This video is full of facts and plot-twists and so is a particularly interesting watch. It focuses on how the United Fruit Company managed to manipulate the American and Guatemalan governments and CIA, create a coup al in the name of low prices. Topic-wise, It connects to (banana) production, coups and corruption as well as our obsession with cheap and convenient products so there is plenty of potential to visit if from different angles.
The video is quite fast-paced and students need to have a reasonable degree of worldly knowledge so it’s more suitable for (smart) upper-intermediate or advanced groups.
A few teaching highlights……
- What is the definition of a ‘banana republic’?
- Where does the expression come from?
- What is the connection between bananas and communism?
- How did a fruit company cause a coup?
and then…
- There is also the potential for debate on modern-day consumerism
- What would have happened if the fruit company hadn’t interfered? (third conditional practice)
- there are several articles in the folder for background information as well as some additional language material (idioms with fruit, for example)
LESSON FOLDER ON GOOGLE DRIVE
In the lesson folder on Google Drive, you will find:
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- a lesson plan
- Suggested questions / conversation topics
- Transcript with difficult vocabulary highlighted
- subtitle (srt) file
- image to share
- background articles to help prepare
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