1 Unit Lessons for life Opener 1

2
 
Model the speaking task. It’s good practice to 
demonstrate what is expected of students before asking 
them to start the task, for example, tell your own stories, 
give your own views or demonstrate the task with a 
student. This provides a model to follow, and often 
results in an interesting and natural ‘live’ listening.
3
 
Provide meaningful preparation time. Rather than 
expecting students to start speaking immediately, 
give them a few minutes to gather their thoughts and 
ideas before speaking. You could also provide some 
scaffolding, for example, a series of question prompts.
4
 
Provide or suggest language to use. Write a selection 
of useful phrases or structures on the board for students 
to use during the speaking task. This gives support and 
also encourages the student to focus on the key aims 
of the speaking activity. In feedback, ask students which 
phrases they were able to use.
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1a 
Learning from the past
Unit 1 Lessons for life
Nelson Mandela 
/mænˈdelə/ (1918–2013) was a South 
African anti-apartheid revolutionary and activist who 
believed in democracy and equality for all, regardless of 
race or colour and who fought against apartheid
(
/əˈpɑːrteɪd/ – the political system that existed in South 
Africa until the early 1990s, in which only white people 
had political rights and power). As a result of his political 
activity, he spent twenty-seven years in prison, from 1962 
to 1990. In 1994 he became the first black President of 
South Africa. His government focused on democracy and 
on building a political system that treated white and black 
people equally.
Extra activity
Ask students to discuss the two quotes by Confucius 
and Mandela. Ask them for examples from their society 
or from current affairs which support or contradict the 
quotes.
Here are other famous quotes on this theme which 
students might want to discuss:
You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by 
doing, and by falling over. (Richard Branson, entrepreneur)
Success does not consist in never making mistakes but 
in never making the same one a second time. (George 
Bernard Shaw, writer)
Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes. (Oscar 
Wilde, writer)