Non-Language Arts

Modules
1. Sports Communication
2. Workplace communication
3. Social Issues
4. Debating

TOPIC 4 – SOCIAL By
Miss Tayyaba Bibi
ISSUES tbibi@eduhk.hk
CONTENT
 General Description – Module of Social Issues
 Teaching Objectives
 Text types
 Module Outline:
 Part 1: Identifying and analyzing social issues
 Part 2: Researching and gathering information
 Part 3: Presentation

 Group Task (Assignment 1.2)

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE
MODULE OF SOCIAL ISSUES
 to develop and consolidate their language skills through exploring and researching
on various social issues
 to expose students to a variety of resources through which they will learn
 to define issues/problems,
 analyze information,
 understand the arguments and use of language in the texts on these issues, and
 express their points of view about the issues through speaking and/or writing tasks
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
1. To help learners to understand and interpret ideas, information, facts, opinions,
intentions and arguments presented in written and spoken texts on social issues
2. To help learners to develop the skills of understanding and evaluating social issues
from various perspectives
3. To develop learners’ abilities to evaluate information from various sources and
carry out research using different methods (i.e. observation, surveys, interviews)
4. To enhance learners’ ability to plan and produce coherent and structured texts by
providing them with the opportunities to present information, views or arguments on
particular issues
TEXT TYPES RELATED TO
SOCIAL ISSUES
 Expository (Single-sided argumentative Essays)
 Discussion (Two-sided argumentative Essays)
 Editorials, i.e. Letter to the Editor
Genre: Persuasion
 Pamphlets
 Newspaper article
 TYPICAL GRAMMAR FORMS IN
PERSUASION GENRE
• range of verb types
• action verbs
• relating verbs to define, present reasons
• saying or reporting verbs to cite/ quote expert or other opinions
• some use of thinking or feeling verbs in the expression of opinions (early writers)
• modal verbs (should, must, might) and modal adverbs, e.g. usually, probably
• general, abstract and technical nouns as they relate to the issue
• attitudes expressed through evaluative language
• attitudes amplified or softened through vocabulary choices, adverbs
• comment adverbials at the beginning of a sentence e.g. surely, obviously
• conjunctions or connectives to link ideas, e.g. because, therefore, on the other hand
• declarative statements, may also include rhetorical questions
• passive voice
ASSESSMENT
Assessments: quizzes; paragraphs written on definitions, causes, effects and solutions; evaluation of
information; questionnaires and interviews; and written or spoken presentations.

Learners need to demonstrate their ability to:

• understand and interpret ideas and information in texts on social issues
• follow and evaluate arguments
• write about a social issue
• analyze and evaluate information from various sources
• carry out simple research using methods, e.g. surveys and interviews
• summarize a passage
• present a written or spoken text that incorporates a definition of a social problem, its causes and
effects, and offers solutions to it
 MODULE OUTLINE
Part 1 Identifying, Examining and Presenting Social Issues
• presents the idea of social issues to learners
• consider various ways social issues may affect them personally, their society and the world around
them.
• practice reading, identifying and writing definitions, causes and effects, and solutions to social
Part 2
problems.
Researching and Gathering Information on Social Issues
• develop strategies for evaluating information from different sources, and techniques for citing and
acknowledging sources.

Part 3 Presentation
• identify a social problem they are interested in, and carry out research on it
• define the issue, examine it and analyze it from different perspectives
• choose to present their work orally or in writing
 PART 1: IDENTIFYING, 1.
2.
What are Social Issues?
Analyzing the Causes and
EXAMINING AND Impact

PRESENTING SOCIAL ISSUES 3. Examining an Issue from

Various Perspectives
 Design of this activity promotes
interaction/ discussion.
ACT 1 - WHAT ARE SOCIAL - most of the social issues overlap with
one another

ISSUES? - end up with a great variety of

categories/ blend of social issues

A. Group the social issues according to your understanding of their nature

Gambling Low birth rate Sexual equality

School bullying Nuclear arms race Slimming culture

Food safety Poverty Animal rights

Environmental protection Air pollution Hunger

Drug use in sport
Alcoholism Abortion
Teen pregnancy
Privacy Crime

Fake goods Energy crisis  

1. environmental issues: environ protection/ air pollution/ energy crisis/ nuclear arms
race
2. Reproduction/ gender equality: low birth rate/ teenage pregnancy / abortion/
sexual equality
3. Health: slimming culture / teenager pregnancy / food safety / alcoholism / air
pollution/ abortion
4. Deception: drug use in sports / “fake news”/ fake goods
5 Rights: animal rights/ privacy/ sexual equality (capital punishment/ homosexuality/
racial discrimination)
 ACT 1 - WHAT ARE SOCIAL
ISSUES?
Suggested categories: (issues in brackets are those for more advanced/mature students)
 Environment: air pollution, energy crisis, environmental protection
 Health: alcoholism, food safety, hunger, slimming culture
 Violation of law / rules: crime, drug use in sport, fake goods, (pornography)
 Pregnancy: abortion, low birth rate, teen pregnancy
 Rights: animal rights, privacy, sexual equality, (capital punishment, homosexuality,
racial discrimination)
 Misuse of power or strength: school bullying, nuclear arms race
 Money: gambling, poverty
ACT 1 - WHAT ARE SOCIAL
ISSUES?
B. Criteria to make a topic a social issue:
1. A social issue is a problem which has caused wide public concern.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
 For advanced learners: to check their
ACT 1 - WHAT ARE SOCIAL understanding of the definition of social
issues by eliciting the definition from the

ISSUES? students

B. Criteria to make a topic a social issue:

1. A social issue is a problem which has caused wide public concern.
2. A social issue is a problem which has caused wide public concern.
3. A social issue should have a far reaching impact on the majority of people.
4. Social issues are usually controversial in nature.
5. Social issues often receive wide media coverage.
6. Social issues often involve a lot of emotions (e.g. anger, sympathy, frustration).
For beginners:
7. Social issues often involve value judgement.
Provide TRUE or FALSE statements and
allow students to decide.
 ACT 2 – IMPACT OF SOCIAL
ISSUES
Which of the social issues (in Act 1) have the biggest impact on the world, Hong Kong and you
respectively? Rank the impact of the issues in each case. Choose the top three and complete the
table below.
Three issues with the biggest impact Three issues with the biggest impact Three issues with the biggest
on the world on Hong Kong impact on you
e.g. Poverty e.g. Air pollution e.g. Slimming culture
     
Impact: It causes a lot of suffering Impact: It affects not only the health Impact: As a girl, I can feel the
like the lack of food, clean water and of Hong Kong people, but also the social pressure on me. I really like
medical care. This problem affects foreigners who wish to visit or work eating, but I have to watch my diet
millions of people all around the in Hong Kong. to stay slim.
world.
 Three issues with the biggest Three issues with the biggest Three issues with the biggest
impact on the world impact on Hong Kong impact on you

1. 1. 1.
Impact: Impact: Impact:

2. 2. 2.
Impact: Impact: Impact:

3. 3. 3.
Impact: Impact: Impact:
ACT 3. CAUSES & EFFECTS OF
SOCIAL ISSUES
Students will learn to:
identify how the causes and effects of a social issue are presented
organize the causes and effects of a social issue
present the causes and effects of a social issue using graphic organizers
 ACT 3. CAUSES & EFFECTS OF
SOCIAL ISSUES
Instructions:
Read the article of “Hunger”. In groups, identify the causes and effects using a
fishbone diagram and spider web respectively.
Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VBjxf5za84AUZ-TVDP2g2-1MliHsnhakmwr
Xm5pWmpA/edit?usp=sharing

Use whiteboard, MS Word, a piece of paper to draw your diagrams.

NOTE:
A fishbone diagram (also known as an Ishikawa diagram) and a spider map are two examples
of graphic organizers that are commonly used to present “causes and effects”.
SAMPLE GRAPHIC
ORGANIZERS
~15 mins break
ACT 4 – EXAMINING AN ISSUE
FROM VARIOUS
PERSPECTIVES
In your group, examine the assigned* social issue and complete the table. For each
issue:
 Identify the key stakeholders involved
 Explain how they are involved and what they might say
Download the table here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DOBhCFU-iqZidqgukzLoXWVbRS0UEETCRsiDfI
nVG-4/edit?usp=sharing

*Students attending class face-to-face: “Slimming Culture”

*Students attending class online: “Teenage Pregnancy”
PART 2: RESEARCHING AND
GATHERING INFORMATION 1. Acknowledging Sources of
Information
ON SOCIAL ISSUES
ACT 5 – ACKNOWLEDGING
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Imagine if someone copied the ideas or words from your work as if it was his /
her own, how would you feel? You would probably feel it was very unfair.
Therefore, it is essential that if we are using someone else’s ideas or words, we
give the credit to the original writer by telling the reader / audience where we got
the information.

