©Info Here's a picture of a famous footballer. Award a few points to anyone who recognises the player as Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal. Offer significantly more points to anyone who can say what precisely is happening at the moment this picture was taken.
Download a powerpoint of the photograph.
Give clues to jog the memory. It happened on 29 June 2010 during the football world cup. Portugal had just been defeated by Spain in the knockout stage of the competition. Ronaldo was not happy. FIFA decided not to take any action over what happened – though some sportspeople have been fined for broadly similar acts. If no one can guess, offer a final suggestion: read his lips.
The answer is that Ronaldo reacted to the presence of the camera by spitting in that direction.
Why is this newsworthy? Not particularly because of Ronaldo. It is more because Enfield council is attempting to introduce a ban on spitting in the street. In any case, spitting is frequently in the sporting news. Quite apart from football, a world-class golfer, tennis player and cricketer have all been fined for spitting recently. Use this to explore what students think and know about spitting, including social acceptability, the law and health.
Top of the spit parade
Are some forms of spitting worse than others? Invite students to rank the following, putting the actions they think least acceptable at the bottom of the list.
- A marathon runner spits by the side of the road
- A footballer spits in the direction of an opposing player
- A young man spits in the street, by habit, perhaps to show off
- A scuba diver spits into a mask to stop it fogging up
- An old man, coughing, spits in the street
- A wine taster spits samples into a bucket to stay sober
- An angry demonstrator spits at a police officer
- A golfer preparing to putt spits on the green.
Explore differences of opinion. Discuss alternative options for the unacceptable actions. In each case, ask what the person might have done instead – either as an alternative action or a better way to clear their mouth of unwanted contents.
The law
Clear up any doubt about the legal status of spitting at another person. It is a form of assault, known as common assault. It is treated by the police and courts more seriously than many people realise. Fines and even short prison sentences are regularly imposed for the offence of spitting at someone. Talk about why spitting at a police officer is not treated lightly.
Note that spitting at someone is unwise as well as unpleasant. The spit left behind contains DNA which readily identifies the offender. Some bus companies now routinely give drivers spit kits so they can collect samples for analysis. There was a recent incident of a woman given an eight week jail sentence for spitting at a bus driver.
Spitting in the street is not currently an offence, though some councils are considering introducing a local law, a by-law, to ban it. Plan a debate on the subject, "This house believes spitting in the street should be banned". Elect main proposer and opposing speakers, seconders for both sides and a chair. Give a week or so for speech preparation then run the event in customary order, including contributions from the floor after the main speakers and before summing up. Don't forget to take a vote, before and after the debate.
Words
Examine phrases that include the word spit. Add to examples such as spit it out, spitting image, spit and sawdust, spit and polish, spitting feathers. Invite students to identify what they mean, and where they come from.
There are plenty of street words and vulgarities meaning spit. Forget them, and focus on building more formal vocabulary – useful in health settings. Cover verbs such as expectorate and nouns such as phlegm, mucus, sputum and saliva. Using a good etymological dictionary, observe how scientific or medical words commonly derive from Latin, or even classical Greek. Why?
Health
Some people make dramatic claims that spitting in the street is a major health hazard, particularly for its role in spreading the lung disease tuberculosis or TB. Find out how TB is spread and how infectious it is. Invite students to research opinions online and summarise them. Are some of the objections to spitting motivated by factors other than health? Whose views are most persuasive and carry most weight? Why is it important to be accurate about health messages?
Design a sign
Design a no-spitting sign. Follow international standards for a prohibition sign, which is a diagonal line running through a symbol showing the banned action, which is on a white background within a red circle. Use the opportunity to explore the conventions for other safety and health signs – hazards and mandatory actions. What colour and shape are they?
These activities are from 12 May 2011 edition of newsthink, the news-based education resource. Sign up to receive free news discussions, videos, audio clips and photos every fortnight during term time via email.