Your Phone Is a Casino

Start with the lead-in slides before playing any video. The first slide shows three images, so ask students what they see and how the images might connect to phones or apps. Give them a minute to think, then take a few answers. The second lead-in has students brainstorm pros and cons for three topics: checking your phone in the morning, deleting social media, and watching short videos. Pairs work well here. Give them three or four minutes, then open it up to the group.

Move to vocabulary next. Students read the ten sentences and explain the bold words in their own words. This works best before the definitions slide, so they have to think a little first. Go through slide four together after and clear up anything that didn’t land. The video preview on slide five is worth doing slowly. Read the paragraph together and ask students to pick the best ending. There’s a clear right answer, but the discussion around why the other options don’t work is useful for phone addiction and media literacy vocabulary.

The video is just under a minute. Play it twice as the slide says. After the second viewing, move to the comprehension questions on slides seven and eight. Students can write answers first, then compare with a partner. The “write a question” activity on slide eleven is a good way to recycle the vocabulary before discussion. Students have the answers and need to produce the question, which flips the usual format and works well with B1 learners.

Close with the speaking activity on slide thirteen. Students write a one-minute honest review of their most-used app but frame it as a casino review. Give them a few minutes to prepare. This activity ties the phone addiction theme together and gives students a clear reason to use all ten vocabulary words.