Summary
This lesson examines the controversial topic of tipping in the U.S., centered around a Vox video. Students learn about tipping's historical origins, its links to labor laws, and modern economic factors like inflation and full employment. The class explores psychological concepts like price partitioning and cognitive misers to understand consumer behavior. Through engaging activities, students will discuss their experiences, analyze arguments, and debate the future of tipping.
Activities
Students begin by discussing their personal experiences with tipping and service culture, comparing practices in their home countries with those in the U.S. and sharing stories of feeling pressured to tip.
Learners watch a Vox video about American tipping culture and answer comprehension questions about its history, the tipped minimum wage, and recent economic trends influencing tipping.
Students read a short text to understand key economic and psychological terms from context and then solidify their knowledge with a vocabulary matching exercise.
Learners practice using the past simple tense to describe historical events and then focus on converting active sentences to the passive voice for a more formal, academic tone.
Students practice rephrasing simple reactions into more sophisticated opinions using provided sentence starters, focusing on a more nuanced and formal way of communicating their ideas.
The lesson culminates in a series of discussion activities, including analyzing arguments, comparing cultural practices, and engaging in a structured debate about the future of tipping.
Vocabulary focus
This lesson introduces economic and psychological terms related to consumer behavior and finance. Vocabulary includes concepts like price partitioning, cognitive misers, and heuristics, as well as economic terms such as inflation, full employment, and the challenging situation of a conundrum.
Grammar focus
The main grammar point is the use of the passive voice in formal and academic contexts. Students will learn how it is used to discuss historical events and research findings, and they will practice converting active sentences to passive to achieve a more objective and formal tone.
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