The Reading / Listening - Crying Babies - Level 3

A passenger on a flight in the USA was asked to leave the airplane because she complained about a crying baby. The woman told cabin crew that she would not sit down because of a crying baby boy in the seat next to hers. The woman was very rude to the baby's mother and swore at her many times. The mother, Marissa Rundell, was taking a flight with her 8-month-old baby son from New York's JFK airport to her home in the city of Syracuse in New York State. Even though it was just a short flight, the angry woman was very unhappy that she had to sit next to the mother and her baby. She even said it was terrible that she had to sit at the back of the plane. The flight was full, so she could not be reseated.

Ms Rundell took a video of the woman shouting at her and her baby. Rundell posted the video footage on social media. It starts with the angry woman gathering her bag and coat from her seat and angrily shouting: "I'm not sitting next to a crying baby." Rundell tried to make the woman calm down. She told her: "He's not going to cry the whole time." The woman then got very angry and started to swear at Ms Rundell. Cabin crew asked the woman to leave the airplane. It took her ten minutes to leave. She then said she would get the cabin crew fired. Rundell wrote on Facebook: "This lady thought she was going to be rude to me and Mason, now she had no way home today."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Crying Babies - Level 0,  Crying Babies - Level 1   or  Crying Babies - Level 2

Sources
  • https://nypost.com/2018/02/14/woman-booted-from-plane-after-refusing-to-sit-next-to-crying-baby/
  • https://www.dailystar.co.uk/travel/travel-news/681898/woman-kicked-off-delta-air-lines-flight-complaining-about-seating
  • http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5389255/Flyer-thrown-Delta-flight-bullying-mom-baby.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. CRYING BABIES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about crying babies. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       passenger / airplane / complained / rude / flight / airport / unhappy / terrible / plane /
       video / video footage / shouting / calm down / swear / ten minutes / home / today
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. BABIES AND MOTHERS: Students A strongly believe we should all help mothers with their crying babies in public; Students B strongly believe we shouldn't.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. COMPLAINTS: Should we complain about these situations? How? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Should we complain?

How?

A crying baby

 

 

Loud headphones

 

 

Feet on train seats

 

 

Bad drivers

 

 

Poor customer service

 

 

Rude children

 

 
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. FLIGHT: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "flight". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. BABIES: Rank these with your partner. Put the best things about babies at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • play time
  • bath time
  • how they crawl
  • baby talk
  • their smile
  • their cheeks
  • their sleeping face
  • feeding time

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. passenger a. An act of flying; a journey made through the air or in space, especially a scheduled journey made by an airline.
      2. flight b. Really, really bad.
      3. complained c. Impolite and ill-mannered.
      4. cabin d. A group of people who work on and operate a ship, boat, aircraft, spacecraft, or train.
      5. crew e. A private room or part of a ship;  the area for passengers in an aircraft.
      6. rude f. A traveler on a public or private car, bus, taxi, ship, airplane, etc. but not the driver, pilot, or crew.
      7. terrible g. Said you were unhappy or annoyed about something or someone.

    Paragraph 2

      8. posted h. Use very bad language towards someone when you are angry.
      9. footage i. Return to a peaceful state after being angry.
      10. gathering j. Websites and applications that let users create and share content or to participate in social networking.
      11. social media k. Uploaded a message, comment, photo, video, etc. onto a website.
      12. calm down l. Was told you no longer have a job at a company because you did something bad.
      13. swear m. A length of film made for movies or television.
      14. fired n. Picking things up to bring them together.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. A woman sat down next to a crying baby on an airplane.     T / F
  2. The article said the mother swore at the angry passenger.     T / F
  3. The baby was three months old.     T / F
  4. There were many empty seats on the plane the woman could sit in.     T / F
  5. The mother posted a video of the angry woman on social media.     T / F
  6. The mother tried to get the angry woman to calm down.     T / F
  7. The angry woman took ten minutes to get off the airplane.     T / F
  8. The angry woman made the cabin crew lose their jobs.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. passenger
  2. complained
  3. rude
  4. short
  5. terrible
  6. posted
  7. calm down
  8. whole
  9. fired
  10. way
  1. awful
  2. brief
  3. sacked
  4. impolite
  5. entire
  6. traveler
  7. route
  8. protested
  9. relax
  10. uploaded

