960. My students like stories




Yesterday I implemented the following activity with my adult students – all of them are retired people that wish to learn English for traveling and visiting different countries. 

Basically it was a listening activity, but it also had speaking and reading parts. It requires several steps. We have not finished yet – I expect tomorrow or on coming days. We’re enjoying the activity, and they like stories I invent. 

Yesterday I started by writing some words and phrases from the text of a worksheet, so as to do a pre-listening exercise. On the whiteboard I wrote some words like: Katherine Stinson, sailboat, around the world, alone, dangerous, dangers in the ocean. We were discussing them so they could make kind of an idea about the story. 

After that I read the story aloud, number by number. 

After that step I handed out worksheets with the story, and again I read the story aloud, and we discussed and clarified some points of the story. They were writing notes of vocabulary. And they asked me many questions about some words that were new to them. I got amazed they had understood the story while I was reading it aloud for the first time. 

I would say this was learning and even something of acquisition. 

Of course you can use the worksheet if it’s any useful. / Photo from: sampedrosun com. Painting-by-Terryl-Godoy-Man-at-Work-4   


Worksheet # 145

The Unbelievable Story of Katherine Stinson

February 4, 2013

1.   Katherine Stinson is a courageous and brave woman. At 23 she has been the first woman in sailing around the earth completely alone. She states her guardian angel has been an allied friend though.
2.   She sailed off from Hawking Harbor, on January 2, 2013, close to New York City.
3.   Her sailboat / sailing boat was about 80 ft (24.38 meters) long.
4.   The mast was around 20 meters high.
5.   During her trip around the world she has faced two strong storms, waves 10 yards high, but on the other hand she had to suffer some dead calms.
6.   The firm Lucky Strike has been the main sponsor: they have invested $ 6,000. Its logotype was painted on the big sail.
7.   She could keep in touch with her manager, Ray Branson, all the time, by radio and with the help of communication satellites.
8.   She could count on him.
9.   In case she was in a dreadful situation, up to the point she could perish because of a storm or a crevice in the skull for example, she could call Ray Branson, and this person would send powerful large motor boats to rescue her.
10.               There were about 50 points along the route where those large motor boats could set off at once.
11.               Moreover, in other hazardous or dangerous circumstances for her, Mr. Branson would send a helicopter to rescue her. She had GPS (Global Positioning System).
12.               It’s a relief she achieved the harbor of New York after 28 days. She has suffered diseases, storms, fog… but she says the most dreadful thing is solitude.
13.               Oh, I’ve got to say that Ray is her husband. He was one of the people that received and welcomed her, together with their kids / children, Kevin and Sarah and many other people.

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