Breaking News English Lesson: Tonga Tsunami

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Tonga trying to clean up after tsunami and volcano (20th January, 2022)

The Reading / Listening - Tonga Tsunami - Level 3

A cleanup operation has begun in Tonga after the island nation was hit by a tsunami and covered in volcanic ash at the weekend. The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai undersea volcano erupted on Saturday. Experts believe it was the world's biggest volcanic eruption in over 30 years. It sent tsunami waves across the Pacific to Japan and the U.S. coast. It also destroyed large parts of Tonga. Islanders are now trying to restore services and normal life to the country. However, the ash is making this difficult. A lot of the rescue and recovery work cannot go ahead until the ash has been cleared. It has buried many buildings. It is also blocking many of the country's roads.

Tonga's government called the eruption from the volcano and the tsunami "unprecedented". It said the twin disasters have severely affected life on the island. There is no Internet because the only underwater cable connecting Tonga to the World Wide Web was cut by the eruption. Engineers are trying to restore full communications. It is also difficult to fly aid into the country because the airport is damaged. Tonga's government is worried that rescue efforts may bring COVID-19 into the country. Tonga shut its borders to international arrivals in 2020. It said it was "covid-free" before the tsunami. It now fears international aid workers could bring a "tsunami of COVID-19" into the country.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Tonga Tsunami - Level 0, Tonga Tsunami - Level 1 or Tonga Tsunami - Level 2

Sources

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/18/asia/tonga-volcano-tsunami-damage-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.the-sun.com/news/4482496/shocking-before-after-satellite-photos-tonga-tsunamis-devastation/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/world/australia/tonga-volcano-covid.html

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. TSUNAMI: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about tsunami. 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?
cleanup / operation / island / weekend / volcano / tsunami / normal life / ash / rescue
government / disasters / Internet / communications / cable / aid / borders / fears
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. AID: Students A strongly believe every country in the world should send money to help Tonga; Students B strongly believe otherwise. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. NATURAL DISASTERS: What damage do these natural disasters cause? What's the best thing to do during them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	Damage	Best Thing to Do
Volcano
Tsunami
Earthquake
Flood
Heat wave
Hurricane / Typhoon

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. ASH: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "ash". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. NECESSITIES: Rank these with your partner. Put the most necessary things in a natural disaster at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

Internet
Blankets
Tents
Medicine
Radios
Clothes
Snacks
Food

Vocabulary

Paragraph 1

1.	operation	a.	Completely damaged.
2.	covered	b.	Put back as it was before.
3.	eruption	c.	An organized activity involving a number of people.
4.	destroyed	d.	Put or hide under the ground; covered.
5.	restore	e.	Hidden underneath a layer of something.
6.	rescue	f.	The action of a volcano forcing out ash, jas and lava.
7.	buried	g.	Save someone from a dangerous or difficult situation.

Paragraph 2

8.	unprecedented	h.	Help.
9.	severely	i.	Never done or known before.
10.	cable	j.	In a great (bad) way.
11.	border	k.	People coming into a country via its airports or sea ports, or across its borders.
12.	arrivals	l.	A line between two countries.
13.	fears	m.	A thick wire rope to send electricity, Internet signals and phone calls.
14.	aid	n.	Bad feelings and big worries caused by danger, pain, or harm.

Before reading / listening

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

The cleanup of Tonga hasn't started yet. T / F
Experts think the eruption was the biggest in over three decades. T / F
The tsunami destroyed parts of the U.S. coast. T / F
The cleanup operation is difficult because there's so much ash. T / F
Tonga said the twin disasters were unprecedented. T / F
The volcano's eruption cut Tonga's Internet cable. T / F
The airport in Tonga did not get damaged. T / F
Aid workers have brought Covid-19 into Tonga. T / F

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

begun
experts
destroyed
difficult
go ahead
unprecedented
severely
worried
shut
aid

one-of-a-kind
assistance
start
specialists
badly
knocked down
closed
started
concerned
hard

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

A cleanup operation has
the island nation was hit
It sent tsunami waves
the rescue and recovery work cannot
blocking many of the
the twin disasters have severely
trying to restore full
rescue
Tonga shut its
international aid

communications
go ahead
affected life
country's roads
borders
across the Pacific
workers
begun in Tonga
efforts
by a tsunami