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. A passenger
  2. she complained about
  3. The woman was very rude to
  4. it was just a short
  5. she had to sit at the
  6. posted the video
  7. make the woman calm
  8. He's not going to cry the
  9. cabin
  10. she was going to be
  1. the baby's mother
  2. whole time
  3. flight
  4. rude to me
  5. footage on social media
  6. on a flight
  7. crew
  8. down
  9. a crying baby
  10. back of the plane

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
short
complained
flight
full
rude
even
airport
because

A passenger on a (1) ____________ in the USA was asked to leave the airplane because she (2) ____________ about a crying baby. The woman told cabin crew that she would not sit down (3) ____________ of a crying baby boy in the seat next to hers. The woman was very (4) ____________ to the baby's mother and swore at her many times. The mother, Marissa Rundell, was taking a flight with her 8-month-old baby son from New York's JFK (5) ____________ to her home in the city of Syracuse in New York State. Even though it was just a (6) ____________ flight, the angry woman was very unhappy that she had to sit next to the mother and her baby. She (7) ____________ said it was terrible that she had to sit at the back of the plane. The flight was (8) ____________, so she could not be reseated.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
calm
took
shouting
way
gathering
fired
footage
swear

Ms Rundell took a video of the woman (9) ____________ at her and her baby. Rundell posted the video (10) ____________ on social media. It starts with the angry woman (11) ____________ her bag and coat from her seat and angrily shouting: "I'm not sitting next to a crying baby." Rundell tried to make the woman (12) ____________ down. She told her: "He's not going to cry the whole time." The woman then got very angry and started to (13) ____________ at Ms Rundell. Cabin crew asked the woman to leave the airplane. It (14) ____________ her ten minutes to leave. She then said she would get the cabin crew (15) ____________. Rundell wrote on Facebook: "This lady thought she was going to be rude to me and Mason, now she had no (16) ____________ home today."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  A passenger on a flight in the USA was asked to ______
     a.  leave the airplane
     b.  believe the airplane
     c.  leaf the airplane
     d.  lease the airplane
2)  The woman was very rude to the baby's mother and ______
     a.  swore at her
     b.  sworn at her
     c.  swear at her
     d.  worn at her
3)  Even though it was just a short flight, the angry woman ______
     a.  was verily unhappy
     b.  wasn't very unhappy
     c.  was very unhappy
     d.  was very happy
4)  She even said it was terrible that she had to sit at the ______ plane
     a.  back off the
     b.  back of then
     c.  back of them
     d.  back of the
5)  The flight was full, so she could ______
     a.  not be reseated
     b.  not be reheated
     c.  not be repeated
     d.  not be restated

6)  Rundell posted the video footage ______
     a.  on socially medium
     b.  on socially media
     c.  on social medium
     d.  on social media
7)  Rundell tried to make the woman ______
     a.  calm over
     b.  calm up
     c.  calm down
     d.  calm them
8)  She told her: "He's not going to cry ______."
     a.  the hole time
     b.  the whole time
     c.  the holy time
     d.  the whirl time
9)  She then said she would get the cabin ______
     a.  clue fired
     b.  crew fired
     c.  glue fired
     d.  flew fired
10)  she was going to be rude to me and Mason, now she ______
     a.  had no wait home
     b.  had no weigh home
     c.  had no whey home
     d.  had no way home

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A passenger (1) ___________________ in the USA was asked to leave the airplane because she complained about a crying baby. The woman (2) ___________________ that she would not sit down because of a crying baby boy in the seat (3) ___________________. The woman was very rude to the baby's mother and swore at her many times. The mother, Marissa Rundell, was taking a flight with her 8-month-(4) ___________________ from New York's JFK airport to her home in the city of Syracuse in New York State. Even though it was (5) ___________________ flight, the angry woman was very unhappy that she had to sit next to the mother and her baby. She even said it (6) ___________________ she had to sit at the back of the plane. The flight was full, so she could not be reseated.

