A teenage Indonesian girl swept away in the Indian Ocean tsunami on Boxing Day seven years ago has been reunited with her family. Fifteen-year-old Wati was eight when the devastating tsunami wiped out the village of Ujong Baroh in Sumatra’s Aceh province. Her family survived the giant tidal wave but little Wati was carried away. The last time her mother saw her was when the water carried the little girl away. She was desperately clinging to her three children in an attempt to keep them all together, but her efforts were in vain as she lost her grip on Wati. Yusniar never thought she would see her daughter alive again. Wati’s family made several attempts to find her but no one reported seeing her alive.
A miracle happened last Wednesday when her grandfather Ibrahim, who lived in another town, got a visit from an acquaintance who was with a teenage girl. Wati had visited the old man in his coffee shop. She told him she was trying to get back to her village but did not know the way. Ibrahim suspected the teenager might be his long-lost grand-daughter but she could not remember any of her parents’ of relatives’ names, except Ibrahim’s. Wati’s identity was confirmed by her parents several days later from a mole and a scar above her eyebrow that she got when she was six years old. It is still unclear what happened to Wati in her seven-year absence. The deadly tsunami killed more than 150,000 people in several Indian Ocean nations.
1. REUNIONS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about reunions. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.
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teenage / swept away / reunited / devastating / clinging / in vain / grip / attempts / miracle / acquaintance / coffee shop / relatives / scar / eyebrow / absence / unclear |
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. REUNITED: Complete this table and share what you wrote with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote again.
Reunited with… |
What would you say? |
What would you do? |
a childhood friend |
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a long-lost relative |
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a former colleague |
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an old boy/girlfriend |
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something you lost |
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your childhood |
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4. MIRACLES: Students A strongly believe they happen; Students B strongly believe they don’t. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
5. DISASTER: Which of these are most damaging? Rank them and share your rankings with your partner. Put the worst at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.
- tsunami
- drought
- banking collapse
- war
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- famine
- epidemic
- domestic abuse
- cancer
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6. TSUNAMI: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘tsunami’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
BEFORE READING / LISTENING
1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).
a. |
A girl is back with her family 7 years to the day after a tsunami. |
T / F |
b. |
The girl’s family was washed away in the tsunami. |
T / F |
c. |
The girl’s mother couldn’t keep hold of her hand during the tsunami. |
T / F |
d. |
The girl’s family thought she was dead after the tsunami. |
T / F |
e. |
The girl suddenly showed up at her grandfather’s coffee shop. |
T / F |
f. |
The girl remembered the names of her parents and siblings. |
T / F |
g. |
Her parents knew who she was from a scar above her eyebrow. |
T / F |
h. |
The girl told her family everything that happened since the tsunami. |
T / F |
2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.
1. |
tsunami |
a. |
occurred |
2. |
devastating |
b. |
hanging on |
3. |
wiped out |
c. |
catastrophic |
4. |
clinging |
d. |
thought |
5. |
in vain |
e. |
lethal |
6. |
happened |
f. |
tidal wave |
7. |
acquaintance |
g. |
useless |
8. |
suspected |
h. |
not known |
9. |
unclear |
i. |
destroyed |
10. |
deadly |
j. |
friend |
3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)
1. |
swept |
a. |
out the village |
2. |
the devastating tsunami wiped |
b. |
an acquaintance |
3. |
desperately clinging |
c. |
as she lost her grip |
4. |
her efforts were in vain |
d. |
seeing her alive |
5. |
no one reported |
e. |
above her eyebrow |
6. |
a visit from |
f. |
away |
7. |
his long-lost |
g. |
year absence |
8. |
a scar |
h. |
what happened |
9. |
It is still unclear |
i. |
to her three children |
10. |
her seven- |
j. |
grand-daughter |
WHILE READING / LISTENING
GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.
