The Reading / Listening - Titanic Postcard - Level 3

A postcard written by a worker on the Titanic in 1912 could fetch $15,000 at an auction in the USA. The card was written by Jack Phillips, the ship's senior wireless operator. He wrote the card to his sister while the Titanic was at port in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He wrote: "Very busy working late. Hope to leave on Monday and arrive in Southampton Wednesday afternoon. Hope you are OK." His message ends with the words, "Love, Jack." The postcard features photos of the Titanic on one side. On the address side of the card there is a postmark from a post office in Belfast. The card is one of many objects from the wreck of the Titanic in a multi-million-dollar auction.

The Titanic was a British passenger liner completed in 1912. Its builders said the ship's design made it unsinkable. It embarked on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April the 10th, 1912 and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean five days later. The ship hit an iceberg. The impact made a huge hole in the ship's hull. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 died. Mr Phillips abandoned ship as water flooded the Titanic. He escaped and ended up on an overturned lifeboat. He waited to be rescued but died of exposure to severe cold. He was 25 years old. The story of the Titanic was made into a 1997 Oscar-winning movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Titanic Postcard - Level 0,  Titanic Postcard - Level 1   or  Titanic Postcard - Level 2

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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. POSTCARDS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about postcards. 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?
       postcard / auction / senior / operator / sister / port / message / address / object /
       passenger / liner / design / voyage / hole / water / lifeboat / rescued / movie
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. SOCIAL MEDIA: Students A strongly believe getting a message on social media is better than receiving a postcard; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. MESSAGES: What are the good and bad things about these kinds of messages? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Good Things

Bad Things

Postcards

 

 

Letters

 

 

Text messages

 

 

Social media messages

 

 

Telephone calls

 

 

Answering machine messages

 

 
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. TITANIC: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "Titanic". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. TRAVEL: Rank these with your partner. Put the best ways to travel at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Ocean liner
  • Train
  • Bicycle
  • Airplane
  • Bus
  • Motorbike
  • Car
  • On foot

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. fetch a. Older or more experienced people.
      2. senior b. A spoken, written, or recorded communication sent to someone.
      3. port c. Get money when something is sold.
      4. message d. The house number, street and town of where someone lives.
      5. feature e. Have as an important part of something.
      6. address f. Things.
      7. objects g. A town or city where ships stop so people or goods can get on or off.

    Paragraph 2

      8. unsinkable h. Very great.
      9. embarked i. A large floating mass of ice that is in the sea.
      10. voyage j. The action of one object hitting another.
      11. iceberg k. Of a ship or boat that cannot be sunk.
      12. impact l. Started on a (long) trip or journey.
      13. passenger m. A traveller on a public or private bus, car, plane, taxi, ship, etc., but not the driver, pilot, or crew.
      14. severe n. A long journey involving travel by sea or in space.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. The auction for the postcard will take place in America.     T / F
  2. The postcard was written by a Titanic worker to his brother.     T / F
  3. The postcard features photos of London.     T / F
  4. The postcard is the only thing up for auction.     T / F
  5. The Titanic's designers said the ship was unsinkable.     T / F
  6. The Titanic hit an iceberg five days into its maiden voyage.     T / F
  7. More than half of the Titanic's passengers died.     T / F
  8. The man who wrote the postcard drowned.     T / F

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

  1. written
  2. senior
  3. busy
  4. ends
  5. objects
  6. embarked
  7. voyage
  8. impact
  9. abandoned
  10. severe
  1. started
  2. finishes
  3. serious
  4. things
  5. higher-ranking
  6. collision
  7. left
  8. penned
  9. journey
  10. hard at work

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

  1. the ship's senior wireless
  2. while the Titanic was at
  3. On the address side of the card
  4. The card is one of many
  5. in a multi-
  6. builders said the ship's design
  7. It embarked on
  8. The ship hit
  9. water
  10. died of exposure to severe
  1. made it unsinkable
  2. objects from the wreck
  3. an iceberg
  4. cold
  5. operator
  6. there is a postmark
  7. flooded the Titanic
  8. million-dollar auction
  9. its maiden voyage
  10. port in Belfast

