Unit 6. Stages in Life — Teacher’s Copy

Teacher’s notes — Unit 6: Reason writing (integrated) — stages of life

Text type. Integrated reason paragraph — students argue which stage of life is most important.

Key teaching points

This unit introduces used to + verb and tend to + verb. Drill these before Part E.
The sample paragraph takes a nuanced position (both stages matter, for different reasons). Discuss with students why this is stronger than simply choosing one side.
Part A places linkers in the mid-sentence position. Students often struggle with this. Spend time on the difference between sentence-initial and parenthetical use.
Exercise 2 asks students to evaluate topic sentences — an important critical skill before Unit 7.
Students do not have the listening transcripts. They are behind the reveal buttons in this copy only.

Common student error. Writing a paragraph that summarises the reading and the listening without taking a personal position. Remind students the task asks what they think.

Understand

About this text type

What is reason writing (integrated)?

A reason paragraph about stages of life explains why a particular period of a person’s life is important or challenging. In an integrated task, you use ideas from both a reading and a listening to support your reasons.

Purpose. to explain and justify why a stage of life is significant, using evidence from two sources.

Key features

State your opinion about the stage of life in the topic sentence: I think / I believe / In my opinion,
Give 2–3 reasons from your notes. Each reason should be followed by an example.
Use time expressions to talk about change: used to, tend to, as people get older.
Combine ideas from the reading and the listening — in your own words.
End with a personal reflection or a broader comment about life.

Remember — your paragraph has three parts

Topic sentence. Name the stage and state your opinion. Use I think / I believe / In my opinion,
Body sentences. Give 2–3 reasons from your notes. Use First of all, / Secondly, / For example, / As a result,
Concluding sentence. Give a final personal comment. Use To sum up, / In conclusion, / Overall,

Study

Grammar & vocabulary

Vocabulary bank

Word / phrase	Meaning	Example sentence
childhood	the period of life when you are a child	Childhood is a time for play, discovery, and learning.
teenager	a person between 13 and 19 years old	Teenagers often develop strong opinions and values.
adulthood	the period when you are a fully grown adult	Adulthood brings greater independence and responsibilities.
responsibility	a duty that you must carry out	Having a job means taking on important responsibilities.
independence	the ability to live and think without depending on others	University teaches young people real independence.
experience	knowledge or skill gained by doing and living	Life experience helps us make better, wiser decisions.
develop	to grow and become more advanced or mature	Children develop language skills at an incredible speed.
shape	to influence the way something grows or becomes	Early childhood experiences shape who we become as adults.

Grammar used to / tend to / When I was…

Structure	Example
used to + verb — a past habit or state	I used to play outside all day long when I was a child.
tend to + verb — a general pattern	Teenagers tend to spend a lot of time with their friends.
When I was + age or stage, …	When I was a child, I used to read stories every single night.
As people get older, …	As people get older, they tend to appreciate family more.

Useful linking words Notice the example sentences — they show you exactly how to use each word.

Linking word	When to use it	Example sentence
First of all, / To begin with,	To introduce the first reason	First of all, childhood is when we develop our basic skills.
Secondly, / In addition,	To add a second reason	Secondly, teenage years are when we form our own identity.
For example, / For instance,	To support your point with an example	For example, many teenagers discover a talent for music or sport.
As a result, / This means that	To show the consequence of something	As a result, early experiences shape the adults we become.
To sum up, / In conclusion,	To end with a final comment	To sum up, every stage of life is important in its own way.

Extra practice · Part A Choose the correct word or phrase from the box. There are six options but only four gaps — two are extra.

To sum upHoweverFirst of allAs a resultFor exampleIn addition

Not used: However · As a result

1, childhood is the time in life when we develop our most important skills and habits.

First of all — Nothing comes before this sentence, so it opens the list of reasons.

2Young people spend many years in formal education and, , they take part in sports, clubs, and social activities that shape their character.

In addition — Sports and clubs are a second thing young people do, alongside education — not a consequence of it. Note that it sits inside the sentence, between two commas.

3Teenagers are influenced by many things — , music, social media, and friendships all play a powerful role in forming their identity.

For example — The dash introduces specific instances of the “many things”.

4, the experiences we have when young are the foundation of who we ultimately become as adults.

To sum up — This is the closing sentence — it draws everything together.

Part B · Write your own Complete these sentences using your own ideas about stages of life.

1For example, when I was a child, I used to… a real memory

Model. For example, when I was a child, I used to spend every weekend playing football with my neighbours in the street.

2As a result,… what it led to

Model. As a result, those early experiences gave me a strong sense of teamwork and friendship that I still value today.

