• Reading, speaking

• Memes, social media, advice

• B1+/B2

• Individually, groupwork

• 85 minutes

Memes, the internet is full of them. They make us laugh, we can relate to them and we even communicate by means of them. But sometimes we forget to recognise that the person in the meme is a real human being too. What really happens to the people who appear in memes? What do they think about their fame nowadays? In the article ‘Once a meme…’ the writer tracks down the people behind the world’s most famous memes to find out. Students learn and discuss about memes and the -sometimes- unwanted attention they bring with them. Finally, there is a speaking exercise that takes the form of a roleplay. Students imagine they themselves appear as a meme that is rapidly going viral and give each other advice.

Activities

Click here for the assignments.

This learning activity starts with assignment 15, in which students team up and discuss some questions about what they already know about memes. Subsequently, they read the article ‘Once a meme…’. In assignment 16 they answer questions about this text. Assignment 17 focusses on phrasal verbs: students complete the sentences with the correct preposition(s). Assignment 18 is again a reading exercise, in which they fill in the blanks in a short text fragment. In assignment 19 students practice with giving advice. They think about what they would say to people in different situations and write down their advice for them. The final exercise is assignment 20, in which students engage in a roleplay. They have a personal conversation, using speech cards. How would they feel if a picture or video of them goes viral and becomes a meme? And what advice would they give to their friend?

This article was published in WaspReporter issue 19.1 (September 2020). Are you interested in purchasing a single issue or a year-round subscription? Click here.