GRADE 11A: Life expectancy Explaining statistics

About this unit

This unit is designed to guide your planning and teaching of English lessons. It provides a link between the standards for English and your lesson plans. The teaching and learning activities in this unit should help you to plan the content, pace and level of difficulty of lessons. You should adapt the ideas in the unit to meet the needs of your class. You can also supplement the ideas with appropriate activities from your schools textbooks and other resources. In this unit, students explore factors that effect life expectancy. They interpret graphs showing population trends and discuss population changes.

UNIT 11A.8 10 hours

Resources
The main resources needed for this unit are: online or paper-based questionnaire to calculate life expectancy; reading text about the oldest living person or centenarian; news article on the fall in life expectancy on some parts of Africa; graphs showing population trends; listening text related to population change.

Expectations
By the end of the unit, most students will: apply understanding of word parts, relationships, and context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, to extend and generate new vocabulary; understand and respond to discussions in monologues or dialogues with two or more participants; actively participate in informal and more formal discussions; describe possible scenarios in the future; report what people say or believe; understand the purposes, organisation and typical language features of discussion texts; independently plan and compose their own writing on a variety of topics; plan and compose information texts of at least 15 sentences in three or more paragraphs, weighing arguments for and against an idea or issue; use common word-processing software to independently plan, compose, edit, present and save their own writing. Students who progress further will: compose information texts using complex sentences and a wide range of conjunctions; summarise a text about future scenarios using a range of reporting verbs. Students who make slower progress will: compose a text using varied sentence structure and common cohesive devices.

Key structures and functions

Future tenses and modals to express possibility and condition and describe continuous or long-term actions: According to Leroy Hood, life expectancy in the next three decades will increase by 1020 years thanks to advances in DNA sequencing, while some scientists believe that further advances in medical science may push life expectancy even further. In the next decade people will still be working when theyre in their seventies. Projections suggest that life expectancies in the UK will have increased by a further three years or so by 2020. Explaining statistics: Life expectancy has dramatically increased over the last few centuries of human history. Sub-Saharan Africa is an exception to this pattern and has seen significant falls in life expectancy due to disease in recent years.

Vocabulary
Life expectancy: longevity, demographics, etc. Statistics: increase, rise, decrease, decline, steadily, sharply, reach, accelerate, double, widen/narrow a gap, diverge, converge, etc. Connectives to express reasons and consequences: because of, due to, as a result of, owing to, therefore, as a consequence, consequently, for this reason, etc.

235 | Qatar English scheme of work | Grade 11A | Unit 11A.8 | Life expectancy

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Standards for the unit

10 hours
5 hours Life expectancy around the world 4 hours Statistics 1 hour Extensive reading 11A.2.1 10A.1.2

Unit 11A.8
CORE STANDARDS Grade 11A standards
11A.1.4 Use an advanced learners EnglishEnglish dictionary and a thesaurus in paper-based format and online. Use these resources to: find word meanings and alternative words and phrases to enhance speech and writing; define new vocabulary in simple English with alternative English phrases or expressions; check pronunciation of words and the part of speech. Consolidate understanding of affixes and word roots from Grades 710, and extend ability to recognise, investigate, and spell root words with a wider range of affixes; generate new words and guess the meaning of unknown words from affixes, to extend vocabulary and support spelling. Interact in group, paired and more formal discussion: actively participate, contributing relevant opinions, examples and suggestions to the discussion; challenge ideas and get the interlocutor to justify their point of view where appropriate; show independence by initiating new ideas and taking responsibility for keeping the discussion going; ability to deal with unexpected questions or comments. 12A.1.8 Extend use of an advanced learners EnglishEnglish dictionary and a thesaurus in paper-based format and online 12A.1.8

SUPPORTING STANDARDS including Grade 10A standards

Use an advanced learners English English dictionary.

EXTENSION STANDARDS including Grade 12A standards

Extend use of an advanced learners EnglishEnglish dictionary and a thesaurus in paper-based format and online.

11A.1.1

Recognise, understand and use approximately 4000 words for listening, speaking, reading and writing, extending and consolidating the active vocabulary words from Grades K9. Students regularly use these words throughout the year across the four skills, using topics and lexical sets to group them in meaningful, memorable contexts.

