Topic: Social Media


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Social Media
“Everyone is living for everyone else now. They’re doing stuff so they can tell other people about it.” Karl Pilkington, British TV presenter
- June 24, 2021
- General English
- No Comments
Home » Social Media
Latest lesson plans

LESSON OVERVIEW
This free ESL lesson plan on social media has been designed for adults and young adults at an intermediate (B1/B2) to advanced (C1/C2) level and should last around 45 to 60 minutes for one student.
Social media has given people the opportunity to connect with friends and other people from all corners of the world. It has played a huge role in globalisation and the flow of information. But has this really been to the benefit of humanity? Many people blame social media for a breakdown in communication and relationships, and others say that instead of bringing us closer together, it is actually making us feel lonelier and more despressed. In this ESL lesson plan on social media, students will have the opportunity to discuss and express their opinions on issues such as their favourite social networks, how they use them and what problems are associated with social media.
This lesson plan could also be used with your students to debate these issues for World Social Media Day , which takes place in June. For more lesson plans on international days and important holidays, see the calendar of world days to plan your classes for these special occasions.
For advice on how to use this English lesson plan and other lesson plans on this site, see the guide for ESL teachers .
PRE-CLASS ACTIVITIES
Reading activity Before the English class, send the following article to the students and ask them to read it while making a list of any new vocabulary or phrases they find (explain any the students don’t understand in the class):
CNN | A child drove 200 miles to meet a stranger. Here’s how to make sure your kid doesn’t do the same
The article raises the issue of an 11-year-old boy who drove across his state to meet a man he had met on social media. The article goes on to give parents advice on how to protect their children from threats on social media such as inappropriate content, fake friends, cyberbullying, social network addiction and scams. At the start of the class, hold a brief discussion about what the students thought about the article. What do they think about the issues raised in the article? Do they agree with what was said? Can they think of any other ways to keep children safe on the internet and on social networks?
Video activity To save time in class for the conversation activities, the English teacher can ask the students to watch the video below and answer the listening questions in Section 3 of the lesson plan at home. There are intermediate listening questions and advanced listening questions so teachers can decide which would be more appropriate for their students. Check the answers in the class.
The video for this class is called “Can social media use cause depression?” by CNN which discusses new research that has found a link between social media and feelings of depression and loneliness.
IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES
The focus in the class is on conversation in order to help improve students’ fluency and confidence when speaking in English as well as boosting their vocabulary.
This lesson opens with a short discussion about the article the students read before the class. Next, the students can give their opinion on the quote at the beginning of the lesson plan – what they think the quote means and if they agree with it. This is followed by an initial discussion on the topic including what the students like most about social media, what they like to share or see shared by their friends, and how social media has changed the way we live our lives.
After this, students will learn some vocabulary connected with social media such as go viral , trend and troll . This vocabulary has been chosen to boost the students’ knowledge of less common vocabulary that could be useful for preparing for English exams like IELTS or TOEFL. The vocabulary is accompanied by a cloze activity and a speaking activity to test the students’ comprehension of these words.
If the students didn’t watch the video before the class, they can watch it after the vocabulary section and answer the listening questions. Before checking the answers, ask the students to give a brief summary of the video and what they thought about the content.
Finally, there is a more in-depth conversation about social networks. In this speaking activity, students will talk about issues such as the negative effects social media has had on society, how social networks might be considered dangerous, and what safety advice they would give to people using social media.
After the class, students will write about their opinion of social media. This could be a short paragraph or a longer piece of writing depending on what level the student is at. The writing activity is designed to allow students to practise and improve their grammar with the feedback from their teacher. For students who intend to take an international English exam such as IELTS or TOEFL, there is an alternative essay question to practise their essay-writing skills.
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Language for ... social media
By Colm Boyd
This lesson provides students with the key vocabulary needed for using the internet and social media.

language for social media
- Lesson Plan
- Printable Worksheet
- Socialising
- Up to 60 mins
- Upper-Intermediate
- Whole Class
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38 Social network English ESL worksheets pdf & doc


All about Social Media
Get Full Access to download this Handout or Free Access to download a selection of handouts to teach in your English classes.

This is a vocabulary and discussion based Handout. Students are introduced to modern vocabulary used when talking about social media and social networking on the Internet.
Vocabulary introduced in this Handout trending, influencer, DM, viral, clickbait, YouTuber, apps, likes, tweet, troll, meme, TikTok.
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Social Media ESL Worksheets, Activities and Games
- Pre-intermediate ( A2 )
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ESL Social Media Worksheet- Speaking Activity: Discussion, Communicative Practice - Vocabulary, Reading and Writing Exercises: Matching, Gap-fill, Unscrambling, Writing Posts - Pre-intermediate (A2) - 25 minutes

Hashtag Dominoes
Esl social media game - vocabulary: matching - group work - pre-intermediate (a2) - 20 minutes.


