the ARTICLE (for teachers) Imagine a bleak and not so distant future. The planet's oil supply has dropped to a trickle. The prices of goods and services have sharply increased because of fuel costs. The economies of many countries have nearly crashed as a result. Lastly, the cities have become filled with hungry and desperate people, some of whom have turned into violent, marauding groups. For most people, this scenario is merely science fiction. However, more and more people believe that this is the fate of our civilization. What's more, the signs to this dark time could be witnessed within the next few years. The problem is oil, as its production could soon peak. After this high point, there will simply be less and less oil available. This poses all sorts of problems because modern society has been built on this limited energy source. These survivalists have begun to prepare for the worst, though. They have moved to rural areas, learned to become self-sufficient, and even have stock-piled guns to defend their property against mobs. It's important to note that many of these people believe that nothing can save the modern world. So quite a few have begun to prepare for the end in secret, worried when unprepared people abandon the cities in search of food and shelter. On the brighter side, many of these survivalists see a day when neighbors join together and become a closeknit community once more. In addition, many anticipate that their children and grandchildren will return to help work the land. As a result, the family unit will once more have an important role in people's lives. Teacher's Notes: * Underlined words in red typeface are the recommended vocabulary for this lesson. Heads Up English - 1
WARM-UPS Select one or all of the following warm-up activities. 1: Define: What does "survivalist" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples? 2: Brainstorm: Brainstorm with a partner(s) words and ideas associated with "survivalists" for 2 minutes. Spend another 5 minutes or less discussing the words and ideas together. 3: Title: Speculate and/or discuss the contents of today's article from its title: "" 4: Do you agree or disagree? Why? a. The future will be dark and difficult because of today's problems. b. The future will be dark and difficult because of today's problems within the next five years. c. The economies of many countries will crash if we run out of oil. d. If people think modern society will end soon, then they are absolutely crazy! e. After today's lesson, I'm going to prepare for the end of the world! 5: Rank It!: Which of the following poses the greatest problem for humankind in the future? Rank the problems in order, from most serious to least serious. Remember to support your decisions. a. fresh water b. less and less oil c. global warming d. over population e. nuclear war Heads Up English - 2
VOCABULARY Select one of the following vocabulary acquisition activities. 1: Vocabulary match: Individually or in pairs/groups, match the words in column A (from the article) with the best choice in column B. a. bleak q. drip b. trickle r. raise c. desperate s. see d. marauding t. group e. witness u. gloomy f. pose v. leave g. self-sufficient w. independent h. mob x. hopeless i. abandon y. expect j. anticipate z. thieving 2: Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word. desperate poses anticipate witnessed trickle self-sufficient bleak marauding mobs abandon a. Imagine a ( ) and not so distant future. b. The planet's oil supply has dropped to a ( ). c. The cities have become filled with hungry and ( ) people. d. Some of the people have turned into violent, ( ) groups. e. The signs to this dark time could be ( ) within the next few years. f. This ( ) all sorts of problems because modern society has been built on oil. g. Survivalists have moved to rural areas, and learned to become ( ). h. Some survivalists even have stock-piled guns to defend their property against ( ). i. They begun to prepare for the end in secret, worried when unprepared people ( ) the cities. j. Many ( ) that their children and grandchildren will return to help work the land. 3: Define: Define each word, correctly pronounce it, explain the meaning and/or usage, and offer an example sentence to the class. a. bleak c. desperate e. witness g. self-sufficient i. abandon b. trickle d. marauding f. pose h. mob j. anticipate Heads Up English - 3
WORD RECOGNITION 1: Word Search: Find the target words (in bold). Time yourself, and see how many words you can find in three minutes. In five minutes. In ten minutes. desperate poses anticipate witnessed trickle self-sufficient bleak marauding mobs abandon S Z K U W E E Y K A Q G W A T U E Q Q Q I D T B A N L N O R F Z L Q I C T A A I E T C M I F S O F F S N N D R I L E S C I D S K S D M U E C E G B N K C E B D O U A F I S M P Y S L I S O N F R F P P I E K S Q E E S M C A V A F G K Z D X E Z N E P M U T P X I S E S O P D T N B V I L Q E T C D N Z G C S T O O E T A P I C I T N A M E I N D L P G P I R E E P E R L W Q W P G V R D X H H N Q L F R K R N A W E R W T L I T Z M A R U A D I N G R H F C D Q 2: Target Word Pool: Find the target words (in bold) with their exact match. Time yourself, and see how many words you can find in three minutes. In five minutes. In ten minutes. desperate poses anticipate witnessed trickle self-sufficient bleak marauding mobs abandon anticipate marauded impossible abandoned tricycle desperado tricked whiteness self-sacrifice self-sufficiently witnessing bleak mobile black desperate mob immobile poses marauding witnesses marauder pose mobster anticipation break trickled witness posse abandonment mobs desperation abandon anticipating desperately antecedent bleakly posed bleakness witnessed self-sufficient self-sufficiency despite abandoning mauve trickle trickling abate self-service maroon anticipated Heads Up English - 4
pre- or post-comprehension 1: Word Association: Brainstorm words associated with today's topic for two minutes. Present to the class. 2: Brainstorm Questions: Brainstorm questions that you would like to ask about today's topic. Answer the questions without looking at the article. 3: True or False?: Guess (before the article) or answer (after the article) whether the sentence is true or false. If false, correct the sentence. a. According to the article, prices will rise when the oil supply drops. T/F b. The survivalists believe the dark future predicted will occur sooner rather than later. T/F c. The survivalists are worried that desperate people will kill and eat one another. T/F d. The survivalists believe that the dark future can be avoided. T/F e. Family and neighbors could become more important in people's lives in the future. T/F 4: Questions: Answer the questions to check comprehension. a. According to the article, what will happen when the oil supply drops? b. When do the survivalists believe the dark future will begin? c. How have the survivalists begun to prepare? d. Why have the survivalists begun to prepare in secret? e. What does the article mention about neighbors and families? 5: Vocabulary: In pairs/groups, remember how the words were used in today's article. a. bleak c. desperate e. witnessed g. self-sufficient i. abandon b. trickle d. marauding f. poses h. mobs j. anticipate 6: Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence from today's article. a. The prices of goods and services have... b. After this high point, there will simply... c. So quite a few have begun to prepare for the end in secret, worried when... d. On the brighter side, many of these survivalists see a day when neighbors... e. As a result, the family unit will... Heads Up English - 5
post-comprehension 1: Vocabulary: Circle any additional unknown words/phrases in the article. In pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand the meanings. Present to the class. 2: Class Questions: Read through the article once more, and write down any questions that you would like to discuss in pairs/groups or as a class. Discuss. 3: Summarize: Work with a partner to summarize the article in your own words. 4: Discuss: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers! a. Did you like this article? b. What was your general impression after reading this article? c. What do you think life will be like in a few years? How different will it be to life today? Please explain. d. Do you think the end of civilization is near? Please explain. e. How will the world be different for our children and our children's children? Will life be easier or harder? f. How important will the family unit and the local community be in the future? Why do you think so? g. What disaster, world event, or crisis would need to happen for you to become a survivalist? h. If modern civilization were to suddenly crash, would you be able to survive? Why/not? i. How worried are you about the world's oil supply? Are we too dependent on it? Please explain. j. Imagine it's the end of the world. How far would you go to protect yourself and your family? 5: Debate: It's the end of the world, and we need to rebuild civilization. Unfortunately, only a limited number of people can be saved! First, write down your strengths and weaknesses which might be helpful/harmful. Next, get into groups of four, and present the pluses and minuses. After everyone has presented their information, discuss/debate which three of the four students should help rebuild society. Pluses: Minuses: 6: Google Search: Type "survivalists" into Google news and read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings. Heads Up English - 6
STUDENT HANDOUT (the article) Imagine a bleak and not so distant future. The planet's oil supply has dropped to a trickle. The prices of goods and services have sharply increased because of fuel costs. The economies of many countries have nearly crashed as a result. Lastly, the cities have become filled with hungry and desperate people, some of whom have turned into violent, marauding groups. For most people, this scenario is merely science fiction. However, more and more people believe that this is the fate of our civilization. What's more, the signs to this dark time could be witnessed within the next few years. The problem is oil, as its production could soon peak. After this high point, there will simply be less and less oil available. This poses all sorts of problems because modern society has been built on this limited energy source. These survivalists have begun to prepare for the worst, though. They have moved to rural areas, learned to become self-sufficient, and even have stock-piled guns to defend their property against mobs. It's important to note that many of these people believe that nothing can save the modern world. So quite a few have begun to prepare for the end in secret, worried when unprepared people abandon the cities in search of food and shelter. On the brighter side, many of these survivalists see a day when neighbors join together and become a closeknit community once more. In addition, many anticipate that their children and grandchildren will return to help work the land. As a result, the family unit will once more have an important role in people's lives. Notes: Heads Up English - 7
STUDENT HANDOUT (fill in the blank) Fill in the blank with the correct word. self-sufficient desperate secret anticipate trickle abandon witnessed energy mobs survivalists marauding modern bleak civilization poses Imagine a (a. ) and not so distant future. The planet's oil supply has dropped to a (b. ). The prices of goods and services have sharply increased because of fuel costs. The economies of many countries have nearly crashed as a result. Lastly, the cities have become filled with hungry and (c. ) people, some of whom have turned into violent, (d. ) groups. For most people, this scenario is merely science fiction. However, more and more people believe that this is the fate of our (e. ). What's more, the signs to this dark time could be (f. ) within the next few years. The problem is oil, as its production could soon peak. After this high point, there will simply be less and less oil available. This (g. ) all sorts of problems because modern society has been built on this limited (h. ) source. These (i. ) have begun to prepare for the worst, though. They have moved to rural areas, learned to become (j. ), and even have stock-piled guns to defend their property against (k. ). It's important to note that many of these people believe that nothing can save the (l. ) world. So quite a few have begun to prepare for the end in (m. ), worried when unprepared people (n. ) the cities in search of food and shelter. On the brighter side, many of these survivalists see a day when neighbors join together and become a close-knit community once more. In addition, many (o. ) that their children and grandchildren will return to help work the land. As a result, the family unit will once more have an important role in people's lives. Heads Up English - 8
STUDENT HANDOUT (extended listening) Listen and fill in the missing sentences. Compare your answers with a partner, and then listen once more. Imagine a bleak and not so distant future. a). The prices of goods and services have sharply increased because of fuel costs. The economies of many countries have nearly crashed as a result. Lastly, the cities have become filled with hungry and desperate people, some of whom have turned into violent, marauding groups. For most people, this scenario is merely science fiction. However, b). What's more, the signs to this dark time could be witnessed within the next few years. The problem is oil, as its production could soon peak. After this high point, there will simply be less and less oil available. c). d), though. They have moved to rural areas, learned to become self-sufficient, and even have stock-piled guns to defend their property against mobs. It's important to note that many of these people believe that nothing can save the modern world. So quite a few have begun to prepare for the end in secret, worried when unprepared people abandon the cities in search of food and shelter. On the brighter side, many of these survivalists see a day when neighbors join together and become a closeknit community once more. In addition, many anticipate that their children and grandchildren will return to help work the land. As a result, e). Heads Up English - 9
STUDENT HANDOUT (notes) Heads Up English - 10
ANSWER KEY Vocabulary 1. Vocabulary Match: 2. Fill in the Blanks: a. u f. r b. q g. w c. x h. t d. z i. v e. s j. y a. bleak f. poses b. trickle g. self-sufficient c. desperate h. mobs d. marauding i. abandon e. witnessed j. anticipate pre- or post-comprehension 1. True or False: 2. Fragments: a. T b. T c. F d. F e. T a. sharply increased because of fuel costs. b. be less and less oil available. c. unprepared people abandon the cities in search of food and shelter. d. join together and become a close-knit community once more. e. once more have an important role in people's lives. Student Handout 1. Fill in the Blanks a. bleak i. survivalists b. trickle j. self-sufficient c. desperate k. mobs d. marauding l. modern e. civilization m. secret f. witnessed n. abandon g. poses o. anticipate h. energy 2. Extended Listening a. The planet's oil supply has dropped to a trickle b. more and more people believe that this is the fate of our civilization c. This poses all sorts of problems because modern society has been built on this limited energy source d. These survivalists have begun to prepare for the worst e. the family unit will once more have an important role in people's lives Heads Up English - 11