Title: How to become famous?

Lesson plan elaborated by: Katarzyna Maciejak

Topic:

Fame and success. Ways of self‑presentation.

Target group

8th‑grade students of an elementary school.

Core curriculum

I. Literary and cultural education.

1. Reading literary works. Student:

9) uses, in the interpretation of literary works, references to universal values related to social, national, religious and ethical attitudes and prioritises them;

11) uses in the interpretation of literary works the necessary contexts, eg biographical, historical, historical‑literary, cultural, philosophical, and social.

2. Receipt of cultural texts. Student:

2) organises information depending on their function in the message.

II. Language education.

2. Differentiation of language. Student:

6) distinguishes the content and scope of the word.

3. Language communication and language culture. Student:

1. understands what language politeness consists of and uses it in the statements.

III. Creating statements.

1. Elements of rhetoric. Student:

1) functionally uses rhetorical means and understands their impact on the recipient;

2) collects and organizes the material material needed to create statements; edits the compositional plan of his own statement;

7) agrees with other people's views or polemicizes with them, substantively justifying their own opinion;

9) recognizes linguistic manipulation and contrasts it with the principles of ethics of expression.

2. Speaking and writing. Student:

1) creates consistent statements in the following genre forms: review, essay, application, resume, CV, cover letter, speech, interview;

IV. Self‑study. Student:

1) reliably, with respect for copyrights, uses information;

6) develops skills of independent presentation of the results of their work.

The general aim of education

Students learn different self‑presentation tactics.

Key competences

• communication in the mother tongue;

• communication in foreign languages;

• learning to learn;

• cultural awareness and expression.

Operational objectives

Student:

• uses phrases related to fame;

• characterises different ways of achieving fame;

• analyses images of famous people;

• distinguishes basic self‑presentation tactics.

Teaching methods / techniques

• giving: talk;

• practical: the main text, subject exercises;

• programmed: using a computer, using an e‑manual.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• work in pairs;

• work in groups;

• collective activity.

Lesson plan overview (Process)

Introduction

1. The teacher determines the purpose of the class: the students will discuss what is fame and will learn about the self‑presentation strategies.

2. The teacher asks what is fame and asks the students to write their own definition of this term. The students create the association map to the word “fame”.

Realization

1. Set phrases connected with fame and success – an interactive exercise number 1.

2. The teacher describes briefly the profile of Witold Gombrowicz and asks the students to read the fragment of “The Diary”.

3. Comprehension questions to the text. The students answer the questions: about the recipient of “The Diary”, about the definition of modesty according to Gombrowicz (exercise), 2) and the way of perceiving talent by the writer 3).

4. The teacher starts the discussion about the phenomena of celebritism and the ways of creating the image in the media. Students work in pairs and create the definition of a celebrity, then share their findings in class (the teacher may ask about the reasons of this phenomena development, its cultural functions, etc.) The teacher should point out the differences between being famous and being a celebrity. The teacher asks the students if people nowadays have to earn the fame in some way, maybe they should have some unique features, knowledge or skills. The discussion should touch the issue of “You Tubers”, vloggers and why are they famous.

5. Analysis of the famous person profile. The students work in groups and look at the media information about a chosen famous person (materials prepared before the lesson). The students describe the ways of creating the image (appearance, surrounding), read the information on this person and think, what elements are important in the process of creating the public image.

6. Self‑presentation strategies. The students watch the presentation (interactive map) about the most popular self‑presentation strategies and think if any of them are used by the people described in the previous exercise.

Summary

The teacher asks the questions through which the students can summarise the lesson, i.e.:

• Can fame be earned?

• A famous writer and a celebrity – what are differences and similarities?

• What self‑presentation strategies are used by the contemporary celebrities?

Homework

Write an essay on the following topic: “Can you be yourself being famous?”.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

How to become famous?

Prepare some information about a famous person (use the information from the media - a few photos and short texts). It can be a pop star, a sportsman or a politician.

Fame... Many people dream about fame, they are interested in the celebrities, actors, singers or sportsman’s lives... However, there is something ambiguous in fame. Fame very often means appearances and emptiness. People who compete in the race for fame are very often perceived in a negative way, their behaviour is seen as a vanity and selfishness. Can we dream of fame and not expose ourselves to the similar accusations?

Witold Gombrowicz (1904‑1969), one of the best known Polish writers in the world, was sceptical about fame. On the one hand, he treated with suspicion fame that was unmerited or apparent, on the other hand, he wanted himself and his books to be famous. He was convinced that the fame should be earned, and it is not guaranteed only by the fact of being a writer. He called himself a genius. It is easy to guess that many readers and literary critics could not bear it.

Witold Gombrowicz letters were published in the collection entitled Fight for fame. At that time his efforts to become popular, and the constant writing about himself and his own works seemed scandalous for many people. Today, similar behaviour is not surprising. In the colour magazines and on the Internet we can observe celebrities deliberately directing their careers. Very often the following rule applies: it doesn't matter what people say about you, as long as they're talking about you.