Critical thinking

1. Discuss the following problematic statements and questions in groups.

1. How people express their feelings when they are angry?

2. Is aggression an inborn trait or a learned trait? Why do you think so?

3. Why are people aggressive?

4. What factors promote altruistic behavior? What factors inhibit it?

5. What is the difference between obedience and conformity? Give an example of each.

6. Think about a recent interaction you had with another person. What forms of nonverbal communication did you, or the other person, use to convey thoughts or feelings?

2. Think of characters from the books you have read or among your acquaintances, whom you could speak of as a strong character. Say what kind of person he or she is, why you think this character is a personality, and say what you think helped him (her) mould his (her) character.

3. Name some leaders you can think of, such as political, civic, or religious leaders. Consider the ways in which the leaders you named differ from one another. Answers may include how the leaders are chosen, how much power they have, and how many people they influence. Are you a leader or not? If not, why?

4. Prioritize the following, according to how important they are in your life (Health. Wealth. Family. Society. Career growth. Intellectual growth). In pairs, discuss your decisions.

5. Discuss in groups how both aggression and altruism could lead to reproductive success of the species, as sociobiologists believe. Do you think that this is contradictory? Why or why not?

Role play

1. With several other group mates, work together to write and perform a skit that shows how teens are pressured to conform to their peers in words and actions. Alter presenting the skit, ask the class to identify the ways in which individuals in the skit conformed to group norms. Help your group lead the class in a discussion of what might have happened if the individuals had decided not to conform. Skits should show individuals doing or saying things that will help you fit into the group. For example, you might use the same sort of slang or express the same attitudes as other members.

2. Think of characters from the books you have read or among your acquaintances, whom you could speak of as of strong character. Say what kind of person he or she is, why you think this character is a personality, and say what you think helped to mould his (her) character. In groups, make up lists of qualities of a really strong personality.

Listening comprehension

I. Women and Home Improvement

Pre-Text Activities

1. Read and remember the following words. Make up sentences with them.

Debris, to empower, fix-it man, to flock, leaky, to invest, motioned, to outnumber, trend, to

splinter up.

2. Below you’ll find pairs of sentences. Put the word in the far left column into the proper blank, so that the two sentences are roughly synonymous.

debris 1. When cutting wood little pieces can fly. Little pieces of wood can ____________.

empowers (v)

fix-it man 2. He’s a man who repairs stuff. He’s a ____________.

flock (v)

leaky 3. He gestured to someone. He ____________ to someone.

invest

motioned 4. Pipes sometimes drip water. Those pipes are ____________.

outnumber

trend 5. Seems to be the general direction. That seems to be the ____________.

splinter up (v)

6. There are more of them than us. They ____________ us.

7. They decided to put money into a home. They decided to ___________ in a home.

8. Scattered remains covered the floor. ____________ covered the floor.

9. People come in droves to that store. People ____________ to that store.

10. Building things makes her feel strong. Building things ____________ her.