by N. Bakalar, New York Times  A Recording Studio Found Under the Pacific
ESL Voices Activities for this article

Humpback Whale-google image

This is a great article for Earth day.

Researchers have discovered that Humpback whales not only sing their own songs, but these wondrous giants can imitate the singing of other whales! Several of the genetically different groups of whales usually remain in separate populations with little interaction between the groups. According to the article,

“Researchers recorded 11 different song types in the region from 1998 to 2008. Their study, published online Thursday in Current Biology, found that each year, songs spread from one group to another, moving east from Australia to French Polynesia. They believe that this is the first observation of a cultural change transmitted repeatedly on such a large geographic scale.”

Some scientists speculate that  since only the males sing, and each group has its special song, maybe the males have discovered that if they sing a different tune, it makes them more attractive to female Humpbacks. An interesting article to read and to share with your L2 learners. Here are several activities to consider.

ESL Voices Activities for this article.

Language Skill(s) – reading, speaking,  and writing.

Level: Lower-intermediate

Time: approximately 1-hour.

Materials: article excerpt.

Goals: Learners will  practice reading comprehension, speaking skills and writing skills. Students will also learn information about the Humpback Whales.

Procedure

I. Pre-reading Tasks

A. Activating Background Knowledge

A good  Pre-reading activity for activating background knowledge is the KWL chart. This chart can be used as both a pre-reading and a post-reading activity. For a pre-reading activity, prepare a handout with three columns, and have students fill out the first two columns.   For more ideas see  ESL Voices reading lessons

KWL Chart Topic: The Humpback Whale

After completing the reading comprehension activity, have students fill in the last column.

II. While Reading Task

A. Reading Comprehension

Have students complete the following quiz based on the article.

1. This article is about

• sharks
• whales
• seagulls

2. What is interesting is that the Humpbacks

• feed
• swim
• sing

3. Usually the different groups of Humpbacks

• live separately
• socialize frequently
• sing together

4. According to the article researchers recorded

• 110 different songs
• 20 different songs
• 11 different songs

5. The songs spread from one group to another by moving from

• north Alaska to the south Pacific
• east from Australia to French Polynesia
• west from Australia to Canada

6. The whale sounds travel

• thousands of miles
• 100 miles
• a few miles

7. Researchers think the males are singing different songs because they want to

• attract more females
• join a rock band
• entertain divers

8. According to the article, the males can pick up a new melody

• rapidly
• slowly
• overnight

B. Questions for Reflection

1. Why is this new information about the Humpback important?
2. Can you think of ways this information might contribute to helping the environment?
3. How might people benefit from this knowledge?

III. Post Reading Tasks

A. Have students listen to the singing of Humpbacks  on Youtube.

Ask them to write a paragraph describing what they think the Whale songs sound like.

B. Have students investigate the anatomy of a Humpback whale by observing paintings or drawings.  Students could draw a whale or create a collage of one.

C. Take students on a Whale Watching Tour:

Maui  Humpback Whale Watching  with Captain Steve (it’s a bit pricey, but the captain seems to be knowledgeable about Humpbacks)

Alaska Whale Tours

If you have additional activities we’d like to hear about them. Enjoy!

Tags: ESL Voices, Humpback Whales, science, Voices of ESL

True to Mission, Comedy Central Still Strong at 20, By B. Stelter, New York Times
ESL Voices Activities for this article

Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert

This NYT article discusses the increase in popularity of comedy shows and of comedians. Currently, the leading channel for all things comic is Comedy Central, which turned 20 years-old April 1, 2011, and is still gaining momentum.

“The late-night tag team of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert makes news almost every week, the creators of “South Park” are cracking up Broadway and the channel’s newest star, Daniel Tosh, is drawing more than four million viewers some nights.”