The failure to acknowledge a source is known as plagiarism, which is a serious

academic offence.
 If the following statements are included in your research project, do you think you have to acknowledge the sources? Discuss
your answer in pairs.
Statements included in your research project Should you Your reasons
acknowledge
the sources?
e.g. Hong Kong’s population is about 7 million. It is a well-known fact.
Y/N
 
1. The Hong Kong economy has transformed to a knowledge-  
Y/N
based economy since the 1990’s.
2. Hong Kong primary students spend a daily average of 2.6  
hours watching TV. Y / N
3. The media is a powerful tool in shaping social values.  
Y/N
4. As at the end of March 2008, the number of Comprehensive  
Social Security Assistance cases was 285,773. Y/N

5. British rule of Hong Kong was handed over to China on 1  

July 1997. Y/N

6. The blanket of greenhouse gases keeps the planet about 15ºC  

Y/N
warmer than it would be without the cover.
ACT 5 – ACKNOWLEDGING
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
From the table, we can see that acknowledgement of the source is necessary if the
information:
1. is an expert opinion (i.e. information which can be only collected from another source, but
not known to the general public, e.g. statistics, scientific findings, unusual examples)
2. consists of words or graphical information directly lifted from another text
3. consists of ideas collected from another text in a large amount (e.g. a whole paragraph)
even though they may have been rephrased
 
Consolidation:
As homework, look for examples of acknowledgement of sources from printed materials or the
Internet. Identify the reasons why the sources are acknowledged.
 ACT 6 – CITING SOURCES
Below is a paragraph you have read in your research project. You would like to
include some information used in the report for your research results.
Source information
Text: Renewable Energy Development in Hong Kong
Authors: Dr. K.M. Leung and Jimmy W.W. Hui
Date: 8 April 2004
URL: http://www.emsd.gov.hk/emsd/e_download/wnew/conf_papers/drpt045.pdf

When we discuss the topic of sustainable energy supply, there are actually many issues and problems
surrounding us, and there is no single magic solution. The two important measures* that policy* makers in
many countries usually have accorded high priority to are the promotion of energy efficiency and conservation,
and exploitation of renewable energy sources. These two measures, one addressing the demand-side and the
other addressing the supply-side, still cannot solve all of our problems. We have yet to explore other measures.
Nonetheless, they are ranked high in our list of measures. That is why the Energy Efficiency Office of the
Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, established in 1994, not only implements* energy efficiency
initiatives, but also looks into the potential for wide-scale application of renewable energy in Hong Kong.
ACT 6 – CITING SOURCES
The following texts present three possible ways in which you can incorporate some
of the ideas in the paragraph in your research report.
ACT 6 – CITING SOURCES
Which of the three texts includes words directly copied from the source?
B -- Direct quotation
Text ____
Which of the texts is a summary of the main ideas in your own words?
C -- Summary
Text ____
Which of the texts is a rewritten version in your own words?
A -- Paraphrase
Text ____
 PART 3: 1. Presenting Social Issues in

PRESENTATION writing or orally

ONLINE RESOURCES
For statistics categorized by social issues, the following website can be referred to:
http://www.oecd.org
For a comprehensive bank of useful resources on different social issues, teachers
may refer to the following websites:
http://www.multcolib.org/homework/sochc.html#anim
 ASSIGNMENT 1 (1.2): EXTENDED
GROUP TASK
1. In groups of 3, study the materials & task description provided.  
Design a unit outline: 
2. Design at least 6 comprehension questions on the reading passage, and 6 questions
on the video.  The following questions must be included:
1. reading/listening for specific information
2. reading/ listening for details Due: 30th Oct 23:59
3. Inferring meanings of unfamiliar words from context Submit ONE document with links to all
4. reading/listening for implied meanings the materials via Moodle
5. reading/listening for gist/main ideas
6. summarizing with scaffolding, e.g. cloze passage
3. Devise at least 3 debate motions for a follow-up speaking task.   
4. Design one writing task (an extended text, totaling to at least 250 words)
5. List topic-related vocabulary and grammatical patterns that you will tackle in the unit