Posts and Replies
Esl social media activity - vocabulary, grammar and writing: unscrambling, matching, writing short replies - group and pair work - pre-intermediate (a2) - 25 minutes.

Find Someone Who...
Esl social media activity - speaking: gap-fill, asking and answering questions from prompts, controlled and freer practice - intermediate (b1) - 30 minutes.

Social Media Vocabulary
Esl social media worksheet - vocabulary exercises: listing, binary choice, matching, gap-fill - speaking activities: asking and answering questions, freer practice - pair work - intermediate (b1) - 30 minutes.

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Breaking News English Lesson on Social Media
Home | help this site, social media 'destroying how society works' (14th december, 2017).
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The Reading / Listening - Social Media - Level 3
A former Facebook executive has said social media is doing great harm to society around the world. The executive is a man called Chamath Palihapitiya. He joined Facebook in 2007 and became a vice president. He was responsible for increasing the number of users Facebook had. Mr Palihapitiya said he feels very guilty about getting more people to use social networks. He said the networks are destroying society because they are changing people's behavior. Twenty years ago, people talked to each other face to face. Today, people message each other and do not talk. People also really care about what other people think of them. They post photos and wait to see how many people like the photo. They get very sad if people do not like the photo.
Mr Palihapitiya said people should take a long break from social media so they can experience real life. He wants people to value each other instead of valuing online "hearts, likes, and thumbs-up". Palihapitiya also points out how fake news is affecting how we see the world. It is becoming easier for large websites to spread lies. It is also becoming easier to hurt other people online. Anyone can hide behind a fake user name and post lies about other people. Palihapitiya said this was a global problem. He is worried about social media so much that he has banned his children from using it. However, he did state that Facebook was a good company. He said: "Of course, it's not all bad. Facebook overwhelmingly does good in the world."
Try the same news story at these easier levels:
Social Media - Level 0 , Social Media - Level 1 or Social Media - Level 2
- theverge.com
- mashable.com
- theguardian.com
Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)
"Much has been said and written on the utility of newspapers; but one principal advantage which might be derived from these publications has been neglected; we mean that of reading them in schools." The Portland Eastern Herald (June 8, 1795)
"News is history in its first and best form, its vivid and fascinating form, and...history is the pale and tranquil reflection of it." Mark Twain, in his autobiography (1906)
"Current events provide authentic learning experiences for students at all grade levels.... In studying current events, students are required to use a range of cognitive, affective, critical thinking and research skills." Haas, M. and Laughlin, M. (2000) Teaching Current Events: It's Status in Social Studies Today.
Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities, and more.
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--> 1. SOCIAL MEDIA: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about social media. Change partners often and share your findings. 2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life? executive / social media / president / number / users / feeling guilty / social networks a long break / real life / online likes / websites / user name / global problem / fake Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently. 3. OVERWHELMINGLY GOOD: Students A strongly believe social networks are overwhelmingly good; Students B strongly believe social networks are overwhelmingly bad. Change partners again and talk about your conversations. 4. SOCIAL MEDIA: What are the good and bad things about social media? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote. Good Bad Communication News Ego Romance Education Bullying MY e-BOOK See a sample 5. FACEBOOK: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "Facebook". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories. 6. ADVANTAGES: Rank these with your partner. Put the biggest advantages of social media at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings. getting advice shopping sharing music seeing family photos making friends keeping in touch getting advice up-to-date news Vocabulary Paragraph 1 1. former a. All of the people living together in a country. 2. executive b. Being something, being in a job or being in a role before, but not now. 3. harm c. Feeling bad about something you have done to other people (or to yourself). 4. responsible d. A top manager in a business or organization. 5. guilty e. Having a duty to do something or do a job. 6. destroying f. Damage or hurt the health of someone or something. 7. society g. Damaging something so it is totally broken. Paragraph 2 8. break h. A rest or a pause to stop something for a short time. 9. value i. Very, very, very strongly. 10. thumbs-up j. Think about how important someone or something is. 11. fake k. Stopped something from happening or stopped people from doing something. 12. lies l. A sign that something is great by showing a thumb pointing upwards. 13. banned m. A thing that is not real but is made to look like the real thing. 14. overwhelmingly n. Things that people say that they know are not true. Before reading / listening 1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F). An ex-Facebook boss said social media is damaging society. T / F The ex-boss feels guilty about getting more people to use social media. T / F The ex-boss said social media does not change our behaviour. T / F People message each other today instead of talking face to face. T / F The ex-boss said people would benefit from a break from social media. T / F The ex-boss suggested liking online likes is a thing we need to do more. T / F It is becoming more difficult for big websites to spread fake news. T / F The ex-boss said Facebook is "overwhelmingly bad". T / F 2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article. executive harm increasing wait sad experience value lies break overwhelmingly hold on unhappy face untruths damage appreciate boss hugely growing rest 3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.) social media is doing great he feels very people talked to each other care about what other people They get very sad if people do people should take a long break valuing online hearts, likes, and Anyone can hide behind a fake user he has banned his Facebook overwhelmingly does name and post lies think of them good in the world harm to society thumbs-up face to face children from using it guilty not like the photo from social media Gap fill Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below. behavior guilty joined post executive social message increasing