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
senior
port
features
message
objects
fetch
postmark
busy

A postcard written by a worker on the Titanic in 1912 could (1) _____________________ $15,000 at an auction in the USA. The card was written by Jack Phillips, the ship's (2) _____________________ wireless operator. He wrote the card to his sister while the Titanic was at (3) _____________________ in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He wrote: "Very (4) _____________________ working late. Hope to leave on Monday and arrive in Southampton Wednesday afternoon. Hope you are OK." His (5) _____________________ ends with the words, "Love, Jack." The postcard (6) _____________________ photos of the Titanic on one side. On the address side of the card there is a (7) _____________________ from a post office in Belfast. The card is one of many (8) _____________________ from the wreck of the Titanic in a multi-million-dollar auction.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
sank
board
starring
liner
exposure
embarked
ended
iceberg

The Titanic was a British passenger (9) _____________________ completed in 1912. Its builders said the ship's design made it unsinkable. It (10) _____________________ on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April the 10th, 1912 and (11) _____________________ in the North Atlantic Ocean five days later. The ship hit an (12) _____________________. The impact made a huge hole in the ship's hull. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew on (13) _____________________, more than 1,500 died. Mr Phillips abandoned ship as water flooded the Titanic. He escaped and (14) _____________________ up on an overturned lifeboat. He waited to be rescued but died of (15) _____________________ to severe cold. He was 25 years old. The story of the Titanic was made into a 1997 Oscar-winning movie (16) _____________________ Leonardo DiCaprio.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) A postcard written by a worker on the Titanic in 1912 ______
     a.  could batch $15,000
     b.  could catch $15,000
     c.  could fetch $15,000
     d.  could etch $15,000
2)  His message ends with the ______
     a.  word, "Love, Jack."
     b.  world, "Love, Jack."
     c.  words, "Love, Jack."
     d.  worlds, "Love, Jack."
3)  The postcard features photos of the Titanic ______
     a.  on once side
     b.  once one side
     c.  on one side
     d.  once on side
4)  On the address side of the card there ______
     a.  is a posted mark
     b.  is a post marks
     c.  is a postmark
     d.  is a postmarks
5)  The card is one of many objects from the wreck of the Titanic in a multi-______
     a.  billion-dollar auction
     b.  million-dollar auction
     c.  trillion-dollar auction
     d.  quadrillion-dollar auction

6)  Its builders said the ship's design ______
     a.  made it unspeakable
     b.  made it unsinkable
     c.  made it thinkable
     d.  made it unthinkable
7)  The impact made a huge hole in ______
     a.  the ship's hull
     b.  the ship's null
     c.  the ship's lull
     d.  the ship's mull
8)  He escaped and ended up on an ______
     a.  over tuned lifeboat
     b.  overt urn lifeboat
     c.  over turn lifeboat
     d.  overturned lifeboat
9)  He waited to be rescued but died of exposure ______
     a.  to severe cold
     b.  to several cold
     c.  to sever cold
     d.  to seven cold
10)  The story of the Titanic was made into a 1997 ______
     a.  Oscar-win in movie
     b.  Oscar-win nine movie
     c.  Oscar-whining movie
     d.  Oscar-winning movie

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A postcard written (1) ____________________ on the Titanic in 1912 could fetch $15,000 at (2) ____________________ the USA. The card was written by Jack Phillips, the ship's senior wireless operator. He wrote the card to his sister while the Titanic was at port in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He wrote: "Very (3) ____________________. Hope to leave on Monday and arrive in Southampton Wednesday afternoon. Hope you are OK." His message ends with the words, "Love, Jack." The postcard (4) ____________________ the Titanic on one side. On the (5) ____________________ the card there is a postmark from a post office in Belfast. The card is (6) ____________________ objects from the wreck of the Titanic in a multi-million-dollar auction.

The Titanic was a British passenger liner completed in 1912. Its builders said the ship's design (7) ____________________. It embarked on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April the 10th, 1912 and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean five days later. The ship (8) ____________________. The impact made a huge hole in the ship's hull. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and (9) ____________________, more than 1,500 died. Mr Phillips abandoned ship as water flooded the Titanic. He escaped and (10) ____________________ an overturned lifeboat. He waited to be rescued but died of exposure (11) ____________________. He was 25 years old. The story of the Titanic (12) ____________________ a 1997 Oscar-winning movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Comprehension questions

  1. In what year was the postcard written?
  2. Who did Jack Phillips write the postcard to?
  3. What two words did Jack Phillips end his postcard with?
  4. What were the photos of on the postcard?
  5. What else will be in the multi-million-dollar auction?
  6. What did the Titanic's designers call it?
  7. Where was the Titanic going to on its maiden voyage?
  8. How many passengers on the Titanic died?
  9. Where did Jack Phillips end up after he left the Titanic?
  10. When was the movie 'Titanic' made?

Multiple choice quiz

1) In what year was the postcard written?
a) 1913
b) 1911
c) 1912
d) 1914
2) Who did Jack Phillips write the postcard to?
a) his sister
b) his brother
c) his mother
d) his son
3) What two words did Jack Phillips end his postcard with?
a) Take care
b) Love Jack
c) See you
d) Good luck
4) What were the photos of on the postcard?
a) London
b) the ocean
c) Belfast
d) the Titanic
5) What else will be in the multi-million-dollar auction?
a) objects from a movie
b) machines from a shipbuilder
c) objects from the Titanic
d) newspapers

6) What did the Titanic's designers call it?
a) beautiful
b) unsinkable
c) a miracle of engineering
d) stunning
7) Where was the Titanic going to on its maiden voyage?
a) London
b) Southampton
c) Belfast
d) New York
8) How many passengers on the Titanic died?
a) just fewer than 1,500
b) more than 1,500
c) exactly 1,500
d) about 1,500
9) Where did Jack Phillips end up after he left the Titanic?
a) in a piece of wood
b) on an overturned lifeboat
c) on an iceberg
d) in a dinghy
10) When was the movie 'Titanic' made?
a) 1997
b) 1996
c) 1998
d) 1995

Role play

Role  A – Ocean Liner
You think ocean liner is the best way to travel. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): airplane, bicycle or on foot.

Role  B – Airplane
You think airplane is the best way to travel. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): ocean liner, bicycle or on foot.

Role  C – Bicycle
You think bicycle is the best way to travel. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): airplane, ocean liner or on foot.

Role  D – On Foot
You think on foot is the best way to travel. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): airplane, bicycle or ocean liner.

After reading / listening

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

'Titanic'

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

    • and 'postcard'.

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

    • • 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:

    • worker
    • senior
    • port
    • message
    • address
    • wreck
    • liner
    • design
    • later
    • board
    • died
    • movie

    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 - Titanic Postcard

    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 'Titanic'?
    3. What do you know about the Titanic?
    4. What do you think of postcards?
    5. What do you think of a postcard selling for $15,000?
    6. What do you think of ocean cruises?
    7. When have you written a postcard?
    8. Do we need postcards when we have smartphones?
    9. Would you like to go to an auction?
    10. Why might someone buy objects from the wreck of the Titanic?

    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 'postcard'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you think of ocean liners and cruise ships?
    5. Where would you like to go to on a cruise?
    6. Would you rather receive a postcard or a social media message?
    7. What are postcards from your town like?
    8. What three adjectives best describe this story?
    9. Have you seen the movie 'Titanic'?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the auctioneers?

