The Reading / Listening - Online Lectures - Level 3

A university professor in Singapore gave a two-hour online lecture but didn't realize he was on mute. Professor Wang, who teaches maths, was not aware that throughout his online presentation, the microphone on his computer was switched off. This meant that none of the students attending his online class heard what professor Wang was talking about. His university switched his classes online to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. His lecture started well but then it froze. The video came back but the mic was off and professor Wang did not notice. One of his students says it might have been because the professor was using an iPad and not a computer.

Students tried many times to contact professor Wang during the lesson but could not get through to him. They waved their arms and even tried calling him on his personal phone. A video of the moment he understood his mic was off has gone viral on the Internet. It has received more than 653,000 views. After realizing what happened, professor Wang appeared shocked and stressed. He said he was upset at the thought of wasting two hours of his students' time. He has offered to redo the lecture at a different time so his students do not miss that class. One of his students posted on social media about the professor's mishap. She wrote: "I took a class under him before and he teaches well. I feel bad for him."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Online Lectures - Level 0,  Online Lectures - Level 1   or  Online Lectures - Level 2

Sources
  • https://news.yahoo.com/singaporean-professor-lectures-2-hours-190353801.html
  • https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/ny-singapore-professor-mute-lesson-20210210-pm24owto3rh5xho52fwa575zi4-story.html
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9247009/Maths-professor-Singapore-delivers-two-hour-lecture-Zoom-realise-mute.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. ONLINE LECTURES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about online lectures. 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?
       university / professor / on mute / presentation / microphone / spread / classes / iPad /
       contact / lesson / video / Internet / shocked / wasting time / students / mishap
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. ONLINE CLASSES: Students A strongly believe online classes are better than face-to-face classes; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. ONLINE: What are the pros and cons of teaching these things online? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Pros

Cons

Maths

 

 

Art

 

 

Yoga

 

 

English

 

 

Coding

 

 

Physics

 

 
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. MATHS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "math". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. UNIVERSITY: Rank these with your partner. Put the most useful thing to study at university at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Maths
  • English
  • Economics
  • Coding
  • Medicine
  • Journalism
  • Engineering
  • Architecture

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. realize a. Of a computer screen that suddenly stops, with no movement or control of the cursor.
      2. throughout b. Suddenly understand or become aware of something.
      3. attending c. Make smaller.
      4. switched d. From the beginning to the end.
      5. reduce e. Changed something in place of something else.
      6. spread f. Being present at an event, meeting, or function.
      7. froze g. The movement of something across a larger and larger area.

    Paragraph 2

      8. contact h. Get in touch with or communicate with someone.
      9. waved i. An unlucky accident.
      10. viral j. Moved ones hands or arms from side to side.
      11. upset k. Repeat an action.
      12. wasting l. Everywhere online or on social media.
      13. redo m. Made unhappy.
      14. mishap n. Using something unnecessarily or for no reason.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. The professor in the article teaches computer coding.     T / F
  2. Not a single student heard what the professor was saying.     T / F
  3. The article said the professor froze.     T / F
  4. A student blamed the mishap on an iPad.     T / F
  5. Students waved their phones at the professor.     T / F
  6. A video of the professor has gone viral on the Internet.     T / F
  7. The professor is sad because he wasted his students' time.     T / F
  8. The professor said he would not redo the lecture.     T / F

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

  1. lecture
  2. aware
  3. throughout
  4. switched
  5. froze
  6. contact
  7. moment
  8. appeared
  9. upset
  10. mishap
  1. get in touch with
  2. changed
  3. accident
  4. conscious
  5. troubled
  6. stopped
  7. class
  8. time
  9. for the whole of
  10. seemed

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

  1. A university professor in Singapore gave a
  2. didn't realize he
  3. throughout his online
  4. help reduce the spread
  5. His lecture started well
  6. Students tried many times to
  7. gone viral
  8. wasting two hours of
  9. He has offered to redo
  10. I feel bad
  1. on the Internet
  2. presentation
  3. the lecture
  4. was on mute
  5. contact professor Wang
  6. for him
  7. two-hour online lecture
  8. but then it froze
  9. his students' time
  10. of COVID-19

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
froze
switched
gave
reduce
realize
using
aware
attending