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

eruption
covered
normal
cleanup
roads
coast
rescue
believe

A (1) _____________________ operation has begun in Tonga after the island nation was hit by a tsunami and (2) _____________________ in volcanic ash at the weekend. The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai undersea volcano erupted on Saturday. Experts (3) _____________________ it was the world's biggest volcanic (4) _____________________ in over 30 years. It sent tsunami waves across the Pacific to Japan and the U.S. (5) _____________________. It also destroyed large parts of Tonga. Islanders are now trying to restore services and (6) _____________________ life to the country. However, the ash is making this difficult. A lot of the (7) _____________________ and recovery work cannot go ahead until the ash has been cleared. It has buried many buildings. It is also blocking many of the country's (8) _____________________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

fly
borders
cable
into
twin
fears
efforts
restore

Tonga's government called the eruption from the volcano and the tsunami "unprecedented". It said the (9) _____________________ disasters have severely affected life on the island. There is no Internet because the only underwater (10) _____________________ connecting Tonga to the World Wide Web was cut by the eruption. Engineers are trying to (11) _____________________ full communications. It is also difficult to (12) _____________________ aid into the country because the airport is damaged. Tonga's government is worried that rescue (13) _____________________ may bring COVID-19 into the country. Tonga shut its (14) _____________________ to international arrivals in 2020. It said it was "covid-free" before the tsunami. It now (15) _____________________ international aid workers could bring a "tsunami of COVID-19" (16) _____________________ the country.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) the island nation was hit by a tsunami and covered ______
     a. in volcanic cash
     b. in volcano cash
     c. in volcanic ash
     d. in Vulcan Nick cash
2) Experts believe it was the world's biggest ______
     a. volcanic disruption
     b. volcanic eruption
     c. volcanic a ruction
     d. volcanic ear ruction
3) It sent tsunami waves across the Pacific to Japan and ______
     a. the U.S. coast
     b. the U.S. boast
     c. the U.S. toast
     d. the U.S. ghost
4) A lot of the rescue and recovery work cannot go ahead until the ash ______
     a. has been clear
     b. has been clears
     c. has been clearing
     d. has been cleared
5) buried many buildings. It is also blocking many of ______
     a. the country's road
     b. the country's roadies
     c. the country's roads
     d. the country's Rhodes

6) Tonga's government called the eruption from the volcano and ______
     a. the tsunami unprecedented
     b. the tsunami under pretentious
     c. the tsunami un-presented
     d. the tsunami under-presented
7) It said the twin disasters have severely affected ______ island
     a. life on the
     b. live on the
     c. lifetime on the
     d. alive on the
8) There is no Internet because the only ______
     a. underwater table
     b. underwater cable
     c. underwater cabal
     d. underwater key ball
9) It is also difficult to fly aid into the country because the ______
     a. airport is damaged
     b. airport is damage
     c. airport is damages
     d. airport is damage it
10) It now fears international aid workers could bring a tsunami of COVID-19 ______
     a. onto the country
     b. as to the country
     c. unto the country
     d. into the country

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A cleanup (1) ____________________ in Tonga after the island nation was hit by a tsunami (2) ____________________ volcanic ash at the weekend. The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai undersea volcano erupted on Saturday. Experts believe it was the world's biggest volcanic eruption in over 30 years. It sent tsunami (3) ____________________ Pacific to Japan and the U.S. coast. It also destroyed (4) ____________________ Tonga. Islanders are now trying to restore services and normal life to the country. However, the ash is making this difficult. A lot of (5) ____________________ recovery work cannot go ahead until the ash has been cleared. It has buried many buildings. It is also (6) ____________________ the country's roads.

Tonga's government (7) ____________________ from the volcano and the tsunami "unprecedented". It said the (8) ____________________ severely affected life on the island. There is no Internet (9) ____________________ underwater cable connecting Tonga to the World Wide Web was cut by the eruption. Engineers are (10) ____________________ full communications. It is also difficult to fly aid into the country because the airport is damaged. Tonga's government is worried that rescue (11) ____________________ COVID-19 into the country. Tonga shut its borders to international arrivals in 2020. It said it was "covid-free" before the tsunami. It now fears international aid workers (12) ____________________ "tsunami of COVID-19" into the country.

