catalogue your dreams and not bore the listeners. ……………… matters worse, there was very little time. Jai and the children had many needs, especially after the move to another state.

Still, Pausch couldn't help but ……………….. by one theme: he'd always had the same dreams and he'd managed to realize most of them. In fact, he was in touch with his inner child. He just desperately ………………… to find a way to help others ………………… with theirs.

Over the course of a few days, he kept ……………….. with his idea, kept rethinking and reorganizing the last lecture. Finally, he settled on a very simple outline: a list of his childhood dreams, some funny props, a bunch of old photos, and stories as to how he had managed to make most of the dreams come true.

2.3 Complete each conversation using a collocation from the list to make b agree with a. Read aloud.

1. a. Pausch didn't want to bore anyone with his last lecture.

b. Right, so he included plenty of ……… ………. , including childhood photos of himself.

2. a. He didn't want to avoid the subject of death, yet he didn't want to dwell on it, either.

b. Yes, I think that's why he made some funny references to his demise, using ……………

3. a. For a scientist, talking about childhood dreams is not the usual lecture topic.

b. For sure. It wasn't the type of theme he ……… ………… ……, but it meant so much.

4. a. He was also under a lot of time pressure, having received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

b. Yeah, and ……… ……… ……, for a while, his wife wasn't happy about the lecture idea.

5. a. Uh huh. I was impressed by his straightforward way of thinking.

b. Me, too. I couldn't …… …… …… struck by how rational he was, even in his last months of life.

2.4 Ask and answer these questions with your buddy.

1. Has a casual remark ever gotten you into trouble? Explain.

2. What kinds of issues do international students typically struggle with when they first arrive?

3. In your home country, could you imagine a professor in Pausch's position giving a last lecture? What about the content: cataloguing one's childhood dreams and urging others to reconnect with theirs?

4. When you give a presentation, do you tinker with and rethink your slides up to the last minute?

Explain.

THE LAST LECTURE

Chapter 2 My Life in a Laptop

Categorized List

A. With your buddy, review the list: pronunciation and stress, meaning, usage.

B. Prepare a speaking topic. Select 5 -7 vocabulary items. Paraphrase the quote; discuss a Randy Pausch example; add one of your own examples.

Academic Word List + other long words

Adjective + noun

casual remark

narrative arc

offbeat illustrations

gallows humor

verb + noun

catalogue your dreams

adverb + verb

desperately needed

typically struggled with

reconnect

Idioms + other useful expressions

in the wake of (our move)

couldn't help but (be struck by)

making matters worse

kept tinkering,

rethinking,

reorganizing

THE LAST LECTURE

Chapter 3: The Elephant in the Room

Chronological List

A. Read the list, then predict: what will this chapter be about? Write a sentence or two here.

B. Read and listen to the CD at the same time: in pencil, underline the words you recognize, mark the stress.

the elephant in the room

a full house

deleting some slides

most appropriate childhood-dream garb

was paying tribute to that life experience

cracked a few jokes

We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.

might have trouble reconciling that with…

a better place for the family to be down the road

debilitating chemotherapy and radiation

palliative chemotherapy

am in phenomenally good health

am in really good shape

felt emboldened and potent

C. Do vocabulary exercises. Self-correct and/or work with a buddy.

3.1 Are these sentences true or false?Read aloud with your buddy.

1. Doctors give palliative chemotherapy to patients who are expected to recover from the disease. ___

2. Many believe the most appropriate garb for a male lecturer in a university is a jacket and tie. ___

3. Pausch began deleting some slides from his talk because it was too short. ___

4. In his last lecture, Pausch wanted to pay tribute to some of his best teachers and friends by mentioning the influence they had had on his life. ___

5. Despite his prognosis, Prof. Pausch looked to be in phenomenally good health. ___

6. The audience for the lecture might have had trouble reconciling his appearance with his diagnosis. ___

3.2 Complete each sentence with a word from the list. Read aloud with your buddy.

1. Despite the circumstances, Randy Pausch wanted to keep the atmosphere upbeat, so he ………… a few jokes to open his last lecture.