Analyse

Sample paragraph

This is an integrated writing task. First read the text and listen to the talk, and take notes. Then study the sample paragraph to see how the notes are used.

Read Underline the most important ideas.

ReadingThe Importance of Childhood

Childhood is one of the most important stages of life. It is the time when children develop the basic skills they will need for the rest of their lives. For example, children learn to speak, read, write, and work with numbers during their early years. They also develop social skills by playing with other children and learning how to make and keep friends. In addition, childhood is when values and habits are formed. Children who grow up in a loving and supportive environment tend to become confident and kind adults. Finally, the experiences children have — both good and difficult — shape their personality and the way they see the world for the rest of their lives. This is why it is so vital to give children a happy, safe, and nurturing childhood.

Listen Twice — take notes as you go.

ListeningGrowing Up: The Teenage Years

Play it twice. Students do not have the transcript.

TranscriptGrowing Up: The Teenage Years

Many people think childhood is the most important stage, but others believe the teenage years are just as significant. Being a teenager is a time of enormous change. Teenagers begin to think for themselves and start to question the world around them. They develop their own identity, values, and opinions — often different from their parents’. For example, many teenagers discover their passions and talents during this period, perhaps through sport, art, music, or a new language. However, being a teenager is also challenging. Young people often face pressure from their peers and from academic expectations. They must learn to make important decisions, manage difficult emotions, and take on increasing responsibility. In conclusion, the teenage years are a critical and formative stage because they prepare young people for the full responsibilities of adult life.

Take notes One box for each source.

Why is this stage important?

Reading

Children develop the basic skills they will need for the rest of their lives, and it is the time when values and habits are formed.

Listening

A time of enormous change that prepares young people for the full responsibilities of adult life.

What do people learn or develop?

Reading

Speaking, reading, writing and working with numbers; social skills through play — making and keeping friends.

Listening

Independent thinking; their own identity, values and opinions; passions and talents discovered through sport, art, music or a new language.

What shapes the person they become?

Reading

A loving, supportive environment tends to produce confident, kind adults; experiences both good and difficult shape their personality and the way they see the world.

Listening

Forming values and opinions often different from their parents’; pressure from peers and from academic expectations; learning to make decisions, manage emotions and take responsibility.

Study the sample paragraph

Read the paragraph, then use the panel beside it to see how it is built. Click any row to light up that sentence.

The Most Important Stage of Life

In my opinion, both childhood and the teenage years are extremely important stages of life, but for very different reasons. During childhood, people develop the fundamental skills they will use throughout their lives. As the reading explains, children learn to read, write, communicate, and work with others, and they also begin to form their values and habits. A child who grows up in a safe and supportive environment tends to become a more confident and well-adjusted adult. However, the teenage years are equally significant, as the listening transcript makes clear. During this period, young people begin to think independently, question the world around them, and develop their own identity and values. For example, many teenagers discover their talents and passions — in sport, art, or music — that shape their future career choices. Although adolescence can be challenging — with academic pressure and peer expectations — it is also a time of tremendous personal growth. To sum up, I believe that childhood builds the foundation and adolescence completes the construction — both stages are essential to becoming a healthy, independent, and self-aware adult.

Topic sentenceBody sentencesConcluding sentence

Discussion Talk to your partner.

What information does the writer take from the reading text? What comes from the listening?
Which stage do you think is the most important — childhood or adolescence? Give one reason.
Find an example of used to or tend to in the sample. Could you add one more sentence using these structures?

Which source. The childhood material comes from the reading — basic skills, values and habits, the supportive environment. The teenage material comes from the listening — independent thinking, identity, discovering talents, peer and academic pressure. The writer signposts both with As the reading explains and as the listening transcript makes clear.
Which stage. Either answer is fine with a reason. The stronger move, worth naming explicitly, is the one the sample makes: refusing to choose and explaining what each stage contributes. Point out that this is more sophisticated than picking a side.
<em>used to</em> / <em>tend to</em>. The sample has tends to become a more confident and well-adjusted adult. There is no used to — worth noticing, since the unit teaches both. Students could add one, e.g. Children used to play outside far more than they do now.

Practise

Controlled exercises

Exercise 1 Complete each sentence with used to, tend to, or When I was.

1 young, I play in the garden every afternoon after school.

When I was + used to — Two gaps. The first introduces a past time; the second describes a repeated past habit that has now stopped.

2Teenagers spend much more time with their friends than with family.

tend to — This is a general pattern that is true now, not a finished past habit.

3I be afraid of the dark at night, but now I am not at all.

used to — but now I am not tells you this was true in the past and has stopped.