We love to laugh, and it’s great when everyone understands the jokes, and can laugh together, but how do we explain “the jokes” to L2 learners? Translating comedy from one language to another isn’t the easiest task. As a matter of fact, it can be downright stressful for some teachers and learners. We are faced not only with  language barriers, but in many cases cultural barriers prevent learners from understanding as well.”

ESL Voices Activities for this article.

There are different ways to teach using comedy as the topic. One way is by using visuals such as video clips. Here is a Focused Listening activity using a video clip from Stephen Colbert’s show. Click on the name (Placebo) to view video. Answers are below.

Stephen Colbert

Video: Placebo From the  Stephen Colbert Show (approximately 5-6 minutes)

Level: High Intermediate-Advanced

Time: 45 minutes

I. Pre-listening Tasks

1. Before watching the video ask the following questions and write the responses on the board.

• What are your favorite comedy shows? (they may be in this country or theirs)
• Who are your favorite comedians?
• What type of comedy do they perform? (for example, is it funny physical scenarios, or verbal jokes)

2. Provide students with background information about the video topic.

3. Find out if students recognize the following people mentioned in the video:

Stephen Colbert

Tommy Chong

John McCain

George W. Bush

4. Review vocabulary from the video.

Place students in groups, see if they can guess the meanings of the bolded words.

1. As Colbert talks, there are messages displayed in a side bar screen which juxtaposes Colbert’s commentary…
2. Which brings us to tonight’s word, Placebo.
3. …you have to take out a mortgage from the bank…
4. There’s a lot of debate about what’s causing this crisis…
5. …a lot of our problems today as you know are psychological…
6. You see Bush readily concedes that it’s not going to help out here…
7. Think of a pot dealer on a street corner…
8. …the hairiest, most chronic bug this side of the Himalayas!
9. …there are no unpleasant side-effects…

While-Listening Tasks (Focused Listening)

After students have listened to the video once, play it again, and this time have them fill in following questions:

1. Nation, oil’s at nearly ___a barrel.

2. Only two years ago oil was at____ a barrel.

3. Clearly ___needs psychological help.

4. Which brings us to tonight’s word___

5. Patients who’ve taken the sugar pill get___

6. Here’s what the president had to say about their plans to expand___.

7. ...my only problem would be that they’re telling us their plans___.

Post-Listening Task

Have groups write their own comedy skits, and perform them for the class.

Have members make a list of questions they would like to ask Mr. Colbert, or another comedian.

Have students translate jokes or funny stories from their countries, and share them with the class.

Answers:

Pre-listening Tasks

1. The topic is the problem of rising gas prices in the U.S., and the reasons for the crisis.

2. Stephen Colbert  is an American political satirist, writer, and comedienne. He is the host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, a satirical news show on which Colbert portrays a political scholar. The show is extremely popular in the U.S. “The Word” is a segment in the show during which Colbert chooses a particular word or phrase from a current news topic to discuss. A specialty of this segment is that as Colbert talks, there are messages displayed on a side bar screen which juxtaposes Colbert’s commentary with satirical bullet points on-screen, that responds usually in a sarcastic manner to what Colbert is saying. It’s as though The Word has a life of its own.

Tommy Chong is a Canadian-American comedian, actor and musician who is most widely known for his acting in the marijuana-themed comedy movies with his partner Cheech.

John McCain is the senior United States senator representing Arizona.

George W. Bush served as the 43rd President of the United States.

3. Vocabulary

• juxtaposes verb. place or deal with close together for contrasting effect : black-and-white photos of slums were starkly juxtaposed with color images.
• Placebo noun. an innocuous or inert medication; given as a pacifier or to the control group in experiments on the efficacy of a drug
• mortgage noun. a conditional conveyance of property as security for the repayment of a loan.
• debate verb. discuss the pros and cons of an issue
• psychological adjective. affecting, or arising in the mind; related to the mental and emotional state of a person.
• concedes verb. to admit to something.
• pot dealer noun. person who sells marijuana to other people.
• chronic adjective. being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering.
• side-effects noun. a secondary, typically undesirable effect of a drug or medical.

