LESSON OVERVIEW

What makes your blood run cold? In this lesson, students will explore fears and phobias and discuss strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety. The lesson features a video about rare phobias and the triggers that may cause them. Students will learn and practice relevant vocabulary and idioms related to the topic. The lesson includes plenty of lively discussions and practical worksheets that are suitable and appealing for both adults and youth, ensuring an engaging and insightful learning experience.

LESSON OBJECTIVES

• Listening: Students will listen to descriptions and discussions about phobias, focusing on understanding and identifying the use of modal verbs. This exercise aims to enhance their listening skills and familiarize them with phobia related vocabulary terms.

• Speaking: Students will discuss fears and phobias, sharing personal experiences or knowledge about these topics. They will practice making requests, offering help, and politely responding to others.

• Vocabulary: Students will learn vocabulary related to phobias and common fears, including terms like “anxiety,” “stress,” “panic,” “allodoxaphobia,” “decidiophobia,” and “nomophobia.” They will apply these terms in discussions about their experiences and fears, enhancing their ability to communicate effectively about the topic.

• Cultural Awareness: Students may explore how different cultures react to phobias and fears. They will discuss how different attitudes towards phobias can impact individuals’ willingness to seek help.

• Homework: Students will complete tasks involving identifying phobias from descriptions, and using modal verbs correctly in sentences about fears. These activities aim to reinforce their understanding of the lesson’s vocabulary, as well as to encourage personal reflection on the topic.

VIDEO

What are you afraid of? Is it an irrational fear? Watch this video to learn about three rare phobias and what causes them.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

One: Allodoxaphobia. Allodoxaphobia is defined as the fear of other people’s opinions. It’s also linked with a fear of debate, discussions, and confrontation as well as extreme anxiety and discomfort at discourse and controversy. People who suffer from this phobia do not want to know or hear about the opinions of others, which can be a problem at school, work, and everyday conversations. This phobia is so rare that psychologists are still arguing about whether or not it should even be considered a proper phobia at all since so people are known to have it. Two: Decidiophobia. A specific phobia that often cooccurs with another anxiety disorder. Decidiophobia is the fear of making decisions, and it’s extremely rare. Those who suffer from decidiophobia feel panicked and afraid whenever they’re asked to choose something because they don’t trust themselves enough to make the right decision. As a result, they have a habit of relying on rituals or superstitions to decide, like flipping a coin, insulting their astrology, or asking for signs from the universe about what to do. Three: Nomophobia: a modern-day affliction. Nomophobia refers to the fear of being without one’s phone. It’s usually characterized by anxiety about not having your phone charged, misplacing it, forgetting it, breaking it, or not being able to check it throughout the day. While 66% of the global population shows signs of nomophobia, only a few are actually serious enough to be considered a clinical case in need of therapy. As you might expect, it’s especially common among adolescents to age 13 to 18 years old and was only brought to light in 2013. Before that, it was simply characterized as signs of smartphone dependency and social media addiction.

VOCABULARY AND PRONUNCIATION

• make one’s blood run cold [idiom]: cause one to shiver from fright or horror
• phobia [noun]: an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something
• fear [noun]: an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm
• anxiety [noun]: feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe
• rare [adjective]: not occurring very often
• break out in a cold sweat [idiom]: feeling nervous or terrified
• a nervous Nellie [noun]: a worried or anxious person
• the heebie-jeebies [noun]: a condition of extreme nervousness caused by fear, worry, strain, etc.
• debilitate [verb]: to affect someone or something’s strength or ability to carry on with regular activities
• a bundle of nerves [noun]: someone who is extremely anxious or tense
• allodoxaphobia [noun]: an irrational fear of opinions
• decidiophobia [noun]: the fear of making decisions or fear of making the “wrong” decision
• nomophobia [noun]: psychological condition when people have a fear of being detached from mobile phone connectivity
• pick-me-up [noun]: something that makes you feel better and more lively
• deep-rooted [adjective]: firmly embedded in thought, behavior, or culture, and so having a persistent influence