    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 postcard (1) ____ by a worker on the Titanic in 1912 could fetch $15,000 at an auction in the USA. The card was written by Jack Phillips, the ship's senior wireless operator. He wrote the card (2) ____ his sister while the Titanic was at (3) ____ in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He wrote: "Very busy working late. Hope to leave on Monday and (4) ____ in Southampton Wednesday afternoon. Hope you are OK." His message ends with the words, "Love, Jack." The postcard features photos of the Titanic on one side. On the address (5) ____ of the card there is a postmark from a post office in Belfast. The card is one (6) ____ many objects from the wreck of the Titanic in a multi-million-dollar auction.

    The Titanic was a British passenger liner (7) ____ in 1912. Its builders said the ship's design made it unsinkable. It embarked on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April the 10th, 1912 and (8) ____ in the North Atlantic Ocean five days later. The ship hit an iceberg. The impact made a huge hole in the ship's hull. Of the (9) ____ 2,224 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 died. Mr Phillips abandoned ship as water (10) ____ the Titanic. He escaped and ended (11) ____ on an overturned lifeboat. He waited to be rescued but died of exposure to severe cold. He was 25 years old. The story of the Titanic was (12) ____ into a 1997 Oscar-winning movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    (a)     written     (b)     write     (c)     wrote     (d)     writes    
    (a)     of     (b)     at     (c)     to     (d)     be    
    (a)     pert     (b)     part     (c)     port     (d)     pot    
    (a)     arriving     (b)     arrives     (c)     arrival     (d)     arrive    
    (a)     side     (b)     siding     (c)     sides     (d)     sided    
    (a)     to     (b)     of     (c)     by     (d)     at    
    (a)     completing     (b)     completion     (c)     completes     (d)     completed    
    (a)     sinks     (b)     sank     (c)     sink     (d)     sunk    
    (a)     guessed     (b)     calculate     (c)     estimated     (d)     forecasts    
    (a)     booed     (b)     brooded     (c)     blooded     (d)     flooded    
    (a)     at     (b)     down     (c)     in     (d)     up    
    (a)     had     (b)     made     (c)     done     (d)     won

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. ctefh $15,000 at an auction
    2. the ship's senior wireless tooeprar
    3. and rivera in Southampton
    4. His agesmes ends with the words
    5. On the sddaers side of the card
    6. many cbsetoj from the wreck

    Paragraph 2

    1. a British seseangrp liner
    2. It embarked on its maiden govaye
    3. The ship hit an ecbrieg
    4. the tsiteeamd 2,224
    5. Mr Phillips naodadben ship
    6. died of exposure to veeers cold

    Put the text back together

    (...)  unsinkable. It embarked on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April the 10th, 1912 and sank
    (...)  died. Mr Phillips abandoned ship as water flooded the Titanic. He escaped and ended up on an overturned
    (...)  side of the card there is a postmark from a post office in Belfast. The card is one of
    (...)  words, "Love, Jack." The postcard features photos of the Titanic on one side. On the address
    (...)  lifeboat. He waited to be rescued but died of exposure to severe cold. He was 25 years old. The story
    (...)  port in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He wrote: "Very busy working late. Hope to leave on Monday and arrive
    (...)  of the Titanic was made into a 1997 Oscar-winning movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
    (...)  in the North Atlantic Ocean five days later. The ship hit an iceberg. The impact made a huge
    (...)  The Titanic was a British passenger liner completed in 1912. Its builders said the ship's design made it
    (...)  many objects from the wreck of the Titanic in a multi-million-dollar auction.
    (...)  written by Jack Phillips, the ship's senior wireless operator. He wrote the card to his sister while the Titanic was at
    (...)  in Southampton Wednesday afternoon. Hope you are OK." His message ends with the
    (...)  hole in the ship's hull. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500
    (  1  ) A postcard written by a worker on the Titanic in 1912 could fetch $15,000 at an auction in the USA. The card was

