Breaking News English Lesson: Heroes

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Hero boy swims for four hours to save his family (9th February 2026)

The Reading / Listening - Heroes - Level 6

A 13-year-old Australian boy has been hailed a hero after an epic swim that saved his family. The boy, Austin Appelbee, and his family were on a beach holiday in Western Australia. They were kayaking and paddleboarding in shallow water when strong winds pushed them farther offshore. They ended up over four kilometres away from land, and the daylight was fading. Austin decided to kayak to shore to get help. However, the waves had damaged his kayak, which had taken in water and flipped over. He said he then lost an oar and knew he was in trouble. He decided he had no alternative but to swim back to land. He swam through shark-frequented waters to raise the alarm.

Austin made it to the beach and phoned for help. This sparked a huge rescue operation, which resulted in coastguards finding the teenager's mother and two younger sisters. The boy said: "I hit the bottom of the beach and I just collapsed, and then, after that, I had to sprint two kilometres to get to the phone." Rescuers called his efforts "superhuman". One rescuer said Austin's actions could not "be praised highly enough". He added that the teenager's "determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings". Austin's mother Joanne, 47, told reporters: "The wind picked up. We lost oars, and we drifted out further. It was an absolute nightmare."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Heroes - Level 4 or Heroes - Level 5

Sources

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/teen-13-makes-harrowing-swim-through-shark-frequented-wa-waters-to-save-family-swept-out-to-sea/YS5HBJ2Y2BFP3G44WGQ7Z67BPM/
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/australia/australia-perth-family-stranded-sea-teenager-swims-rcna257203
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly3ezj3rg3o

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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. HEROES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about heroes. 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?
13-year-old / hero / epic swims / beaches / kayaking / waves / in trouble / sharks /
phoning for help / rescue / coastguards / superhuman / determination / nightmares
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. HEROISM: Students A strongly believe we are all capable of great heroism; Students B strongly believe otherwise. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. EVERYDAY HEROES: To what degree are these people heroes? What herioc deeds so they do? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	Degree	Deeds
Nurses
English teachers
Police officers
Chefs
Street cleaners
Presidents

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. SHARK: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "shark". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARES: Rank these with your partner. Put the worst nightmares at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

Being lost at sea
Losing your smartphone
Very noisy neighbours
Going to prison
A chocolate allergy
Year-long hiccups
Losing your friends
Chronic insomnia

Vocabulary

Paragraph 1

1.	hailed	a.	A very, very long, difficult and tiring task or activity.
2.	epic	b.	Gradually grow fainter and disappearing.
3.	shallow	c.	Praised someone or something enthusiastically.
4.	fading	d.	Turned over with a sudden quick movement.
5.	shore	e.	The land along the edge of a sea, lake, or other large body of water.
6.	flipped	f.	Of one or more things available as another possibility or choice.
7.	alternative	g.	Having very little depth.

Paragraph 2

8.	sparked	h.	Total
9.	coastguard	i.	Of a person making a decision and strongly deciding not to change it.
10.	collapsed	j.	The ability to do something that frightens one; bravery.
11.	determination	k.	Provided the thing that starts another event or process.
12.	courage	l.	An organization that keeps watch on coastal waters and helps people or ships in danger.
13.	ultimately	m.	Finally; in the end.
14.	absolute	n.	Of a person having fallen down and become unconscious.

Before reading / listening

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

The article says the 13-year-old boy was failed as a hero. T / F
The boy and his family were kayaking in deep water. T / F
The boy's kayak overturned. T / F
There could have been sharks in the water the boy swam in. T / F
When the boy reached the beach, he screamed for help. T / F
After the boy got to the beach, he collapsed. T / F
A rescuer said the boy should be highly prized. T / F
The boy's mother likened the experience to a very bad dream. T / F

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

hailed
epic
flipped over
trouble
alternative
sparked
collapsed
praised
courage
nightmare

difficulty
overturned
bravery
passed out
heroic
commended
option
ordeal
saluted
set off

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

hailed
an epic
kayaking and paddleboarding
Austin decided to kayak to
raise the
This sparked
Rescuers called his efforts
Austin's actions could not be
the teenager's determination
It was an absolute

alarm
a huge rescue operation
"superhuman"
a hero
and courage
shore to get help
swim
nightmare
in shallow water
praised highly enough

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

fading
shallow
oar
hailed
alarm
flipped
offshore
alternative

A 13-year-old Australian boy has been (1) _________________________________ a hero after an epic swim that saved his family. The boy, Austin Appelbee, and his family were on a beach holiday in Western Australia. They were kayaking and paddleboarding in (2) _________________________________ water when strong winds pushed them farther (3) _________________________________. They ended up over four kilometres away from land, and the daylight was (4) _________________________________. Austin decided to kayak to shore to get help. However, the waves had damaged his kayak, which had taken in water and (5) _________________________________ over. He said he then lost an (6) _________________________________ and knew he was in trouble. He decided he had no (7) _________________________________ but to swim back to land. He swam through shark-frequented waters to raise the (8) _________________________________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

praised
coastguards
nightmare
beach
sprint
siblings
collapsed
ultimately

Austin made it to the (9) _________________________________ and phoned for help. This sparked a huge rescue operation, which resulted in (10) _________________________________ finding the teenager's mother and two younger sisters. The boy said: "I hit the bottom of the beach and I just (11) _________________________________, and then, after that, I had to (12) _________________________________ two kilometres to get to the phone." Rescuers called his efforts "superhuman". One rescuer said Austin's actions could not "be (13) _________________________________ highly enough". He added that the teenager's "determination and courage (14) _________________________________ saved the lives of his mother and (15) _________________________________." Austin's mother Joanne, 47, told reporters: "The wind picked up. We lost oars, and we drifted out further. It was an absolute (16) _________________________________."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) A 13-year-old Australian boy has been hailed a hero after ______
     a. an epic swim
     b. an epic swam
     c. an e-pick swim
     d. an epoch swim
2) They were kayaking and paddleboarding ______
     a. in swallow water
     b. in shallow watered
     c. in shallow water
     d. insular water
3) the waves had damaged his kayak, which had taken in water ______
     a. and tripped overly
     b. and flip over
     c. and flipped over
     d. and flipped overly
4) He decided he had no alternative but to swim ______
     a. back to lands
     b. back too land
     c. back to land
     d. back through land
5) He swam through shark-frequented waters to ______
     a. rise the alarm
     b. arise the alarm
     c. raze the alarm
     d. raise the alarm

6) Austin made it to the beach and phoned for help. This sparked a ______.
     a. huge rescue operation
     b. hugely rescue operation
     c. huge rescued operation
     d. huge rescue operations
7) The boy said: "I hit the bottom of the beach and ______
     a. I gest collapsed
     b. I just collapsed
     c. adjust collapsed
     d. I juiced collapsed
8) One rescuer said Austin's actions could not be ______
     a. praised high enough
     b. praised highs enough
     c. praised highest enough
     d. praised highly enough
9) determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his ______
     a. mother and sibling
     b. mothers and siblings
     c. mother and siblings
     d. mother and saplings
10) We lost oars, and we drifted out further. It was ______."
     a. an absolutely nightmare
     b. an absolute nightmare
     c. in absolute nightmare
     d. an absolute knight mare

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A 13-year-old Australian boy has been (1) _______________________________________________ after an epic swim that saved his family. The boy, Austin Appelbee, and his family were on a beach holiday in Western Australia. They (2) _______________________________________________ paddleboarding in shallow water when strong winds pushed (3) _______________________________________________. They ended up over four kilometres away from land, and the daylight was fading. Austin decided to kayak to shore to get help. However, the (4) _______________________________________________ his kayak, which had taken in water (5) _______________________________________________. He said he then lost an oar and knew he was in trouble. He decided he had no alternative but to swim back to land. He swam through shark-frequented waters to (6) _______________________________________________.

Austin made it to the beach and phoned for help. This (7) _______________________________________________ rescue operation, which resulted in coastguards finding the teenager's mother and two younger sisters. The boy said: "I hit the bottom of the beach and (8) _______________________________________________, and then, after that, I had to sprint two kilometres to get to the phone." Rescuers called (9) _______________________________________________. One rescuer said Austin's actions could not "be praised highly enough". He added that the teenager's "determination and (10) _______________________________________________ the lives of his (11) _______________________________________________." Austin's mother Joanne, 47, told reporters: "The wind picked up. We lost oars, and we drifted out further. It was (12) _______________________________________________."

Comprehension questions

What adjective did the writer use to describe Austin's swim?
What was happening to the daylight?
What had Austin's kayak taken in?
What was Austin's only choice?
What did Austin raise when he got to the beach?
What sparked the rescue operation to find Austin's family?
What did Austin hit just before he collapsed?
How far did Austin have to run to get his mother's phone?
Who said Austin could not be praised highly enough?
What did Austin's mother describe the whole ordeal as being?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What adjective did the writer use to describe Austin's swim?
a) epochal
b) epic
c) epicurean
d) episodic
2) What was happening to the daylight?
a) It was getting brighter.
b) It was saving time.
c) It was getting scary.
d) It was fading.
3) What had Austin's kayak taken in?
a) water
b) fish
c) seaweed
d) light
4) What was Austin's only choice?
a) to say goodbye to his family
b) backstroke
c) to swim to shore
d) to hit the bottom of the beach
5) What did Austin raise when he got to the beach?
a) all hell
b) the alarm
c) hopes
d) a red flag

6) What sparked the rescue operation to find Austin's family?
a) a phone call
b) video footage from a drone
c) a scream
d) a TV news report
7) What did Austin hit just before he collapsed?
a) his head
b) a tree
c) the bottom of the beach
d) the absolute edge of his limits
8) How far did Austin have to run to get his mother's phone?
a) 2 km
b) 3 km
c) 4 km
d) 5 km
9) Who said Austin could not be praised highly enough?
a) a rescuer
b) Austin's mother
c) the Australia Prime Minister
d) a lifeguard at the beach
10) What did Austin's mother describe the whole ordeal as being?
a) like a jet coaster ride
b) like a horror movie
c) like a scene from the movie Jaws
d) a nightmare

Role play

Role A – Being Lost at Sea
You think being lost at sea is the worst nightmare. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their nightmares. Also, tell the others which is the least bad of these (and why): losing your smartphone, year-long hiccups or very noisy neighbours.

Role B – Losing Your Smartphone
You think losing your smartphone is the worst nightmare. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their nightmares. Also, tell the others which is the least bad of these (and why): being lost at sea, year-long hiccups or very noisy neighbours.

Role C – Year-long Hiccups
You think year-long hiccups is the worst nightmare. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their nightmares. Also, tell the others which is the least bad of these (and why): losing your smartphone, being lost at sea or very noisy neighbours.

Role D – Very Noisy Neighbours
You think very noisy neighbours is the worst nightmare. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their nightmares. Also, tell the others which is the least bad of these (and why): losing your smartphone, year-long hiccups or being lost at sea.

After reading / listening

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

'hero'

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

and 'swim'.
________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

• 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:

hailed

holiday

when

decided

waves

raise

huge

hit

two

highly

lives

lost

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 - Heroes

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

What did you think when you read the headline?
What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'hero'?
What heroic deeds have you done?
In what ways are all of us heroes?
What do you think of the boys actions?
What were you like as a 13-year-old?
What beach activities do you like?
What would you have done in a similar situation?
What do you think was going through the boy's head?
What would you think if you knew you were in shark-frequented water?

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

Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
What do you think of when you hear the word 'swim'?
What do you think about what you read?
Have you ever phoned for help?
What do you think of coastguards?
Have you ever done anything that could be described as 'superhuman'?
How much determination do you have?
How much courage do you have?
What was the last 'absolute nightmare' you experienced?
What questions would you like to ask the boy and his 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 13-year-old Australian boy has been (1) ____ a hero after an epic swim that saved his family. The boy, Austin Appelbee, and his family were on a beach holiday in Western Australia. They were kayaking and paddleboarding in (2) ____ water when strong winds pushed them farther offshore. They ended (3) ____ over four kilometres away from land, and the daylight was (4) ____. Austin decided to kayak to shore to get help. However, the waves had damaged his kayak, which had taken in water and (5) ____ over. He said he then lost an oar and knew he was in trouble. He decided he had no alternative but to swim back to land. He swam through shark-(6) ____ waters to raise the alarm.

Austin (7) ____ it to the beach and phoned for help. This sparked a huge rescue operation, which resulted (8) ____ coastguards finding the teenager's mother and two younger sisters. The boy said: "I hit the bottom of the beach and I just (9) ____, and then, after that, I had to sprint two kilometres to get to the phone." Rescuers called his efforts "superhuman". One rescuer said Austin's actions could not "be praised (10) ____ enough". He added that the teenager's "determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and (11) ____." Austin's mother Joanne, 47, told reporters: "The wind picked up. We lost oars, and we drifted out further. It was an (12) ____ nightmare."

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a) heeled (b) foiled (c) hailed (d) hailed
(a) fallow (b) sorrow (c) swallow (d) shallow
(a) down (b) up (c) in (d) out
(a) zoning (b) lighting (c) fading (d) outing
(a) flipped (b) dipped (c) shipped (d) clipped
(a) frequented (b) regular (c) often (d) swim
(a) took (b) did (c) had (d) made
(a) in (b) at (c) of (d) on
(a) relapsed (b) collapsed (c) surpassed (d) clasped
(a) height (b) heightened (c) highly (d) highs
(a) sibling (b) saplings (c) siblings (d) sapling
(a) absolutely (b) absolute (c) absolutism (d) absoluteness

Spelling

Paragraph 1

What did you think when you read the headline?
What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'hero'?
What heroic deeds have you done?
In what ways are all of us heroes?
What do you think of the boys actions?
What were you like as a 13-year-old?
What beach activities do you like?
What would you have done in a similar situation?
What do you think was going through the boy's head?
What would you think if you knew you were in shark-frequented water?

Paragraph 2

Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
What do you think of when you hear the word 'swim'?
What do you think about what you read?
Have you ever phoned for help?
What do you think of coastguards?
Have you ever done anything that could be described as 'superhuman'?
How much determination do you have?
How much courage do you have?
What was the last 'absolute nightmare' you experienced?
What questions would you like to ask the boy and his mother?

Put the text back together

( 1 )         A 13-year-old Australian boy has been hailed a hero after an epic swim that saved his
(    )    Austin made it to the beach and phoned for help. This sparked a huge rescue
(    )    back to land. He swam through shark-frequented waters to raise the alarm.
(    )           bottom of the beach and I just collapsed, and then, after that, I had to sprint two kilometres to
(    )    family. The boy, Austin Appelbee, and his family were on a beach holiday in Western Australia. They were
(    )    get to the phone." Rescuers called his efforts "superhuman". One rescuer said Austin's actions could not "be praised
(    )    highly enough". He added that the teenager's "determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and
(    )    kayaking and paddleboarding in shallow water when strong winds pushed them farther offshore. They ended
(    )    oars, and we drifted out further. It was an absolute nightmare."
(    )    operation, which resulted in coastguards finding the teenager's mother and two younger sisters. The boy said: "I hit the
(    )    over. He said he then lost an oar and knew he was in trouble. He decided he had no alternative but to swim
(    )    shore to get help. However, the waves had damaged his kayak, which had taken in water and flipped
(    )           siblings". Austin's mother Joanne, 47, told reporters: "The wind picked up. We lost
(    )           up over four kilometres away from land, and the daylight was fading. Austin decided to kayak to

Put the words in the right order

13-year-old a A boy been hailed has hero .
away . four ended kilometres over They up
damaged had his However, kayak . the waves
an he He lost oar . said then
alternative back . but had He no swim to
Coastguards younger found sisters . teenager's the two
get kilometres phone . Sprint to to the two
actions Austin's be could enough . highly not praised
courage his His life mother . of saved the
absolute an His it mother nightmare . said was

Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

A 13-year-old Australian boy has been hailed / failed a hero after an epic swim that saved his / this family. The boy, Austin Appelbee, and his family were on a beach holiday in Western Australia. They were kayaking and paddleboarding in swallow / shallow water when strong winds pushed them farther onshore / offshore. They ended down / up over four kilometres away from land, and the daylight was fading / faded. Austin decided to kayak to shore to get help. However, the waves had damaged his kayak, which had taken in / up water and flipped over. He said he then lost a Noah / an oar and knew he was in trouble. He decided he had no / not alternative but to swim back to land. He swam through shark-frequented waters to raise the alarming / alarm.

Austin made / did it to the beach and phoned to / for help. This sparked a huge rescue operation, which resulted in / on coastguards finding the teenager's mother and two younger sisters. The boy said: "I hit the bottom of the beach and I just relapsed / collapsed, and then, after that, I had to sprint / sprinter two kilometres to get to the phone." Rescuers called his efforts "superhuman". One rescuer said Austin's actions could not "be reprised / praised highly enough". He added that the teenager's "determination and courage / courageous ultimately / untimely saved the lives of his mother and sibling / siblings". Austin's mother Joanne, 47, told reporters: "The wind picked up. We lost oars, and we drifted out further. It was an absolute / absolutely nightmare."

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

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

_ 13-y__r-_ld __str_l__n b_y h_s b__n h__l_d _ h_r_ _ft_r _n _p_c sw_m th_t s_v_d h_s f_m_ly. Th_ b_y, __st_n _pp_lb__, _nd h_s f_m_ly w_r_ _n _ b__ch h_l_d_y _n W_st_rn __str_l__. Th_y w_r_ k_y_k_ng _nd p_ddl_b__rd_ng _n sh_ll_w w_t_r wh_n str_ng w_nds p_sh_d th_m f_rth_r _ffsh_r_. Th_y _nd_d _p _v_r f__r k_l_m_tr_s _w_y fr_m l_nd, _nd th_ d_yl_ght w_s f_d_ng. __st_n d_c_d_d t_ k_y_k t_ sh_r_ t_ g_t h_lp. H_w_v_r, th_ w_v_s h_d d_m_g_d h_s k_y_k, wh_ch h_d t_k_n _n w_t_r _nd fl_pp_d _v_r. H_ s__d h_ th_n l_st _n __r _nd kn_w h_ w_s _n tr__bl_. H_ d_c_d_d h_ h_d n_ _lt_rn_t_v_ b_t t_ sw_m b_ck t_ l_nd. H_ sw_m thr__gh sh_rk-fr_q__nt_d w_t_rs t_ r__s_ th_ _l_rm.