4As people get older, they appreciate small, simple things more.

tend to — A general tendency about people in general — not about your own past.

Exercise 2 Which of these are good topic sentences, and which are weak?

1Adulthood is the most important stage because it is when people become fully independent.

Good — It names a stage and gives a reason. Clear and specific.

2I am going to write about stages of life in this paragraph.

Weak — It only announces an intention — it says nothing about the writer’s actual view.

3In my opinion, being a teenager is the most exciting and formative stage of life.

Good — It uses an opinion phrase and makes a specific claim about a named stage.

4There are some stages of life and I will talk about them now.

Weak — Vague (“some stages”) and it announces an intention instead of stating a view.

Exercise 2 · Now fix the weak ones Rewrite the two weak topic sentences so that they state a clear opinion.

1Rewrite sentence 2. state a view

Model. I believe that the teenage years are the most exciting and formative stage of life.

2Rewrite sentence 4. be specific

Model. In my opinion, adulthood is the most rewarding and challenging stage of life because it brings true independence and responsibility.

Write

Your own paragraph

This is an integrated writing task. Read, listen and take notes first — then plan and write.

Read Take notes as you read.

ReadingBecoming an Adult

For many people, early adulthood is the stage of life when everything finally becomes real. It usually begins at the end of formal education, when young people leave school or university and start to make their own decisions. Suddenly they have to choose a career, manage their own money and often live away from their family for the first time. These are difficult responsibilities, but they are also the ones that turn a young person into an independent adult. Work plays a central role at this stage. A first job teaches lessons that no classroom can teach: how to solve problems under pressure, how to work with people of very different ages and backgrounds, and how to accept criticism and learn from it. Early adulthood is also the time when many people build the friendships and relationships that will support them for the rest of their lives. Of course, this period can be stressful. Young adults often worry about money, about making the wrong choice and about disappointing the people around them. Even so, most of them later describe these years as the time when they discovered what kind of person they really wanted to be.

Listen Twice — take notes as you go.

ListeningWhy Later Life Matters

Play it twice. Students do not have the transcript.

TranscriptWhy Later Life Matters

When we talk about the important stages of life, we usually think of childhood or youth. Today, though, I want to argue that later life deserves far more attention than it normally receives. To begin with, older people have something that no young person can have: experience. They have lived through difficult times, made mistakes and learned from them, and this gives them a calm, balanced view of problems that younger people often find overwhelming. Secondly, later life is frequently the stage at which people finally have time. After retirement, many take up interests they were never able to make room for — painting, gardening, learning a language or travelling. Research suggests that people who stay active and curious in later life remain healthier for longer. There is also an important social role. Grandparents pass on family stories, traditions and practical knowledge, and in many towns it is older volunteers who keep libraries, clubs and charities running. Of course, later life brings challenges too, including health problems and, for some people, loneliness. However, when older people stay connected to their families and their communities, these years can be among the richest and most rewarding of all.

Take notes One box for each source.

What happens at this stage?

Reading

Leaving school or university; choosing a career; managing money; often living away from the family home for the first time.

Listening

Retirement; more free time; new interests such as painting, gardening, languages or travel.

What skills, knowledge or qualities are gained?

Reading

Independence; solving problems under pressure; working with people of different ages; accepting criticism; building lasting relationships.

Listening

Experience and a calm, balanced view of problems; family stories, traditions and practical knowledge to pass on.

What are the difficulties at this stage?

Reading

Stress about money, about making the wrong choice and about disappointing others.

Listening

Health problems; loneliness for some people.

Why does this stage matter?

Reading

It turns a young person into an independent adult, and it is when people discover the kind of person they want to be.

Listening

Older volunteers keep libraries, clubs and charities running; staying active, curious and connected keeps people healthier and makes these years rewarding.

Plan and write

Which stage of life do you think is the most important? Use your notes from the reading and the listening to write a paragraph of at least 130 words.

One paragraph · three parts · minimum 130 words.

My plan Notes first — then write.

Topic sentence idea (name the stage)Reason 1 + exampleReason 2 + exampleThe other side (from the other source)Concluding sentence

Self-check Tick each box when you are sure.

Topic sentence. I introduced my main idea in my own words — I did not copy the question.
Linking words. I used at least three different linking words to connect my sentences.
Example. I included at least one example using For example, / For instance, / such as.
Concluding sentence. I ended with a sentence that summarises my main idea. I used In conclusion, / To sum up, / Overall,
Proofreading. I read my paragraph again and checked my spelling and punctuation.

0 of 5 checked.

My paragraph

0 / 130 words

Nothing is saved automatically. Copy or save your paragraph before you close this tab — only your own writing is saved, not the exercises.

