Dream- Reading Comprehension Activity by Teacher Daniela Martini

1- Speaking time!

Do you often dream?

Can you recall the last dream you had?

Do you think that dreaming has a possitive effect on us? Why?/ Why not?

2- Read the following article about dream benefits

THE BENEFITS OF DREAMING

Dreams are those curious things and strange images that come to life while we are asleep; some of us may find a secret meaning behind them, while some others just take them for granted (though we shouldn't) Do you want to know why? Let me explain.

To start with....have you ever had a burning issue that you just could not solve and someone told you to "sleep on it"? Well, that's because of dreams problem-solving nature. While we are asleep, part of our brain digests our experiences and goes to work on the problems we have had during the day; it stores all sorts of information which we may have forgotten or have never really noticed. Once we hit the pillow, this part of the "subconscious brain" sends messages to the part we use when we are awake. This makes a lot of sense if we think of some famous characters who have experienced their major breakthroughs while sleeping. For example, Thomas Edison is believed to have had his best ideas while he was "recharging batteries"; or Elias Howe, who invented the first effective sewing machine because he dreamt of the system to make it work properly.

Another aspect of dreams is that they are "mood regulators". Some researchers have found clues to suggest that dreams may act as a means of coping with major life stress. Rosalind Cartwright, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology at Rush University in Chicago, explains “It’s almost like having an internal therapist, because you associate [through dreams] to previous similar feelings, and you work through the emotion related to it so that it is reduced by morning.” It is said that those who remember their dreams tend to report thinking about a piece of emotional unfinished issue. The dreamer may then restate or reshape the problem in a different form during the sleeping cycles.

To conclude, we can say that dreams may make a lot of sense for us or they may not have a clear meaning at all. However, this doesn't mean that the dream isn't important to our well-being. So next time you hit the sack.... sleep tight and have sweet dreams!

3- Post-reading

What was the article about? Do you agree with it?

4- Idioms

Can you find at least three idioms related to sleepind and dreaming in the text?

Can you explain their meaning in your own words?

5- The meaning behind dreams

Can you think of possible interpretations of the following most common themes in dreams?

• Falling or Flying
• Losing teeth
• Failing an exam
• Being naked in public
• Being chased

Hope you have enjoyed this activity. Let us know if you have any doubts!

Daniela Martini