A former Facebook (1) ____________ has said social media is doing great harm to society around the world. The executive is a man called Chamath Palihapitiya. He (2) ____________ Facebook in 2007 and became a vice president. He was responsible for (3) ____________ the number of users Facebook had. Mr Palihapitiya said he feels very (4) ____________ about getting more people to use (5) ____________ networks. He said the networks are destroying society because they are changing people's (6) ____________. Twenty years ago, people talked to each other face to face. Today, people (7) ____________ each other and do not talk. People also really care about what other people think of them. They (8) ____________ photos and wait to see how many people like the photo. They get very sad if people do not like the photo.
fake user banned break good lies value global
Mr Palihapitiya said people should take a long (9) ____________ from social media so they can experience real life. He wants people to (10) ____________ each other instead of valuing online "hearts, likes, and thumbs-up". Palihapitiya also points out how (11) ____________ news is affecting how we see the world. It is becoming easier for large websites to spread (12) ____________. It is also becoming easier to hurt other people online. Anyone can hide behind a fake (13) ____________ name and post lies about other people. Palihapitiya said this was a (14) ____________ problem. He is worried about social media so much that he has (15) ____________ his children from using it. However, he did state that Facebook was a good company. He said: "Of course, it's not all bad. Facebook overwhelmingly does (16) ____________ in the world."
Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.
1) A former Facebook executive has said social media is doing ______ society a. great harmful to b. great harms to c. great harmed to d. great harm to
2) He was responsible for increasing the ______ Facebook had a. number of users b. number of abusers c. number of fusers d. number of fuses
3) the networks are destroying society because they are changing ______ a. people's behavioral b. people's behaviorally c. people's behaving d. people's behavior
4) People also really care about what other people ______ a. thinks of them b. thinking of then c. think of them d. think of then
5) They get very sad if people do not ______ a. like them photo b. like then photo c. like the photo d. like these photo
6) Mr Palihapitiya said people should take a long ______ media a. break from social b. breaks from socially c. broke from social d. break from socially
7) He wants people to value each other instead of ______ hearts a. value in online b. valuing on line c. valuing on lines d. valuing online
8) It is becoming easier for large websites ______ a. to spread lives b. to spread lays c. to spread lies d. to spread ails
9) He is worried about social media so much that he has ______ a. binned his children b. banned his children c. band his children d. bond his children
10) it's not all bad. Facebook overwhelmingly ______ the world a. does good in b. does goodly in c. does goodness in d. does goods in
Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps
A former Facebook executive has said social media is (1) ___________________ to society around the world. The executive is a man called Chamath Palihapitiya. He joined Facebook in 2007 and became a vice president. He was responsible for increasing the (2) ___________________ Facebook had. Mr Palihapitiya said he (3) ___________________ about getting more people to use social networks. He said the networks are destroying society because they are changing people's behavior. Twenty years ago, people talked to each (4) ___________________ face. Today, people message each other and do not talk. People also really care about what other people (5) ___________________. They post photos and wait to see how many people like the photo. They get very (6) ___________________ do not like the photo.
Mr Palihapitiya said people should take a (7) ___________________ social media so they can experience real life. He wants people to value each other instead of valuing online "hearts, likes, (8) ___________________". Palihapitiya also points out (9) ___________________ is affecting how we see the world. It is becoming easier for large websites to spread lies. It is also becoming (10) ___________________ other people online. Anyone can hide behind a fake user name and post lies about other people. Palihapitiya said this was (11) ___________________. He is worried about social media so much that he has banned his children from using it. However, he did state that Facebook was a good company. He said: "Of course, it's (12) ___________________. Facebook overwhelmingly does good in the world."
Comprehension questions
- Who said social media is doing great harm to society?
- When did Chamath Palihapitiya join Facebook?
- How does Chamath Palihapitiya feel about increasing Facebook's users?
- What did Chamath Palihapitiya say social media is changing?
- What did Chamath Palihapitiya say people care about?
- What did Chamath Palihapitiya want people to experience?
- Who does Chamath Palihapitiya want people to value?
- What did Chamath Palihapitiya say is affecting how we see the world?
- Who did Chamath Palihapitiya ban from using social media?
- What did Mr Palihapitiya say "overwhelmingly does good in the world"?
Multiple choice quiz
6) What did Chamath Palihapitiya want people to experience? a) jet coaster rides b) virtual reality c) real life d) true love
7) Who does Chamath Palihapitiya want people to value? a) poor people b) him c) Facebook staff d) each other
8) What did Chamath Palihapitiya say is affecting how we see the world? a) fake news b) a website c) CNN d) digital glasses
9) Who did Chamath Palihapitiya ban from using social media? a) his children b) bad people c) his boss d) his wife
10) What did Mr Palihapitiya say "overwhelmingly does good in the world"? a) the United Nations b) Facebook c) the Internet d) rain
After reading / listening
1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...
'social' ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ and 'media' . ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________
• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.
2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.
3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?
4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.
5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:
break value lies hide global bad former man guilty changing face post
Student survey
Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.
(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)