A university professor in Singapore (1) _____________________ a two-hour online lecture but didn't (2) _____________________ he was on mute. Professor Wang, who teaches maths, was not (3) _____________________ that throughout his online presentation, the microphone on his computer was (4) _____________________ off. This meant that none of the students (5) _____________________ his online class heard what professor Wang was talking about. His university switched his classes online to help (6) _____________________ the spread of COVID-19. His lecture started well but then it (7) _____________________. The video came back but the mic was off and professor Wang did not notice. One of his students says it might have been because the professor was (8) _____________________ an iPad and not a computer.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
moment
wasting
mishap
contact
shocked
time
waved
redo

Students tried many times to (9) _____________________ professor Wang during the lesson but could not get through to him. They (10) _____________________ their arms and even tried calling him on his personal phone. A video of the (11) _____________________ he understood his mic was off has gone viral on the Internet. It has received more than 653,000 views. After realizing what happened, professor Wang appeared (12) _____________________ and stressed. He said he was upset at the thought of (13) _____________________ two hours of his students' time. He has offered to (14) _____________________ the lecture at a different (15) _____________________ so his students do not miss that class. One of his students posted on social media about the professor's (16) _____________________. She wrote: "I took a class under him before and he teaches well. I feel bad for him."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) A university professor in Singapore gave a two-hour online lecture ______
     a.  but didn't real eyes
     b.  but didn't reel lies
     c.  but didn't realign
     d.  but didn't realize
2)  he was on mute. Professor Wang, who teaches maths, was not ______
     a.  aware that through wait
     b.  aware that through out
     c.  aware that threw out
     d.  aware that throughout
3)  his computer was switched off. This meant that none of ______
     a.  the students attend in
     b.  the students attending
     c.  the students attend din
     d.  the students at tend din
4)  His university switched his classes online to help reduce ______ COVID-19
     a.  the spread off
     b.  the spread oft
     c.  the spread of
     d.  the spread over
5)  His lecture started well but ______
     a.  then it froze
     b.  then it frozen
     c.  then it flows
     d.  then it freeze

6)  contact professor Wang during the lesson but could not get ______
     a.  through too him
     b.  through two him
     c.  through to him
     d.  though to him
7)  A video of the moment he understood his mic was off ______
     a.  has gone rival
     b.  has gone feral
     c.  has gone viral
     d.  has gone libel
8)  He said he was upset at the thought of ______
     a.  waste tin two hours
     b.  waste in two hours
     c.  way sting two hours
     d.  wasting two hours
9)  One of his students posted on social media about the ______
     a.  professor's mishap
     b.  professor's miss happen
     c.  professor's miss shape
     d.  professor's miss hop
10)  I took a class under him before and he teaches well. I ______ him.
     a.  feel bad four
     b.  feel bad for
     c.  feel bad from
     d.  feel bad of

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A university professor in Singapore gave a two-hour online lecture (1) ____________________ he was on mute. Professor Wang, who teaches maths, was (2) ____________________ throughout his online presentation, the microphone on his computer (3) ____________________. This meant that none of the students attending his online class heard what professor Wang was talking about. His university (4) ____________________ online to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. His lecture started well but then it froze. The (5) ____________________ but the mic was off and professor Wang did not notice. One of his students says it might have been because the professor (6) ____________________ iPad and not a computer.

Students tried (7) ____________________ contact professor Wang during the lesson but could not get through to him. They (8) ____________________ and even tried calling him on his personal phone. A video of the moment he understood his mic was off has (9) ____________________ the Internet. It has received more than 653,000 views. After realizing what happened, professor Wang appeared shocked and stressed. He said he (10) ____________________ the thought of wasting two hours of his students' time. He has (11) ____________________ the lecture at a different time so his students do not miss that class. One of his students posted on social media about the professor's mishap. She wrote: "I took a class under him before and he teaches well. I (12) ____________________ him."

Comprehension questions

  1. In which country was the professor teaching online?
  2. What does the professor teach?
  3. What did the university want to stop the spread of?
  4. What happened to the professor's lecture after it started?
  5. What did a student say the problem might have been?
  6. What did students wave?
  7. How many views has a YouTube video had?
  8. How did the professor appear to feel in a video?
  9. What has the professor offered to redo?
  10. How does one of the professor's students feel about the mishap?

