Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Miners Rescue

All thirty-three miners trapped underground in Chile for 69 days have been rescued. One by one, over a tense 22 hours, the men emerged into freedom after spending over two months 700 metres underground. The men were met with wild applause and hugs from rescuers and family before being put on a stretcher and taken to hospital for two days of medical checks. They were all in surprisingly good health, although one had pneumonia and several had dental problems. Their story had gripped the world since the mine collapse in August. Their rescue attracted a TV audience on a par with Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon or a football World Cup Final. Television stations across the globe were reporting record viewing figures as people were glued to their TV sets.

Luis Urzua was the last man to be rescued. The operation worked perfectly and was the climax to months of careful preparation to save the men. No one has ever spent so long so deep underground and survived. Chilean president Sebastian Pinera was ecstatic with seeing the men freed. He said: "We have done what the entire world was waiting for. The 70 days that we fought so hard were not in vain. We had strength, we had spirit, we wanted to fight, we wanted to fight for our families, and that was the greatest thing." The president told Urzua "You are not the same, and the country is not the same after this. You were an inspiration. Go hug your wife and your daughter." Mr Pinera also had a message for Victor Segovia, the 15th miner out: "Welcome to life."

WARM-UPS

1. MINERS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about the Chile miners. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

trapped underground / rescued / freedom / medical checks / gripped / glued to the TV / climax / presentation / ecstatic / fighting in vain / strength / spirit / inspiration

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. DOWN THE MINE: What would be the most difficult thing? Complete this table and share what you wrote with your partner(s). Change partners and share again.

	How difficult?	How would you overcome it?
Missing family
Fearing death
Cleanliness
Boredom
Health
The other miners

4. MINING: Students A strongly believe mining should be banned; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. QUALITIES: What qualities are most important for the miners? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the most important at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

a sense of humour
physical strength
spirit
resourcefulness

intelligence
a sense of camaraderie
mental strength
having hope

6. CHILE MINERS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the Chile miners. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

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

a.	The miners were trapped underground for a little under two months.	T / F
b.	It took almost a day to bring all of the miners to the surface.	T / F
c.	None of the miners had any medical problems when they came up.	T / F
d.	The article says more people watched the rescue than the World Cup.	T / F
e.	There were a few problems with the rescue which delayed things.	T / F
f.	No one has spent longer so deep underground and survived.	T / F
g.	Chile’s president said the miners fought too much while underground.	T / F
h.	The president said the miners’ ordeal had changed Chile.	T / F

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

1.	rescued	a.	on tenterhooks
2	emerged	b.	wasted
3.	applause	c.	surfaced
4.	gripped	d.	whole
5.	glued	e.	set free
6.	climax	f.	motivation
7.	ecstatic	g.	clapping
8.	entire	h.	pinnacle
9.	in vain	i.	stuck
10.	inspiration	j.	overjoyed

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

1.	the men emerged	a.	the mine collapse
2	The men were met with wild	b.	were not in vain
3.	They were all in surprisingly	c.	to their TV sets
4.	Their story had gripped the world since	d.	careful preparation
5.	people were glued	e.	into freedom
6.	the climax to months of	f.	world was waiting for
7.	No one has ever spent so long	g.	your wife
8.	We have done what the entire	h.	applause and hugs
9.	The 70 days that we fought so hard	i.	good health
10.	Go hug	j.	so deep underground

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

All thirty-three miners ____________ underground in Chile for 69 days have been rescued. One by one, over a ____________ 22 hours, the men emerged into freedom after spending over two months 700 metres underground. The men were met with wild ____________ and hugs from rescuers and family before being put on a stretcher and taken to hospital for two days of medical ____________. They were all in surprisingly good health, although one had pneumonia and ____________ had dental problems. Their story had gripped the world since the mine collapse in August. Their rescue ____________ a TV audience on a ____________ with Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon or a football World Cup Final. Television stations across the globe were reporting record viewing figures as people were ____________ to their TV sets.

