Topic: Understanding how a reading activity is created.

My topic: Parents and Adult Children: Mutually Irritating

Pre-Activity.
For this part I choose to perform a brief exercise,as the professor suggested, for the
students involved in the topic.

Part 1

Intructions: Professor introduces the class. There will be some pictures on the wall of
the classroom that will contain different scenarios of families in different situations.
For example:

Fighting with your sister

Mad because your parents are yelling

My mom does not want to give me cookies

A happy family

My dad does not let me hang out with my
friends

My parents dont let me have a boyfriend

Sad brother and sister

Almost crying


The Professor will ask students to describe what they see on the images and to match
each situation with the picture, as well as to come up with a possible reason of why
that circumstance might be happening.
After the students share what they think, the reading part will be handled.










Main Activity
Part 2:
Intructions: Read the text below carefully and underline the words or phrases you consider are the most
important.

Parents and Adult Children: Mutually Irritating


Investigators at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research have unequivocally demonstrated that our
parents often get on our nerves -- and we on theirs. "The parent-child relationship is one of the longest-lasting social
ties human beings establish," said Kira Birditt, the study's lead. "This tie is often highly positive and supportive but it
also commonly includes feelings of irritation, tension and ambivalence."
Unsurprisingly, the survey of nearly 500 American parents and their age-22-and-older offspring revealed that the
touchiest issues were "lifestyle choices": whom we date, our money habits, our housekeeping savvy. Parents
reported more tensions with daughters than sons. And daughters and sons noted more issues with Mom than Dad.
Birditt suggests that this is because women tend to pursue more intimate relationships with more frequent contact --
thus more opportunity for things to get ugly.
Overall, the study showed that the parents, not the children, felt more upset by these tussles. And why not? Mom
calls with sage advice. We shunt her to voicemail. She phones back the next day, and guilt compels us to
answer. Just about to call you! Can we reschedule for 8:30? Sorry, must run! How irritating.
The Michigan study also found that parents get more prickly as we age. This trend came as a surprise to Birditt -- but
I suspect it's a familiar feeling to many of us with aging parents. Their dependence is increasing. Our lives, though,
become more filled with people that depend on us, leaving us to carefully juggle our attentions.
What to do? Voicemail and other avoidance tactics will get you nowhere, says Burditt. Her other research efforts are
showing that tackling issues as they come up leads to smoother relationships. Sure, sure -- sounds logical. But caller
ID is so much easier.





Part IV
Instructions: Write the correct answer for the following questions regarding the text you just read.
1. What have demonstrated the investigators from the Michigan University?
2. What did the survey made ot 500 people revealed?
3. What did Michigan study also found?
4. What are some tactics that teenagers might use?
5. In your personal opinion. What do you think about the article?
Part V.
Post-Activity
Instruction: Write a short story about any frustrated situation that you had with your parents. Be very brief but
specific; keep in mind that the story will be read to all your classmates. Do not add your name.
The stories will be shared with the rest of the class and the students have to guess what story belongs to what
student.