Conversation Cards - Let's talk - Funny Mediations

Processing and rewriting texts is a challenge. What if you could sweeten the pill with entertaining subject matter? With these 48 cards you can!

-          Gorgeous photos to engage your students

-          Topics full of fun, laughter and all-around positivity

-          Short texts packed with topical vocabulary

-          Mediations tasks to work on text processing skills

-          Thought-provoking questions to dig deeper and further.

The cards are for B1 students and above / one-to-one lessons / pairwork / groupwork or self-study.

Sample task: 

YO MAMA JOKES 

Surely, we can all agree that insulting someone’s mum is really cheap and stupid. Just like your mama! This, my friends, has been a classic ‘yo mama’ joke, the likes of which gained popularity in the 1990s when an American TV show had contestants exchanging insults about each other’s mothers. The idea, however, is not new. The oldest ‘yo mama’ joke was found on a 3,500-year-old Babylonian tablet. Jokes which target a person’s mother are universally offensive as mothers in all cultures are especially dear to people’s hearts. Most commonly, such jokes focus on the mum’s alleged promiscuity, her weight, lack of personal hygiene, laziness and stupidity, and have been told by almost everyone, from a playground bully to an American President.

Complete the sentences below with the appropriate information from the text, making sure they are logical and grammatically correct. Write 1-4 words in each gap.

1) ‘Yo mama’ jokes ______ since the 1990s. They appeared on a TV show when the participants of a game had to insult one another’s mothers in turns.

2) Archaeologists found a tablet with a ‘yo mama’ joke written in _____ ago.

3) People all over the world are _____ when their mothers are targeted in jokes.

4) ‘Yo mama’ jokes often call someone’s mum promiscuous, ______. They also make fun of their weight and personal hygiene.

5) No matter who you meet: a mean kid in the playground or a politician who lives in the White House, everyone has probably ____

Side B

1) Do you know any ‘yo mama’ jokes? If you don’t, look up some examples. Do you find them funny? Why (not)?

2) Why do you think people seem to be more offended by mere suggestions of promiscuity of their mothers or sisters rather than their fathers or brothers? What does it say about gender roles and expectations?

3) What is your view on jokes that make fun of people’s sexuality, weight, intelligence or ethnicity? Is there anything that shouldn’t be joked about? Why (not)?

4) Do you think a ‘yo mama’ joke is something a politician should be telling while running for office? Why (not)? What is your view on this group of people using jokes to gain voters’ attention?

5) How is the bond shared between one’s mother different from the one shared with one’s father? Which of your parents are you more likely to joke with or about? Why?

Author: Ewa Torebko