2. Also, it was true that he appeared to be in ……………….. shape.

3. Most chemotherapy is ……………….. You feel sick and have no energy, for days.

4. Pausch was an optimist. To him, the important issue wasn't the present situation but the situation ……………. for his students, colleagues, and children.

5. Right off the bat, he talked about the ten tumors in his liver, calling it the ……………………..room.

6. Instead of talking to a camera in his living room, he lectured to a ……………… at his university.

3.3 Correct the collocation errors in these sentences. Read aloud.

1. For a class picnic, the most appropriate fashion could be a pair of shorts.

2. To be in healthy shape, you need to eat well and exercise regularly.

3. The giraffe in the room is the topic that everyone is thinking about but nobody is talking about.

4. Debilitating care is given to those in the final days and weeks of life.

5. Despite his prognosis, Paush was feeling debilitated and strong when he gave his last lecture.

3.4 Answer these questions about the collocations in this unit. Work with a buddy.

1. When might a doctor choose palliative care for a cancer patient?

2. Why do many public speakers crack jokes at the start of a talk?

3. Name three activities that can help keep you in phenomenally good health.

4. Name three outfits that might not be appropriate garb for class.

5. Why do you suppose Pausch ended up lecturing to a full house? Give a few reasons.

THE LAST LECTURE

Chapter 3: The Elephant in the Room

Categorized List

A. With your buddy, review the list: pronunciation and stress, meaning, usage.

B. Prepare a speaking topic. Select 5 -7 vocabulary items. Paraphrase the quote; discuss a Randy Pausch example; add one of your own examples.

Academic Word List + other long words

adjective + noun

debilitating chemotherapy

palliative chemotherapy

appropriate garb

verb + noun

deleting (some slides)

verb + expressions with prepositions

pay tribute to (s/o or s/t)

adverb + adjective

phenomenally good (health)

equivalent

(have trouble) reconciling

feel emboldened

potent

Idioms + other useful expressions

verb + noun

cracked a few jokes

verb + expression with preposition

be in (phenomenally) good health

be in (really) good shape

metaphor

down the road

an elephant in the room

a full house

Speaking Topic

Select 5 -7 vocabulary items. Paraphrase the quote; discuss a Randy Pausch example; add one of your own examples. Practice aloud with your buddy.

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." (p. 17)

THE LAST LECTURE

Part II. Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Chapter 4: The Parent Lottery

Chronological List

A. Read the vocabulary list. Then, based on the vocabulary, predict the content: what will this chapter be about? Write a sentence or two here.

B. Read and listen to the CD at the same time: in pencil, underline the words you recognize, mark the stress.

an old-school English teacher

worked her students hard

high expectations

founded a nonprofit group

his livelihood

Money was never an issue.

were frugal to a fault

It sounds oppressive

a magical childhood

a guy who had this incredible leg up in life

infectious inquisitiveness

end up consulting the dictionary

the instinct was never to sit around

an incredible storyteller

humorous anecdotes

morality tales

arrogant

soaked up his techniques

dispense your own wisdom

play fair

Just because you're in the driver's seat doesn't mean you have to run people over.

was not terribly precocious

find projects off the beaten path

supremely charitable

a huge champion of social equality

had high hopes

his hopes were often dashed

C. Do vocabulary exercises. Self-correct and/or work with a buddy.

4. 1 Correct the collocation errors in these sentences. Read aloud.

1. Randy Pausch's mother remember that, as a child, he was very curious. He had an inquisitiveness infectious.

2. Randy remembers his father as a storyteller incredible.

3. I guess some of the stories he told were tales morality.

4. Pausch himself learned to pepper his lectures with anecdotes humorous.

5. His mother never thought of Randy as precocious terribly.

6. At dinner, they would always end consulting a dictionary up.

4.2 Choose the correct collocation. Read aloud.

1. Randy remarks on the fact that, when asked about him as a child, his mother believed that "alert" ought to suffice / enough / be as a compliment.