Multiple choice quiz

1) In which country was the professor teaching online?
a) South Africa
b) Singapore
c) Sierra Leone
d) Slovakia
2) What does the professor teach?
a) coding
b) English
c) architecture
d) maths
3) What did the university want to stop the spread of?
a) COVID-19
b) disinformation
c) fake news
d) gossip
4) What happened to the professor's lecture after it started?
a) it went viral
b) it got lots of views
c) it froze
d) it was full
5) What did a student say the problem might have been?
a) a glitch
b) an iPad
c) a virus
d) a power cut

6) What did students wave?
a) exam papers
b) their smartphones
c) his arms
d) their heads
7) How many views has a YouTube video had?
a) under 653,000
b) exactly 653,000
c) around 653,000
d) over 653,000
8) How did the professor appear to feel in a video?
a) shocked and stressed
b) dazed and confused
c) bored and unhappy
d) happy and excited
9) What has the professor offered to redo?
a) the lecture
b) the iPad
c) maths formulae
d) homework answers
10) How does one of the professor's students feel about the mishap?
a) happy for the professor
b) bad for the professor
c) worried for the professor
d) sad

Role play

Role  A – Maths
You think maths is the most useful subject to study at university. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their subjects. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): English, coding or economics.

Role  B – English
You think English is the most useful subject to study at university. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their subjects. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): maths, coding or economics.

Role  C – Coding
You think coding is the most useful subject to study at university. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their subjects. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): English, maths or economics.

Role  D – Economics
You think economics is the most useful subject to study at university. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their subjects. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): English, coding or maths.

After reading / listening

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

'online'

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

    • and 'lecture'.

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

    • • 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:

    • aware
    • none
    • switched
    • well
    • back
    • might
    • contact
    • arms
    • moment
    • shocked
    • redo
    • bad

    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 - Online Lectures

    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 'online'?
    3. What did you think of maths classes?
    4. Do you think online or face-to-face classes are better?
    5. What do you think of online classes?
    6. What do you think of two-hour lectures?
    7. What do you think of using technology in the classroom?
    8. How good are you at using technology?
    9. Why might it be difficult for teachers to teach online?
    10. Is a computer or iPad better?

    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 'lecture'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What are the good and bad things about online classes?
    5. How could the students have alerted their professor?
    6. How upset would you be if that happened to you?
    7. What advice do you have for the professor?
    8. How do you feel about wasting time?
    9. When was the last time you were shocked?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the professor?

    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 university professor in Singapore (1) ____ a two-hour online lecture but didn't realize he was on mute. Professor Wang, who teaches maths, was not (2) ____ that throughout his online presentation, the microphone on his computer was switched off. This meant that none of the students (3) ____ his online class heard what professor Wang was talking about. His university switched his classes online to help reduce the spread (4) ____ COVID-19. His lecture started well but then it froze. The video came back but the mic was off and professor Wang did not (5) ____. One of his students says it might have been because the professor was (6) ____ an iPad and not a computer.

    Students tried many times (7) ____ contact professor Wang during the lesson but could not get through to him. They (8) ____ their arms and even tried calling him on his personal phone. A video of the moment he understood his mic was off has (9) ____ viral on the Internet. It has received more than 653,000 views. After realizing what happened, professor Wang appeared shocked and stressed. He said he was upset (10) ____ the thought of wasting two hours of his students' time. He has offered to (11) ____ the lecture at a different time so his students do not miss that class. One of his students posted on social media about the professor's (12) ____. She wrote: "I took a class under him before and he teaches well. I feel bad for him."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     gave     (b)     participated     (c)     connected     (d)     spoke    
    2. (a)     beware     (b)     wary     (c)     aware     (d)     warrior    
    3. (a)     attention     (b)     attending     (c)     attend     (d)     attends    
    4. (a)     spurred     (b)     sparred     (c)     speared     (d)     spread    
    5. (a)     notice     (b)     poster     (c)     flyer     (d)     pamphlet    
    6. (a)     uses     (b)     using     (c)     used     (d)     usage    
    7. (a)     as     (b)     at     (c)     of     (d)     to    
    8. (a)     waived     (b)     waved     (c)     wavered     (d)     waivered    
    9. (a)     done     (b)     given     (c)     gone     (d)     taken    
    10. (a)     in     (b)     of     (c)     to     (d)     at    
    11. (a)     ado     (b)     undo     (c)     to-do     (d)     redo    
    12. (a)     rehab     (b)     mishap     (c)     haphazard     (d)     refine

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. didn't eeialrz he was on mute
    2. ghhturotuo his online presentation
    3. students atndntegi his online class
    4. help dcreue the spread of COVID-19
    5. but then it eforz
    6. professor Wang did not ectnoi

    Paragraph 2

    1. ncaotct professor Wang
    2. gone aivlr on the Internet
    3. shocked and sdseters
    4. upset at the thought of angstwi two hours
    5. He has offered to roed the lecture
    6. the professor's phaism

