Unit 4 · Looking Good · Lesson 4

Describe What Makes a Person Beautiful

A book-style interactive lesson about self-words, body image, media messages, beauty on the outside and inside, and Unit 4 checkpoint practice.

Lesson Goals

  1. Use words with the prefix self-.
  2. Understand a reading about media and body image.
  3. Check comprehension with no-writing activities.
  4. Review Unit 4 checkpoint skills.
Progress
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Book Reference Pages

Open the pages, then complete the interactive sections below.

Open / close Reading pageReading page
Open / close Discussion Builder pageDiscussion Builder page
Open / close Unit 4 Checkpoint pageCheckpoint page
A

Word Skills · Using the prefix self-

Audio 12 · Word Skills
4

Describe what makes a person beautiful

NOUNS

self-confidence — the belief that one has the ability to do things well.
Parents can build their children’s self-confidence by praising their accomplishments.

self-esteem — the attitude of acceptance and approval of oneself.
High self-esteem can help a person succeed.

self-image — the opinion one has about one’s own abilities, appearance, and character.

self-pity — the feeling of being sorry for oneself.

ADJECTIVES

self-centered — interested only in oneself.

self-confident — sure of oneself; not shy or nervous in social situations.

self-conscious — worried about what one looks like or what other people think of one’s appearance.

self-critical — tending to find fault with oneself.

No-writing practice · Match the words

1. A person who believes he or she can do things well has strong...
2. Someone who worries too much about appearance is...
3. A person who only thinks about himself or herself is...
4. The opinion someone has about their own appearance and character is...

Categorize the self- words

self-esteem
self-confident
self-pity
self-critical
C

Reading · Who Defines Beauty?

Audio 13 · Reading
4

Describe what makes a person beautiful

fashion model
The average fashion model is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 117 pounds. The average woman is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds.

WHO
DEFINES
BEAUTY?

“Am I not pretty enough?
Is my heart too broken?
Do I cry too much?
Am I too outspoken?
Don’t I make you laugh?
Should I try harder?
Why do you see right through me?”

What makes a girl beautiful? The lines above are from the song “Not Pretty Enough,” written and performed by Kasey Chambers, an Australian folk-rock singer and songwriter. The words tell us a lot about what it’s like to be female in a society in which media such as television, movies, and magazines define what it means to be beautiful.

In cultures where success and happiness are equated with being thin and attractive “just like models or movie stars,” many young women are left feeling either invisible or fat and unaccepted.

It might not surprise you to read that 75 percent of women in the United States think that they are “too fat.” But many people do not realize how these ideas about body image have affected teenagers and children. You don’t have to look much farther than a billboard sign, magazine advertisement, or popular television show to see how girls and women are being presented and to understand how it affects them.

  • Girls aged eleven to seventeen often wish to be thinner.
  • Between ages ten and fourteen, the percentage of girls who are happy with the way they are drops sharply.
  • Many ten-year-old girls are already on diets.
  • Teenage cosmetic surgeries have increased quickly.
  • Many girls have wanted to look like an actress.

Young people can benefit from realizing how much they are being targeted as a consumer group and how media messages are used to either sell them products or convey messages about body image, self-esteem, social values, and behavior.

D

Reading Comprehension · No Writing

1. The media can be damaging to a young person’s...
2. If girls had more _____, they would not want to look like fashion models.
3. Before the age of ten, most girls are...
4. After the age of ten, a lot of teenage girls suffer from...

Extra comprehension questions

5. The song lyrics mainly express...
6. According to the article, media messages often connect beauty with...
7. The writer wants young people to realize that they are being targeted as...
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Discussion Builder · Now describe what makes a person beautiful

DISCUSSION BUILDER · Now describe what makes a person beautiful.

Step 1 · Tap the survey number

How much do you agree with each statement about men and women in your country?

Statement
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1. Most women are self-conscious about their bodies.
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2. Most men are self-conscious about their bodies.
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3. Most women are self-conscious about their faces.
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4. Most men are self-conscious about their faces.
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5. Most women want to look more like people in the media.
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6. Most men want to look more like people in the media.
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7. Most women think beauty is not important.
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8. Most men think beauty is not important.
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Step 2 · Outside and inside beauty

Beauty on the outside

Beauty on the inside

Step 3 · Speaking prompts

Prompt 1
Which matters more to you: outside beauty or inside beauty?
Prompt 2
Can people be attractive without trying to look perfect?
Prompt 3
Should people accept their appearance or try to change it?
✓

Unit 4 Checkpoint

UNIT 4 CHECKPOINTNo writing boxes

A · Listening Comprehension

Audio 14 · Checkpoint Listening
1. The man thinks the suit is...
2. The woman thinks the dress is...
3. The man thinks the tie is...
4. The woman thinks the shoes are...

B · Complete the statements

1. A set of rules for how to dress in a particular situation is a dress...
2. Some companies allow employees to wear “business _____” on Fridays.
3. Some companies allow employees to dress _____ for some business meetings.
4. When a fashion is _____, people no longer wear it.
5. When a fashion is _____, everyone wants to wear it.

C · Cross out the one quantifier that cannot be used

1. (Every / A few / Most) older people find today’s fashions pretty shocking.
2. Our company allows us to dress down (one / a couple of / a few) days a week.
3. (Most / Many / Every) young girls aren’t worried about the way they look.
4. (Much / A majority of / A number of) researchers are concerned about the effect of media.
5. (Many / Most / Much) men wore their hair very short in the 1930s.
6. I’d say your sister could use (some / a little / a few) fashion help.
7. There are (several / most / many) reasons why many people have eating disorders.
8. A new study says that (most / many / every) children who watch TV for more than six hours a day may have self-esteem problems.

D · Writing skill without writing boxes

1. Which sentence gives a clear opinion about beauty?
2. Which example best supports “Beauty is only skin-deep”?
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Final No-Writing Practice

1. Which pair best contrasts outside and inside beauty?
2. A person with low self-esteem usually...
3. A healthy media message about beauty should encourage people to...
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