    Put the words in the right order

    1. Titanic   .   written   on   a   worker   by   Postcards   the
    2. card   sister   .   the   his   He   wrote   to
    3. The   the   postcard   features   Titanic   .   photos   of
    4. A   from   postmark   office   in   a   post   Belfast   .
    5. one   card   is   objects   .   The   many   of
    6. completed   liner   British   in   1912   .   A   passenger
    7. its   on   voyage   embarked   Southampton   .   It   from   maiden
    8. ship   .   The   impact   hole   a   the   in   made
    9. abandoned   Phillips   water   ship   as   the   flooded   in   .
    10. be   but   to   waited   rescued   died   .   He

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    A postcard written by a worker on the Titanic in 1912 could catch / fetch $15,000 at / of an auction in the USA. The card was written by Jack Phillips, the ship's senior wired / wireless operator. He wrote the card to his sister while the Titanic was of / at port in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He wrote: "Very busy worked / working late. Hope to leave on Monday and arrive in Southampton Wednesday afternoon. Hope / Hoped you are OK." His message sends / ends with the words, "Love, Jack." The postcard futures / features photos of the Titanic on one side. On the address side of the card there is a bookmark / postmark from a post office in Belfast. The card is one of many objects from the rack / wreck of the Titanic in a multi-million-dollar auction.

    The Titanic was a British passenger liner / lined completed in 1912. Its builders said the ship's design made them / it unsinkable. It embarked on its maid / maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April the 10th, 1912 and sank in / on the North Atlantic Ocean five days later. The ship hit an / the iceberg. The impact made a huge / hug hole in the ship's hull. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew in / on board, more than 1,500 died. Mr Phillips abandoned ship was / as water flooded the Titanic. He escaped and ended up on an overturned lifeboat. He waited to be / have rescued but died of exposure to severe cold. He was 25 years old. The story of the Titanic was made into a 1997 Oscar-winning movie star / starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

    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)

    _  p_stc_rd  wr_tt_n  by  _  w_rk_r  _n  th_  T_t_n_c  _n  1912  c__ld  f_tch  $15,000  _t  _n  __ct__n  _n  th_  _S_.  Th_  c_rd  w_s  wr_tt_n  by  J_ck  Ph_ll_ps,  th_  sh_p's  s_n__r  w_r_l_ss  _p_r_t_r.  H_  wr_t_  th_  c_rd  t_  h_s  s_st_r  wh_l_  th_  T_t_n_c  w_s  _t  p_rt  _n  B_lf_st,  N_rth_rn  _r_l_nd.  H_  wr_t_:  "V_ry  b_sy  w_rk_ng  l_t_.  H_p_  t_  l__v_  _n  M_nd_y  _nd  _rr_v_  _n  S__th_mpt_n  W_dn_sd_y  _ft_rn__n.  H_p_  y__  _r_  _K."  H_s  m_ss_g_  _nds  w_th  th_  w_rds,  "L_v_,  J_ck."  Th_  p_stc_rd  f__t_r_s  ph_t_s  _f  th_  T_t_n_c  _n  _n_  s_d_.  _n  th_  _ddr_ss  s_d_  _f  th_  c_rd  th_r_  _s  _  p_stm_rk  fr_m  _  p_st  _ff_c_  _n  B_lf_st.  Th_  c_rd  _s  _n_  _f  m_ny  _bj_cts  fr_m  th_  wr_ck  _f  th_  T_t_n_c  _n  _  m_lt_-m_ll__n-d_ll_r  __ct__n.