11A.4.3

11A.5.1

Consolidate the ability to talk about situations and events in the future, fixed, planned, spontaneous, predictable, probable or possible, using the full range of present and future tenses and time phrases as appropriate. Recognise a wide range of features of formal written English through reading a variety of genres. Note particularly: purpose and intended audience; language features use of discourse markers for explicit logical organisation, frequent use of modal verbs to express possibility, condition, and to stress the distance of the speaker; wider use of passive voice and indirect forms. 12A.6.3 Identify and interpret a wide range of features of formal written English through reading a variety of genres.

10A.6.3

Recognise a range of features of formal written English through reading a variety of genres.

11A.6.3

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10 hours
10A.7.8

SUPPORTING STANDARDS including Grade 10A standards

Read a variety of discussion, debate and argument texts which present and balance arguments from differing viewpoints: understand the purpose and typical organisational features of these texts recognise and understand the use of typical language features 11A.7.7

CORE STANDARDS Grade 11A standards

Read a variety of discussion, debate and argument texts which discuss and balance arguments from differing viewpoints: give a reasoned and critical opinion of the text in terms of both content and style and validity recognising the structure and organisation of the text, the typical language features; respond to, evaluate and criticise a range of discussion texts, commenting on the presentation of the arguments and weighing of evidence, views, bias and point of view, the validity of the conclusions drawn in relation to the internal coherence and objectivity of the arguments, the use of language to infer, imply, objectify, persuade etc.; present, justify and defend a short oral evaluation to others using notes made from reading and drawing on the evidence from the text(s). 11A.8.3 11A.8.5 Extend ability to independently apply skills of spelling using own knowledge, spelling strategies, dictionaries and spell-checkers. Independently review and edit own writing with the needs of an identified audience in mind. Drawing on experience of reading, compose information texts which present information based on personal knowledge or research, showing ability to: construct a plan in the form of notes, a summary, a flow-chart, concept map etc. showing the main elements and the connections between them, as a basis for writing; synthesise information from more than two written sources; select vocabulary and typical language to suit the purpose; use ICT to organise and present the text attractively and in ways that help the reader, by appropriately using headings, lists, paragraphs, diagrams, and illustrations that are drawn, scanned or pasted. 12A.9.3 12A.7.7

EXTENSION STANDARDS including Grade 12A standards

Respond to a variety of discussion, debate and argument texts which discuss and balance arguments from differing viewpoints: make notes while reading, and write a short critique (e.g. in the form of a response) drawing on evidence from the text(s);

11A.9.1

Independently compose texts of at least 20 sentences in a coherent structure using: connected paragraphs, as appropriate to the text; varied sentence structure, and choice of words and phrases for precision and effect; cohesion markers, such as lexical repetition, reference, ellipsis and substitution and use of pronouns for reference and cohesion.

11A.9.3

Drawing on experience of reading, compose information texts which present information based on personal knowledge or research,

237 | Qatar English scheme of work | Grade 11A | Unit 11A.8 | Life expectancy

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Activities
Objectives
5 hours Life expectancy around the world Students are able to: interact in paired and group discussions and more formal discussion, actively participating and contributing relevant opinions, examples and suggestions to the discussion and initiating new ideas; use English monolingual dictionaries to find word meanings, define new vocabulary in simple English and check pronunciation of words and the part of speech; use a range of connectives to express reasons and consequences; show comprehension by orally summarising a written text. Students work in groups and add to the lists. Discuss. Students complete a questionnaire to calculate their life expectancy. Before answering the questions, students scan the questionnaire to see if any of the questions match the list of factors developed in the previous activity. Students complete the questionnaire and discuss their scores, the validity of the questions. Students use dictionaries to find the meaning, pronunciation and use of words related to life expectancy that appear in listening and reading texts later in the unit, for example: longevity, demographics, LEDC and MEDC Questionnaires can be found online at: www.hksrch.com.hk/life.html www.bbc.co.uk/health/interactivearea/ living_100.shtml LEDC = less economically developed country MEDC = more economically developed country

