The Reading / Listening - Online Lectures - Level 2

A professor gave a two-hour online lecture but didn't realize he was on mute. Professor Wang did not know that in his online lecture, the microphone on his iPad was switched off. This meant that none of the students in his online class heard what he was talking about. His university switched his classes online to reduce the spread of COVID-19. His lecture started well but then his screen froze. The video came back but the mic was off. Professor Wang did not notice. One of his students says it might be because the professor used an iPad and not a computer.

Students tried many times to contact their professor in the lesson but could not get through to him. They waved their arms and called his phone. A video of the moment Mr Wang understood his mic was off has gone viral on the Internet. After he understood what happened, he looked shocked and stressed. He said he was upset because he wasted two hours of his students' time. He will redo the lecture at a different time so his students do not miss his class. One of his students posted on social media about the professor's accident. She wrote: "He teaches well. I feel bad for him."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Online Lectures - Level 0 Online Lectures - Level 1   or  Online Lectures - Level 3

Sources
  • https://news.yahoo.com/singaporean-professor-lectures-2-hours-190353801.html
  • https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/ny-singapore-professor-mute-lesson-20210210-pm24owto3rh5xho52fwa575zi4-story.html
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9247009/Maths-professor-Singapore-delivers-two-hour-lecture-Zoom-realise-mute.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A professor gave a two-hour
  2. didn't realize he
  3. the microphone on his iPad was
  4. none of the students in his
  5. His university switched
  6. reduce the spread
  7. his screen
  8. Professor Wang did not
  1. notice
  2. online class heard
  3. froze
  4. his classes
  5. online lecture
  6. switched off
  7. was on mute
  8. of COVID-19

Paragraph 2

  1. Students tried many times to contact
  2. They waved their arms
  3. the moment Mr Wang understood his
  4. After he understood what
  5. he looked shocked
  6. he wasted two hours of his
  7. He will redo
  8. I feel bad
  1. students' time
  2. happened
  3. for him
  4. the lecture
  5. mic was off
  6. their professor
  7. and stressed
  8. and called his phone

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A professor gave a two-hour online lecture but (1) ___________________ was on mute. Professor Wang did not know that in (2) ___________________, the microphone on his iPad was switched off. This meant that none of the students in his online (3) ___________________ he was talking about. His university switched his classes online to (4) ___________________ of COVID-19. His lecture started well but then (5) ___________________. The video came back but the mic was off. Professor Wang did not notice. One of his students says it might be because the professor used an iPad and (6) ___________________.

Students tried many (7) ___________________ their professor in the lesson but could not (8) ___________________ him. They waved their arms and called his phone. A video of the moment Mr Wang understood his mic was off has (9) ___________________ the Internet. After he understood what happened, he looked shocked and stressed. He said he was upset because (10) ___________________ hours of his students' time. He will redo the lecture at a different time so his students do not (11) ___________________. One of his students posted on social media about the professor's accident. She wrote: "He teaches well. I (12) ___________________ him."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Aprofessorgaveatwo-houronlinelecturebutdidn'trealizehewasonm
ute.ProfessorWangdidnotknowthatinhisonlinelecture,themicrophon
eonhisiPadwasswitchedoff.Thismeantthatnoneofthestudentsinhiso
nlineclassheardwhathewastalkingabout.Hisuniversityswitchedhiscl
assesonlinetoreducethespreadofCOVID-19.Hislecturestartedwel
lbutthenhisscreenfroze.Thevideocamebackbutthemicwasoff.Profes
sorWangdidnotnotice.Oneofhisstudentssaysitmightbebecausethep
rofessorusedaniPadandnotacomputer.Studentstriedmanytimestoc
ontacttheirprofessorinthelessonbutcouldnotgetthroughtohim.They
wavedtheirarmsandcalledhisphone.AvideoofthemomentMrWangun
derstoodhismicwasoffhasgoneviralontheInternet.Afterheunderstoo
dwhathappened,helookedshockedandstressed.Hesaidhewasupsetb
ecausehewastedtwohoursofhisstudents'time.Hewillredothelecturea
tadifferenttimesohisstudentsdonotmisshisclass.Oneofhisstudentsp
ostedonsocialmediaabouttheprofessor'saccident.Shewrote:"Hetea
cheswell.Ifeelbadforhim."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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