What meaning does the word world have?
Can a person's family be considered his/her small world?
Explain your point of view.
Lesson 1. Family Size and Composition
Is your family large?
Who does it consist of?
Listening Comprehension
Listen to the information The World Book Encyclopedia provides about family patterns.
Match a family pattern with the appropriate picture.
1
2
3
4
1. Extended family_______
2. Childless couple_______
3. Single-parent family_____
4. Nuclear family_______
Vocabulary
Complete each definition with one of the following words. Guess your answers and then check with a dictionary.
| Affect Birth-rate Census Decline |
Divorce |
Investigate |
Sample |
1. To slope down means to __________________________________________________.
2. The ration between births and individuals in a specific population is called____________.
3. A broad treatment of the subject is called a_____________________________________.
4. To fall unexpectedly or suddenly means to________________________________________.
5. A representative part from a larger group when presented for inspection is a_________.
6. A line of general direction or movement is called a__________________________________.
7. Fast means_______________________________________________________________.
8. To end marriage means to____________________________________________________.
9. To observe or study something by close examination means to__________________.
10. A periodic government enumeration of population is___________________________________.
11. To produce an effect upon something means to_______________________________________.
12. The rate of movement is called_____________________________________________________.
13. The state of being married is called a______________________________________________.
14. To make something publicly or generally known means to______________________________.
15. To become great in size, amount, number, or intensity means to
16. Those who live under the same roof and compose a family are called a __________________.
Reading
5
6
A. Some causes of the changing lifestyle in Britain include:
- A relatively low birthrate;
- The trends towards later marriages and towards postponing births, which have led to an increase in the average age of woman having children;
- The current preference for smaller families than in the past, which has led to a significant decline in the proportion of families with four or more children;
- A higher divorce rate;
- A growing number of stable non-married relationships. Half of births outside marriages (which now account for 28 per cent of live births in Britain) are registered by both parents giving a single address as the usual place of residence.
B. The U.S. government is interested in the trends that affect the American family. To investigate how families are changing, every ten years the U.S. Census Bureau collects data on all U.S. households. From the information it receives, the bureau examines such important aspects of American life as family size and composition. It can then compare its findings with the results of the censuses taken in the past to identify the trends in the American family.
Information from a sample of 57,400 households surveyed by the Census Bureau in March of 2010 indicates that the "traditional" American family – a family consisting of two parents and children under the age of 18 – is on the decline. The "traditional" family made up only 40 percent of U.S. households in 1990, 31 percent in 2000, and 26 percent in the year 2010. The more than 70 percent of households falling outside of the category "traditional" family includes households consisting of never-married parents and children, divorced parents and children, couples without children, parents and children over 18 years of age, people living alone, and unrelated adults living in the same household.
Findings of this survey reveal other interesting trends in American family life. One finding was that while the rate of divorce and childbirth out of wedlock (involving couples not married) continued to increase, both of these phenomena increased at a slower pace during the 2010s than during the previous decade. But the number of unmarried couples living together appears to be increasing rapidly, with the number in the 2010 survey showing an 80 percent increase over the number in 2000. The long-term general trend toward smaller families was shown to continue, with the size of the average American household dropping, from 3.67 people in 1940, to 3.14 in 1980, to 2.76 in 1990, to a low of 2.63 in 2010.
Comprehension
Skimming for Main Ideas
Circle the letter of the title that suits best both the texts:
a. The Social Framework;
b. Changes in the "Traditional" Family;
с. The Social Pattern.
Scanning for Details
Circle T if the sentence is true. Circle F if the sentence is wrong:
1. The British and the U.S. governments are interested in the trends that affect the family. T F
2. Many women postpone childbirth. T F
3. Birth-rates are increasing. T F
4. Families are getting smaller and smaller. T F
5. The "traditional" family consists of two parents and children over the age of 18. T F
6. Some examples of households fall outside the category "traditional family". T F
7. Family size and composition remain stable. T F
8. Childbirth out of wedlock continues to increase. T F
9. The number of non-married relationships is decreasing. T F
10. The divorce-rate is getting lower. T F
Speaking
Work in groups. Select a secretary to list the trends that affect British and American families. Discuss:
1. Who does a "traditional" Russian family consist of?
2. In what way is family life changing in Russia?
3. Which trends noted in the reading are similar to (different from) the trends in Russia?
4. What are the reasons for these similarities (differences)?
Share your ideas with other groups. Are their ideas the same?
Work in pairs. Tell your partner which family-pattern your family belongs to. Answer his/her questions for more information. Swap roles.
Writing (this activity can be done at home)
Interview three people. Ask them to answer the following questions:
1. What is the ideal size of the family?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being an only child?
3. Are you an only child? If so, are you sorry?
4. How many children would you like to have when you have a family of your own?
Add your own opinion. Present your survey in class in the form of a chart or composition.
Research(this activity can be done by advanced students or by those who wish to)
Find some English proverbs and sayings concerning family life. Give their Russian equivalents. Write a short story to illustrate one. Present your story in class.
APPENDIX:
Lesson 1. Family Size and Composition
Family is one of the oldest and most common human institutions. Since prehistoric times, the family has been an important organization in society. Most people grow up in a family and, as adults, establish a family of their own.
The term family commonly means a group of related people who share a home. The word family also refers to all a person's ancestors and other relatives. Most families are based on kinship – that is, the members belong to the family through birth, marriage, or adoption.
There are some types of family structures. The smallest family unit consists of two people, such as a parent and child – a single-parent family, or a wife and husband – a childless couple, who share home and companionship. If a couple has children, the parents and their children make up a nuclear family. If married children and their offsprings live with the parents, the family is called an extended family. An extended family's household might also include aunts, uncles, and cousins. Such relatives, along with grandparents, grandchildren, and others, form part of an extended family group even if they live in separate homes.
Key Answers
Lesson 1. Vocabulary
1. Decline
2. Birth-rate
3. Survey
4. Drop
5. Sample
6. Trend
7. Rapid
8. Divorce
9. Investigate
10. Census
11.
Affect
12.
Pace
13.
Wedlock
14. Reveal
15. Increase
16. Household
Scanning for Details
1. T
2. T
3. F
4. T
5. F
6. T
7. F
8. T
9. F
10. F