The Reading / Listening - Titanic Postcard - Level 0

A postcard from the Titanic could sell for $15,000. It was written by a ship worker, Jack Phillips. He wrote it to his sister. The postcard has photos of the Titanic on one side. On the address side there is a postmark from a post office in Belfast. The card is one of many things from the Titanic for sale in the auction.

The Titanic was built in 1912. Its builders said it could not sink. It sailed for the first time on April the 10th, 1912. It hit an iceberg five days later and sank. More than 1,500 passengers died. Mr Phillips escaped. He waited to be rescued, but he died from the cold. He was 25 years old. The story of the Titanic was made into a movie.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Titanic Postcard - Level 1,  Titanic Postcard - Level 2   or  Titanic Postcard - Level 3

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/titanic-postcard-up-for-auction-trnd/index.html
  • https://www.9news.com.au/world/postcard-from-titanic-crewmember-to-go-on-auction/119ff469-b7bb-4153-ad75-3e2cad50d1e9
  • https://nypost.com/2021/04/06/titanic-postcard-signed-love-jack-may-fetch-15k-at-auction/


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 postcard
  2. It was written
  3. He wrote it to
  4. photos of the Titanic
  5. On the address
  6. there is a postmark
  7. The card is one of
  8. for sale in
  1. on one side
  2. his sister
  3. the auction
  4. from the Titanic
  5. from a post office
  6. many things
  7. by a ship worker
  8. side

Paragraph 2

  1. The Titanic was built
  2. it could not
  3. It sailed for
  4. It hit an iceberg
  5. More than
  6. He waited to be
  7. he died from
  8. he story of the Titanic was
  1. five days later
  2. the cold
  3. 1,500 passengers died
  4. sink
  5. made into a movie
  6. in 1912
  7. rescued
  8. the first time

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A (1) ___________________ Titanic could sell for $15,000. It was written (2) ___________________ worker, Jack Phillips. He wrote it (3) ___________________. The postcard has photos of the Titanic (4) ___________________. On the address side there is a postmark (5) ___________________ office in Belfast. The card is one of many things from the Titanic (6) ___________________ the auction.

The Titanic was built in 1912. Its builders said it (7) ___________________. It sailed for the (8) ___________________ April the 10th, 1912. It hit an iceberg five days (9) ___________________. More than 1,500 passengers died. Mr Phillips escaped. He waited (10) ___________________, but he died (11) ___________________. He was 25 years old. The story of the Titanic (12) ___________________ a movie.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ApostcardfromtheTitaniccouldsellfor$15,000.Itwaswrittenbyaship
worker,JackPhillips.Hewroteittohissister.Thepostcardhasphotosoft
heTitanicononeside.Ontheaddresssidethereisapostmarkfromapost
officeinBelfast.ThecardisoneofmanythingsfromtheTitanicforsaleint
heauction.TheTitanicwasbuiltin1912.Itsbuilderssaiditcouldnotsink.
ItsailedforthefirsttimeonAprilthe10th,1912.Ithitanicebergfivedaysl
aterandsank.Morethan1,500passengersdied.MrPhillipsescaped.He
waitedtoberescued,buthediedfromthecold.Hewas25yearsold.Thest
oryoftheTitanicwasmadeintoamovie.

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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