Discussion - Social media 'destroying how society works'
STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
- What did you think when you read the headline?
- What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'socia'?
- What do you think of Facebook?
- How important is social media to you?
- What did people do before social media?
- What harm is social media doing to the world?
- What would it be like to be a Facebook executive?
- What things have you felt guilty about?
- How are social networks changing our behaviour?
- How much do you care about people liking your posts?
STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
- Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
- What do you think of when you hear the word 'media'?
- What do you think about what you read?
- What do you think of social media?
- Why would it be good to take a break from social media?
- What do you post on social media, and why?
- What do you think of fake news?
- Why is it dangerous for children to use social media?
- What good do you think Facebook does in the world?
- What questions would you like to ask the former Facebook executive?
Discussion — Write your own questions
(a) ________________ (b) ________________ (c) ________________ (d) ________________ (e) ________________
(f) ________________ (g) ________________ (h) ________________ (i) ________________ (j) ________________
Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)
A former Facebook executive has said social media is (1) ____ great harm to society around the world. The executive is a man called Chamath Palihapitiya. He (2) ____ Facebook in 2007 and became a vice president. He was responsible (3) ____ increasing the number of users Facebook had. Mr Palihapitiya said he feels very guilty about getting more people to use social networks. He said the networks are destroying society because they are changing people's behavior. Twenty years ago, people talked to each other (4) ____ to face. Today, people message each other and do not talk. People also really (5) ____ about what other people think of them. They post photos and wait to see how many people like the photo. They get very (6) ____ if people do not like the photo.
Mr Palihapitiya said people should take a long (7) ____ from social media so they can experience real life. He wants people to (8) ____ each other instead of valuing online "hearts, likes, and thumbs-up". Palihapitiya also points out how fake news is (9) ____ how we see the world. It is becoming easier for large websites to spread lies. It is also becoming easier to hurt other people online. Anyone can (10) ____ behind a fake user name and post lies about other people. Palihapitiya said this was a global problem. He is worried about social media (11) ____ much that he has banned his children from using it. However, he did state that Facebook was a good company. He said: "Of course, it's not all bad. Facebook overwhelmingly does (12) ____ in the world."
Which of these words go in the above text?
- (a) done (b) does (c) doing (d) did
- (a) joined (b) joint (c) joining (d) join
- (a) at (b) for (c) by (d) of
- (a) head (b) nose (c) body (d) face
- (a) careful (b) carefully (c) care (d) cared
- (a) sadly (b) sad (c) sadness (d) sadder
- (a) break (b) breakage (c) break-in (d) broke
- (a) valor (b) vale (c) valve (d) value
- (a) affected (b) affect (c) affecting (d) affects
- (a) bide (b) ride (c) tide (d) hide
- (a) really (b) so (c) very (d) as
- (a) good (b) goodly (c) goodies (d) goodness
Paragraph 1
- A former Facebook veeicetxu
- doing great harm to tyoisce
- rsobnlpseei for increasing the number
- he feels very tugyli
- use social ktweosrn
- people sseaegm each other
Paragraph 2
- they can exereinepc real life
- He wants people to elauv each other
- epsdar lies
- this was a lalobg problem
- he has endban his children from using it
- Facebook ylhmlnveiorwge does good
Put the text back together
( ) Mr Palihapitiya said people should take a long break from social media so they can experience real
( ) was a good company. He said: "Of course, it's not all bad. Facebook overwhelmingly does good in the world."
( ) websites to spread lies. It is also becoming easier to hurt other people online. Anyone can hide
( ) them. They post photos and wait to see how many people like the photo. They get very sad if people do not like the photo.
( ) life. He wants people to value each other instead of valuing online "hearts, likes, and thumbs-
( ) society because they are changing people's behavior. Twenty years ago, people talked to each other face to
( 1 ) A former Facebook executive has said social media is doing great harm to society around the world. The executive is a man
( ) increasing the number of users Facebook had. Mr Palihapitiya said he feels very guilty
( ) called Chamath Palihapitiya. He joined Facebook in 2007 and became a vice president. He was responsible for
( ) behind a fake user name and post lies about other people. Palihapitiya said this was a global problem. He is worried
( ) about getting more people to use social networks. He said the networks are destroying
( ) face. Today, people message each other and do not talk. People also really care about what other people think of
( ) up". Palihapitiya also points out how fake news is affecting how we see the world. It is becoming easier for large
( ) about social media so much that he has banned his children from using it. However, he did state that Facebook
Put the words in the right order
- to is media harm doing Social great society .
- for the He responsible increasing number was .
- feels He people guilty getting very about more .
- face to to each other face talked People .
- about care really People think people other what .
- wants to each He people value other .
- the affecting world how Fake we news see is .
- people other hurt to easier becoming is It .
- hide can Anyone name user fake a behind .
- children his banned has He it using from .
Circle the correct word (20 pairs)
A former Facebook executive / exclusive has said social media is doing great harm to society / social around the world. The executive is a man called Chamath Palihapitiya. He joint / joined Facebook in 2007 and became a vice president. He was responsibility / responsible for increasing the number of users Facebook had. Mr Palihapitiya said he feels very guilty / guilt about getting more people to use social networks. He said the networks are destroying / destroys society because they are changing people's behavior. Twenty years ago, people talked to each / them other face to face. Today, people message each other and do not talk. People also really careful / care about what other people think of them. They post / posting photos and wait to see how many people like the photo. They get very sadly / sad if people do not like the photo.
