Meditation in Science and Mindfulness at School

Meditation has been practised for centuries by various religious traditions to have a break from mundane pressures and to ease your worries. Lately, meditation has become increasingly popular among non-religious people as a way to focus your mind, and cope with stress and anxiety.  The article "Does meditation actually work? This is what the science says" by Judhijit Bhattacharjee on National Geographic explores how some scientific studies are trying to shed light on the benefits of meditation for mental health. This article is conceptually complex at times so, it is suitable for C1 students, who will encounter formal words like: to settle down, a [floor] mat, a worship [room], a deity, a throne, a [prayer] bead, to chant, a whisper, to enhance, [to be] rooted, a quest, enlightenment, to conduct [a study], to trigger [anxiety], to glow, mild, to shed [a fearful response], a [brain] scan, an MRI scan, to rely on [someting], a headband, rife [with stress], to strive [to apply it], a wispy [beard], assault, wrestling, flustered.

Many U.S. and British schools offer mindfulness programmes and apps to help kids concentrate and overcome negative emotions. You can listen to NPR's report "To help these school kids deal with trauma, mindfulness lessons over the loudspeaker" (6:34) by Pien Huang to learn more about how mindfulness practice is implemented in a Florida public school. This radio article can be accessible to B2+ students with the script and C1 learners without it, who will find interesting colloquial phrasal verbs and expressions like: loudspeaker, to cope with, packed, to hang out, to catch up, [apple] strudel, a wrapper, a [banana] peel, to line [the kids] up, to assemble, [your body is] still, to focus, homelessness, increasingly [popular], to shrink [the brain], a trait, to enhance [well-being], to show up [in school], forgiveness, to fidget, to let [that] go, to relieve [stress], to take it out on [somebody], an assignment, to draw on [something], to distill [the teachings], to tune into [sounds], to handle [sense awareness], to be dragged [around] [by their thoughts], [to feel] empowered, to scale up, a [shark] fin, to shape up [well], to hug, to high-five, to applaud, to have a hard time.

If you can find a partner to talk to, here you can find some Conversation Questions about "Meditation", from ESL Conversation Topics, with vocabulary to activate during the conversation. This speaking task can be done by B2+ students and above.

For extra information, you can read Rebecca Deurlein's article "Quieting your mind to meditate can be hard. Here's how sound can help", also on National Geographic, about the use of sound therapy to reduce stress.

"Dear Life", by Alice Munro (1931- 2024)

Alice Munro, the short-story writer and the winner of the 2013 Nobel prize has died aged 92, you can read her obituary and listen to a compilation of interview clips on "Alice Munro, Canadian author who mastered the short story, dead at 92", written by Rhianna Schmunk for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Alice Munro was a small town girl, a mother of three girls, a bookshop owner and a writer in her free time, until her literary success took up most of her time in her mid-forties and eventually was hailed as "a master of the short story" by the judges of the Nobel prize for Literature. Three of her short stories, Chance, Soon and Silence, from her book Runaway, were made into Almodovar's film "Julieta". 

Her stories are often set in Huron County, in rural Ontario, they deal about human existence, moral conflict and revelation and they can be a first step for C1 learners to start reading authentic, unabridged fiction. Here you can find her memoir, "Dear Life. A Childhood Visitation", with a reading comprehension task & its key for C1 learners, who will find descriptive words and collocations like: to pull off, rickety, a mill race, contempt, unsoiled, a Highland fling, clicking [shoes], to dig [dug, dug], a well, to drill, to honk, to summon, shuddering, a crinkly [smile], a [drinking] pail, a trapline, an [animal] pen, a hayfield, to cull [animals], manure, to tell on [somebody], jolly, to dawn on [somebody], to dwindle, downsloping,a cedar [tree], troll, a miscarriage, a flurry, a dumbwaiter, hemstitching, to pelt [the foxes], a downturn, molten [metal], a [metal] mold, to buckle down to [something], to cram [my head with knowledge], a quavery [voice], a hatchet, to wring [clothes], a misgiving, to keep tabs on [somebody/ something], to grab, to tilt, clatter, a haphazard [way], to wedge, to bang, to rattle, distraught, to stare, a [wild] grin, a [river] flat, to muddy [up], to commend [Nature], to whale [the unkindness] out of [me], to beat the tar out of [me], to dispose of [a house], for dear life, to spot [somebody].

Alice Munro published several of her short stories in The New Yorker. For further background into her life you can read the interview she gave to The New Yorker when she published her last book "Dear Life" in 2012: "On 'Dear Life': An Interview with Alice Munro". 

Apart from the above-mentioned interview videos in her CBC obituary, "Alice Munro, Canadian author who mastered the short story, dead at 92", you can watch below the conversation she had with Kyle Lanningham right after she received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013. This interview with subtitles is also accessible to C1 students.

Met Gala 2024: Stunning Images and a Fake

Steven McIntosh published the story Met Gala 2024: Zendaya, Tyla and Sabrina Carpenter lead eye-catching looks on BBC News with humorous comments and stunning pictures. This article is accessible for B2 students -with the support of the pictures- and above, who will encounter fashion & clothes technical terms like: eye-catching, groundbreaking,a theme, a string [of stars], A-listers, to stun, an outfit, to accessorise, a gown, to split, down low, to bloom, backless, a column [dress], embroidered, a [floral] pattern, to blossom, a spot, archery, to hand [it to somebody], a bow, an arrow, velvet, a peony, archival, to branch out, an overhaul, a corseted [dress], a georgette, a tulle, [to bring up to] date, a headpiece, hawthorn, glowing, turquoise, a [tulle] cape, to be overjoyed, pouring [rain], a bob [hairstyle], arched , bubble, a ponytail, a bouquet, to yank, a rapper, custom [Maison-Margiela], threading, a pinstripe, the flax [plant], to prick [your finger], a roll, [non-stick] tinfoil, can't hold a candle, an appliqué, a gemstone, a vine, to nail [it], sparkly, [sequined] fabric, a marigold, to settle for [something], peckish, [to be] draped [in a cloak], a raven, to dazzle, a stem, to ditch, to coordinate [with gloves], to toss aside, soaking [wet], oversized, seemingly, to pour, to steal the show, to zoom in [on something], avant-garde, a [tail] train, a [floral] motif, a sketch, to channel, to team up, taffeta, iridescent, a baby bump, to sport, ruffled, a crop top, wicked, a smash hit, scattered, to craft [a dress], bespoke, bouffant, a corset, to pair with, sheer, lace, trim [with flowers], an understatement, strapless, couture, a bugle, boudoir, to spruce up, lacy, bedazzled, polka-dot [gloves], a [feather] boa, to spring, an encore, a vibe.

On a more serious note, Marianna Spring warns of a fake image after the Met Gala in the video BBC Verify examines fake Katy Perry AI-generated image, where she gives more recent examples of fake photos and explains why these shams matter. This video (1:24) is accessible to C1 students with subtitles, who will hear less frequent words like: to turn out, flowery, to fool, tricked, a clue, to zoom in on [the background], celebs, to target [voters], to heighten [tensions], to fan [flames], offline, unrest, to put [something] to the test, sleuthing. Below, you can find a YouTube video from the entertainment platform What's trending that covers the same Katy Perry story: