The Reading / Listening - Love Letters - Level 3

For 265 years, 104 letters written to French sailors by their loved ones sat on a shelf in a government building in the U.K. They were never opened, until recently. They were read for the first time in two and a half centuries. The letters were on the French warship Galatée. The ship was captured by the British Navy in 1758 during the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. The sailors on the Galatée were captured before they had time to open and read their mail. The letters were taken to London, where they were put in storage and forgotten about, gathering dust. An academic from Cambridge University said the letters were in an archive in London. He said many of them were love letters.

A group of academics read and studied the letters. Lead researcher Renaud Morieux said the messages provided a rare and unique look into history. The writers were from poor people and rich people; from fiancés, parents, siblings and wives. The writing showed the differences in levels of literacy among the classes of French society. Professor Morieux said the letters were important documents. He said: "They reveal how we all cope with major life challenges…like pandemics or wars. We have to work out how to stay in touch, how to care for people, and how to keep passion alive. Today, we have Zoom. In the 18th century, people only had letters, but what they wrote about feels very familiar."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Love Letters - Level 0,  Love Letters - Level 1   or  Love Letters - Level 2

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/06/world/french-letters-national-archives-scn/index.html
  • https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231107-confiscated-french-love-letters-finally-opened-after-265-years
  • https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/raunchy-love-letters-from-250-years-ago-are-making-us-want-to-loosen-our-corsets/ar-AA1juN4y


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. LOVE LETTERS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about love letters. 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?
       love / letters / sailors / shelf / government building / ship / war / London / dust /
       researcher / rare / unique / history / parents / siblings / documents / staying in touch
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. LITERACY: Students A strongly believe we need to focus on writing letters and not texting; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. MAJOR LIFE CHALLENGES: What problems can these challenges cause? How can we deal with them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Problems

How To Cope

No money

 

 

Climate change

 

 

Pandemics

 

 

War

 

 

Stress

 

 

Technology

 

 
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. FRENCH: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "French". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. LETTER: Rank these with your partner. Put the best people to get a letter from at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • A lover
  • A best friend
  • The lottery people
  • A famous actor
  • A king or queen
  • A parent
  • A rich person
  • An English teacher

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. sailor a. A flat length of wood on a wall or part of a piece of furniture, that we put books and other things on.
      2. shelf b. Took into one's possession or control by force.
      3. century c. A person whose job it is to work as a member of the crew of a fishing boat, cruise liner, container ship, warship, etc.
      4. captured d. A teacher or scholar in a university, college or other place of higher education.
      5. gathering dust e. Being unused for a long, long time.
      6. academic f. The place where historical documents or records are kept.
      7. archive g. A period of one hundred years.

    Paragraph 2

      8. rare h. Be in (regular) contact with.
      9. unique i. A brother or sister.
      10. fiancé j. The ability to read and write.
      11. sibling k. Of a thing not found in large numbers and so of interest or value.
      12. literacy l. Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else.
      13. cope m. Deal well with a difficult situation or problem.
      14. stay in touch n. A man to whom someone is engaged to be married.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. Over one-hundred 265-year-old letters have been read for the first time.    T / F
  2. The letters were taken from soldiers on a battle field.     T / F
  3. The British Navy took the letters during the Seven Years' War.     T / F
  4. An academic said most of the letters were love letters.     T / F
  5. The letters allowed academics to look at a special part of history.     T / F
  6. All of the letters were written by rich people.     T / F
  7. Some of the letters were written during a pandemic.     T / F
  8. The article says all of the letters were written with great passion.     T / F

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

  1. recently
  2. captured
  3. gathering
  4. academic
  5. archive
  6. lead
  7. unique
  8. siblings
  9. cope
  10. passion
  1. head
  2. brothers / sisters
  3. record office
  4. special
  5. emotion
  6. taken prisoner
  7. manage
  8. educator
  9. a short time ago
  10. collecting

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

  1. written to French sailors
  2. for the first time in
  3. The ship was captured
  4. they were put in storage and
  5. gathering
  6. a rare and
  7. differences in levels
  8. cope with major life
  9. stay in
  10. keep passion
  1. dust
  2. by the British Navy
  3. touch
  4. of literacy
  5. two and a half centuries
  6. challenges
  7. forgotten about
  8. unique look into history
  9. alive
  10. by their loved ones

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
storage
recently
captured
shelf
archive
sailors
dust
warship