While-Listening Task

140 dollars

78 dollars

America

Placebo.

better

offshore drilling

won’t actually do anything.

Sources:

Stephen Colbert

Tommy Chong

John McCain

Georg W. Bush

Tags: Comedy, education, ESL Voices, L2 Learners, Stephen Colbert

Here are two ways to teach learners about the crisis in Japan. One is teaching vocabulary in preparation for reading an article from the New York Times, and the other is practice in focused listening with a broadcast from National Public Radio. ESL Voices Activities for this article

A tsunami wave crashes over a street in Miyako City,-photo by Mainichi Shimbun

Excerpt by Martin Fackler, New York Times, March 11, 2011

Powerful Quake and Tsunami Devastate Northern Japan

“TOKYO — Rescuers struggled to reach survivors on Saturday morning as Japan reeled after an earthquake and a tsunami struck in deadly tandem. The 8.9-magnitude earthquake set off a devastating tsunami that sent walls of water washing over coastal cities in the north. Concerns mounted over possible radiation leaks from two nuclear plants near the earthquake zone… Thousands of homes were destroyed, many roads were impassable, trains and buses were not running, and power and cellphones remained down. On Saturday morning, the JR rail company said that there were three trains missing in parts of two northern prefectures… On Friday, at 2:46 p.m. Tokyo time, the quake struck. First came the roar and rumble of the temblor, shaking skyscrapers, toppling furniture and buckling highways. Then waves as high as 30 feet rushed onto shore, whisking away cars and carrying blazing buildings toward factories, fields and highways. By Saturday morning, Japan was filled with scenes of desperation, as stranded survivors called for help and rescuers searched for people buried in the rubble. Kazushige Itabashi, an official in Natori City, one of the areas hit hardest by the tsunami, said several districts in an area near Sendai’s airport were annihilated.”

ESL Voices Activities for this article.

Teaching L2 Learners About Japan’s Disaster

Activities: vocabulary and listening practice.

Language Skill(s) – reading, speaking, vocabulary, and listening.

Level: Lower-intermediate

Time: approximately 1 hour.

Materials: article excerpt,  NPR  segment, and dictionary.

Goals: Learners will be able to identify new vocabulary, improve their focused listening skills,  and get a better understanding of the Japan’s tsunami crisis.

Procedure:

I. Pre-reading questions:

As a class, stimulate background knowledge by having learners answer the following questions.

1. What happened in Japan?

2. Ask learners to make a list of words they associate with the term: tsunami.

II. While Reading

A. Vocabulary: words in context

Place your students in groups, then have them read the excerpt and infer the meanings of the words in bold from the article.

1. Rescuers struggled to reach survivors on Saturday morning as Japan reeled after an earthquake and a tsunami struck in deadly tandem.
2. The 8.9-magnitude earthquake set off a devastatingtsunami…
3. …a devastating tsunami that sent walls of water washing over coastal cities in the north.
4. Concerns mounted over possible radiation leaks from two nuclear plants…
5. Thousands of homes were destroyed, many roads were impassable…
6. …the JR rail company said that there were three trains missing in parts of two northern prefectures…
7. First came the roar and rumble of the temblor, shaking skyscrapers, toppling furniture and buckling highways.
8. By Saturday morning, Japan was filled with scenes of desperation, as stranded survivors…
9. …rescuers searched for people buried in the rubble.
10. …several districts in an area near Sendai’s airport were annihilated.

III. Post Reading

A. Wh-Questions

1. Who or what is the article about?

2. Where did the event occur?

3. When did the event occur?

4. Why or how did the event occur?

IV. Listening: National Public Radio (NPR)

Tears  Of  Loss, Joy Are Common in Kamaishi Japan

After students have finished the reading, you might want to move on to focused listening practice. Have them listen to this NPR broadcast, then answer the questions. The questions are graduated from easy to advanced.