Unit 11A.8
Possible teaching activities
Introduce the topic of life expectancy by asking students to guess the life expectancy of the average Qatari. Write answers on the board. Tick the correct answer. Highlight the root expect and discuss related words, for example: to expect, expecting, unexpected. Revise modals for expressing uncertainty, and connectives to express reasons and consequences for example: it could/might be thats why, because of, due to, as a result of, owing to, therefore, as a consequence, consequently, for this reason. In groups of 45, students discuss the following questions: Which country do you think has the highest life expectancy? Why? Which country do you think has the lowest life expectancy? Why? Do you think life expectancy for men and women is the same or different? If different, in what way and why are they different? Agree on a time limit for the discussion. When the time is up, elicit and discuss the answers. The UNDP HDR 2004, shows Japan has the highest life expectancy (81.5 years). The lowest life expectancies are in Africa because of famine, war, disease (HIV/AIDS) and general poor health (e.g. Malawi, 37.8 years; Sierra Leone, 34.3 years; Zimbabwe, 33.9 years; Zambia, 32.7 years). Women have higher life expectancies than men. Currently, worldwide life expectancy for all people is 63 years (males, 61 years; females, 65 years). Reasons for the difference between male and female life expectancy are not fully understood but may include: men tend to be in more dangerous occupations (e.g. mining, construction); men generally drink and smoke more than women. When students are working in groups encourage them to use language repair strategies to initiate, maintain and conclude conversations.

Notes
According to the UNDP Human Development Report (HDR) 2004, the life expectancy in Qatar is 72 years.

School resources
This column is blank for schools to note their own resources (e.g. textbooks, worksheets).

Enter the factors effecting life expectancy (from question 3 in the previous activity) into a table, depending on whether they increase or decrease life expectancy: Increase life expectancy gender (for females) Decrease life expectancy dangerous occupations alcohol smoking HIV/AIDS

238 | Qatar English scheme of work | Grade 11A | Unit 11A.8 | Life expectancy

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Objectives

Possible teaching activities

Students read a text about the oldest living person (or a centenarian) giving reasons for their longevity; they complete comprehension tasks. Students underline key information in the text and write a summary in 100 words using a range of reporting verbs and connectives to express reasons and consequences, for example: thats why, because of, due to, as a result of, owing to, therefore, as a consequence, consequently, for this reason. Tell students they are going to role-play the interview from the previous activity. Divide the class into two groups. One group takes the role of journalists and prepares questions. The other group skims the text again and prepares to answer questions. Join one person from each group to make pairs. Pairs rehearse and act out the role-play. Monitor for correct use of tenses and question forms. In pairs, students right up their interview in the style of a news report for a week-end magazine. They use typical organisational and language features of the genre (see standard 10A.9.3). Students work in three groups, A, B and C. Give each group a copy of one of the texts. They read the text noting the main points. Make new groups of three by taking one person from each of groups A, B and C. In their new groups, students orally summarise their text. They compare the content, noting any differences of opinion. They attempt to explain the reasons for the differences. Students report their findings to the rest of the class.

Notes

School resources

Make notes of common errors and address them in a whole-class situation after the role-plays have finished.

Prepare three texts from different sources about the health benefits of drinking tea.

4 hours Statistics Students are able to: make predictions, describe continuous or long-term actions in the future and contrast with specific actions and future states, using the future continuous, the will future and appropriate time phrases; [continued]

Students read a news report about the decrease in life expectancy in some parts of Africa. They respond to true/false statements that focus on the reporting of statistics in the text. Students complete exercises focusing on the use of present perfect to describe actions starting in the past and continuing until the present, and actions in the past with an effect in the present (e.g. The AIDS crisis has slashed the life expectancy in some parts of Africa to less than 33 years). Students complete vocabulary activities focusing on the use of powerful and expressive vocabulary to capture degrees or shades of meaning. For example, in the sentences given below, they discuss the use of the underlined words and contrast the effect with the use of more common words such as falling, hurts/damages, cut/reduced. The tumbling life expectancy in some African countries is a direct result of the HIV/AIDS crisis, the report says. The AIDS crisis cripples states at all levels because the disease attacks people in their most productive years. The AIDS crisis has slashed life expectancy.