For 265 years, 104 letters written to French (1) _____________________ by their loved ones sat on a (2) _____________________ in a government building in the U.K. They were never opened, until (3) _____________________. They were read for the first time in two and a half centuries. The letters were on the French (4) _____________________ Galatée. The ship was captured by the British Navy in 1758 during the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. The sailors on the Galatée were (5) _____________________ before they had time to open and read their mail. The letters were taken to London, where they were put in (6) _____________________ and forgotten about, gathering (7) _____________________. An academic from Cambridge University said the letters were in an (8) _____________________ in London. He said many of them were love letters.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
history
literacy
touch
rare
familiar
siblings
reveal
passion

A group of academics read and studied the letters. Lead researcher Renaud Morieux said the messages provided a (9) _____________________ and unique look into (10) _____________________. The writers were from poor people and rich people; from fiancés, parents, (11) _____________________ and wives. The writing showed the differences in levels of (12) _____________________ among the classes of French society. Professor Morieux said the letters were important documents. He said: "They (13) _____________________ how we all cope with major life challenges…like pandemics or wars. We have to work out how to stay in (14) _____________________, how to care for people, and how to keep (15) _____________________ alive. Today, we have Zoom. In the 18th century, people only had letters, but what they wrote about feels very (16) _____________________."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) 104 letters written to French sailors by their loved ones sat ______
     a.  on a shelve
     b.  on a shift
     c.  on a shelf
     d.  on a shell
2)  They were never ______
     a.  opened, until recent
     b.  opened, only recent
     c.  opened, until recently
     d.  opened, only recently
3)  during the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. The sailors on the ______
     a.  Galatée were captures
     b.  Galatée were raptured
     c.  Galatée were captured
     d.  Galatée were cap chilled
4)  where they were put in storage and forgotten ______
     a.  about, gathering dust
     b.  about, gathering rust
     c.  about, gathering lust
     d.  about, gathering must
5)  An academic from Cambridge University said the letters were ______
     a.  in an archive
     b.  inner archive
     c.  on an archive
     d.  in an arc hive

6)  researcher Renaud Morieux said the messages provided a rare ______
     a.  and uniquely look
     b.  and unique looks
     c.  and unique look
     d.  and uniquely looks
7)  writers were from poor people and rich people; from fiancés, parents, ______
     a.  sibling and wife
     b.  saplings and wives
     c.  siblings and wives
     d.  saplings and wife
8)  The writing showed the differences in levels of literacy ______
     a.  aiming the classes
     b.  aim on the classes
     c.  among the classes
     d.  among the class
9)  We have to work out how to ______
     a.  stay on touch
     b.  stay of touch
     c.  stay to touch
     d.  stay in touch
10)  In the 18th century, people only had letters, but what they wrote about ______
     a.  feels very family
     b.  feels very familial
     c.  feels very familiar
     d.  feels very familiars

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

For 265 years, 104 letters written to French sailors by their (1) ____________________ on a shelf in a government building in the U.K. They were never opened, until recently. They were read for the first time in two and (2) ____________________. The letters were on the French warship Galatée. The ship was (3) ____________________ British Navy in 1758 during the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. The sailors on the Galatée were captured before they had (4) ____________________ and read their mail. The letters were taken to London, where they were put in storage and forgotten (5) ____________________. An academic from Cambridge University said the letters were in (6) ____________________ London. He said many of them were love letters.

A (7) ____________________ read and studied the letters. Lead researcher Renaud Morieux said the messages provided a (8) ____________________ look into history. The writers were from poor people and rich people; from fiancés, parents, siblings and wives. The writing showed the differences in (9) ____________________ among the classes of French society. Professor Morieux said the letters were important documents. He said: "They reveal how we all (10) ____________________ life challenges…like pandemics or wars. We have to work out how to (11) ____________________, how to care for people, and how to keep passion alive. Today, we have Zoom. In the 18th century, people only had letters, but what they wrote about (12) ____________________."

Comprehension questions

  1. How many unopened letters were opened after 265 years?
  2. What kind of ship were the letters on?
  3. What's the name of the war the ship was fighting in?
  4. Where were the letters taken to?
  5. Where is the academic from who said the letters were archived?
  6. Who is Renaud Morieux?
  7. What did the writing in the letters show different levels of?
  8. What did the letters reveal people coped with?
  9. What did a researcher say we needed to keep alive?
  10. How did people communicate in the 18th century?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How many unopened letters were opened after 265 years?
a) 102
b) 103
c) 104
d) 105
2) What kind of ship were the letters on?
a) a warship
b) an oil tanker
c) a fishing boat
d) a cruise ship
3) What's the name of the war the ship was fighting in?
a) the Crimea War
b) the Seven Years' War
c) the Anglo-French War
d) the Hundred Years' War
4) Where were the letters taken to?
a) Rome
b) Paris
c) Amsterdam
d) London
5) Where is the academic from who said the letters were archived?
a) Cardiff University
b) London University
c) Cambridge University
d) Oxford University

