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The Iceberg Project: LC, Worksheets (Oral/Written), PTT & more

For further information, teachers can also consult our page ESL Materials to Discuss Global Warming.

The ecological issue

One of the main issues confronting our society today is ecology, e.g., preserving our environment. In the future, the world will have to face a scarcity of drinking water. This vast problem will be due to climate change with increased temperatures, pollution from chemical substances, and an ever-growing world population.

This lesson (in our set of timeless listening comprehensions) is intended to introduce a variety of subjects, such as projects to provide fresh water, measures to react effectively against global warming, and means taken to curb mass consumption of materials and energy, which is detrimental to the environment.

Teaching documents found below: a listening comprehension audio file with a worksheet, oral pair-work exercises, debate subjects, and links to a video related to the issue.

New projects to bring drinking water to the driest regions of the planet

This theme is very topical today with the Ice Dream Project about to be launched with a new documentary on the work of engineer Georges Mougin and Dassault Systèmes, a French IT enterprise. This project was first proposed by the French explorer Paul Emile Victor.

The narrative—in “Your English” Podcasts 23 and 24—has been cut into two parts with an introduction and a listen-and-repeat section for each part. There are also “debate” questions in each recording that students can take down in dictation and prepare orally or silently after completing each part. These exercises are appropriate for all levels from A2 to C1—thus good for mixed-level classes. The oral files can be used in labs, class, or as “oral” homework when students can access computers.

Two podcasts from “Your English” on the “Iceberg Project”

You can download them here:

  • Your English No.23 for “Iceberg Project Part 1”

Recording:

MP3 - 12 Mb
Your English 23 Iceberg Project 1
  • Your English No.24 for “Iceberg Project Part 2”

Recording:

MP3 - 9.7 Mb
Your English 24 Iceberg Project 2
  • If you prefer, go to iTunes, type my name, “Marianne Raynaud,” or “Your English,” and get the whole series of podcasts, including #23 & #24 on the Iceberg Project.

Worksheet with fIll ins, vocabulary, and questions

PDF - 171.4 kb
When the_Iceberg-Fill ins+vocab+questions

Key

PDF - 73.9 kb
When the_Iceberg-Key LC

New Oral Pair Work Activity with Key

As many teachers have to deal with large classes with 20 or more students, I thought it might be good for the students to work on listening comprehension in pairs—after listening to the recorded version once or twice. This way of working on listening comprehension “orally” instead of using a gap-fill grid can add novelty to the training.

One recto-verso paper for part one

After playing the recording of part one to the class (or reading it aloud yourself) and having the students complete the fill-ins, you hand out one recto-verso paper (worksheet number one below) to each pair of students. They take turns being the “teacher,” i.e., reading the text aloud (without letting their partner see the script). They do the listen-and-repeat part, having their partner repeat, and then they ask the sort of questions we teachers tend to put to the whole class. It is even better to have the students do this activity on Day 2 once they have learned the text by heart.

PDF - 213.9 kb
Iceberg - Part 1 L&R+Qs

"Easy" questions

On the paper, the questions to be asked by the “student teacher” are printed with (in parentheses) some words that the “student” should use when answering. Again, the “student teacher” is instructed not to show the script to their partner.

The teacher will have to walk around to see and hear whether the students are speaking correctly, but I can assure you they will all be active. They will enjoy this activity much more than having the teacher put the questions to the whole class and answer one after another.

A short list of debate questions

There is an additional page (below), which the teacher should not print out or give the students—a page of advice. It also has a short list of debate questions at the end of the recording (Podcast 18) that the teacher can write on the board or project to the class. I strongly suggest that before discussing these questions in pair work, the students should change partners. These activities (reading aloud, repeating, asking and answering questions, and having a debate) should take about 30 minutes after this pair work, during which the teacher may open the discussion to the whole class. In that case, look at the suggestions on the “Questions for Debate” page.

PDF - 156 kb
Iceberg - Part 1 Qs for Debate

The assignment

After the first session, the assignment should be to learn that second part by heart and answer the questions in the worksheet.

Part 2 of the “Iceberg Project” on a different day

I think doing “Honesty Part 2” on a different day is advisable. The students should first be asked to memorize part one and be ready to recite it to a partner at the next session. If they seem reluctant, tell them that this narrative is full of expressions on international tests and that they will be reciting to a partner and not in front of the whole class. That should reassure and motivate them. I want to point out that all the verbs in part one are in the simple present (giving opinions and information), and all the verbs in part two are in the simple past (telling what happened). So, this narrative provides practice with useful structures and essential tenses.

One recto-verso paper for part two & debate questions

During the second class, you put the students in pairs. First, they recite part one to each other—which is very important. Second, they listen to the recording of part two (or you read it aloud yourself). Then, you give out the worksheet for part two (below), and they start the different exercises leading up to the debate questions that you project or write on the board. It is best to ask the students to change partners for this second pair work activity.

PDF - 211.5 kb
Iceberg - Part 2 L&R+Qs
PDF - 211.5 kb
Iceberg - Part 2 Qs for Debate

A written cloze exercise to enhance semi-scientific vocabulary

As homework or a pair work activity in class, you can have your students do this fill-in exercise on this topic to broaden their knowledge of more “scientific” words.

PDF - 117.2 kb
Will Deserts Drink Icebergs? Worksheet
PDF - 79.6 kb
Will Deserts Drink Icebergs? Key

Videos about the Ice Dream Project with George Mougin of Dassault Systems and also information about icebergs

Videos you may want to watch after the second podcast:

IceDream: The Iceberg project

Iceberg, the incredible journey - no commentary but an interesting film

Tracking the World’s Largest Iceberg B 15 - again, no commentary, but you and your students can talk about what they see

Groups of three or four to “talk” about their essays

At the end of the second session, instead of having a whole class discussion, you can ask the students to get up and form groups of three or four. While standing, the students will discuss what they said to their partners concerning the debate questions and how they reacted to the films (if you showed them the video clips).

The assignment

After the second session, the assignment should be to learn that second part by heart. Another option is to ask the students to find an ongoing project on the Internet and present it in four slides using the vocabulary of “The Iceberg Project.”

A PowerPoint presentation on glaciology

I have also made a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating the drilling techniques and the analysis methods developed by scientists. Teachers can show this PowerPoint in class. I have provided a text that gives most of the information my colleagues and I would convey to our students. The idea is to explain how scientists drill through the Antarctic ice cap to extract cores that can be as deep as 5 km. In these ice cores, the ancient atmosphere has been entrapped. Thus, it is a way to find and then analyze the air that existed in the past, even 800,000 years ago. Scientists can, therefore, determine much about the air when it was entrapped. They can calculate the temperature in the ice and the various components of the Earth’s atmosphere, particularly its CO2 concentrations. You will see graphs showing the rise in the planet’s temperature, which has accelerated exponentially over the last 50 years.

PowerPoint - 839 kb
Global Warming-PowerPoint
PDF - 770.5 kb
Global Warming-Just Slides
PDF - 102.6 kb
Global Warming-Text

Great success with this theme

We have always had great success with this theme of providing drinking water for all world populations, which today seems just as valid and up-to-date as in the past. Moreover, global warming is a problem all nations will have to confront together!

With the lesson plan mentioned above, all the students will participate actively. They will wind up expressing their ideas far more than when the teacher asks them to express their personal opinion in front of everyone else.

I’d love some feedback

I would enjoy getting some feedback from teachers using these podcasts and worksheets. Just write to Marianne Raynaud. You can also contact me if you have any questions.


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