    Put the text back together

    (...)  his online class heard what professor Wang was talking about. His university switched his classes
    (...)  students says it might have been because the professor was using an iPad and not a computer.
    (  1  ) A university professor in Singapore gave a two-hour online lecture but didn't
    (...)  froze. The video came back but the mic was off and professor Wang did not notice. One of his
    (...)  through to him. They waved their arms and even tried calling him on his personal phone. A video of the moment he understood his mic was
    (...)  Students tried many times to contact professor Wang during the lesson but could not get
    (...)  presentation, the microphone on his computer was switched off. This meant that none of the students attending
    (...)  off has gone viral on the Internet. It has received more than 653,000 views. After realizing what happened, professor Wang appeared
    (...)  shocked and stressed. He said he was upset at the thought of wasting two hours
    (...)  mishap. She wrote: "I took a class under him before and he teaches well. I feel bad for him."
    (...)  online to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. His lecture started well but then it
    (...)  of his students' time. He has offered to redo the lecture at a different time so his students do not miss
    (...)  realize he was on mute. Professor Wang, who teaches maths, was not aware that throughout his online
    (...)  that class. One of his students posted on social media about the professor's

    Put the words in the right order

    1. A   a   gave   lecture   .   university   two-hour   online   professor
    2. on   off   .   computer   The   microphone   switched   was   his
    3. students   class   his   of   the   None   heard   .   attending
    4. back   the   The   but   video   mic   .   not   came
    5. an   the   using   was   Because   professor   iPad   .
    6. Students   times   professor   .   to   contact   tried   many   the
    7. calling   tried   his   phone   .   him   on   They   personal
    8. was   off   .   his   mic   he   The   moment   understood
    9. was   He   thought   .   said   he   at   upset   the
    10. the   He   redo   has   offered   to   lecture   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    A university professor in Singapore gave a two-hour online lecture but didn't realize he was in / on mute. Professor Wang, who teaches / teach maths, was not aware / beware that throughout his online presentation, the microphone on his computer was switching / switched off. This meant that none of the students attending / attended his online class heard what professor Wang was talked / talking about. His university switched his classes online to help reduction / reduce the spread of COVID-19. His lecture started well but then it freeze / froze. The video came back but the mic was off and professor Wang did not notice / poster. One of his students says it might have been because / what the professor was using an iPad and not a computer.

    Students tried many times to contract / contact professor Wang during the lesson but could not get through / thought to him. They waived / waved their arms and even tried calling him on his personally / personal phone. A video of the moment he understood his mic was off has gone rival / viral on the Internet. It has received more than 653,000 views. After realizing what happened, professor Wang appeared / appearance shocked and stressed. He said he was upset at the thought of wasting two hours for / of his students' time. He has offered to redo / undo the lecture at a different time so his students do not miss that class. One of his students posted in / on social media about the professor's mishap. She wrote: "I took a class under him before and he teaches well. I feel bad to / for him."

    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)

    _  _n_v_rs_ty  pr_f_ss_r  _n  S_ng_p_r_  g_v_  _  tw_-h__r  _nl_n_  l_ct_r_  b_t  d_dn't  r__l_z_  h_  w_s  _n  m_t_.  Pr_f_ss_r  W_ng,  wh_  t__ch_s  m_ths,  w_s  n_t  _w_r_  th_t  thr__gh__t  h_s  _nl_n_  pr_s_nt_t__n,  th_  m_cr_ph_n_  _n  h_s  c_mp_t_r  w_s  sw_tch_d  _ff.  Th_s  m__nt  th_t  n_n_  _f  th_  st_d_nts  _tt_nd_ng  h_s  _nl_n_  cl_ss  h__rd  wh_t  pr_f_ss_r  W_ng  w_s  t_lk_ng  _b__t.  H_s  _n_v_rs_ty  sw_tch_d  h_s  cl_ss_s  _nl_n_  t_  h_lp  r_d_c_  th_  spr__d  _f  C_V_D-19.  H_s  l_ct_r_  st_rt_d  w_ll  b_t  th_n  _t  fr_z_.  Th_  v_d__  c_m_  b_ck  b_t  th_  m_c  w_s  _ff  _nd  pr_f_ss_r  W_ng  d_d  n_t  n_t_c_.  _n_  _f  h_s  st_d_nts  s_ys  _t  m_ght  h_v_  b__n  b_c__s_  th_  pr_f_ss_r  w_s  _s_ng  _n  _P_d  _nd  n_t  _  c_mp_t_r.