Comprehension questions

What does the article say Tonga is covered in?
Where was the volcano that erupted?
Which two countries did the tsunami reach?
What are islanders now trying to restore?
What does the article say has been buried?
What did Tonga's government say about the twin disasters?
What did the eruption do to Tonga's Internet cable?
What are engineers trying to restore?
When did Tonga shut its borders
What does Tonga's government worry that aid workers might bring?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What does the article say Tonga is covered in?
a) lava
b) ash
c) rocks
d) water
2) Where was the volcano that erupted?
a) in the north
b) near the capital city
c) on an island
d) under the sea
3) Which two countries did the tsunami reach?
a) Japan and the USA
b) Fiji and New Zealand
c) Japan and Vanuatu
d) Vanuatu and Fiji
4) What are islanders now trying to restore?
a) artwork
b) furniture
c) services and normal life
d) their health
5) What does the article say has been buried?
a) the airport
b) many buildings
c) the Internet
d) beaches

6) What did Tonga's government say about the twin disasters?
a) unprecedented
b) tragic
c) sad
d) they will bounce back
7) What did the eruption do to Tonga's Internet cable?
a) encrypt it
b) melt it
c) cut it
d) threw it in the air
8) What are engineers trying to restore?
a) full communications
b) TV
c) the airport
d) radio signals
9) When did Tonga shut its borders
a) in 2020
b) in 2019
c) in 2021
d) last week
10) What does Tonga's government worry that aid workers might bring?
a) animals
b) problems
c) questions
d) Covid-19

Role play

Role A – Internet
You think the Internet is the most important thing to have in a natural disaster. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least necessary of these (and why): blankets are, tents are or medicine.

Role B – Blankets
You think blankets are the most important things to have in a natural disaster. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least necessary of these (and why): the Internet, tents are or medicine.

Role C – Tents
You think tents are the most important things to have in a natural disaster. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least necessary of these (and why): blankets are, the Internet or medicine.

Role D – Medicine
You think medicine is the most important thing to have in a natural disaster. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least necessary of these (and why): blankets are, tents are or the Internet.

After reading / listening

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

volcano''

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

and 'tsunami'.
________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

• 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:

operation

experts

coast

normal

ahead

roads

twin

cable

full

worried

borders

aid

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 - Tonga Tsunami

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 'volcano'?
What do you know about this story?
What do you know about Tonga?
How can we help the people of Tonga?
What do you think of tsunami?
What should people do in a tsunami?
Have you ever experienced a natural disaster?
How would you cope if a natural disaster hit your town?
What advice do you have for people in Tonga?

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 'tsunami'?
What do you think about what you read?
Why are the disasters 'unprecedented'?
What would life be like with no Internet in a country?
Should aid workers go to Tonga?
Is Tonga right to worry about a covid-19 wave?
How long do you think it will take Tonga to recover?
What can you do to help the people of Tonga?
What questions would you like to ask Tonga's government?

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 cleanup operation has (1) ____ in Tonga after the island nation was hit by a tsunami and covered (2) ____ volcanic ash at the weekend. The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai undersea volcano erupted on Saturday. Experts (3) ____ it was the world's biggest volcanic eruption in over 30 years. It sent tsunami waves across the Pacific to Japan and the U.S. (4) ____. It also destroyed large parts of Tonga. Islanders are now trying to restore services and normal life to the country. However, the ash is (5) ____ this difficult. A lot of the rescue and recovery work cannot go ahead until the ash has been cleared. It has (6) ____ many buildings. It is also blocking many of the country's roads.

Tonga's government called the eruption from the volcano and the tsunami "unprecedented". It said the (7) ____ disasters have severely affected life on the island. There is no Internet because the only underwater (8) ____ connecting Tonga to the World Wide Web was cut by the eruption. Engineers are trying to restore (9) ____ communications. It is also difficult to fly aid into the country because the airport is damaged. Tonga's government is worried (10) ____ rescue efforts may bring COVID-19 into the country. Tonga shut its borders to international arrivals in 2020. It said it was "covid-(11) ____" before the tsunami. It now fears international (12) ____ workers could bring a "tsunami of COVID-19" into the country.

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a) began (b) begun (c) beginning (d) beginnings
(a) at (b) on (c) of (d) in
(a) belief (b) believe (c) believers (d) believing
(a) boast (b) roast (c) coast (d) toast
(a) making (b) doing (c) having (d) taking
(a) buried (b) shovelled (c) layered (d) placed
(a) doubling (b) duet (c) duo (d) twin
(a) cable (b) thread (c) wire (d) rope
(a) pull (b) full (c) bull (d) hull
(a) what (b) which (c) that (d) however
(a) freedom (b) freely (c) free (d) freeze
(a) helpful (b) aid (c) assist (d) donate

Spelling

Paragraph 1

A cleanup pnoeiotra has begun
covered in oilaccvn ash
etedupr on Saturday
Islanders are now trying to torrsee services
the rescue and vecyerro work
ongilcbk many of the country's roads

