EXAMPLE

A meme is an image, video, word, etc. that is viral, that is, it spreads fast through the Internet like a virus. It is usually funny and refers to everyday situations or pop culture. Memes are very popular among teenagers.

ACTIVITY IDEA

Take a sentence from a book or a famous quote by your favourite writer and turn it into lolspeak. You can do it like this:

add some spelling mistakes
change a final -s into a -z
jumble the letters of a word (but not too much)
add an -s to all Present Simple verbs (not just with he, she, and it)
use common texting acronyms (BTW, OMG, LOL, ILY, YOLO. . .)

Then, show your sentence to a partner who has to rewrite it correcting all the mistakes.

ACTIVITY IDEA

1. The class divides in four groups. Each group picks one of these popular meme characters:
Grumpy cat,
Skeptical baby,
Grandma finds the Internet,
Philosoraptor.

2. Each group finds a few interesting memes with the chosen character and adds explanations why they like them and what is funny or witty about them.

3. Inspired by viewing interesting memes, members of each group create their own memes with the chosen character.

4. The groups start a class wiki and publish their memes in it. The rest of the class votes for:
- the funniest meme,
- the most philosophical meme,
- the most inspiring meme.

WORDS TO REMEMBER

shuttle = (n.) bus, plane, train etc. that travels between two places, for example a shuttle between two airport terminals
edit = (v.) change or adapt something to make it better (e.g. edit a text before publishing)
collaboration = (n.) working together to achieve a common goal
delete = (v.) remove, erase
clip = (n.) device used for holding things together (e.g. paper clip)
register = (v.) sign in with one’s name to be allowed to enter or to start using something
log in = (v.) enter into a system (e.g. Facebook) with a username and password
previous = (adj.) earlier in order or time
version = (n.) a different form of something, variation of something
platform = (n.) software that is run on the internet
account = (n.) collection of information about a user that tells what information, files, and content he/she can access on a computer or network
registration = (n.) act of identifying oneself in an online platform
instruction = (n.) guidance on how to do something
demand = (n.) strong need
programmer = (n.) someone who writes computer programmes
techie = (n.) person who is very skilled in computer technology
content = (n.) material (text, images, music. . .) in a document
log = (n.) record of events and actions
viral = (adj.) becoming extremely popular in a very short time
grumpy = (adj.) bad-tempered, easily annoyed
skeptical = (adj.) not trustful, having doubts about something