News-based lesson: 30 July 2011
Toilet seats and teddy bears: sport’s strangest superstitions Teacher’s notes
Level:
Aims:
Pre-Intermediate to Intermediate
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to discuss superstitions in different cultures
to read an authentic news story
to review and practise rules and uses of 1st, 2nd and 3rd conditionals
to listen to a song.
Preparation:
 You will need a copy of the article from The Week which can be found at
www.teachitworld.com.
 You will need access to the song ‘Superstition’ by Stevie Wonder (it can be easily
found on YouTube).
Quiz
You may wish to pre-teach the words superstition (n), superstitious (adj) and horoscope (in
question 3).
Tell the students if they have answered ‘yes’ to 5 or more questions, they are superstitious!
Depending on which culture/cultures your students are from some of the questions might
not be logical to them, but it is a good chance to start discussing the differences in
superstitions in different cultures.
Reading
Ask the students to try and predict which person believes in which superstition before
giving them the article to check their answers. It is better if they can do this in pairs to
give them a chance to discuss their responses.
You may wish to pre-teach some vocabulary such as odd-numbered hour, to bat, kick-off,
etc or allow students to use a dictionary.
Grammar – conditionals
The completed rules should look like this:
1st
If + present simple, will/won’t + infinitive.
2nd If + past simple, would/wouldn’t + infinitive.
3rd
If + past perfect, would/wouldn’t have + past participle.
The completed uses should be:
Which conditional form (1st, 2nd or 3rd) is used to talk about …
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News-based lesson: 30 July 2011
Toilet seats and teddy bears: sport’s strangest superstitions 
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unreal outcomes of situations in the past? 3rd
real or possible situations in the present or future? 1st
unreal or unlikely situations in the present or future? 2nd.
You might want to give some more simple examples of each one here if the students are in
any way unsure and highlight the form on the board. For example:
If I pass the exam, I will go to university. (1st)
If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house. (2nd)
If I hadn’t overslept, I wouldn’t have missed the bus. (3rd)
Grammar practice:
There are different ways to complete these sentences so accept any response that is logical
and uses the correct form.
1. If John Terry didn’t listen to the same CD, he wouldn’t want to play the match. (2nd)
2. If Neil McKenzie hadn’t put down all the toilet seats first, he wouldn’t have gone out to
bat. (3rd)
3. If Rebecca Adlington doesn’t have her alarm set on an even-numbered hour, she won’t
get up for training. (1st)
Song
The superstitions in the pictures might be something like this:
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If a black cat crosses your path, you will have bad luck (or good luck if you are
English!).
If you break a mirror, you will have seven years bad luck.
If you cross knives, there will be an argument.
If you walk under a ladder, you will be unlucky.
If you travel on Friday the 13th, you will have problems on your journey.
If you find a four leaf clover, you will be lucky.
If you have a class with a mix of different cultures it would be a good idea to mix them up
for the discussion as this may expose them to a wider variety of superstitions.
Please note: These superstitions are all normally expressed using the 1st conditional. You
could also use the 2nd conditional though (e.g. Some people believe if you crossed knives,
you would have an argument.) although it doesn’t sound as natural.
1. In the song he mentions broken mirrors (looking-glass), ladders and the number 13.
2. He doesn’t believe in superstitions (he says they ‘ain’t the way’ and that if you ‘believe
in things you don’t understand, then you suffer’).
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News-based lesson: 30 July 2011
Toilet seats and teddy bears: sport’s strangest superstitions Quiz – How superstitious are you?
Answer the following questions and then compare your answers with your partner.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Do you have a lucky number?
Do you have an unlucky number?
Do you normally read your horoscope?
Do you wish your friends good luck before tests?
Do you dislike black cats?
Would you feel worried if you broke a mirror?
Do you have any lucky clothes or underwear?
Do you believe some people can see the future?
Y/N
Y/N
Y/N
Y/N
Y/N
Y/N
Y/N
Y/N
Count how many questions you have answered ‘yes’ to and how many ‘no’. Ask your
teacher if you are superstitious or not. Do you agree with the result?
Do you think people in your country are generally superstitious? Which are the biggest
superstitions?
Reading
Sports people are often very superstitious. Look at list of names of sports people and their
sports in the left hand column and, with a partner, see if you can match them to the
superstitions on the right.
Name
Johan Cruyff (football)
Neil McKenzie (cricket)
Kolo Touré (football)
Superstition
Won’t get up for training on an odd-numbered hour.
Always listens to the same CD and parks in the same
space before a match.
Puts all the toilet seats down in the changing room
before going out to bat.
Rebecca Adlington
(swimming)
Won’t leave home until her toys are put in her bed.
Rafael Nadal (tennis)
Had to be the last player on the pitch.
John Terry (football)
Cassie Patten
(swimming)
Slapped his goalkeeper in the stomach and spat chewing
gum into the opposite half before kick-off.
Drinks from two water bottles and has to put them with
the labels facing the same way.
Now read the article ‘Toilet seats and teddy bears: sport’s strangest superstitions’ and see
if your guesses are correct.
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News-based lesson: 30 July 2011
Toilet seats and teddy bears: sport’s strangest superstitions Grammar - Conditionals:
When we talk about superstitions we often use a conditional form. There are many
different types of conditionals. Look at the sentences below which show three of the most
common conditional sentences using ‘if’.
1st Conditional: If Cassie Patten’s toys aren’t in bed, she won’t leave home.
2nd Conditional: If Nadal didn’t drink from both water bottles, he would feel nervous during
the match.
3rd Conditional: If Johann Cruyff hadn’t slapped his goalkeeper, he would have played
badly.
Now, looking at the three examples, see if you can complete the rules for each of the
conditionals.
1st: _______________________ + present simple, ____________________ + infinitive.
2nd: If + ___________________________ , would/wouldn’t + _____________________ .
3rd: If + ________________________ , would/wouldn’t have + ____________________ .
Which conditional form (1st, 2nd or 3rd) is used to talk about:
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Unreal outcomes of situations in the past?
___________
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Real or possible situations in the present or future?
___________
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Unreal or unlikely situations in the present or future?
___________
Grammar practice:
Decide which of the conditional forms are being used in each of these sentences and then
complete them, using the rules above.
1.
If John Terry didn’t listen to the same CD, ______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2.
__________________________________________________________ , he wouldn’t have
gone out to bat.
3.
If Rebecca Adlington doesn’t have her alarm set on an even-numbered hour,
__________________________________________________________________________.
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News-based lesson: 30 July 2011
Toilet seats and teddy bears: sport’s strangest superstitions Song – ‘Superstition’
Look at the pictures below. With a partner, discuss what superstitions are suggested by
them.
13
Now listen to the song ‘Superstition’ by Stevie Wonder.
1.
Which superstitions does he mention in the song?
2.
Does he believe in superstitions or not? How do you know?
Practise:
Can you think of three superstitions from your culture? Write them out using one of the
conditional forms.
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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