Ms Rundell took a video of the woman shouting at her and her baby. Rundell posted the (7) ___________________ social media. It starts with the angry woman gathering her bag and coat from her (8) ___________________ shouting: "I'm not sitting next to a crying baby." Rundell tried to make the woman calm down. She told her: "He's not going to (9) _________________ time." The woman then got very angry and started to swear at Ms Rundell. Cabin crew asked the (10) ___________________ the airplane. It took her ten (11) ___________________. She then said she would get the cabin crew fired. Rundell wrote on Facebook: "This lady thought she was going to be rude to me and Mason, now she had no (12) ___________________."

Comprehension questions

  1. In which country did this incident take place?
  2. How close was the angry woman's seat to the mother's seat?
  3. How old was the baby?
  4. How long was the flight?
  5. Where in the plane did the woman not want to sit?
  6. Where did the mother post the video footage of the incident?
  7. What did the angry woman pick up from her seat?
  8. What did the mother try to get the angry woman to do?
  9. How long did it take the angry woman to leave the airplane?
  10. What did the angry passenger say she would do to the cabin crew?

Multiple choice quiz

1) In which country did this incident take place?
a) Australia
b) the USA
c) South Africa
d) China
2) How close was the angry woman's seat to the mother's seat?
a) they were ten rows apart
b) in the row in front
c) in the row behind
d) it was next to hers
3) How old was the baby?
a) 8 months
b) 7 months
c) 6 months
d) 5 months
4) How long was the flight?
a) 8 hours
b) it was a long haul flight
c) it was a short flight
d) 14 hours
5) Where in the plane did the woman not want to sit?
a) by the toilets
b) at the back
c) in the cockpit
d) in the middle

6) Where did the mother post the video footage of the incident?
a) on Amazon
b) in a post office
c) on social media
d) in a mail box
7) What did the angry woman pick up from her seat?
a) the baby's food
b) the baby's toys
c) her passport
d) her coat and bag
8) What did the mother try to get the angry woman to do?
a) calm down
b) sit down
c) look after the baby
d) hold the baby
9) How long did it take the angry woman to leave the airplane?
a) 10 minutes
b) one hour
c) half an hour
d) a few seconds
10) What did the angry passenger say she would do to the cabin crew?
a) hit them
b) get them fired
c) report them
d) give them money

Role play

Role  A – Sleeping Time
You think sleeping time is the best time to be with a baby. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their times. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): feeding time, bath time or play time.

Role  B – Feeding Time
You think feeding time is the best time to be with a baby. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their times. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): sleeping time, bath time or play time.

Role  C – Bath Time
You think bath time is the best time to be with a baby. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their times. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): feeding time, sleeping time or play time.

Role  D – Play Time
You think play time is the best time to be with a baby. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their times. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why):  feeding time, bath time or sleeping time.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'cry'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'baby'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • 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:

    • posted
    • bag
    • calm
    • swear
    • ten
    • way
    • passenger
    • hers
    • swore
    • son
    • short
    • full

    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 - Woman thrown off plane for shouting at crying baby

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'crying'?
    3. What do you think of crying babies?
    4. How would you feel about sitting next to a crying baby?
    5. What do you think of the woman for complaining?
    6. Have you ever complained to someone?
    7. Have you ever had a bad experience on an airplane?
    8. What advice do you have for mothers with crying babies?
    9. What advice do you have for the angry woman?
    10. Should the airline have tried to reseat the angry woman?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'baby'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Why do babies cry?
    5. Should the mother have posted the video on social media?
    6. Why do people have problems with crying babies?
    7. Should the mother take the woman to court?
    8. How difficult is it to be a cabin attendant?
    9. Are people becoming angrier recently?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the mother?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    A passenger on a (1) ____ in the USA was asked to leave the airplane because she complained about a crying baby. The woman told cabin (2) ____ that she would not sit down because of a crying baby boy in the seat next to hers. The woman was very (3) ____ to the baby's mother and swore at her many times. The mother, Marissa Rundell, was taking a flight with her 8-month-old baby son from New York's JFK airport to her home in the city of Syracuse in New York State. Even though it was (4) ____ a short flight, the angry woman was very unhappy that she had to sit next to the mother and her baby. She even said it was (5) ____ that she had to sit at the back of the plane. The flight was full, (6) ____ she could not be reseated.

    Ms Rundell took a video of the woman shouting (7) ____ her and her baby. Rundell posted the video (8) ____ on social media. It starts with the angry woman gathering her bag and coat from her seat and angrily shouting: "I'm not sitting next to a crying baby." Rundell tried to make the woman (9) ____ down. She told her: "He's not going to cry the (10) ____ time." The woman then got very angry and started to swear at Ms Rundell. Cabin crew asked the woman to leave the airplane. It (11) ____ her ten minutes to leave. She then said she would get the cabin crew fired. Rundell wrote on Facebook: "This lady thought she was going to be rude to me and Mason, now she had no (12) ____ home today."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     fly     (b)     flight     (c)     flyer     (d)     flies    
    2. (a)     crude     (b)     crew     (c)     chew     (d)     clue    
    3. (a)     rudder     (b)     rudely     (c)     rudeness     (d)     rude    
    4. (a)     adjust     (b)     just     (c)     justly     (d)     justice    
    5. (a)     terrors     (b)     terror     (c)     terribly     (d)     terrible    
    6. (a)     that     (b)     this     (c)     so     (d)     as    
    7. (a)     at     (b)     of     (c)     on     (d)     up    
    8. (a)     foot     (b)     footsie     (c)     footage     (d)     feet    
    9. (a)     clamp     (b)     claim     (c)     clam     (d)     calm    
    10. (a)     whole     (b)     all     (c)     every     (d)     everything    
    11. (a)     took     (b)     gave     (c)     did     (d)     had    
    12. (a)     way     (b)     how     (c)     getting     (d)     be

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. A asepgnser
    2. she lmpaoniced about a crying baby
    3. cabin recw
    4. the baby's mother and wsroe at her
    5. it was rtireble
    6. The lfgiht was full

    Paragraph 2

    1. video ootafge
    2. tehargnig her bag and coat
    3. gairnly shouting
    4. aclm down
    5. It took her ten minutes to ealve
    6. be rdue to me

    Put the text back together

    (...)  to hers. The woman was very rude to the baby's mother and swore at her many
    (...)  home in the city of Syracuse in New York State. Even though it was just a short flight, the angry woman was very
    (...)  baby. The woman told cabin crew that she would not sit down because of a crying baby boy in the seat next
    (...)  footage on social media. It starts with the angry woman gathering her bag and coat from her seat and angrily
    (...)  unhappy that she had to sit next to the mother and her baby. She even said it was terrible that she had to sit
    (...)  at the back of the plane. The flight was full, so she could not be reseated.
    (...)  times. The mother, Marissa Rundell, was taking a flight with her 8-month-old baby son from New York's JFK airport to her
    (  1  ) A passenger on a flight in the USA was asked to leave the airplane because she complained about a crying
    (...)  down. She told her: "He's not going to cry the whole time." The woman then got very angry and started to
    (...)  shouting: "I'm not sitting next to a crying baby." Rundell tried to make the woman calm
    (...)  Ms Rundell took a video of the woman shouting at her and her baby. Rundell posted the video
    (...)  swear at Ms Rundell. Cabin crew asked the woman to leave the airplane. It took her ten minutes to
    (...)  leave. She then said she would get the cabin crew fired. Rundell wrote on Facebook: "This lady thought
    (...)  she was going to be rude to me and Mason, now she had no way home today."