    Th_  T_t_n_c  w_s  _  Br_t_sh  p_ss_ng_r  l_n_r  c_mpl_t_d  _n  1912.  _ts  b__ld_rs  s__d  th_  sh_p's  d_s_gn  m_d_  _t  _ns_nk_bl_.  _t  _mb_rk_d  _n  _ts  m__d_n  v_y_g_  fr_m  S__th_mpt_n  t_  N_w  Y_rk  _n  _pr_l  th_  10th,  1912  _nd  s_nk  _n  th_  N_rth  _tl_nt_c  _c__n  f_v_  d_ys  l_t_r.  Th_  sh_p  h_t  _n  _c_b_rg.  Th_  _mp_ct  m_d_  _  h_g_  h_l_  _n  th_  sh_p's  h_ll.  _f  th_  _st_m_t_d  2,224  p_ss_ng_rs  _nd  cr_w  _n  b__rd,  m_r_  th_n  1,500  d__d.  Mr  Ph_ll_ps  _b_nd_n_d  sh_p  _s  w_t_r  fl__d_d  th_  T_t_n_c.  H_  _sc_p_d  _nd  _nd_d  _p  _n  _n  _v_rt_rn_d  l_f_b__t.  H_  w__t_d  t_  b_  r_sc__d  b_t  d__d  _f  _xp_s_r_  t_  s_v_r_  c_ld.  H_  w_s  25  y__rs  _ld.  Th_  st_ry  _f  th_  T_t_n_c  w_s  m_d_  _nt_  _  1997  _sc_r-w_nn_ng  m_v__  st_rr_ng  L__n_rd_  D_C_pr__.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    a postcard written by a worker on the titanic in 1912 could fetch 15000 at an auction in the usa the card was written by jack phillips the ships senior wireless operator he wrote the card to his sister while the titanic was at port in belfast northern ireland he wrote very busy working late hope to leave on monday and arrive in southampton wednesday afternoon hope you are ok his message ends with the words love jack the postcard features photos of the titanic on one side on the address side of the card there is a postmark from a post office in belfast the card is one of many objects from the wreck of the titanic in a multimilliondollar auction

    the titanic was a british passenger liner completed in 1912 its builders said the ships design made it unsinkable it embarked on its maiden voyage from southampton to new york on april the 10th 1912 and sank in the north atlantic ocean five days later the ship hit an iceberg the impact made a huge hole in the ships hull of the estimated 2224 passengers and crew on board more than 1500 died mr phillips abandoned ship as water flooded the titanic he escaped and ended up on an overturned lifeboat he waited to be rescued but died of exposure to severe cold he was 25 years old the story of the titanic was made into a 1997 oscarwinning movie starring leonardo dicaprio

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    ApostcardwrittenbyaworkerontheTitanicin1912couldfetch$15,000a
    tanauctionintheUSA.ThecardwaswrittenbyJackPhillips,theship'ssen
    iorwirelessoperator.HewrotethecardtohissisterwhiletheTitanicwasa
    tportinBelfast,NorthernIreland.Hewrote:"Verybusyworkinglate.Ho
    petoleaveonMondayandarriveinSouthamptonWednesdayafternoon
    .HopeyouareOK."Hismessageendswiththewords,"Love,Jack."Thepo
    stcardfeaturesphotosoftheTitanicononeside.Ontheaddresssideofth
    ecardthereisapostmarkfromapostofficeinBelfast.Thecardisoneofma
    nyobjectsfromthewreckoftheTitanicinamulti-million-dollarauctio
    n.TheTitanicwasaBritishpassengerlinercompletedin1912.Itsbuilder
    ssaidtheship'sdesignmadeitunsinkable.Itembarkedonitsmaidenvoy
    agefromSouthamptontoNewYorkonAprilthe10th,1912andsankinth
    eNorthAtlanticOceanfivedayslater.Theshiphitaniceberg.Theimpact
    madeahugeholeintheship'shull.Oftheestimated2,224passengersan
    dcrewonboard,morethan1,500died.MrPhillipsabandonedshipaswat
    erfloodedtheTitanic.Heescapedandendeduponanoverturnedlifeboat
    .Hewaitedtoberescuedbutdiedofexposuretoseverecold.Hewas25ye
    arsold.ThestoryoftheTitanicwasmadeintoa1997Oscar-winningmovi
    estarringLeonardoDiCaprio.

    Free writing

    Write about Titanic postcard for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    A postcard is worth $15,000. 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. THE TITANIC: Make a poster about the Titanic. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. POSTCARDS: Write a magazine article about sending more postcards than text messages. 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 postcards. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your opinions on postcards. 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

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    Answers

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

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