A teenage Indonesian girl swept (1) ____________ in the Indian Ocean tsunami on Boxing Day seven years ago has been reunited (2) ____________ her family. Fifteen-year-old Wati was eight when the devastating tsunami (3) ____________ out the village of Ujong Baroh in Sumatra’s Aceh province. Her family (4) ____________ the giant tidal wave but little Wati was carried away. The last time her mother saw her was when the water carried the little girl away. She was desperately (5) ____________ to her three children in an (6) ____________ to keep them all together, but her efforts were in vain as she lost her (7) ____________ on Wati. Yusniar never thought she would see her daughter alive again. Wati’s family made (8) ____________ attempts to find her but no one reported seeing her alive. |
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grip
survived
with
several
clinging
away
attempt
wiped
|
A (9) ____________ happened last Wednesday when her grandfather Ibrahim, who lived in another town, got a (10) ____________ from an acquaintance who was with a teenage girl. Wati had visited the old man in his coffee shop. She told him she was trying to get back to her village but did not know the (11) ____________. Ibrahim suspected the teenager might be his (12) ____________ -lost grand-daughter but she could not remember any of her parents’ of relatives’ names, except Ibrahim’s. Wati’s identity was (13) ____________ by her parents several days later from a mole and a (14) ____________ above her eyebrow that she got when she was six years old. It is still (15) ____________ what happened to Wati in her seven-year (16) ____________. The deadly tsunami killed more than 150,000 people in several Indian Ocean nations. |
|
way
scar
visit
confirmed
absence
miracle
long
unclear |
LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps
A teenage Indonesian girl ______________________ Indian Ocean tsunami on Boxing Day seven years ago has been reunited with her family. Fifteen-year-old Wati was eight when the devastating ______________________ village of Ujong Baroh in Sumatra’s Aceh province. Her family survived the ______________________ little Wati was carried away. The last time her mother saw her was when the water carried the little girl away. She was desperately clinging to her three children ______________________ keep them all together, but her ______________________ as she lost her grip on Wati. Yusniar never thought she would see her daughter alive again. Wati’s family ______________________ to find her but no one reported seeing her alive.
A miracle happened last Wednesday when her grandfather Ibrahim, who lived in another town, got a visit from ______________________ was with a teenage girl. Wati had visited the old man in his coffee shop. She told him she was trying to get back to her village but did ______________________. Ibrahim ______________________ might be his long-lost grand-daughter but she could not remember any of her parents’ of relatives’ names, except Ibrahim’s. Wati’s identity ______________________ her parents several days later from a mole and a ______________________ that she got when she was six years old. It is still ______________________ to Wati in her seven-year absence. The deadly tsunami killed more than 150,000 people in several Indian Ocean nations.
AFTER READING / LISTENING
1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘back’ and ‘home’.
- Share your findings with your partners.
- Make questions using the words you found.
- Ask your partner / group your questions.
2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.
- Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
- Ask your partner / group your questions.
3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?
4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.
5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:
- seven
- eight
- giant
- last
- vain
- several
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- visit
- way
- lost
- several
- still
- deadly
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STUDENT REUNIONS SURVEY
Write five GOOD questions about reunions 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.
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STUDENT 1
_____________ |
STUDENT 2
_____________ |
STUDENT 3
_____________ |
Q.1.
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Q.2.
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Q.3.
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Q.4.
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Q.5.
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- Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
- Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.
REUNIONS DISCUSSION
STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
a) |
What did you think when you read the headline? |
b) |
What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘reunion’? |
c) |
What do you think of this story? |
d) |
Is there someone you would like to be reunited with? |
e) |
Have you ever been to a family or school reunion? |
f) |
What three adjectives describe this story? |
g) |
What do you know about the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami? |
h) |
How should people try and survive a tsunami? |
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a) |
Did you like reading this article? |
b) |
Do you believe in miracles? |
c) |
Have you ever been reunited with people on Facebook? |
d) |
What do you think of how Wati came across her grandfather? |
e) |
Why do you think Wati could not remember the names of her relatives? |
f) |
Why do you think it’s unclear what happened in Wati’s absence is unclear? |
g) |
Have you ever tried hard to do something that was in vain? |
h) |
What questions would you like to ask Wati and her mother? |
LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE
A teenage Indonesian girl (1) ____ away in the Indian Ocean tsunami on Boxing Day seven years ago has been reunited with her family. Fifteen-year-old Wati was eight when the (2) ____ tsunami wiped out the village of Ujong Baroh in Sumatra’s Aceh province. Her family survived the (3) ____ tidal wave but little Wati was carried away. The last time her mother saw her was when the water carried the little girl away. She was desperately (4) ____ to her three children in an attempt to keep them all together, but her efforts were in (5) ____ as she lost her grip on Wati. Yusniar never thought she would see her daughter alive again. Wati’s family made several (6) ____ to find her but no one reported seeing her alive.
A miracle happened last Wednesday when her grandfather Ibrahim, who lived in another town, got a visit from an (7) ____ who was with a teenage girl. Wati had visited the old man in his coffee shop. She told him she was trying to get back to her village but did not know the way. Ibrahim (8) ____ the teenager might be his long-lost grand-daughter but she could not remember any of her parents’ of relatives’ names, (9) ____ Ibrahim’s. Wati’s identity was confirmed (10) ____ her parents several days later from a mole and a scar above her eyebrow that she (11) ____ when she was six years old. It is still unclear what happened to Wati in her seven-year (12) ____. The deadly tsunami killed more than 150,000 people in several Indian Ocean nations.
Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.
1. |
(a) |
sweeps |
(b) |
sweeping |
(c) |
sweep |
(d) |
swept |
2. |
(a) |
devastating |
(b) |
devastate |
(c) |
devastation |
(d) |
devastates |
3. |
(a) |
monolith |
(b) |
giant |
(c) |
ogre |
(d) |
sizeable |
4. |
(a) |
clang |
(b) |
cling on |
(c) |
clinging |
(d) |
clicking |
5. |
(a) |
pain |
(b) |
lain |
(c) |
vain |
(d) |
main |
6. |
(a) |
attempt |
(b) |
attempts |
(c) |
attempted |
(d) |
attempting |
7. |
(a) |
anchor |
(b) |
antique |
(c) |
aquatic |
(d) |
acquaintance |
8. |
(a) |
suspected |
(b) |
reflected |
(c) |
elected |
(d) |
detected |
9. |
(a) |
accept |
(b) |
except |
(c) |
concept |
(d) |
accepts |
10. |
(a) |
at |
(b) |
on |
(c) |
as |
(d) |
by |
11. |
(a) |
did |
(b) |
took |
(c) |
got |
(d) |
was |
12. |
(a) |
absence |
(b) |
recently |
(c) |
past |
(d) |
historical |
WRITING
Write about reunions for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.
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HOMEWORK
1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. REUNIONS: Make a poster about reunions. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. BACK TOGETHER AGAIN: Write a magazine article about Wati. Include imaginary interviews with her and her relatives.
Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
5. LETTER: Write a letter to a tsunami expert. Ask him/her three questions about tsunamis. Give him/her three of your ideas on how people can prepare for them. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.
ANSWERS
TRUE / FALSE:
a. |
F |
b. |
F |
c. |
T |
d. |
T |
e. |
T |
f. |
F |
g. |
T |
h. |
F |
SYNONYM MATCH:
1. |
tsunami |
a. |
tidal wave |
2. |
devastating |
b. |
catastrophic |
3. |
wiped out |
c. |
destroyed |
4. |
clinging |
d. |
hanging on |
5. |
in vain |
e. |
useless |
6. |
happened |
f. |
occurred |
7. |
acquaintance |
g. |
friend |
8. |
suspected |
h. |
thought |
9. |
unclear |
i. |
not known |
10. |
deadly |
j. |
lethal |
PHRASE MATCH:
1. |
swept |
a. |
away |
2. |
the devastating tsunami wiped |
b. |
out the village |
3. |
desperately clinging |
c. |
to her three children |
4. |
her efforts were in vain |
d. |
as she lost her grip |
5. |
no one reported |
e. |
seeing her alive |
6. |
a visit from |
f. |
an acquaintance |
7. |
his long-lost |
g. |
grand-daughter |
8. |
a scar |
h. |
above her eyebrow |
9. |
It is still unclear |
i. |
what happened |
10. |
her seven- |
j. |
year absence |
GAP FILL:
Girl back home 7 years after tsunami
A teenage Indonesian girl swept (1) away in the Indian Ocean tsunami on Boxing Day seven years ago has been reunited (2) with her family. Fifteen-year-old Wati was eight when the devastating tsunami (3) wiped out the village of Ujong Baroh in Sumatra’s Aceh province. Her family (4) survived the giant tidal wave but little Wati was carried away. The last time her mother saw her was when the water carried the little girl away. She was desperately (5) clinging to her three children in an (6) attempt to keep them all together, but her efforts were in vain as she lost her (7) grip on Wati. Yusniar never thought she would see her daughter alive again. Wati’s family made (8) several attempts to find her but no one reported seeing her alive.
A (9) miracle happened last Wednesday when her grandfather Ibrahim, who lived in another town, got a (10) visit from an acquaintance who was with a teenage girl. Wati had visited the old man in his coffee shop. She told him she was trying to get back to her village but did not know the (11) way. Ibrahim suspected the teenager might be his (12) long-lost grand-daughter but she could not remember any of her parents’ of relatives’ names, except Ibrahim’s. Wati’s identity was (13) confirmed by her parents several days later from a mole and a (14) scar above her eyebrow that she got when she was six years old. It is still (15) unclear what happened to Wati in her seven-year (16) absence. The deadly tsunami killed more than 150,000 people in several Indian Ocean nations.
LANGUAGE WORK
1 - d |
2 - a |
3 - b |
4 - c |
5 - c |
6 - b |
7 - d |
8 - a |
9 - b |
10 - d |
11 - c |
12 - a |