Note : All Viralelt posts share the same structure. Teacher’s notes appear only on How to use Viralelt. This is done to keep “teacher text” to a minimum and avoid repetition.
- What do you think of the video you’ve just seen? Will it make you think twice before taking your next “selfie”?
- When and why do people decide to take “selfies”? Are we becoming too self-obsessed and narcissistic? How often and on what occasions do you take “selfies”?
- It has always been possible to take a photo of yourself. When and why did people start talking about “selfies”? Is a photo of yourself always a “selfie”?
- What do you think of people who try and take “selfies” with famous people? If you saw a famous person, would you be tempted to try and take a “selfie” with them?
- What does it mean to be photogenic? How photogenic are you? How many photos of yourself do you have to take before feeling happy with one?
- Do you think most people like having their photos taken? Do you like having yours taken? What about if somebody you don’t know takes a photo of you without asking?
- Describe the profile photos you use on social media. How often do you change them? What makes a good and bad profile photo?
- Some people take tasteless, inappropriate or dangerous “selfies”. Can you think of any places or situations in which you shouldn’t really take a “selfie”?
- What’s your opinion of the fashion for “selfie sticks”? Do you think it will last? How useful are they? Do you think they should be banned in some places?
- How private are the “selfies” that people take? What do you think of people who send sexy “selfies” to their partners, like the young woman in the video? What do you know about a mobile app called Snapchat?
Which two of the above questions are being discussed?
Download “Question time” and the “Sitting comfortably?” script in an editable Word document here.
Optional activity 1 : “Over-your-shoulder selfie” task
Inspired by Ken Wilson, whose head and shoulders appear in the photos below. Thanks, Ken.
Ask your students to take an “over-your-shoulder selfie” in preparation for the next lesson. Their photos should include their face (or half of it) and something meaningful to them in the background. You can leave the choice of subject up to them, but you might like to give them a few suggestions, e.g. a place, a friend or family member, an object, a sporting or cultural event, a form of transport, a meal etc. Tell them they should bring their photos to the following class and be prepared to talk and/or write about them. Discourage anything too scary or dangerous.
Optional activity 2 : Research a viral “selfie”
Organise your class into groups (min. 3 sts , max 7 sts). Allot each student one of the viral “selfies” below and the words they should use to research their image. Give them 10 minutes to use their phones/tablets to find out as much they can about their allotted “selfie”. When their time’s up, ask them to share what they have discovered with the other members of their group.
Students should use the following search terms
Image 1 : Robert Cornelius selfie
Image 2 : Ellen DeGeneres selfie
Image 3 : Brooklyn Bridge self-ish (note: self-ish not selfie)
Image 4 : Angela Merkel refugees selfies
Image 5 : David McCarthy selfie
Image 6 : Thorning-Schmidt Obama selfie
Image 7 : Breanna Mitchell selfie
Optional activity 3 : When it’s better to keep your “selfie” to yourself
Refer your students back to question 8 in Questiontime and ask them to discuss why the following “selfies” might be considered tasteless, inappropriate or dangerous.
Thanks for dropping by! | Viralelt by Tefltecher
.
viralelt.wordpress.com 