BRAIN ROT: OXFORD WORD OF THE YEAR 2024

ALL SKILLS
INDIVIDUAL AND WHOLE-CLASS
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE

In today’s fast-paced digital world, slang evolves as quickly as the trends we scroll past daily. This lesson plan dives into the term 'brain rot', Oxford's Word of the Year 2024, to help students explore how language reflects our relationship with online culture. By examining its origins, usage, and implications, students will engage critically with the content they consume every day, drawing connections to the overwhelming media presence of figures like Chiara Ferragni, Fedez, and Fabrizio Corona.

LESSON PLAN:

Objective: students will understand the term 'brain rot', its origins, current usage, and implications in digital culture.

1️⃣ Warm-Up (10 minutes):

- Begin with a class discussion on recent slang terms students have encountered online.

- Introduce the term 'brain rot' and ask students if they are familiar with it.

- Show the video: "What is brain rot? Teens explain why it's weird and fun" ((https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfaxXqiCSiQ) to provide context.

- Discuss how social media constantly bombards us with news and content, such as the ongoing coverage of Chiara Ferragni, Fedez, and Fabrizio Corona. Ask students if they feel overwhelmed by such information and how it relates to 'brain rot'.

2️⃣ Reading activity (15 minutes):

- Divide students into small groups and assign each group a section of the blog post "'Brain rot' named Oxford Word of the Year 2024” by Oxford University Press (link: https://corp.oup.com/news/brain-rot-named-oxford-word-of-the-year-2024/);

- Each group reads their section and identifies key points about 'brain rot’;

- Groups summarise their findings to the class.

3️⃣ Vocabulary and usage (10 minutes):

- Highlight key terms from the reading, such as 'trivial', 'unchallenging', 'overconsumption', and 'online culture’;

- Discuss the meanings and usage of these terms in context;

- Explore how 'brain rot' can function as both a noun and an adjective.

4️⃣ Discussion (15 minutes):

- Ask questions to the class:

What are some examples of 'brain rot' content you've encountered?
Do you think consuming such content affects your mental state? How?
Why do you think 'brain rot' was chosen as the Word of the Year in 2024?
How do social media trends like the constant updates on Chiara Ferragni, Fedez, and Fabrizio Corona contribute to 'brain rot'?

- Encourage students to share their perspectives and experiences.

5️⃣ Critical thinking activity (10 minutes):

- Present a scenario where a person spends excessive time on low-quality online content.

- In pairs, students discuss potential impacts on the individual's daily life and mental health.

- Pairs share their conclusions with the class.

6️⃣ Wrap-up (5 minutes):

- Summarise the key points discussed during the lesson.

- Assign a short reflective writing task: "In your opinion, how can individuals balance consuming entertaining content and maintaining mental well-being?”.

Homework:

Ask students to do a research on other WOTYs like enshittification, polarization, demure, brat, (to) manifest selected by other online dictionaries like Dictionary.com, Collins and Cambridge Dictionary.

Assessment:

Participation in discussions and activities.

Quality of insights shared during the critical thinking activity.

Completion and thoughtfulness of the reflective writing task.

#BrainRot #WordOfTheYear2024 #ESLlesson #DigitalCulture #CriticalThinking #SocialMediaTrends

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