A text on the fall in life expectancy in some African countries can be found at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/ -/2/hi/in_depth/3894733.stm

239 | Qatar English scheme of work | Grade 11A | Unit 11A.8 | Life expectancy

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Objectives
[continued] discuss possible scenarios in the future, based on hypothesis and supposition; use common wordprocessing software such as Microsoft Word to plan, compose, edit and present own writing; compose information texts.

Possible teaching activities

Display a graph showing population trends. Elicit sentences from the students, feeding in relevant vocabulary as necessary. Write key words on the board. Present students with clearly labelled graphs showing population trends. Students work in groups to interpret the graph and describe the trends. Students present their interpretations. Other groups listen to see if they agree or not. If possible, students read supporting text to check their interpretation. Carry out an exercise to practise the use of conjunctions to show sameness, contrast, cause and effect, continuation, etc. In groups students discuss the benefits and problems of an ageing population. They use conditional and hypothetical language including: first and second conditionals; modals will, can, could, may, might, be able to and their negative forms; connectives if, when, unless, provided (that), otherwise, suppose, supposing. Groups take turns to present their ideas. Students take turns to make notes on the board in two columns: Benefits and Problems. Tell students they are going to use the ideas on the board to write a short discussion essay of about 200 words about the benefits and problems of an aging population. Before they begin, outline a framework for the essay, for example: introduction; benefits of an ageing population; problems of an ageing population; conclusion. Remind students to use conjunctions, for example: An ageing population has several benefits. For example, the knowledge and skills of people can be tapped for longer, benefiting the country involved. An ageing population is usually accompanied with a decline in the number of children being born so there will be less need for money to be spent on schools and other provisions for the younger generation. However, there are also several problems associated with an ageing population as this means a need for more finances for pensions, increased health-care requirements and so on. Students listen to a discussion on the topic of ageing populations and complete comprehension tasks (e.g. respond to true/false or true/doesnt say statements, multiplechoice questions, identify sentences as fact or opinion). Students complete exercises focusing on structure (e.g. future tenses, use of modals to express possibility or certainty) and vocabulary.

Notes
Population pyramids and supporting text can be found at: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ geography/population/popchangestructurerev1. shtml

School resources

An interesting discussion on possible reasons for the narrowing gap between women and mens life expectancy can be found at: www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/ 2004_42_fri_01.shtml

240 | Qatar English scheme of work | Grade 11A | Unit 11A.8 | Life expectancy

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Objectives
1 hour Extensive reading Students are able to: read extensively from appropriately levelled texts, in a variety of genres in the text range identified for Grade 11 Advanced.

Possible teaching activities

Students read a book from a range of graded or appropriately levelled readers within the range identified for grade 11A. They may be given time to read their book in class and reading should be set for homework. Set a time in which students should complete a certain number of pages or chapters of the book and an activity that shows their understanding of the book. Activities will depend on the content of the book and can include: writing a book review asking for a summary and an opinion of the story or characters; responding to questions to show understanding of the main ideas; completing a table, graph or other diagram; language-focus activity (e.g. tense, use of adjectives; sequencing devices); role-playing characters in the book; discussing issues raised in the book; writing a letter as if from a character in the book; developing a story map.

Notes

School resources

241 | Qatar English scheme of work | Grade 11A | Unit 11A.8 | Life expectancy

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Assessment
Examples of assessment tasks and questions
Listening Students listen to a discussion on some aspect of life expectancy or population trends and respond to true/false statements or multiple-choice questions. In small groups, students interpret a graph and give possible reasons for the trends shown.

Unit 11A.8
Notes
Listening carries approximately 20% of the assessment weighting for this grade. Speaking carries approximately 30% of the assessment weighting for this grade.

School resources

Speaking

Reading Writing

Students read a gapped text about health and longevity and fill in the missing words. Students write a paragraph to explain the rise in life expectancy over the past 50 years.

Reading carries approximately 20% of the assessment weighting for this grade. Writing carries approximately 30% of the assessment weighting for this grade.

242 | Qatar English scheme of work | Grade 11A | Unit 11A.8 | Life expectancy

Education Institute 2005