Focus on activity: Simple Past
Target audience (age): Ensino Médio
Lesson links: Upgrade, Unit 4, ENEM practice
Aim: identifying specific ideas in the journalistic text, reviewing Simple Past
Duration: 25-30 minutes
Organization: individual work, group work
Material: text worksheets, internet access to watch Charlie Chaplin War Mail video clip (3’20’’)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stYbYBLEXZE (accessed on 7/21/2014)
Preparation: have worksheet copies ready, watch the video clip.
Procedure:
• Play the video clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stYbYBLEXZE (accessed on 7/21/2014). Read
pairs of actions to the students and ask them to choose the correct ones.
Examples:
He fell from his bed. He didn’t fall from his bed.
He received a letter from home./ He didn’t receive any letters.
He read his letter. He read another soldier’s letter.
He was happy with his package./ He was upset with his package.
• Watch the video again and check the correct actions.
• Write some actions on the board. Read and ask students to tell the right order. Then play the video clip
once more to check the correct answer.
1. He laid down on his bed.
2. Another soldier woke up.
3. A soldier distributed letters and packages.
4. He didn’t receive any letters from home.
5. A soldier offered him some cake.
6. He refused the cake.
7. He read another soldier’s letter.
8. The soldier hid the letter.
9. He received a package.
10. He threw food and it hit an officer.
11. The officer kicked some soldiers.
• Distribute the worksheets and ask students to read the text about Gaza-Israel conflict and answer the
questions. Use this moment to talk about war and peace, relate the video clip and the text, reflect upon
the topic.
• Check the answers.
Photocopiable – Teacher’s copy
Wrap up: Divide students into small groups and ask them to retell the video clip. They can use the words
in the box to help them. (task 7) Students can also act it out.
receive
home eat letter throw wear unhappy war army
to be read candy cheese captain soldier
Text
Gaza-Israel conflict: What can Israel and Hamas gain?
By Kevin Connolly BBC News, Jerusalem
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28263042 (accessed on 7/12/2014)
It took seven days for the war that no-one seemed to want to become the war that no-one seems to
know how to stop. The Israeli public had mourned three teenagers kidnapped and murdered as they
hitchhiked home from school across the West Bank and Palestinians had grieved for a boy abducted and
killed in a grisly act of reprisal as he waited for early prayers at a local mosque.
There was rioting in Arab East Jerusalem and some of the towns of northern Israel with Palestinian
populations but it subsided relatively quickly and the rocket fire from Gaza was a background rumble nothing that Israel’s sophisticated Iron Dome anti-missile system couldn’t handle.
There were even hints that a truce might be possible with both Israel and Hamas using the cautious
but optimistic formula that calm from the other side would be met with calm. Within hours, though, it
seemed hostilities began to intensify - and a week later Israeli military sources say they’ve hit more than a
thousand targets in Gaza and that militant groups there have fired more than 500 rockets at Israel. More
importantly, the death toll in Gaza has risen to 100 with more than 600 people injured including many
civilians.
De acordo com o texto:
1. a. Ninguém sabe por que o conflito começou.
b. Ninguém sabe como acabar com o conflito.
c. Ambos os lados querem desenvolver o conflito.
d. O conflito teve início em base política.
2. a. A população israelense estava chateada pelo sequestro de três adolescentes e de um adolescente
em uma mesquita.
b. Os adolescentes israelenses foram sequestrados por represália à morte de um adolescente
palestino.
c. A população israelense estava enlutada por três adolescentes mortos ao voltarem para casa e a
palestina por um adolescente que esperava pelas orações em uma mesquita.
d. Todos os adolescentes foram sequestrados.
Photocopiable – Teacher’s copy
3. a. A trégua é possível e está próxima.
b. A fórmula para a trégua é usar a calma.
c. A trégua não adiantou e o ambiente hostil se intensificou.
d. Não é possível conseguir trégua.
4. a. A taxa de mortalidade aumenta paulatinamente.
b. A Taxa de mortalidade apresentada não inclui civis.
c. A taxa de mortalidade apresentada só inclui civis.
d. A taxa de mortalidade inclui civis e grupos militantes.
5. Choose the correct item with Simple Past:
a. subsided, has risen, had mourned
b. had mourned, hitchhiked, waited
c. there was, seemed, waited
d. began, there was, has risen
6. Relate the text and Charles Chaplin video clip.
Photocopiable – Teacher’s copy
Name________________________________________________________ Date___/___/____
Text
Gaza-Israel conflict: What can Israel and Hamas gain?
By Kevin Connolly BBC News, Jerusalem
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28263042 (accessed on 7/12/2014)
It took seven days for the war that no-one seemed to want to become the war that no-one seems to
know how to stop. The Israeli public had mourned three teenagers kidnapped and murdered as they
hitchhiked home from school across the West Bank and Palestinians had grieved for a boy abducted and
killed in a grisly act of reprisal as he waited for early prayers at a local mosque.
There was rioting in Arab East Jerusalem and some of the towns of northern Israel with Palestinian
populations but it subsided relatively quickly and the rocket fire from Gaza was a background rumble nothing that Israel’s sophisticated Iron Dome anti-missile system couldn’t handle.
There were even hints that a truce might be possible with both Israel and Hamas using the cautious
but optimistic formula that calm from the other side would be met with calm. Within hours, though, it
seemed hostilities began to intensify - and a week later Israeli military sources say they’ve hit more than a
thousand targets in Gaza and that militant groups there have fired more than 500 rockets at Israel. More
importantly, the death toll in Gaza has risen to 100 with more than 600 people injured including many
civilians.
De acordo com o texto:
1. a. Ninguém sabe por que o conflito começou.
b. Ninguém sabe como acabar com o conflito.
c. Ambos os lados querem desenvolver o conflito.
d. O conflito teve início em base política.
2. a. A população israelense estava chateada pelo sequestro de três adolescentes e de um adolescente
em uma mesquita.
b. Os adolescentes israelenses foram sequestrados por represália à morte de um adolescente
palestino.
c. A população israelense estava enlutada por três adolescentes mortos ao voltarem para casa e a
palestina por um adolescente que esperava pelas orações em uma mesquita.
d. Todos os adolescentes foram sequestrados.
3. a. A trégua é possível e está próxima.
b. A fórmula para a trégua é usar a calma.
c. A trégua não adiantou e o ambiente hostil se intensificou.
d. Não é possível conseguir trégua.
Photocopiable – Student’s copy
4. a. A taxa de mortalidade aumenta paulatinamente.
b. A Taxa de mortalidade apresentada não inclui civis.
c. A taxa de mortalidade apresentada só inclui civis.
d. A taxa de mortalidade inclui civis e grupos militantes.
5. Choose the correct item with Simple Past:
a. subsided, has risen, had mourned
b. had mourned, hitchhiked, waited
c. there was, seemed, waited
d. began, there was, has risen
6. Relate the text and Charles Chaplin video clip.
7. Retell the story.
receive
home eat letter throw wear unhappy war army
to be read candy cheese captain soldier
Photocopiable – Student’s copy