6) Who is Renaud Morieux?
a) a sailor
b) the lead researcher
c) a love-letter writer
d) a journalist
7) What did the writing in the letters show different levels of?
a) paper quality
b) handwriting quality
c) love
d) literacy
8) What did the letters reveal people coped with?
a) wars and riots
b) pandemics and wars
c) plagues and pandemics
d) stress and plagues
9) What did a researcher say we needed to keep alive?
a) love letters
b) passion
c) letter writing
d) love
10) How did people communicate in the 18th century?
a) by letter
b) by telephone
c) by telegram
d) by pigeon mail

Role play

Role  A – A Lover
You think a lover is the best person to get a letter from. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their people. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these to get a letter from (and why): king or queen, famous actor or English teacher.

Role  B – A Famous Actor
You think a famous actor is the best person to get a letter from. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their people. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these to get a letter from (and why): lover, king or queen or English teacher.

Role  C – A King or Queen
You think a king or queen is the best person to get a letter from. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their people. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these to get a letter from (and why): famous actor, lover or English teacher.

Role  D – An English Teacher
You think an English teacher is the best person to get a letter from. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their people. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these to get a letter from (and why): king or queen, famous actor or lover.

After reading / listening

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

'love'

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

    • and 'letter'.

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

    • • 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:

    • shelf
    • recently
    • warship
    • time
    • forgotten
    • archive
    • rare
    • parents
    • levels
    • cope
    • touch
    • familiar

    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 - Love Letters

    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 'love'?
    3. What do you think of love letters?
    4. Have you ever written a love letter?
    5. Are love letters better on paper or as a text?
    6. Would you like to read the old love letters?
    7. Are there any dangers in writing love letters?
    8. What do people write about in love letters?
    9. Do you think love 265 years ago was different than today?
    10. How important is letter writing?

    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 'letter'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Have you ever received a love letter?
    5. Is love between rich people different than between poor people?
    6. Who do you write letters to?
    7. How much do you like receiving a physical letter?
    8. How do you cope with major life challenges?
    9. How can we keep passion alive?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the researchers?

    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)

    For 265 years, 104 letters written to French sailors by their loved ones sat on a shelf in a government building in the U.K. They were never opened, until (2) ____. They were read for the first time in two and a half centuries. The letters were on the French warship Galatée. The ship was captured (3) ____ the British Navy in 1758 during the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. The sailors on the Galatée were captured (4) ____ they had time to open and read their mail. The letters were taken to London, where they were put in storage and forgotten about, gathering (5) ____. An academic from Cambridge University said the letters were in an (6) ____ in London. He said many of them were love letters.

    A group of academics read and studied the letters. Lead researcher Renaud Morieux said the messages provided a (7) ____ and unique look into history. The writers were from poor people and rich people; from fiancés, parents, (8) ____ and wives. The writing showed the differences in levels of (9) ____ among the classes of French society. Professor Morieux said the letters were important documents. He said: "They reveal how we all cope (10) ____ major life challenges…like pandemics or wars. We have to work out how to stay in (11) ____, how to care for people, and how to keep passion alive. Today, we have Zoom. In the 18th century, people only had letters, but what they wrote about feels very (12) ____."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     loves     (b)     lover     (c)     loved     (d)     loving    
    2. (a)     recently     (b)     recent     (c)     recents     (d)     recency    
    3. (a)     by     (b)     of     (c)     at     (d)     on    
    4. (a)     before     (b)     while     (c)     during     (d)     after    
    5. (a)     rust     (b)     dust     (c)     must     (d)     lust    
    6. (a)     architect     (b)     archery     (c)     hive     (d)     archive    
    7. (a)     bare     (b)     care     (c)     rare     (d)     dare    
    8. (a)     slings     (b)     saplings     (c)     dumplings     (d)     siblings    
    9. (a)     literacy     (b)     numeracy     (c)     conspiracy     (d)     democracy    
    10. (a)     at     (b)     with     (c)     of     (d)     to    
    11. (a)     feel     (b)     touch     (c)     handle     (d)     caress    
    12. (a)     familial     (b)     family     (c)     familiar     (d)     familiarity

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. in a eorvnengtm building
    2. the first time in two and a half ntieurcse
    3. The ship was ductarep by the British Navy
    4. they were put in oarsegt
    5. An dmaecaci from Cambridge University
    6. the letters were in an hearvci

