The Reading / Listening - Titanic Postcard - Level 1

A postcard from the Titanic could sell for $15,000. The card was written by a ship worker, Jack Phillips. He wrote it to his sister. He wrote: "Very busy working late. Hope to leave on Monday." His message ends with the words, "Love, Jack." The postcard has photos of the Titanic on one side. On the address side there is a postmark from a post office in Belfast. The card is one of many things from the Titanic in a multi-million-dollar auction.

The Titanic was built in 1912. Its builders said it could not sink. It sailed for the first time on April the 10th, 1912. It hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean five days later. The iceberg made a big hole in the ship. More than 1,500 of the 2,224 passengers died. Mr Phillips escaped and sat on an overturned lifeboat. He waited to be rescued, but he died from the cold. He was 25 years old. The story of the Titanic was made into a 1997 Oscar-winning movie.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Titanic Postcard - Level 0,  Titanic Postcard - Level 2   or  Titanic Postcard - Level 3

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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. sell
  2. written by a ship
  3. He wrote it to
  4. Very busy working
  5. photos of the Titanic
  6. there is a postmark
  7. one of many things
  8. a multi-million-dollar
  1. late
  2. from the Titanic
  3. worker
  4. auction
  5. his sister
  6. on one side
  7. for $15,000
  8. from a post office

Paragraph 2

  1. The Titanic was
  2. Its builders said it could
  3. It sailed for
  4. It hit an
  5. The iceberg made a big
  6. 1,500 of the 2,224
  7. He waited to
  8. he died from
  1. passengers died
  2. the first time
  3. iceberg
  4. the cold
  5. built in 1912
  6. be rescued
  7. not sink
  8. hole in the ship

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A postcard from the Titanic (1) ___________________ $15,000. The card was written by (2) ___________________, Jack Phillips. He wrote it to his sister. He wrote: "Very (3) ___________________. Hope to leave on Monday." His message ends with the words, "Love, Jack." The postcard has photos of the Titanic (4) ___________________. On the address side there is a (5) ___________________ post office in Belfast. The card is one of many things from the Titanic in a multi- (6) ___________________.

The Titanic (7) ___________________ 1912. Its builders said it could not sink. It sailed for (8) ___________________ on April the 10th, 1912. It (9) ___________________ in the Atlantic Ocean five days later. The iceberg made a (10) ___________________ the ship. More than 1,500 of the 2,224 passengers died. Mr Phillips escaped and (11) ___________________ overturned lifeboat. He waited (12) ___________________, but he died from the cold. He was 25 years old. The story of the Titanic was made into a 1997 Oscar-winning movie.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ApostcardfromtheTitaniccouldsellfor$15,000.Thecardwaswrittenby
ashipworker,JackPhillips.Hewroteittohissister.Hewrote:"Verybusy
workinglate.HopetoleaveonMonday."Hismessageendswiththeword
s,"Love,Jack."ThepostcardhasphotosoftheTitanicononeside.Onthea
ddresssidethereisapostmarkfromapostofficeinBelfast.Thecardisone
ofmanythingsfromtheTitanicinamulti-million-dollarauction.TheTita
nicwasbuiltin1912.Itsbuilderssaiditcouldnotsink.Itsailedforthefirstti
meonAprilthe10th,1912.IthitanicebergintheAtlanticOceanfivedaysl
ater.Theicebergmadeabigholeintheship.Morethan1,500ofthe2,224
passengersdied.MrPhillipsescapedandsatonanoverturnedlifeboat.H
ewaitedtoberescued,buthediedfromthecold.Hewas25yearsold.Thes
toryoftheTitanicwasmadeintoa1997Oscar-winningmovie.

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 — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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