    Put the words in the right order

    1. on   a   A   flight   leave   .   passenger   asked   was   to
    2. rude   woman   very   The   baby's   was   the   mother   .   to
    3. son   .   her   flight   Taking   baby   8-month-old   with   a
    4. to   had   she   Unhappy   mother   .   next   to   sit   the
    5. the   that   sit   back   .   at   to   she   Terrible   had
    6. footage   social   media   .   Rundell   video   posted   the   on
    7. starts   It   the   angry   gathering   with   her   woman   bag
    8. of   A   woman   video   at   shouting   the   her   baby   .
    9. to   going   He's   cry   not   whole   the   time   .
    10. she   She   the   get   would   cabin   said   crew   fired   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    A passenger on a flight / fight in the USA was asked to leave the airplane because she complained about a crying cry / baby. The woman told cabin crew that she would not sit down because of a crying baby boy in the seat next to hers. The woman was very rudely / rude to the baby's mother and swore / sworn at her many times. The mother, Marissa Rundell, was taking a flight with her 8-month-old baby / baby's son from New York's JFK airport to her home in the city of Syracuse in New York State. Even through / though it was just a short flight, the angry / angrily woman was very unhappy that she had to sit next to the mother and her baby. She even / ever said it was terrible that she had to sit at the backing / back of the plane. The flight was full, so she could not be restarted / reseated.

    Ms Rundell took a video of the woman shouted / shouting at her and her baby. Rundell posted the video footage / footing on social media. It starts with the angry woman gathered / gathering her bag and coat from her seat and angrily / angry shouting: "I'm not sitting next to a crying baby." Rundell tried to make the woman clam / calm down. She told her: "He's not going to cry the hole / whole time." The woman then got very angry and started to swearing / swear at Ms Rundell. Cabin crew asked the woman to leave the airplane. It took her ten minutes to leave. She then said she would get the cabin clue / crew fired. Rundell wrote on Facebook: "This lady thought she was going to be rude / rudeness to me and Mason, now she had no way / wait home today."

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    A   p_s s_n g_r  _n  _  f l_g h t  _n   t h_  U S A   w_s  _s k_d   t_  l__ v_  t h_ __ r p l_n_  b_c__ s_  s h_  c_m p l__ n_d  _b__ t  _  c r y_n g   b_b y .   T h_  w_m_n   t_l d   c_b_n   c r_w   t h_t   s h_  w__ l d   n_t   s_t   d_w n   b_c__ s_ _f  _  c r y_n g   b_b y   b_y  _n   t h_  s__ t   n_x t   t_  h_r s .   T h_  w_m_n   w_s   v_r y   r_d_  t_  t h_  b_b y ' s   m_t h_r  _n d   s w_r_ _t   h_r   m_n y   t_m_s .   T h_  m_t h_r ,   M_r_s s_  R_n d_l l ,   w_s   t_k_n g  _  f l_g h t   w_t h   h_r   8 - m_n t h -_l d   b_b y   s_n   f r_m   N_w   Y_r k ' s   J F K  __ r p_r t   t_  h_r   h_m_ _n   t h_  c_t y  _f   S y r_c_s_ _n   N_w   Y_r k   S t_t_.   E v_n   t h__ g h  _t   w_s   j_s t  _  s h_r t   f l_g h t ,   t h_ _n g r y   w_m_n   w_s   v_r y  _n h_p p y   t h_t   s h_  h_d   t_  s_t   n_x t   t_  t h_  m_t h_r  _n d   h_r   b_b y .   S h_ _v_n   s__ d  _t   w_s   t_r r_b l_  t h_t   s h_  h_d   t_  s_t  _t   t h_  b_c k  _f   t h_  p l_n_.   T h_  f l_g h t   w_s   f_l l ,   s_  s h_  c__ l d   n_t   b_  r_s__ t_d .

