3 UNIT 6 - Why Can't I Stop Procrastinating

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Ms. Santana
UNIT 6 - Why Can't I Stop Procrastinating?
Nesta Unidade você vai: 
- Discutir e refletir a respeito de atividades e projetos escolares;
- Compreender e usar o tempo verbal Future Continuous e verbos seguidos de gerúndio ou de infinitivo;
- Explorar textos acadêmicos e científicos;
- Relacionar os conteúdos com as disciplinas de Psicologia e Biologia.
Look at the image below, think about it and discuss the following questions with your classmates.
a) Imagine you have something to do. Would you press the red key or the green one? Why?
b) Do you always put off until tomorrow what you can do today?
c) If so, are you willing to change that habit?
LET'S START
1. Read the cartoon below and, in your notebook, answer the following questions.
FONTE: WATTERSON, Bill. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. In: Book Three: May 21 (1992-1995). CRÉDITOS: © 1992 Watterson/Dist. by Universal Uclick
a) What school assignment does Calvin have to do?
b) Has he started writing it yet?
c) Why is that?
d) Do you have many assignments at school?
e) Do you usually wait for inspiration to start your school assignments?
2. What kind of activities do you have at school? Check the options below and use your notebook to write down the ones that are true for you. You may add your own ideas to the list. Then discuss the following questions in small groups.
a) Interdisciplinary projects.
b) Sports competitions.
c) Science Fair.
d) Scientific Initiation. 
e) Celebrations.
f) Math Olympiad.
g) Extracurricular activities.
h) Others. 
3. Do you take part in any of the activities mentioned above? Which one(s)?
4. Which one(s) do you like most? Why?
5. What activities would you like to have at school?
READING
BEFORE YOU READ
1. Do you always meet your school assignment deadlines?
2. Imagine you have a school assignment due in two days. What would you probably do? 
Choose the answer that fits you and write it down in your notebook.
a) You'd think: "That paper is just one of many items on my to-do list". Then you'd make a snack, organize your desk, feed your fish" And think: "There's so much to do."
b) You'd sit down at your desk. Then you'd surf some social media websites, check notifications on your phone, text some friends. Finally, you'd realize an hour had gone by.
c) You'd sit down at your desk, write a first draft, take a quick break, go back and revise it. Then you would finish it.
d) You'd sit down at your desk. Then you'd freak out about how long the paper would take. So you'd decide to watch TV or play some video game instead.
e) You'd put it off. You work better under pressure. 
3. The text you are going to read is about procrastination. Read the definition below and answer the following questions.
What is Procrastination?
In a nutshell, you procrastinate when you put off things that you should be focusing on right now, usually in favor of doing something that is more enjoyable or that you're more comfortable doing.
Available at: www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm. Accessed on: March 28, 2016. (Fragment).
a) Why do you think people procrastinate?
b) Observe the source of the text below. What is the target audience?
c) How do you think the topic of the text relates to its target audience?
FONTE: KAMINSKI, Margaret. Choices: The Award-winning Health & Life Skills Magazine for Teens. Available at: http://choices.scholastic.com/story/why-cant-i-stop-procrastinating. Accessed on: March 28, 2016. (Fragment). CRÉDITOS: Reprodução/choices.scholastic.com
General Comprehension
What's the main idea of the text?
a) People procrastinate because they're lazy.
b) Getting things done right away is the worst way of avoiding stress.
c) The busy bee, the multitasker, the thrill seeker and the avoider are four different kinds of lazy people.
d) Most of us delay doing things until later, but it's possible to change that habit by following some of the tips given in the text.
Detailed Comprehension
1. According to the text, what's the most common reason for procrastination?
2. Is the statement below true or false? Justify your answer with an excerpt from the text.
"Once you begin to procrastinate, you will always be like this."
3. The text describes four styles of procrastination, represented by "the thrill seeker", "the busy bee", "the avoider" and "the multitasker". Observe the pictures below and identify each of the four styles based on the descriptions given in the text.
 
4. The text gives some tips about people who fit different procrastination styles. Read the tips below and write down who they are referring to (the busy bee, the multitasker, the avoider, the thrill seeker).
a) Divide your tasks into smaller ones.
b) Set your own time limits for your tasks.
c) Relax, close your eyes, inhale air slowly and release it between your lips.
d) Work for some time, then get a small break, work for some time again until you get another break.
AFTER YOU READ
1. Go back to the comic strip on page 98 and answer the following question in your notebook.
Judging from the situation in the cartoon and the procrastination styles described in the text, what is Calvin's style - the multitasker, the avoider, the thrill seeker or the busy bee? Justify your answer.
2. Discuss the following questions with a classmate. Justify all your answers.
a) In your opinion, do some adults usually procrastinate? Or is this all about teens?
b) Do you think the tips in the text are practical?
c) Do you usually put off things you have to do? What if it's something you enjoy doing?
d) What things at school do you enjoy doing? Do you ever put them off?
Pronunciation Tips
The words in the box below are from the text Why Can't I Stop Procrastinating? Each of those words rhymes with another one in the statements a to l. In your notebook, complete the twelve statements with the correct words, as appropriate. Complete sentences and check your answers. 
1. What kind of extracurricular activities are mentioned in the text?
2. According to the text, what are some benefits of those activities for students?
3. The text you read is an abstract of some research. Read the information below and do the following activities in your notebook.
 Abstracts are important parts of reports and research papers and sometimes academic assignments. The first thing people read when they want to have a quick overview of the whole paper.
Available at: www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/learning_guides/learningGuide_writingAnAbstract.pdf. Accessed on: March 28, 2016.
a) Check the characteristics you find in the abstract you read.
a) It uses informal language.
b) It contains only one paragraph.
c) It refers to other researches on the same topic.
b) Go back to the abstract above and use your notebook to transcribe an excerpt that contains the description of the research purpose.
4. The research was published by the Institute of Educational Sciences. Do you think research in this area is important? Justify.
WORD STUDY
A False Cognate
The word in bold in the sentence below looks similar to another word in Portuguese, but its meaning is different. Choose the option that corresponds to its true meaning in Portuguese.
"Find your procrastination style, then try to fix it. [...]"
a) fixar
b) fixar-se
c) consertar
Opposites
The words in the first column were taken from the text on page 99. Match them to the words in the second column that have opposite meanings.
First column:
a) laziness
b) awkwardness
c) boredom
d) anxiety
e) huge
f) tough
g) breathe in
h) waste
i) chunk
j) reward
Second column:
1) easy
2) save
3) punishment
4) small piece
5) grace, elegance
6) calm, calmness
7) diligence
8) interest, satisfaction
9) tiny
10) breathe out
Which is What?
Scan the text on page 99 and, in your notebook, do the following activities.
a) Which of the emotions or features listed below are positive? Which ones are negative? In your notebook, write down (P) for positive or (N) for negative, accordingly.
a) Stress.
b) Boredom.c) Thrill.
d) Laziness.
e) Awkwardness.
f) Anxiety.
b) Which of the activities listed below are generally done outdoors? Which are done indoors? Mark (O) for outdoor activities or (I) for indoor ones, accordingly.
a) Walk the dog.
b) Get a bus ride from school.
c) Go for a run.
d) Brush your teeth.
e) Be in the driver's seat.
f) Walk into an algebra test.
c) Which of the activities listed below are physical and which are mental? Mark (P) for physical activities or (M) for mental ones, accordingly.
a) Breathing in through your nose.
b) Meditating.
c) Breathing out through your mouth.
d) Getting hit by an anxiety blackout.
e) Having a tantrum.
f) Flushing the toilet.
g) Feeling bored.