several
par
applause
glued
trapped
checks
tense
attracted

Luis Urzua was the last man to be rescued. The operation worked perfectly and was the ____________ to months of careful preparation to save the men. No one has ever ____________ so long so deep underground and survived. Chilean president Sebastian Pinera was ecstatic with seeing the men ____________. He said: "We have done what the entire world was waiting for. The 70 days that we fought so hard were not in ____________. We had strength, we had ____________, we wanted to fight, we wanted to fight for our families, and that was the greatest thing." The president told Urzua "You are not the same, and the country is not the same after this. You were an ____________. Go ____________ your wife and your daughter." Mr Pinera also had a message for Victor Segovia, the 15th miner out: "Welcome to ____________."

vain
hug
inspiration
spent
climax
life
freed
spirit

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

All thirty-three miners _______________________ Chile for 69 days have been rescued. One by one, over a tense 22 hours, ___________________ freedom after spending over two months 700 metres underground. The men were ____________________ and hugs from rescuers and family before being put on a stretcher and taken to hospital for two days of medical checks. They _____________________ good health, although one had pneumonia and several had dental problems. Their story had gripped the world ______________________ in August. Their rescue attracted a TV audience on a par with Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon or a football World Cup Final. Television stations across the globe were reporting record viewing figures as ____________________ their TV sets.

Luis Urzua was the last ____________________. The operation worked perfectly and was the climax to months of careful preparation to save the men. No ____________________ so long so deep underground and survived. Chilean president Sebastian Pinera was ecstatic with seeing the men freed. He said: "We have done what ____________________ waiting for. The 70 days that we fought so hard ____________________. We had strength, we had spirit, we wanted to fight, we wanted to fight for our families, and that ____________________." The president told Urzua "You are not the same, and the country is not the same after this. You were an inspiration. ____________________ and your daughter." Mr Pinera also had a message for Victor Segovia, the 15th miner out: "Welcome to life."

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

mine

rescue

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:

69
22
700
one
par
glued

climax
long
entire
in vain
same
hug

STUDENT THE CHILE MINERS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about the Chile miners 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.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

THE CHILE MINERS DISCUSSION

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

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘miner’?
c)	How and how long have you been following this story?
d)	How did the pictures of the rescued miners make you feel?
e)	What do you think the miners are feeling right now?
f)	Is being trapped more difficult for the miner or his family?
g)	How would you cope in a similar situation?
h)	Did you think the rescue would succeed?
i)	What’s more exciting – the miners rescue, Neil Armstrong walking on the moon or the final of the football World Cup?
j)	Are you surprised this story attracted such a huge TV audience?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	Would you like to be the first or last person rescued?
c)	What do you think of the Chilean president’s words?
d)	What lessons do mines need to learn from what happened in Chile?
e)	What do you think of the job of a miner?
f)	What do you think will happen to the miners from now?
g)	Do you think the miners will experience any problems?
h)	How will this experience change the miners?
i)	Would you go down a mine again after such an ordeal?
j)	What questions would you like to ask one of the miners?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

All thirty-three miners trapped underground in Chile for 69 days have been rescued. One by (1) ____, over a tense 22 hours, the men emerged into freedom after spending over two months 700 metres underground. The men were (2) ____ with wild applause and hugs from rescuers and family before being put on a (3) ____ and taken to hospital for two days of medical checks. They were all in (4) ____ good health, although one had pneumonia and several had dental problems. Their story had gripped the world since the mine collapse in August. Their rescue attracted a TV audience (5) ____ a par with Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon or a football World Cup Final. Television stations across the globe were reporting record viewing figures as people were (6) ____ to their TV sets.

Luis Urzua was the last man to be rescued. The operation worked perfectly and was the climax (7) ____ months of careful preparation to save the men. No one has ever spent so long so deep underground and survived. Chilean president Sebastian Pinera was ecstatic (8) ____ seeing the men freed. He said: "We have done what the entire world was waiting for. The 70 days that we fought so hard were not in (9) ____. We had strength, we had spirit, we wanted to fight, we (10) ____ to fight for our families, and that was the greatest thing." The president told Urzua "You are not the same, and the country is not the same after this. You were an inspiration. Go (11) ____ your wife and your daughter." Mr Pinera also had a message for Victor Segovia, the 15th miner out: "Welcome to (12) ____."