Mr Palihapitiya said people should take a long broken / break from social media so they can experience real / really life. He wants people to value each other instead for / of valuing online "hearts, likes, and thumbs-up". Palihapitiya also points out how fake news are / is affecting how we see the world. It is becoming easier for large websites to spread lie / lies . It is also becoming easier to hurt another / other people online. Anyone can hide behind / before a fake user name and post lies about other people. Palihapitiya said this was a globally / global problem. He is worried about social media so much that he has banned his children from using it. However, he did state / stating that Facebook was a good company. He said: "Of course, it's not all bad. Facebook overwhelmingly does good on / in the world."
Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.
Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)
_ f_rm_r F_c_b__k _x_c_t_v_ h_s s__d s_c__l m_d__ _s d__ng gr__t h_rm t_ s_c__ty _r__nd th_ w_rld. Th_ _x_c_t_v_ _s _ m_n c_ll_d Ch_m_th P_l_h_p_t_y_. H_ j__n_d F_c_b__k _n 2007 _nd b_c_m_ _ v_c_ pr_s_d_nt. H_ w_s r_sp_ns_bl_ f_r _ncr__s_ng th_ n_mb_r _f _s_rs F_c_b__k h_d. Mr P_l_h_p_t_y_ s__d h_ f__ls v_ry g__lty _b__t g_tt_ng m_r_ p__pl_ t_ _s_ s_c__l n_tw_rks. H_ s__d th_ n_tw_rks _r_ d_str_y_ng s_c__ty b_c__s_ th_y _r_ ch_ng_ng p__pl_'s b_h_v__r. Tw_nty y__rs _g_, p__pl_ t_lk_d t_ __ch _th_r f_c_ t_ f_c_. T_d_y, p__pl_ m_ss_g_ __ch _th_r _nd d_ n_t t_lk. P__pl_ _ls_ r__lly c_r_ _b__t wh_t _th_r p__pl_ th_nk _f th_m. Th_y p_st ph_t_s _nd w__t t_ s__ h_w m_ny p__pl_ l_k_ th_ ph_t_. Th_y g_t v_ry s_d _f p__pl_ d_ n_t l_k_ th_ ph_t_.
Mr P_l_h_p_t_y_ s__d p__pl_ sh__ld t_k_ _ l_ng br__k fr_m s_c__l m_d__ s_ th_y c_n _xp_r__nc_ r__l l_f_. H_ w_nts p__pl_ t_ v_l__ __ch _th_r _nst__d _f v_l__ng _nl_n_ "h__rts, l_k_s, _nd th_mbs-_p". P_l_h_p_t_y_ _ls_ p__nts __t h_w f_k_ n_ws _s _ff_ct_ng h_w w_ s__ th_ w_rld. _t _s b_c_m_ng __s__r f_r l_rg_ w_bs_t_s t_ spr__d l__s. _t _s _ls_ b_c_m_ng __s__r t_ h_rt _th_r p__pl_ _nl_n_. _ny_n_ c_n h_d_ b_h_nd _ f_k_ _s_r n_m_ _nd p_st l__s _b__t _th_r p__pl_. P_l_h_p_t_y_ s__d th_s w_s _ gl_b_l pr_bl_m. H_ _s w_rr__d _b__t s_c__l m_d__ s_ m_ch th_t h_ h_s b_nn_d h_s ch_ldr_n fr_m _s_ng _t. H_w_v_r, h_ d_d st_t_ th_t F_c_b__k w_s _ g__d c_mp_ny. H_ s__d: "_f c__rs_, _t's n_t _ll b_d. F_c_b__k _v_rwh_lm_ngly d__s g__d _n th_ w_rld."
Punctuate the text and add capitals
a former facebook executive has said social media is doing great harm to society around the world the executive is a man called chamath palihapitiya he joined facebook in 2007 and became a vice president he was responsible for increasing the number of users facebook had mr palihapitiya said he feels very guilty about getting more people to use social networks he said the networks are destroying society because they are changing people's behavior twenty years ago people talked to each other face to face today people message each other and do not talk people also really care about what other people think of them they post photos and wait to see how many people like the photo they get very sad if people do not like the photo
mr palihapitiya said people should take a long break from social media so they can experience real life he wants people to value each other instead of valuing online "hearts likes and thumbs-up" palihapitiya also points out how fake news is affecting how we see the world it is becoming easier for large websites to spread lies it is also becoming easier to hurt other people online anyone can hide behind a fake user name and post lies about other people palihapitiya said this was a global problem he is worried about social media so much that he has banned his children from using it however he did state that facebook was a good company he said "of course it's not all bad facebook overwhelmingly does good in the world"
Put a slash (/) where the spaces are
AformerFacebookexecutivehassaidsocialmediaisdoinggreatharmto societyaroundtheworld.TheexecutiveisamancalledChamathPalihapi tiya.HejoinedFacebookin2007andbecameavicepresident.Hewasres ponsibleforincreasingthenumberofusersFacebookhad.MrPalihapitiy asaidhefeelsveryguiltyaboutgettingmorepeopletousesocialnetwork s.Hesaidthenetworksaredestroyingsocietybecausetheyarechanging people'sbehavior.Twentyyearsago,peopletalkedtoeachotherfacetof ace.Today,peoplemessageeachotheranddonottalk.Peoplealsoreally careaboutwhatotherpeoplethinkofthem.Theypostphotosandwaittos eehowmanypeoplelikethephoto.Theygetverysadifpeopledonotliket hephoto.MrPalihapitiyasaidpeopleshouldtakealongbreakfromsocial mediasotheycanexperiencereallife.Hewantspeopletovalueeachothe rinsteadofvaluingonline"hearts,likes,andthumbs-up".Palihapitiya alsopointsouthowfakenewsisaffectinghowweseetheworld.Itisbeco mingeasierforlargewebsitestospreadlies.Itisalsobecomingeasiertoh urtotherpeopleonline.Anyonecanhidebehindafakeusernameandpos tliesaboutotherpeople.Palihapitiyasaidthiswasaglobalproblem.Heis worriedaboutsocialmediasomuchthathehasbannedhischildrenfrom usingit.However,hedidstatethatFacebookwasagoodcompany.Hesai d:"Ofcourse,it'snotallbad.Facebookoverwhelminglydoesgoodinthe world."
Free writing
Write about social media for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Academic writing
What are the pros and cons of social media? Is it good? Why / Why not?
1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. SOCIAL MEDIA: Make a poster about social media. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. GOOD IN THE WORLD: Write a magazine article about social media being a great force for good in the world . Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against it.
Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on social media. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how we can make social media better. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.
A Few Additional Activities for Students
Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.
Get students to role play different characters from this news story.
Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.
Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.
Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.
Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.
Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.
Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:
- Pre-reading / Post-reading
- Using headlines
- Working with words
- While-reading / While-listening
- Moving from text to speech
- Post-reading / Post-listening
- Discussions
- Using opinions
- Using lists
- Using quotes
- Task-based activities
- Using the central characters in the article
- Using themes from the news
Buy my book
(Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)
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- Intermediate B1
Facebook and social networking
This lesson plan for teachers of teenagers and adults at level B1 and above explores the theme of social media. Students will create an imaginary online 'wall' where they can interact with each other.