    Paragraph 2

    1. a rare and eqiuun look into history
    2. differences in levels of rtcleiya
    3. cope with major life echseglanl
    4. mipedncas or wars
    5. how to keep ioanssp alive
    6. what they wrote about feels very faimrlia

    Put the text back together

    (...)   by the British Navy in 1758 during the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. The sailors on the Galatée were captured before they
    (  1  ) For 265 years, 104 letters written to French sailors by their loved ones sat on a
    (...)   all cope with major life challenges…like pandemics or wars. We have to work out how to stay in
    (...)   siblings and wives. The writing showed the differences in levels of literacy among the classes
    (...)   touch, how to care for people, and how to keep passion alive. Today, we have Zoom. In the 18th
    (...)   shelf in a government building in the U.K. They were never opened, until recently. They were read for the first
    (...)   time in two and a half centuries. The letters were on the French warship Galatée. The ship was captured
    (...)   a rare and unique look into history. The writers were from poor people and rich people; from fiancés, parents,
    (...)   of French society. Professor Morieux said the letters were important documents. He said: "They reveal how we
    (...)   A group of academics read and studied the letters. Lead researcher Renaud Morieux said the messages provided
    (...)   forgotten about, gathering dust. An academic from Cambridge University said the
    (...)   century, people only had letters, but what they wrote about feels very familiar."
    (...)   had time to open and read their mail. The letters were taken to London, where they were put in storage and
    (...)   letters were in an archive in London. He said many of them were love letters.

    Put the words in the right order

    1. Written   by   French   their   ones   .   to   loved   sailors
    2. read   were   time   .   for   the   first   They
    3. Before   had   they   to   time   read   mail   .   their
    4. put   about   .   and   forgotten   storage   were   in   They
    5. letters   .   were   them   of   love   said   many   He
    6. into   A   and   unique   rare   history   .   look   back
    7. classes   of   society   .   among   Literacy   French   the
    8. How   major   with   we   all   challenges   .   cope   life
    9. the   had   century,   18th   people   letters   .   only   In
    10. very   wrote   they   What   feels   familiar   .   about

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    For 265 years, 104 letters written / writing to French sailors by their loved once / ones sat on a shelf in a government building in the U.K. They were never opened, until recent / recently. They were read for the first time in two and a half centuries / century. The letters were on the French warship Galatée. The ship was captured by / at the British Navy in 1758 during the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. The sailors on the Galatée were captured before / after they had time to open and read their male / mail. The letters were taken to London, where they were put in storage / wastage and forgotten about, gathering dust / rust. An academic from Cambridge University said the letters were in an arch / archive in London. He said many of them were love letters.

    A group of academics read / wrote and studied the letters. Lead researcher Renaud Morieux said the messages provided a bare / rare and unique look into history. The writers were from poor people and rich people; from fiancés, parents, saplings / siblings and wives. The writing showed the differences in levels of literate / literacy among the classes of French society. Professor Morieux said the letters were important / importance documents. He said: "They reveal how we all mope / cope with major life challenges…like pandemics or warriors / wars. We have to work out how to stay in / on touch, how to care for people, and how to keep passion life / alive. Today, we have Zoom. In the 18th century, people only had letters, but what they wrote about feels very family / familiar."

    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)

    F_r  265  y__rs,  104  l_tt_rs  wr_tt_n  t_  Fr_nch  s__l_rs  by  th__r  l_v_d  _n_s  s_t  _n  _  sh_lf  _n  _  g_v_rnm_nt  b__ld_ng  _n  th_  _.K.  Th_y  w_r_  n_v_r  _p_n_d,  _nt_l  r_c_ntly.  Th_y  w_r_  r__d  f_r  th_  f_rst  t_m_  _n  tw_  _nd  _  h_lf  c_nt_r__s.  Th_  l_tt_rs  w_r_  _n  th_  Fr_nch  w_rsh_p  G_l_té_.  Th_  sh_p  w_s  c_pt_r_d  by  th_  Br_t_sh  N_vy  _n  1758  d_r_ng  th_  S_v_n  Y__rs'  W_r  _f  1756-1763.  Th_  s__l_rs  _n  th_  G_l_té_  w_r_  c_pt_r_d  b_f_r_  th_y  h_d  t_m_  t_  _p_n  _nd  r__d  th__r  m__l.  Th_  l_tt_rs  w_r_  t_k_n  t_  L_nd_n,  wh_r_  th_y  w_r_  p_t  _n  st_r_g_  _nd  f_rg_tt_n  _b__t,  g_th_r_ng  d_st.  _n  _c_d_m_c  fr_m  C_mbr_dg_  _n_v_rs_ty  s__d  th_  l_tt_rs  w_r_  _n  _n  _rch_v_  _n  L_nd_n.  H_  s__d  m_ny  _f  th_m  w_r_  l_v_  l_tt_rs.