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	two	(b)	ones	(c)	twos	(d)	one
2.	(a)	met	(b)	set	(c)	get	(d)	let
3.	(a)	stretch	(b)	stretchy	(c)	stretcher	(d)	stretched
4.	(a)	surprised	(b)	surprisingly	(c)	surprises	(d)	surprise
5.	(a)	in	(b)	on	(c)	to	(d)	at
6.	(a)	pasted	(b)	taped	(c)	glued	(d)	pinned
7.	(a)	to	(b)	of	(c)	by	(d)	at
8.	(a)	so	(b)	as	(c)	for	(d)	with
9.	(a)	pain	(b)	rain	(c)	main	(d)	vain
10.	(a)	wants	(b)	wanted	(c)	wanting	(d)	want
11.	(a)	hug	(b)	huge	(c)	hugging	(d)	hugs
12.	(a)	live	(b)	lives	(c)	life	(d)	alive

WRITING

Write about the Chile miners for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 the Chile miners. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. THE CHILE MINERS: Make a poster about the Chile miners and their experience. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. RESCUED: Write a magazine article about the Chile miners. Include imaginary interviews with them and their families.

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. LETTER: Write a letter to a Chilean miner. Ask him three questions about his ordeal. Give him three pieces of advice on what he should do in his future. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	rescued	a.	set free
2	emerged	b.	surfaced
3.	applause	c.	clapping
4.	gripped	d.	on tenterhooks
5.	glued	e.	stuck
6.	climax	f.	pinnacle
7.	ecstatic	g.	overjoyed
8.	entire	h.	whole
9.	in vain	i.	wasted
10.	inspiration	j.	motivation

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	the men emerged	a.	into freedom
2	The men were met with wild	b.	applause and hugs
3.	They were all in surprisingly	c.	good health
4.	Their story had gripped the world since	d.	the mine collapse
5.	people were glued	e.	to their TV sets
6.	the climax to months of	f.	careful preparation
7.	No one has ever spent so long	g.	so deep underground
8.	We have done what the entire	h.	world was waiting for
9.	The 70 days that we fought so hard	i.	were not in vain
10.	Go hug	j.	your wife

GAP FILL:

All 33 Chilean miners rescued

All thirty-three miners trapped underground in Chile for 69 days have been rescued. One by one, over a tense 22 hours, the men emerged into freedom after spending over two months 700 metres underground. The men were met with wild applause and hugs from rescuers and family before being put on a stretcher and taken to hospital for two days of medical checks. They were all in surprisingly good health, although one had pneumonia and several had dental problems. Their story had gripped the world since the mine collapse in August. Their rescue attracted a TV audience on a par with Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon or a football World Cup Final. Television stations across the globe were reporting record viewing figures as people were glued to their TV sets.

Luis Urzua was the last man to be rescued. The operation worked perfectly and was the climax to months of careful preparation to save the men. No one has ever spent so long so deep underground and survived. Chilean president Sebastian Pinera was ecstatic with seeing the men freed. He said: "We have done what the entire world was waiting for. The 70 days that we fought so hard were not in vain. We had strength, we had spirit, we wanted to fight, we wanted to fight for our families, and that was the greatest thing." The president told Urzua "You are not the same, and the country is not the same after this. You were an inspiration. Go hug your wife and your daughter." Mr Pinera also had a message for Victor Segovia, the 15th miner out: "Welcome to life."

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - a

3 - c

4 - b

5 - b

6 - c

7 - a

8 - d

9 -d

10 - b

11 - a

12 - c

Breaking News English

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13-Page PDF
Handout - with
all-skills activities

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All 33 Chilean Miners Rescued (14th October, 2010)

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT THE CHILE MINERS SURVEY

THE CHILE MINERS DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

WRITING

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

All 33 Chilean miners rescued

Help Support This Web Site

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You

My 1,000 Ideas e-Book	Breaking News English HOME \| HELP MY SITE \| 000s MORE FREE LESSONS	My 1,000 Ideas e-Book

Breaking News English

PRINT

13-Page PDF Handout - with all-skills activities

LISTEN

MP3 (2:06 - 1,008KB)

All 33 Chilean Miners Rescued (14th October, 2010)

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT THE CHILE MINERS SURVEY

THE CHILE MINERS DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

WRITING

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

All 33 Chilean miners rescued

Help Support This Web Site

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You

13-Page PDF
Handout - with
all-skills activities