The Algorithm Knows What You Want
Grammar: Discourse markers & connectors
A Level 5 English lesson exploring media.
What's in this lesson
A Level 5 (advanced) ESL lesson on media, practising discourse markers & connectors. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary and discussion questions.
From the reading: The Algorithm Knows What You Want
In 2006, Netflix launched a competition with a $1 million prize. The challenge was simple to describe and fiendishly difficult to solve: improve the company's recommendation algorithm by ten percent. More than 40,000 teams entered. What that contest revealed, even before anyone claimed the prize, was a quiet revolution in the way culture gets consumed. No longer would a radio DJ or a bookshop owner decide what you heard or read next. That role, it turned out, would belong to a machine.
Vocabulary
- buries
- cuts deeper
- steers toward
- turned out
- at
- in
- past
- toward
- with / in
Discussion questions
- Do you still discover music, films, or books by accident?
- Should streaming platforms pay artists more than they currently do?
- Has a recommendation algorithm ever surprised you with something you loved?
The Algorithm Knows What You Want
Grammar: Discourse markers & connectors
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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