    _  gr__p  _f  _c_d_m_cs  r__d  _nd  st_d__d  th_  l_tt_rs.  L__d  r_s__rch_r  R_n__d  M_r___x  s__d  th_  m_ss_g_s  pr_v_d_d  _  r_r_  _nd  _n_q__  l__k  _nt_  h_st_ry.  Th_  wr_t_rs  w_r_  fr_m  p__r  p__pl_  _nd  r_ch  p__pl_;  fr_m  f__ncés,  p_r_nts,  s_bl_ngs  _nd  w_v_s.  Th_  wr_t_ng  sh_w_d  th_  d_ff_r_nc_s  _n  l_v_ls  _f  l_t_r_cy  _m_ng  th_  cl_ss_s  _f  Fr_nch  s_c__ty.  Pr_f_ss_r  M_r___x  s__d  th_  l_tt_rs  w_r_  _mp_rt_nt  d_c_m_nts.  H_  s__d:  "Th_y  r_v__l  h_w  w_  _ll  c_p_  w_th  m_j_r  l_f_  ch_ll_ng_s…l_k_  p_nd_m_cs  _r  w_rs.  W_  h_v_  t_  w_rk  __t  h_w  t_  st_y  _n  t__ch,  h_w  t_  c_r_  f_r  p__pl_,  _nd  h_w  t_  k__p  p_ss__n  _l_v_.  T_d_y,  w_  h_v_  Z__m.  _n  th_  18th  c_nt_ry,  p__pl_  _nly  h_d  l_tt_rs,  b_t  wh_t  th_y  wr_t_  _b__t  f__ls  v_ry  f_m_l__r."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    for 265 years 104 letters written to french sailors by their loved ones sat on a shelf in a government building in the uk they were never opened until recently they were read for the first time in two and a half centuries the letters were on the french warship galate the ship was captured by the british navy in 1758 during the seven years war of 17561763 the sailors on the galate were captured before they had time to open and read their mail the letters were taken to london where they were put in storage and forgotten about gathering dust an academic from cambridge university said the letters were in an archive in london he said many of them were love letters

    a group of academics read and studied the letters lead researcher renaud morieux said the messages provided a rare and unique look into history the writers were from poor people and rich people from fiancs parents siblings and wives the writing showed the differences in levels of literacy among the classes of french society professor morieux said the letters were important documents he said they reveal how we all cope with major life challengeslike pandemics or wars we have to work out how to stay in touch how to care for people and how to keep passion alive today we have zoom in the 18th century people only had letters but what they wrote about feels very familiar

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    For265years,104letterswrittentoFrenchsailorsbytheirlovedonessat
    onashelfinagovernmentbuildingintheU.K.Theywereneveropened,u
    ntilrecently.Theywerereadforthefirsttimeintwoandahalfcenturies.T
    heletterswereontheFrenchwarshipGalatée.Theshipwascapturedbyt
    heBritishNavyin1758duringtheSevenYears'Warof1756-1763.Thes
    ailorsontheGalatéewerecapturedbeforetheyhadtimetoopenandread
    theirmail.ThelettersweretakentoLondon,wheretheywereputinstora
    geandforgottenabout,gatheringdust.AnacademicfromCambridgeU
    niversitysaidtheletterswereinanarchiveinLondon.Hesaidmanyofthe
    mwereloveletters.Agroupofacademicsreadandstudiedtheletters.Le
    adresearcherRenaudMorieuxsaidthemessagesprovidedarareanduni
    quelookintohistory.Thewriterswerefrompoorpeopleandrichpeople;f
    romfiancés,parents,siblingsandwives.Thewritingshowedthedifferen
    cesinlevelsofliteracyamongtheclassesofFrenchsociety.ProfessorMor
    ieuxsaidtheletterswereimportantdocuments.Hesaid:"Theyrevealho
    wweallcopewithmajorlifechallenges…likepandemicsorwars.Wehave
    toworkouthowtostayintouch,howtocareforpeople,andhowtokeeppa
    ssionalive.Today,wehaveZoom.Inthe18thcentury,peopleonlyhadlet
    ters,butwhattheywroteaboutfeelsveryfamiliar."

    Free writing

    Write about love letters for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Writing love letters is important. 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 SEVEN YEARS' WAR: Make a poster about the Seven Year's War. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. LOVE LETTERS: Write a magazine article about all of us writing more love letters. 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 love letters. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your opinions of love letters. 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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