WATCH AND LISTEN
A. Write T (true) or F (false). Then correct the false statements with a partner.
1 People are signing a pledge to share information about their role models.
2 At first, Edgar does not see the connection between being a coach and being a role model.
3 Rachel believes only celebrities can make good role models.
4 At first, Sierra thinks nurses make better role models than pediatricians.
5 Tim thinks Nelson Mandela was a great role model because he had an impact on a whole country.
6 Rachel thinks a role model should try to affect everyone in the world.
B. Choose the correct names to make the statements true.
1 Rachel / Edgar / Sierra / Tim thinks you can’t feel better if you feel sad.
2 Rachel / Edgar / Sierra / Tim is popular with the children that live near him.
3 Rachel / Edgar / Sierra / Tim points out that a positive attitude is a great thing to model.
4 Rachel / Edgar / Sierra / Tim makes entertainment products for children.
5 Rachel / Edgar / Sierra / Tim has a class project and talks to people on Saturdays.
6 Rachel / Edgar / Sierra / Tim is too self-critical and claims to be too hotheaded.
7 Rachel / Edgar / Sierra / Tim takes care of people for a living.
8 Rachel / Edgar / Sierra / Tim is eventually convinced that role models can be online, too.
C. Who says it? Write R for Rachel, E for Edgar, S for Sierra, or T for Tim.
___ 1 “He made you want to work harder to live up to his expectations, you know.”
___ 2 “It’s not about being the most awe-inspiring person or even a near-perfect person.”
___ 3 “Who’s going to want to take after me?”
___ 4 “That’s very thought provoking.”
___ 5 “But I’ll bet the way you interact with them could have far-reaching effects on their lives.”
___ 6 “I try to always be the most positive-thinking person in the room.”
___ 7 “You might be onto something.”
___ 8 “But don’t you actually have to meet people to be a role model?”
Answers
A
1 F; People are signing a pledge to think of themselves as role models.
2 T
3 F; Rachel believes anybody can make a good role model.
4 F; At first, Sierra thinks pediatricians make better role models than nurses.
5 T
6 F; Rachel thinks a role model only needs to affect a few people or even one person.
B
1 Sierra 2 Edgar 3 Rachel 4 Tim
5 Rachel 6 Edgar 7 Sierra 8 Tim
C
1 E 2 R 3 E 4 S 5 R 6 S 7 T 8 T
Audioscripts
Rachel: In 2012, for a class project, I started a campaign to create more role models in the world. I spent every Saturday asking people to think of themselves as a role model.
* * *
Rachel: Hi there!
Sharon: Hi.
Edgar: Hi. What’s going on?
Rachel: I’m talking to people about role models. Do you have a role model?
Edgar: Definitely. My high school baseball coach. He was great!
Rachel: What was he like?
Edgar: A much-loved guy. He was the hard-driving type, for sure, but also the most kind-hearted man you’d ever want to meet. He made you want to work harder to live up to his expectations, you know.
Rachel: And are you anybody’s role model?
Edgar: Me? No. Definitely not. No. No, I’m not the role model type. Too hot-headed, you know.
Rachel: See, I think anybody can be the role model type. It’s not about being the most awe-inspiring person or even a near-perfect person. It’s just about committing to act in ways that someone else can look to follow.
Edgar: Huh, I’m an unemployed construction worker. Who’s going to want to take after me?
Sharon: Oh, come on. You’re too self-critical. He is a very warm-hearted guy. All the kids in the neighborhood love him. He is the most easygoing person when it comes to kids.
Edgar: What is this? You’re siding with her?
Sharon: I’m just saying . . . Maybe you should be a little league baseball coach this year. It’ll help you get through the time you’re not working.
Rachel: There you go!
Edgar: A little league baseball coach is a role model?
Rachel: Sure! You just said your high school coach was your role model. What do you say?
Edgar: Sure. I’ll do it.
Rachel: That’s great. Would you like to sign our pledge sheet?
* * *
Sierra: Me? A role model? I don’t think so.
Rachel: Anybody can be a role model to somebody. You don’t have to be some highly acclaimed leader or a well known celebrity. What do you do?
Sierra: I’m a nurse.
Rachel: What a great job! So, who could you be a role model to? Maybe your patients?
Sierra: But I’m not, like, a surgeon or a pediatrician. I just check on patients and give them medication. I help them get around.
Rachel: But I’ll bet the way you interact with them could have far-reaching effects on their lives. You look after a lot of sick people, right?
Sierra: Every day.
Rachel: And how do you react? Do you get all sad-faced around them?
Sierra: No. I try to always be the most positive-thinking person in the room. I feel like you can’t get better if you’re always feeling down.
Rachel: That’s a great thing to model! Helping people choose to have a positive attitude about a life-changing illness.
Sierra: That’s very thought provoking.
Rachel: So, can I count on you to keep thinking of yourself as a role model?
Sierra: OK.
* * *
Tim: Look, when you say “role model,” I think of someone who’s widely respected, like Nelson Mandela. He’s this soft-spoken leader who confronted injustice and got an entire nation to face up to their history and be more open-minded. That’s a role model.
Rachel: So he’s a role model for everyone in the world. I’m just asking you to be a role model for one person. Or 10. Or 50.
Tim: Look, I’m not against it, but I’m a game designer. I sit in front of a screen all day. The closest I get to injustice is cyberbullying.
Rachel: There you go!
Tim: What?
Rachel: Maybe you could create a game that would help stop cyberbullying or teach kids how to treat each other better online. I don’t know.
Tim: Yeah. You might be onto something. I sort of like that – sort of an online role model for gamers. But don’t you actually have to meet people to be a role model?
Rachel: Did you ever meet Nelson Mandela?
Tim: Good point. OK, I’ll do it.
Rachel: Great! Why don’t you sign our pledge.
Tim: Alright.
Rachel: In three months, I got 387 people to commit to being a role model for someone else. Who will you be a role model for?
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