Introduction
How many friends have you got on Facebook? What’s the friend limit on Facebook? This lesson takes a look at trends in online social networking. It gives students chance to create an imaginary online 'wall' where they can interact with each other.
Social networking websites
Teenage/adult
- To help students talk about Facebook and other social networking websites
- To develop students’ reading skills
- To develop students’ question formation skills
- To develop students’ communication skills
Lesson plan: guide for teacher on procedure.
Download lesson plan
Worksheets: can be printed out for use in class.
- worksheet - seven tasks
Download worksheet
The plans and worksheets are downloadable and in pdf format - right click on the attachment below and save it on your computer. Copyright - please read All the materials on these pages are free for you to download and copy for educational use only. You may not redistribute, sell or place these materials on any other web site without written permission from the BBC and British Council. If you have any questions about the use of these materials please email us at: [email protected]
Facebook lesson
It is such an interesting lesson. Most of our students today enjoy using facebook , twitter and other social networking. So using a text about what they enjoy doing like this is such a great idea of developing reading and communication skills . But let us also have values integration in this lesson. Maybe on how to use social networking properly. The status, blogs and pictures to be posted should be informative and respectful.
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All about me
Thank you very much... It's useful for me...
Facebook-social networking
I really enjoy sharing with my students'experiences on the internet.
Greetings from Colombia.
Nice reading lesson plan.
I'm going to try this with my PET group next week, i think they'll enjoy it
Looking forward to further modules
I think that the Facebook nowadays have become one of the most useful ways of communicating among the teens. So this lesson can be very valuable for them and us as teachers,too. Thank you very much .We are looking forward to receiving further models on this topic.
oh yes there are many opposite things about facebook
it is a good lesson thnx
Thanks for lesson plan
It is good that we recognize Facebook is increasingly being used and having some lessons formulated around it. Although it is not that hard to sign up and use, privacy issues, how to ignore friends, rejecting friends and other more sensitive aspects with regards to using Facebook should be taught in class.
For me - working with internet and computer for more than 10 Years - Facebook is one of biggest challenges to managed. It's not the "i Like" button, but the tons of features und privacy issues that have to be handled carefully. If you publish photos the wrong way, everybody can see them, copy them, change them or do other things with that. And if this is hard for me, i guess it is hard for a lot of people.
I'm going to try it
Today I'm going to try it, I hope it'll be fine !
The Queen on Facebook
The Queen of England has just joined Facebook. Read more here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11704599
I am new here can you give me some help for how to view lessons
happy material
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For English (ELL) Teachers

