Why would we subject ourselves to an old torture device?

Today you and your students will be talking about the history of the treadmill. No, not the history of jogging, running or working out in a sweaty gym, but its darker history. Much darker history. Treadmills were first designed as a rehabilitation device in English prisons. Use this online ESL discussion worksheet to talk about prison, punishment and rehabilitation.

If you like warmers (it’s basically my favorite part of the lesson), you could ask your students for appropriate punishments for the following crimes:

1. Leaving the toilet seat up;
2. Stealing a candy bar;
3. Kicking a dog;
4. Littering;
5. Stealing a car;
6. Robbing a bank;
7. Murder.

Start by distributing the PDF to your students, and then watch the video below once or twice.

The video: https://youtu.be/Al-30Z-aH8M