PUBLIC FIGURES PAST AND PRESENT

Public figures can be celebrities such as singers, actors, actresses, dancers, youtubers, etc, but also, public figures can be writers, polititians, scientists, inventors, etc.

After watching this video tell the class:

Who is the person you admire the most and why?

Talking about Fame and Fortune is a different question. Watch this video which will help you find the correct expressions when talking about celebrities.

Let's go over the questions below so that ideas flow more easily when you meet up with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.

• Who do you think are five of the most famous people in the world? Try to think of people in a variety of fields (culture, sports, science, politics, royals, actors).
• In your group try to agree on a common list of five people.
• In what ways are the people you chose different or special compared to ordinary people?
• Does being a celebrity mean the same as being famous?
• Do you think all famous people are celebrities?
• Not all famous people are equally popular. What categories of famous people can you think of? Give examples.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of being famous?
• Do you think personal problems are more or less traumatic for people who are famous?
• What problems do most famous people go through when their fame begins to dwindle?
• Which famous person would you like to meet?
• Think of someone you admire, famous or not, and say which you look up to this person.

Watch this video of Will Smith explaining what it is like to be famous.

Watch these commencement speeches at the universities of Stamford and Harvard by J. K. Rowling and Steve Jobs. Explain how they became famous.

• Now think of important figures who have changed the world and prepare a presentation about him or her.
• Practice the conversation with these questions