Social Media
A Theme page about Social Media for intermediate-level students, A2 – B1.

Are you on Facebook? – Social media English lesson http://twominenglish.com/video/272-Are_you_on_Facebook_Social_media_English_lesson.html Welcome to twominenglish.com. Teaching you English through two-minute lessons. In this lesson, we will talk about Facebook.

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The Social Dilemma: A Lesson on Social Media (Upper-Intermediate)
ESL Level : Upper-intermediate (B2/C1) (Advanced here ) Lesson Topic : The health and societal problems caused by social media use Skill Focus : Speaking, Reading, Vocabulary Lesson Plan Download : social-media-dilemma-upper-intermediate-01104020.docx Approximate Class Time : 3.5 hours
- Teachers , this lesson is longer and denser than usual. Pick the activities that you feel will work for your class. This lesson summarizes the key ideas of The Social Dilemma (Netflix, 2020). If possible, watching the documentary itself would be a great pre- or post-activity.
- Students , feel free to read the lesson, do the vocabulary exercises, and leave your answers to the questions in the comment area below.

UPPER-INTERMEDIATE Social Media ESL Lesson Plan: Warm-up (Pair Work)
- Which websites do you use the most? What do you like most about them?
- What social networking platforms do you use? Why do you use them?
- Do you make an effort to limit your screen time? Why or why not?
- What social movements do you know that have become popular because of social media?
Reading: The Social Dilemma Documentary
The Social Dilemma is a video documentary that argues that social media companies are harming society. The video is mostly presented by insiders in the tech industry (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) who confess to the harmful nature of the technology they helped design.
“If you’re not paying for the product, then you’re the product.”
The film clarifies that social media are not free platforms without a product. By using the system, the user and his attention become the product that advertisers aim to control. Although we fear these companies sell our data, social media companies carefully guard it for themselves in order to monetize us . The data collected is not only demographic —every click is measured by algorithms to better understand our behaviour. The end goal is a gradual change in our behaviour and way that we view the world. According to Harvard professor Shoshana Zuboff, this has made tech companies “the richest companies in the history of humanity.”
The Mental Health Dilemma
Justin Rosenstein created the Facebook Like button, which he believed would spread positivity. Such features provide us with social approval, which we tend to confuse with acceptance and truth. Sadly, the result is only a temporary joy that leaves us empty and depressed without it.
A study of 100,000 teenage girls in the U.S. found that hospital admissions for self-harm have increased by 62% in older teens and 189% in pre-teens (nearly triple). The same patterns exist for teen suicide. Social media became available on smartphones in 2009, and these changes began around 2010/2011.
The Democracy Dilemma
“If you want to control the population of your country, there has never been a tool as effective as Facebook.”
Social media is perhaps too efficient at reaching the best audiences for ads and campaigns. This allows bad actors such as political and hate groups to easily gain popularity and influence . Studies from MIT (2018) show that fake news spreads six times faster than true news. This leads to division in society as newsfeeds make us more extreme in our views. We also filter out ideas that don’t agree with our worldview. As a society, we lose touch with the shared facts and reality that connect us.
The documentary uses the Flat Earth movement to show how regular people can be influenced to adopt incredibly idiotic beliefs. The movement was popularized by a YouTube algorithm that recommended the video to hundreds of millions of people.
What do the film’s experts believe will happen in the future to society? Their answers include civil war and the end of civilization due to our own ignorance .
Social Media Lesson Plan: Comprehension Questions
- True or False : The article claims that social media companies are selling our data.
- In your own words, what is the `mental health' dilemma?
- What can we infer about the author's view on the cause of teenage health problems?
- Describe the “ democracy dilemma ” presented in the article in your own words.
- Does the author imply that Flat Earthers are in fact stupid?
- Which claims in the article do you agree with? Which do you disagree with?
- Do you agree with the article's thoughts on the future of society?
1- False. He claims that companies are keeping the data for their own use.
3- By stating the correlation between the rise of health problems and the availability of social media on mobile phones, we can infer that the author believes social media has a causal role in creating these problems.
5-No. He suggests that they are regular people, but they have been manipulated by recommended content.
Vocabulary: Match the words from the article with their meaning.
1-i, 2-f, 3-b, 4-m, 5-a, 6-c, 7-k, 8-g, 9-h, 10-e, 11-d, 12-j, 13-l
Vocabulary Homework: Circle the words that were new to you. Add them to your vocabulary notebook and make sentences for homework.
Social Media Lesson Plan: Society for a Better Tomorrow (Group Work)
Background : You and your partners are scheduled to give a short presentation (5-8 minutes) on how to better manage social media use. In the audience will be members of government, concerned parents, and teenagers.
Task : Brainstorm ideas about how to address the issues presented by social media. Be sure to consider the three groups in your audience. When finished, organize your ideas and then present them to the class.
Social Media Lesson Plan: Debate
Student A : You believe that overall social media is good for society. Spend a few minutes thinking of ideas to support your position. When finished, start the debate.
Student B : You believe that overall social media is bad for society. Spend a few minutes thinking of ideas to support your position. Your partner will start the debate when ready.
Social Media Lesson Plan: “The Gift” Role-Play
Background : Student A is the teenage child of Student B. Pick a role and then read only your own role.
Student A : You are a teenager. You use social media for several important functions in your life. Your parent has asked to speak with you because s/he wants to give you a gift.
Student B : You worry that your teenager is addicted to technology. You have recently bought a gift that you will believe will greatly benefit his/her life: The Cell-Phone Jail . This product is a small cell in which you can lock a phone for a set amount of time. Present your gift to your teen and try to make rules about how you will use the cell-phone jail.
Social Media Lesson Plan: The Social Dilemma Recommendations
Discuss these recommendations presented by tech experts at the end of the documentary. Are they similar to your recommendations from your presentation? Which could you adopt?
- Recognizing the current problems and discussing them openly
- Uninstalling apps that waste time
- Turning off notifications
- Using a search engine that doesn't store search history instead of Google
- Putting more regulations on tech companies and taxing data assets to discourage companies from mining personal data
- Fact-checking the sources of an article before you share it
- Making an effort to read news from different points of view
- Not allowing children to use social media until 16 years of age
- Working out a time-budget with children about how many hours they can spend online
Social Media Lesson Plan: Social Media Confessions Bingo
(Instructions and card taken from https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/start-a-conversation/ )
One Way to Play
- Circle your confessions, leaving the center blank
- Show your card to the group, and select one experience to share with the group
- As a group, discuss how you might reduce the negative effects of social media
- The winner is the person who makes a positive change in their life -or- the person who circles the fewest squares