    M s   R_n d_l l   t__ k  _  v_d__  _f   t h_  w_m_n   s h__ t_n g  _t   h_r  _n d   h_r   b_b y .   R_n d_l l   p_s t_d   t h_  v_d__   f__ t_g_ _n   s_c__ l   m_d__ .   I t   s t_r t s   w_t h   t h_ _n g r y   w_m_n   g_t h_r_n g   h_r   b_g  _n d   c__ t   f r_m   h_r   s__ t  _n d  _n g r_l y   s h__ t_n g :   " I ' m   n_t   s_t t_n g   n_x t   t_ _  c r y_n g   b_b y . "   R_n d_l l   t r__ d   t_  m_k_  t h_  w_m_n   c_l m   d_w n .   S h_  t_l d   h_r :   " H_' s   n_t   g__ n g   t_  c r y   t h_  w h_l_  t_m_. "   T h_  w_m_n   t h_n   g_t   v_r y  _n g r y  _n d   s t_r t_d   t_  s w__ r  _t   M s   R_n d_l l .   C_b_n   c r_w  _s k_d   t h_  w_m_n   t_  l__ v_  t h_ __ r p l_n_.   I t   t__ k   h_r   t_n   m_n_t_s   t_  l__ v_.   S h_  t h_n   s__ d   s h_  w__ l d   g_t   t h_  c_b_n   c r_w   f_r_d .   R_n d_l l   w r_t_ _n   F_c_b__ k :   " T h_s   l_d y   t h__ g h t   s h_  w_s   g__ n g   t_  b_  r_d_  t_  m_ _n d   M_s_n ,   n_w   s h_  h_d   n_  w_y   h_m_  t_d_y ."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    a passenger on a flight in the usa was asked to leave the airplane because she complained about a crying baby the woman told cabin crew that she would not sit down because of a crying baby boy in the seat next to hers the woman was very rude to the babys mother and swore at her many times the mother marissa rundell was taking a flight with her 8monthold baby son from new yorks jfk airport to her home in the city of syracuse in new york state even though it was just a short flight the angry woman was very unhappy that she had to sit next to the mother and her baby she even said it was terrible that she had to sit at the back of the plane the flight was full so she could not be reseated

    ms rundell took a video of the woman shouting at her and her baby rundell posted the video footage on social media it starts with the angry woman gathering her bag and coat from her seat and angrily shouting im not sitting next to a crying baby rundell tried to make the woman calm down she told her hes not going to cry the whole time the woman then got very angry and started to swear at ms rundell cabin crew asked the woman to leave the airplane it took her ten minutes to leave she then said she would get the cabin crew fired rundell wrote on facebook this lady thought she was going to be rude to me and mason now she had no way home today"

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    ApassengeronaflightintheUSAwasaskedtoleavetheairplanebecause
    shecomplainedaboutacryingbaby.Thewomantoldcabincrewthatshe
    wouldnotsitdownbecauseofacryingbabyboyintheseatnexttohers.Th
    ewomanwasveryrudetothebaby'smotherandsworeathermanytimes
    .Themother,MarissaRundell,wastakingaflightwithher8-month-oldb
    abysonfromNewYork'sJFKairporttoherhomeinthecityofSyracuseinN
    ewYorkState.Eventhoughitwasjustashortflight,theangrywomanwas
    veryunhappythatshehadtositnexttothemotherandherbaby.Sheeve
    nsaiditwasterriblethatshehadtositatthebackoftheplane.Theflightwa
    sfull,soshecouldnotbereseated.MsRundelltookavideoofthewomans
    houtingatherandherbaby.Rundellpostedthevideofootageonsocialm
    edia.Itstartswiththeangrywomangatheringherbagandcoatfromhers
    eatandangrilyshouting:"I'mnotsittingnexttoacryingbaby."Rundelltr
    iedtomakethewomancalmdown.Shetoldher:"He'snotgoingtocrythe
    wholetime."ThewomanthengotveryangryandstartedtoswearatMsR
    undell.Cabincrewaskedthewomantoleavetheairplane.Ittookherten
    minutestoleave.Shethensaidshewouldgetthecabincrewfired.Rundel
    lwroteonFacebook:"Thisladythoughtshewasgoingtoberudetomeand
    Mason,nowshehadnowayhometoday."

    Free writing

    Write about crying baby for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    We should all help mothers when their baby is crying. Discuss.

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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 this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. CRYING BABIES: Make a poster about crying babies. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. AIRPLANES: Write a magazine article about crying babies needing a special part of the airplane so they don't disturb other passengers. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    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. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on crying babies. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your opinions on babies crying in public. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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