2. Looking back, Pausch sees his parents as supreme / supremely / super charitable people.

3. His parents looked down on precocious / arrogant / humorous people.

4. To Randy, his childhood was oppressive / charitable / magical.

5. Money was never an issue. His parents were frugal / fair / high to a fault.

6. His parents valued hard work and originality. He always tried to find research projects that were

far / near / off the beaten path.

7. As a father, Pausch realized that he had soaked up his own father's parenting techniques / punishments / wishes.

8. Pausch also realized that his parents were champions of expected / earned / social equality.

9. Pausch believed he'd won the parent lottery. Although his parents' hopes were often dished / dashed / done, they never lost faith.

10. He had a face / eye / leg up in life because his parents had been so effective.

4.3 Complete the following letter using words from the list. Read aloud, with expression.

Dear Dr. Phil:

Can you dispense some …………. to this overwhelmed father? I have ………… expectations for my son, but lately my hopes have been dashed. He's a supremely …………. kid though not ………….. precocious, yet recently he's been very lazy. That's why I've ended up …………… a therapist like you.

I desperately want to give him …………… up in life, get him to play……….., and find a ……………..that can both earn him a living and bring him satisfaction. However, his ……………is to sit around watching TV or playing video games. How can I get him to …………….up my wisdom?

-Desperate Dad.

Dear Desperate Dad:

You've got a problem. First of all, you sound like an …………….. teacher, one who tries to control your son rather than work with him. Are you a curious learner? Maybe some of your own ………………… inquisitiveness will rub off on him. Do you let him know about your own childhood? You don't have to be an ………………storyteller to get him interested. Just try a humorous…………………. about your own foibles and failings as a young person.

Maybe your son will find his own route a little more off the ……………….. than your own.

Be patient and loving. Let him be in the ………………. seat.

-Dr. Phil

4.4 Try making a crossword puzzle out of the word list. For clues, use definitions, synonyms, or sentences with blanks. If you like the result, bring it to class.

4.5 Generate 3 or 4 more examples of these patterns. Consult dictionaries.

By suffix by key word

Liveli hood had high hopes

Child hopes were often dashed

THE LAST LECTURE

Part II. Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Chapter 4: The Parent Lottery

Categorized List

Academic Word List + other long words

adjective + noun

infectious inquisitiveness

morality tale

incredible storyteller

humorous anecdotes

high expectations

arrogant (person)

precocious (child)

noun + noun

a (champion) of social equality

verb + noun

dispense wisdom

adverb + adjective

supremely charitable

(not) terribly precocious

donate (his body) to (medical science)

the instinct (was never to sit around)

livelihood

end up (consulting a dictionary)

ought to suffice as (a compliment)

it sounds oppressive

Idioms + other useful expressions

adjective + noun

an old-school English teacher

magical childhood

high hopes

noun + noun

a champion of social equality

verb + noun

founded (a non-profit group / an organization)

soaked up (his techniques / wisdom / lessons)

noun + verb

(his) hopes were (often) dashed

verb + expression with preposition

be frugal to a fault

have a leg up in life

play fair

worked (students) hard

(find routes/projects) off the beaten path

livelihood

childhood

Money was never an issue.

be in the driver's seat

Speaking Topics

Select 5 -7 vocabulary items. Paraphrase the quote; discuss a Randy Pausch example; add one of your own examples.

1. "Just because you're in the driver's seat doesn't mean you have to run people over."

2. "My dad was my hero."

3. Explain the title: The Parent Lottery.

THE LAST LECTURE

Chapter 5: The Elevator in the Ranch House

Chronological List

A. Read the vocabulary list. Then, based on the vocabulary, predict the content: what will this chapter be about? Write a sentence or two here.

B. Read and listen to the CD at the same time: in the book, in pencil, underline the words you recognize, mark the stress.

the spark of enthusiasm

need to express myself in unconventional ways

the whole escapade

the nerd

a big-shot dreamer

aspiration

pragmatism

Pandora's box

the inevitable eye-roll

given my limited artistic skills

given that it was the late 1970s

vulgar

the focal point

definitely cool

C. Do vocabulary exercises. Self-correct and/or work with a buddy.

5. 1 Answer the questions with a buddy. Use collocations from the Academic Word List in this chapter.