__st_n m_d_ _t t_ th_ b__ch _nd ph_n_d f_r h_lp. Th_s sp_rk_d _ h_g_ r_sc__ _p_r_t__n, wh_ch r_s_lt_d _n c__stg__rds f_nd_ng th_ t__n_g_r's m_th_r _nd tw_ y__ng_r s_st_rs. Th_ b_y s__d: "_ h_t th_ b_tt_m _f th_ b__ch _nd _ j_st c_ll_ps_d, _nd th_n, _ft_r th_t, _ h_d t_ spr_nt tw_ k_l_m_tr_s t_ g_t t_ th_ ph_n_." R_sc__rs c_ll_d h_s _ff_rts "s_p_rh_m_n". _n_ r_sc__r s__d __st_n's _ct__ns c__ld n_t "b_ pr__s_d h_ghly _n__gh". H_ _dd_d th_t th_ t__n_g_r's "d_t_rm_n_t__n _nd c__r_g_ _lt_m_t_ly s_v_d th_ l_v_s _f h_s m_th_r _nd s_bl_ngs." __st_n's m_th_r J__nn_, 47, t_ld r_p_rt_rs: "Th_ w_nd p_ck_d _p. W_ l_st __rs, _nd w_ dr_ft_d __t f_rth_r. _t w_s _n _bs_l_t_ n_ghtm_r_."

Punctuate the text and add capitals

a 13yearold australian boy has been hailed a hero after an epic swim that saved his family the boy austin appelbee and his family were on a beach holiday in western australia they were kayaking and paddleboarding in shallow water when strong winds pushed them farther offshore they ended up over four kilometres away from land and the daylight was fading austin decided to kayak to shore to get help however the waves had damaged his kayak which had taken in water and flipped over he said he then lost an oar and knew he was in trouble he decided he had no alternative but to swim back to land he swam through sharkfrequented waters to raise the alarm

austin made it to the beach and phoned for help this sparked a huge rescue operation which resulted in coastguards finding the teenagers mother and two younger sisters the boy said i hit the bottom of the beach and i just collapsed and then after that i had to sprint two kilometres to get to the phone rescuers called his efforts superhuman one rescuer said austins actions could not be praised highly enough he added that the teenagers determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings austins mother joanne 47 told reporters the wind picked up we lost oars and we drifted out further it was an absolute nightmare

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

A13-year-oldAustralianboyhasbeenhailedaheroafteranepicswimtha
tsavedhisfamily.Theboy,AustinAppelbee,andhisfamilywereonabeac
hholidayinWesternAustralia.Theywerekayakingandpaddleboardingi
nshallowwaterwhenstrongwindspushedthemfartheroffshore.Theye
ndedupoverfourkilometresawayfromland,andthedaylightwasfading
.Austindecidedtokayaktoshoretogethelp.However,thewaveshadda
magedhiskayak,whichhadtakeninwaterandflippedover.Hesaidheth
enlostanoarandknewhewasintrouble.Hedecidedhehadnoalternative
buttoswimbacktoland.Heswamthroughshark-frequentedwaterstor
aisethealarm.Austinmadeittothebeachandphonedforhelp.Thisspark
edahugerescueoperation,whichresultedincoastguardsfindingthetee
nager'smotherandtwoyoungersisters.Theboysaid:"Ihitthebottomof
thebeachandIjustcollapsed,andthen,afterthat,Ihadtosprinttwokilo
metrestogettothephone."Rescuerscalledhisefforts"superhuman".O
nerescuersaidAustin'sactionscouldnot"bepraisedhighlyenough".He
addedthattheteenager's"determinationandcourageultimatelysaved
thelivesofhismotherandsiblings".Austin'smotherJoanne,47,toldrep
orters:"Thewindpickedup.Welostoars,andwedriftedoutfurther.Itwa
sanabsolutenightmare."

Free writing

Write about hero swimmer for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Academic writing

Meeting one's hero might be a disappointing experience. 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. HEROES: Make a poster about heroes. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. WE ARE ALL HEROES: Write a magazine article about why we are all heroes. Include imaginary interviews with people who agree and disagree with 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 heroes. Ask him/her three questions about his/her hero. Tell him/her three of your heroes. 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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Breaking News English Lesson: Heroes

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