Sample answer For modelling and for calibrating your marking.

Task. Which stage of life do you think is the most important? Use your notes from the reading and the listening to write a paragraph of at least 130 words.
197 words · band: strong pass

In my opinion, early adulthood is the most important stage of life, because it is the stage in which we finally decide who we are going to be. Topic sentence: opinion + stage + reason As the reading explains, this is the period when young people leave education, choose a career, manage their own money and often live away from home for the first time. A first job teaches lessons that no classroom can teach, such as solving problems under pressure and accepting criticism, and young people who face these challenges tend to become far more independent and confident. Reading used in own words + tend to I noticed this in myself when I started university. I used to ask my family about almost every decision, but within a year I was managing my own timetable, my own budget and my own mistakes. Personal voice + used to Although the listening argues convincingly that later life also matters — older people have experience, time for their interests and an important role in passing knowledge on to others — I believe that the choices we make in our twenties are what make those later years possible. Listening used + Although To sum up, every stage of life has real value, but early adulthood is the one that sets the direction for everything that follows. Conclusion: balanced and evaluative

Marking focusIdeas from BOTH sources includedused to and tend to both used correctlyA personal example in the writer’s own voiceConclusion evaluates rather than repeats

Optional activity

Life timeline

25 minutes · Speaking → integrated writing preparation

Students draw a horizontal timeline of their life from birth to now, adding 5–6 key events or turning points.
In pairs they discuss: “Which event on your timeline shaped you the most, and why?” using used to and tend to.
Students write 3–4 sentences connecting their timeline event to one idea from the reading or the listening.

Extension. Students predict the next five years of their timeline and write a short paragraph about the stage they are entering and what they hope to develop during it.

Vocabulary review — Units 5 & 6

Covers both units

Part A · Sentence completion Complete each sentence with a word from the box. Change the form of the word if necessary.

shaperesponsibilityprotectsustainabledevelop

1Governments must natural habitats from destruction caused by human activity.

protect — After must you need the base form of a verb.

2Children social skills by playing and interacting with others from a young age.

develop — The subject is plural, so the verb takes no -s.

3Solar and wind power are examples of energy sources that do not harm the environment.

sustainable — You need an adjective before energy sources.

4Having a part-time job teaches young people and independence.

responsibility — It is paired with independence, so you need a noun of the same kind — uncountable, no article.

5Our early experiences our personality and the way we see the world as adults.

shape — The subject experiences is plural, so use the base form.

Part B · Word formation table Fill in the missing word form in each row.

1pollute (verb) · pollution (noun) · adjective:

polluted — Think of a … river — a river that has had pollution put into it.

2protect (verb) · noun: · protective (adjective)

protection — The same ending as pollution.

3develop (verb) · development (noun) · adjective:

developed — Think of a … country — one that has already developed.

4depend (verb) · dependence (noun) · adjective:

dependent — It ends in -ent, not -ence. The noun and the adjective sound almost the same.

5recycle (verb) · noun: · recyclable (adjective)

recycling — This one is an -ing noun, not an -ion one.

✓

Answer key at a glance

Prints with the page

B · Part A (6 options, 4 gaps)
1 childhood … most important skills	First of all
2 formal education and, …, sports and clubs	in addition (lower case, mid-sentence)
3 influenced by many things — …	for example (lower case, mid-sentence)
4 experiences when young … foundation	To sum up
Not used	However · As a result
B · Part B (models — answers will vary)
For example, when I was a child, I used to…	spend every weekend playing football with my neighbours in the street.
As a result,…	those early experiences gave me a strong sense of teamwork and friendship that I still value today.
D · Exercise 1
1	When I was … used to
2	tend to
3	used to
4	tend to
D · Exercise 2 — evaluate
1 Adulthood is the most important stage because…	Good — names a stage and gives a reason.
2 I am going to write about stages of life…	Weak — it only announces an intention.
3 In my opinion, being a teenager is…	Good — opinion phrase + a specific claim.
4 There are some stages of life…	Weak — vague, and announces an intention.
D · Exercise 2 — rewrites (models)
2 →	I believe that the teenage years are the most exciting and formative stage of life.
4 →	In my opinion, adulthood is the most rewarding and challenging stage of life because it brings true independence and responsibility.
R · Review, Part A
1	protect
2	develop
3	sustainable
4	responsibility
5	shape
R · Review, Part B — word formation
pollute · pollution · ?	polluted
protect · ? · protective	protection
develop · development · ?	developed
depend · dependence · ?	dependent
recycle · ? · recyclable	recycling