1. As a child, what unusual things did Pausch do to express himself? How about you?

2. What did Pausch think about his parents' allowing him to paint his bedroom walls? Explain.

3. As a child, what were your dreams?

4. Were you practical or idealistic? Explain.

5. What made Pausch a good teacher?

5. 2 Match the beginning of each sentence with its ending.

1. Given his limited artistic skills, the inevitable eye-roll when he told this story.

2. As an adult, it made him smile opens up a Pandora's box.

3. Some parents think that letting kids

express themselves just Pausch decided to paint equations on his walls.

4. Even when he was being wild, to find the spark of enthusiasm in each student.

5. Some university students would give him to recall the whole room-painting escapade.

6. To Prof. Pausch, the important thing was Pausch was still a nerd: he painted equations.

5.3 Find 3 or 4 other examples of the noun + (non-count) noun collocation pattern:

the spark of enthusiasm

THE LAST LECTURE

Chapter 5: The Elevator in the Ranch House

Categorized List

Academic Word List + other long words

adjective + noun

unconventional ways

the inevitable eye-roll

noun + noun

the spark of enthusiasm

adverb + adjective

definitely cool

aspiration

express myself in unconventional ways

pragmatism

vulgar

Idioms + other useful expressions

adjective + noun

a big-shot dreamer

Pandora's box

limited artistic skills

the focal point

the nerd

Grammar as Lexis

Given my limited artistic skills, …

Given that it was the late 1970s, …

Speaking Topics

Select 5 -7 lexical items. Paraphrase the quote; discuss a Randy Pausch example; add one of your own examples.

What does RP think of his parents' allowing him to paint his bedroom walls?

What do you think of his parents' allowing him to do so this?

Would your parents allowed you to have painted your walls? Explain.

THE LAST LECTURE

Chapter 6: Getting to Zero G

Chronological List

A. Read the vocabulary list. Then, based on the vocabulary, predict the content: what will this chapter be about? Write a sentence or two here.

B. Read and listen to the CD at the same time: in pencil, underline the words you recognize, mark the stress.

specific dreams

distracting attention

a sensational piece of machinery

the rough equivalent of weightlessness

submit proposals for

hard to fathom

Under no circumstances could faculty advisors fly with their students.

was heartbroken

was not deterred

find a way around this brick wall

looking for loopholes

good publicity

allow a journalist to come along for the ride

resignation as the faculty advisor

be accompanying my students

mainstream journalists

pull that off

win-win for everyone

have something to bring to the table

C. Do vocabulary exercises. Self-correct and/or work with a buddy.

6.1 Complete each sentence using a verb from the box in the appropriate form. Read aloud.

accompany look

be resign

distract submit

fathom

1. The program director believed that Pausch's presence would………….attention from the task at hand.

2. Pausch ……………..his proposal on time, but it was rejected at first.

3. The NASA people would not allow the professor to ……………his own students.

4. When he heard the news, Pausch ………..heartbroken, yet he …………..(not) deterred.

5. He simply ……………. as the faculty advisor and changed his title to journalist.

6. NASA accused him of simply ……………. for loopholes in their policy, but they admired his creativity and relented.

7. It would have been hard to …………….. if they had denied Pausch the chance to accompany his students.

6. 2 Rewrite each sentence using a form of the word in brackets. Read aloud.

1. To Pausch, the weightless machine was a wonderful thing. [sensational piece of machinery]

2. Although you can't reproduce weightlessness exactly, the machine did a fairly good job. [a rough equivalent]

3. Pausch promised NASA that he would write some newspaper articles. [good publicity]

4. NASA decided that articles, even if not by a professional, would be a good idea. [mainstream journalist]

5. Weightlessness is an experience that is difficult to understand. [hard to fathom]

6. Pausch offered NASA something they wanted. [had s/t to bring to the table]

7. Rather than turn him away, the people at NASA decided it was a good solution. [win-win-situation]