“The people in Northeastern Japan are still struggling to cope with the aftermath of the tsunami. The questions are based on a broadcast from NPR. Rob Gifford was in the coastal town of Kamaishi, and interviewed the hospital staff working at the Kamaishi Nozomi Hospital.”

Easy

1. The host begins by saying there was one piece of good news. What was it?
2. How long had they been trapped in the rubble?
3. In which room of the house were they trapped?

Medium

1. What are the Japanese military carrying out of the buildings?
2. How long had the hospital at Kamaishi gone without electricity?
3. When the tsunami struck the hospital, how high did the water reach?
4. What will happen to the patients if the hospital doesn’t get supplies soon?

Advanced

1. Why did Rob Gifford say, “Tears of joy and grief are the same color…”?
2. Motomi compares the tsunami like a scene from which American movie?
3. Did Motomi find her lost child?
4. In which part of Japan is Kamaishi located?

Answers:

I. Pre-reading questions:

1. What happened in Japan?

2. Ask learners to make a list of words they associate with the term: tsunami.

II. While Reading

A. Vocabulary, Meanings From Context

1. reeled verb. – walk as if unable to control one’s movements.
2. tsunami noun.-a cataclysm resulting from a destructive sea wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption.
3. tandem adverb.- one behind the other.
4. devastating: adjective.- cause [wreaking] or capable of wreaking complete destruction.
5. coastal: adjective. -located on or near or bordering on a coast. (coast: the part of the land near the sea).
6. radiation: noun. – energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles; (e.g., exposure to radioactive chemicals or to nuclear explosions); low doses cause diarrhea and nausea and vomiting and sometimes loss of hair; greater exposure can cause sterility and cataracts and some forms of cancer and other diseases; severe exposure can cause death within hours.
7. impassable: adjective. -incapable of being passed.
8. prefecture [prefectures]: noun.-the district administered by a prefect (as in France or Japan or the Roman Empire).
9. buckle [buckling]: verb.-fold or collapse; bend out of shape, as under pressure or from heat.
10. stranded: adjective.-cut off or left behind.
11. rubble: noun. -the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up.
12. annihilated: adjective.-destroyed completely.

III. Post Reading

A. Wh-Questions

Students’ choice.

IV. Listening: National Public Radio (NPR)

Tears  Of  Loss, Joy Are Common in Kamaishi Japan

After students have finished the reading, you might want to move on to focused listening practice. Have them listen to this NPR broadcast, then answer the questions. The questions are graduated from easy to advanced.

The people in Northeastern Japan are still struggling to cope with the aftermath of the tsunami. The questions are based on a broadcast from NPR. Rob Gifford was in the coastal town of Kamaishi, and interviewed the hospital staff working at the Kamaishi Nozomi Hospital.

Easy

1. The host begins by saying there was one piece of good news. What was it?

ans. An 80-year-old grandmother and her grandson were found alive.

2. How long had they been trapped in the rubble?

ans. more than a week.

3. In which room of the house were they trapped?

ans. the kitchen.

Medium

1. What are the Japanese military carrying out of the buildings?

ans. stretchers and body bags.

2. How long had the hospital at Kamaishi gone without electricity?

ans. seven days.

3. When the tsunami struck the hospital, how high did the water reach?

ans. to the first floor.

4. What will happen to the patients if the hospital doesn’t get supplies soon?

ans. they’ll become weaker, and eventually die.

Advanced

1. Why did Rob Gifford say, “Tears of joy and grief are the same color…”?

ans. People were crying because they either found or lost a loved one.

2. Motomi compares the tsunami like a scene from which American movie?

ans. Independence Day.

3. Did Motomi find her lost child?

ans. yes.

4. In which part of Japan is Kamaishi located?

ans. Northern Japan.

Additional Reading and activities:

NYT Learning Network: The Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

Tags: ESL Voices, Japan, tsunami, Voices of ESL