Paragraph 2

Tonga's evnrgmoent
the twin ssdietsra
eyvrseel affected life on the island
underwater acelb
Tonga shut its berrdos
international rsarliav

Put the text back together

(...) to Japan and the U.S. coast. It also destroyed large parts of Tonga. Islanders are now trying to restore
(...) at the weekend. The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai undersea volcano erupted on Saturday. Experts believe it
(...) country. Tonga shut its borders to international arrivals in 2020. It said it was "covid-free" before the tsunami. It now fears
(...) connecting Tonga to the World Wide Web was cut by the eruption. Engineers are
(...) buried many buildings. It is also blocking many of the country's roads.
(...) trying to restore full communications. It is also difficult to fly aid into the country because the airport is
(...) disasters have severely affected life on the island. There is no Internet because the only underwater cable
(...) Tonga's government called the eruption from the volcano and the tsunami "unprecedented". It said the twin
(...) international aid workers could bring a "tsunami of COVID-19" into the country.
(...) damaged. Tonga's government is worried that rescue efforts may bring COVID-19 into the
( 1 ) A cleanup operation has begun in Tonga after the island nation was hit by a tsunami and covered in volcanic ash
(...) was the world's biggest volcanic eruption in over 30 years. It sent tsunami waves across the Pacific
(...) of the rescue and recovery work cannot go ahead until the ash has been cleared. It has
(...) services and normal life to the country. However, the ash is making this difficult. A lot

Put the words in the right order

tsunami ash . covered in Hit by a and
across sent It Pacific . tsunami waves the
parts large also destroyed Tonga . of It
services . to Islanders are trying restore now
is of country's It roads . the many blocking
twin The have severely disasters life . affected
Tonga connecting The underwater cable cut . was only
fly difficult into aid to the It's country .
COVID-19 efforts Rescue bring may the country . into
COVID-19 . Aid workers bring could a of tsunami

Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

A cleanup operation has beginning / begun in Tonga after the island nation was hit by a tsunami and covered on / in volcanic ash at the weekend. The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai undersea volcano erupted / eruption on Saturday. Experts believe it was the world's biggest volcanic eruption in over / more 30 years. It sent tsunami waves across the Pacific to Japan and the U.S. coastal / coast. It also destroyed large part / parts of Tonga. Islanders are now trying to restore services and normal / normality life to the country. However, the ash is making / made this difficult. A lot of the rescue and recovery work cannot come / go ahead until the ash has been cleared. It has buried many buildings. It is also blocking many of / to the country's roads.

Tonga's government called the erupt / eruption from the volcano and the tsunami "unprecedented". It said the twin disasters have severely / severe affected life on the island. There is no Internet but / because the only underwater cable connecting Tonga to the World Wide Web was cut at / by the eruption. Engineers are trying / tried to restore full communications. It is also difficult to fly / flight aid into the country because the airport is damaged. Tonga's government is worried that rescue effects / efforts may bring COVID-19 into / onto the country. Tonga shut its borders to international arrivals in 2020. It said it was "covid-free" before the tsunami. It now afraid / fears international aid workers could bring a "tsunami of / on COVID-19" into the country.

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)

_ cl__n_p _p_r_t__n h_s b_g_n _n T_ng_ _ft_r th_ _sl_nd n_t__n w_s h_t by _ ts_n_m_ _nd c_v_r_d _n v_lc_n_c _sh _t th_ w__k_nd. Th_ H_ng_-T_ng_-H_ng_-H_'_p__ _nd_rs__ v_lc_n_ _r_pt_d _n S_t_rd_y. _xp_rts b_l__v_ _t w_s th_ w_rld's b_gg_st v_lc_n_c _r_pt__n _n _v_r 30 y__rs. _t s_nt ts_n_m_ w_v_s _cr_ss th_ P_c_f_c t_ J_p_n _nd th_ _.S. c__st. _t _ls_ d_str_y_d l_rg_ p_rts _f T_ng_. _sl_nd_rs _r_ n_w try_ng t_ r_st_r_ s_rv_c_s _nd n_rm_l l_f_ t_ th_ c__ntry. H_w_v_r, th_ _sh _s m_k_ng th_s d_ff_c_lt. _ l_t _f th_ r_sc__ _nd r_c_v_ry w_rk c_nn_t g_ _h__d _nt_l th_ _sh h_s b__n cl__r_d. _t h_s b_r__d m_ny b__ld_ngs. _t _s _ls_ bl_ck_ng m_ny _f th_ c__ntry's r__ds.

