Cross-curricular extension unit 6

1 PHOTOCOPIABLE © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Citizenship: Adolescence 1 Complete the teenagers’ sentences with the

words in the box.

One minute I feel happy, the next, I feel sad. Am I a

typical (1) _______________ teenager? ZOE, 15

Nothing makes me happy, I haven’t got any energy

and I don’t want to do anything. I feel really

(2) _______________. MARIA, 14

When I passed all my exams, I felt really

(3) _______________ of myself. ZAC, 17

I think everybody is saying nasty things about me.

Am I being (4) _______________? LUCY, 15

I don’t worry or get angry about things very often.

I’m quite (5) _______________. SARA, 15

My friends are always there for me. They’re very

(6) _______________. MARK, 16

When I make a mistake in front of my classmates,

I feel really (7) _______________. JOE, 14

I sometimes feel (8) _______________ towards my

parents because they treat me like a child. DAVID, 16

Which sentences have you said (or thought) in the last month? Tick ( ) the speech bubbles.

2 Look at the pictures of things younger teenagers can’t do. The number in each picture shows the legal age for that activity in the UK. Label the pictures with the words in the box. Then write the legal age for your country.

1 ___________________ 2 ___________________

___________________ ___________________

3 ___________________ 4 ___________________

___________________ ___________________

5 ___________________ 6 ___________________

___________________ ___________________

7 ___________________ 8 ___________________

___________________ ___________________

9 ___________________ 10 ___________________

___________________ ___________________

depressed easy-going embarrassed loyal moody paranoid proud resentful

buy a lottery ticket change your name drink alcohol in a bar get a full-time job

get a moped licence get married give blood have driving lessons

leave home vote

16

18

17

16

16

18

16

16

18

16

2 PHOTOCOPIABLE © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

3 Read the text. Match the headings 1–3 with the parts of the text, A, B and C.

1 Teenagers have responsibilities but adults treat

them like children.

2 You’ll have to wait until you’re older for your

independence. But it isn’t easy.

3 Your parents’ opinions are less important

now.

Teen issues A Read Alice’s problem. ‘I’ve just had an argument with my parents because I’m not allowed to go out with my friends. I ask myself, what am I: a child or a young adult? Have they forgotten how old I am? Why do they make me so depressed?’ Does this sound familiar? At the age of sixteen, you’re not a little kid any more. Next year you’ll have driving lessons and when you’re eighteen you’ll be able to vote, give blood or change your name. But many older people think adolescents are out of control. They must realize that not all teenagers are stupid! It doesn’t make sense: At sixteen you can leave school, get a full-time job and get married. Some sixteen-year-olds are responsible for their own children. But other teenagers aren’t allowed to go out because they have school the next day. Is it any surprise that teenagers are moody? B As a teenager, your social life is important. Your life is more than just school and homework. You need to be with friends: teens who think and feel like you. You’re probably very proud of your friends. They’re loyal people and you look after each other. Their opinions affect who you are. Their decisions influence your decisions: where to live when you’re older, what to study, what career to follow. Of course, your parents have opinions about your future, but they’re much older and the world has changed since they were young. C But for now, you must listen to them. And Alice? She has to phone her friends and explain that she can’t meet them. She feels embarrassed, but her friends are easy-going: they’ll understand. Alice feels resentful towards her parents, but she isn’t alone. A lot of teenagers feel this way, too.

4 Find six nouns in the text that mean ‘young people’.

______________, ______________, ______________,

______________, ______________, ______________

5 Match 1–6 with a–f to make sentences about the text.

1 Alice is depressed

2 Many teenagers are sensible and mature

3 Some sixteen-year-olds live adult lives but

4 Teenagers need to spend time with

their friends

5 Some teenagers feel their friends’

opinions are

6 Alice is embarrassed because

a she has to tell her friends that she can’t go out.

b more important than those of their parents.

c but some older people don’t believe this.

d because they think and feel the same way.

e others aren’t allowed to do what they want.

f because her parents treat her like a child.

6 Answer the questions.

1 What do you argue with your parents about?

Do your friends have similar arguments?

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

2 What do you like / don’t you like about being a

teenager?

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

7 Write your opinion about the questions.

1 What do you think about the laws which affect

teenagers in your country?

2 Which laws do you agree or disagree with?

3 Do you think life is easier or more difficult for

teenagers in Spain than for teenagers in Britain?