    St_d_nts  tr__d  m_ny  t_m_s  t_  c_nt_ct  pr_f_ss_r  W_ng  d_r_ng  th_  l_ss_n  b_t  c__ld  n_t  g_t  thr__gh  t_  h_m.  Th_y  w_v_d  th__r  _rms  _nd  _v_n  tr__d  c_ll_ng  h_m  _n  h_s  p_rs_n_l  ph_n_.  _  v_d__  _f  th_  m_m_nt  h_  _nd_rst__d  h_s  m_c  w_s  _ff  h_s  g_n_  v_r_l  _n  th_  _nt_rn_t.  _t  h_s  r_c__v_d  m_r_  th_n  653,000  v__ws.  _ft_r  r__l_z_ng  wh_t  h_pp_n_d,  pr_f_ss_r  W_ng  _pp__r_d  sh_ck_d  _nd  str_ss_d.  H_  s__d  h_  w_s  _ps_t  _t  th_  th__ght  _f  w_st_ng  tw_  h__rs  _f  h_s  st_d_nts'  t_m_.  H_  h_s  _ff_r_d  t_  r_d_  th_  l_ct_r_  _t  _  d_ff_r_nt  t_m_  s_  h_s  st_d_nts  d_  n_t  m_ss  th_t  cl_ss.  _n_  _f  h_s  st_d_nts  p_st_d  _n  s_c__l  m_d__  _b__t  th_  pr_f_ss_r's  m_sh_p.  Sh_  wr_t_:  "_  t__k  _  cl_ss  _nd_r  h_m  b_f_r_  _nd  h_  t__ch_s  w_ll.  _  f__l  b_d  f_r  h_m."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    a university professor in singapore gave a twohour online lecture but didnt realize he was on mute professor wang who teaches maths was not aware that throughout his online presentation the microphone on his computer was switched off this meant that none of the students attending his online class heard what professor wang was talking about his university switched his classes online to help reduce the spread of covid19 his lecture started well but then it froze the video came back but the mic was off and professor wang did not notice one of his students says it might have been because the professor was using an ipad and not a computer

    students tried many times to contact professor wang during the lesson but could not get through to him they waved their arms and even tried calling him on his personal phone a video of the moment he understood his mic was off has gone viral on the internet it has received more than 653000 views after realizing what happened professor wang appeared shocked and stressed he said he was upset at the thought of wasting two hours of his students time he has offered to redo the lecture at a different time so his students do not miss that class one of his students posted on social media about the professors mishap she wrote i took a class under him before and he teaches well i feel bad for him

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    AuniversityprofessorinSingaporegaveatwo-houronlinelecturebutd
    idn'trealizehewasonmute.ProfessorWang,whoteachesmaths,wasno
    tawarethatthroughouthisonlinepresentation,themicrophoneonhisc
    omputerwasswitchedoff.Thismeantthatnoneofthestudentsattendin
    ghisonlineclassheardwhatprofessorWangwastalkingabout.Hisunive
    rsityswitchedhisclassesonlinetohelpreducethespreadofCOVID-19.H
    islecturestartedwellbutthenitfroze.Thevideocamebackbutthemicwa
    soffandprofessorWangdidnotnotice.Oneofhisstudentssaysitmighth
    avebeenbecausetheprofessorwasusinganiPadandnotacomputer.St
    udentstriedmanytimestocontactprofessorWangduringthelessonbut
    couldnotgetthroughtohim.Theywavedtheirarmsandeventriedcalling
    himonhispersonalphone.Avideoofthemomentheunderstoodhismicw
    asoffhasgoneviralontheInternet.Ithasreceivedmorethan653,000vie
    ws.Afterrealizingwhathappened,professorWangappearedshockeda
    ndstressed.Hesaidhewasupsetatthethoughtofwastingtwohoursofhi
    sstudents'time.Hehasofferedtoredothelectureatadifferenttimesohis
    studentsdonotmissthatclass.Oneofhisstudentspostedonsocialmedi
    aabouttheprofessor'smishap.Shewrote:"Itookaclassunderhimbefor
    eandheteacheswell.Ifeelbadforhim."

    Free writing

    Write about online lecture for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

     

    Academic writing

    Online lectures are better than face-to-face lectures. 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. ONLINE LECTURES: Make a poster about online lectures. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. ONLINE: Write a magazine article about providing all education online. 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 online lectures. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to make then better. 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.)

    Back to the top

    Help Support This Web Site

    • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

    Sean Banville's Book

    Thank You