T_ng_'s g_v_rnm_nt c_ll_d th_ _r_pt__n fr_m th_ v_lc_n_ _nd th_ ts_n_m_ "_npr_c_d_nt_d". _t s__d th_ tw_n d_s_st_rs h_v_ s_v_r_ly _ff_ct_d l_f_ _n th_ _sl_nd. Th_r_ _s n_ _nt_rn_t b_c__s_ th_ _nly _nd_rw_t_r c_bl_ c_nn_ct_ng T_ng_ t_ th_ W_rld W_d_ W_b w_s c_t by th_ _r_pt__n. _ng_n__rs _r_ try_ng t_ r_st_r_ f_ll c_mm_n_c_t__ns. _t _s _ls_ d_ff_c_lt t_ fly __d _nt_ th_ c__ntry b_c__s_ th_ __rp_rt _s d_m_g_d. T_ng_'s g_v_rnm_nt _s w_rr__d th_t r_sc__ _ff_rts m_y br_ng C_V_D-19 _nt_ th_ c__ntry. T_ng_ sh_t _ts b_rd_rs t_ _nt_rn_t__n_l _rr_v_ls _n 2020. _t s__d _t w_s "c_v_d-fr__" b_f_r_ th_ ts_n_m_. _t n_w f__rs _nt_rn_t__n_l __d w_rk_rs c__ld br_ng _ "ts_n_m_ _f C_V_D-19" _nt_ th_ c__ntry.

Punctuate the text and add capitals

a cleanup operation has begun in tonga after the island nation was hit by a tsunami and covered in volcanic ash at the weekend the hungatongahungahaapai undersea volcano erupted on saturday experts believe it was the worlds biggest volcanic eruption in over 30 years it sent tsunami waves across the pacific to japan and the us coast it also destroyed large parts of tonga islanders are now trying to restore services and normal life to the country however the ash is making this difficult a lot of the rescue and recovery work cannot go ahead until the ash has been cleared it has buried many buildings it is also blocking many of the countrys roads

tongas government called the eruption from the volcano and the tsunami unprecedented it said the twin disasters have severely affected life on the island there is no internet because the only underwater cable connecting tonga to the world wide web was cut by the eruption engineers are trying to restore full communications it is also difficult to fly aid into the country because the airport is damaged tongas government is worried that rescue efforts may bring covid19 into the country tonga shut its borders to international arrivals in 2020 it said it was covidfree before the tsunami it now fears international aid workers could bring a tsunami of covid19 into the country

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AcleanupoperationhasbeguninTongaaftertheislandnationwashitbya
tsunamiandcoveredinvolcanicashattheweekend.TheHunga-Tonga-
Hunga-Ha'apaiunderseavolcanoeruptedonSaturday.Expertsbeliev
eitwastheworld'sbiggestvolcaniceruptioninover30years.Itsenttsun
amiwavesacrossthePacifictoJapanandtheU.S.coast.Italsodestroyed
largepartsofTonga.Islandersarenowtryingtorestoreservicesandnor
mallifetothecountry.However,theashismakingthisdifficult.Alotofthe
rescueandrecoveryworkcannotgoaheaduntiltheashhasbeencleared.
Ithasburiedmanybuildings.Itisalsoblockingmanyofthecountry'sroad
s.Tonga'sgovernmentcalledtheeruptionfromthevolcanoandthetsun
ami"unprecedented".Itsaidthetwindisastershaveseverelyaffectedlif
eontheisland.ThereisnoInternetbecausetheonlyunderwatercableco
nnectingTongatotheWorldWideWebwascutbytheeruption.Engineer
saretryingtorestorefullcommunications.Itisalsodifficulttoflyaidintot
hecountrybecausetheairportisdamaged.Tonga'sgovernmentisworri
edthatrescueeffortsmaybringCOVID-19intothecountry.Tongashutit
sborderstointernationalarrivalsin2020.Itsaiditwas"covid-free"befor
ethetsunami.Itnowfearsinternationalaidworkerscouldbringa"tsuna
miofCOVID-19"intothecountry.

Free writing

Write about Tonga tsunami for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Academic writing

The whole world should send aid teams to help Tonga. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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. TONGA: Make a poster about tonga. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. TSUNAMI: Write a magazine article about all the world's countries giving money for tsunami defences in areas under risk of tsunami. 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 tsunami. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to protect against tsunami. 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: Tonga Tsunami

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