Social Media ESL Lesson Plan: Bonus Discussion Questions
- Discuss this quotation: “ Only drug dealers and software companies call their customers `users' ” — Edward Tufte
- Is unconscious manipulation of the consumer any different from regular marketing and advertising?
- Does your country have a problem with `fake news'? Have you experienced fake news yourself?
- Do you feel the society you live in has become more and more polarized?
To take action to solve the social dilemma, watch the film and then visit https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/take-action/
-- EFL Lesson plan on social media written by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright excluding the bingo game which was taken from https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/start-a-conversation/). Site members may photocopy and edit the file for their classes. Permission is not given to rebrand the lesson, redistribute it on another platform, or sell it as part of commercial course curriculum. For questions, contact the author.
Comprehension question answers:
- False – the claim is that companies collect this data but do not share it. Rather, they hoard it for themselves so they can use it for monetization.
- (The issue is that social media seems to only provide an empty, temporary happiness. This can lead to depression when we need it for approval. The author suggests that self-harm and suicide-related data is connected to social media use.)
- The author is suggesting that the correlation between societal health issues and the introduction of smartphones has a causal connection.
- (Social media leads to polarization and entrenchment of views. It also enables the spread of fake information. This is harmful for democracies, which operate best when healthy debate and a plurality of views are allowed.)
- He describes them as ‘regular people’, suggesting that the same thing could happen to anyone.
Vocabulary answers: 1-d, 2-f, 3-b, 4-m, 5-a, 6-c, 7-k, 8-g, 9-h, 10-e, 11-d, 12-j, 13-l
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11 comments on “ The Social Dilemma: A Lesson on Social Media (Upper-Intermediate) ”
This is brilliant, so well thought out and really engaging! I will use it as inspiration for my class tomorrow, thank you so much, much appreciated !
These are a lot of different and helpful ideas for how to use the film with my students.
Great lesson!
Thank you so much! Great ideas, the lesson is very involving and is good for students with different learning styles and habits
Thank you so much. So many things to use for the lesson in class.
This is very helpful to me in my psychology and health classes. Thank you so much for sharing you hard work :-)
Wow! Quality!
So useful. Thank tyou so much.
Head and shoulders above most ESL resources for this stage of development. Great! Thanks very much!
Fantastic lesson. Thanks
Wow! Really good stuff! Thanks a bunch for designing this fabulous lesson plan!
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