AnOThER OuTSTanDinG SpEAKing AcTIVIty

So here’s another nice discussion activity. The bare bones of this idea have been floating around for a long time, with many variations, but mine is the best. Give this one to upper intermediate and advanced level students when they seem like they’re getting bored with the usual material.
WHO WILL SURVIVE?
NASA has just informed the countries of the world that a comet is going to strike the Earth in two months. It will strike in the Pacific Ocean, causing tidal waves that will kill millions of people and destroy coastal cities. Climate changes caused by the impact will make the Earth totally unable to support life for at least three years.
Preparations are being made to stock special underground bunkers with enough supplies to last a chosen few people for three years. At the end of three years, the survivors will have to rebuild society completely – there will be no food, no electricity, and little shelter left on Earth.
In your section of the country, you have been chosen to select six people from this list of twelve. These people will be the future of the human race. Choose carefully.
- A female British doctor, 41. She has a family history of schizophrenia (though has shown no signs of the disease herself). She speaks only English and hates black people.
- An Italian Catholic priest, 63. He speaks Italian, English and Spanish.
- A German male, 28. He was a Decathlon champion in the last Olympics. He speaks only German and dislikes homosexuals.
- An American female actress and model, 22. She speaks only English, has a history of drug abuse, and has a very low I. Q.
- A black Kenyan male, 32. He is an accomplished carpenter and construction worker. He is also an alcoholic, and speaks only Swahili.
- A Chinese male, 45. He is a research scientist, an expert on genetics and recombinant DNA. He speaks Chinese and Spanish.
- A pregnant Puerto Rican girl, 16. She speaks only Spanish.
- A white South African male, 28. He is a military commando and an expert on wilderness survival, and also a homosexual. He speaks only English.
- A black American male, 31. He is a horticulturalist and agriculturalist, and an expert on growing crops in bad conditions. He has a very bad temper and hates all other races. He speaks only English.
- A female nurse from Colombia, 19. She is also a midwife and expert on the care of infants. She is a lesbian. She speaks Spanish and English.
- A 15-year-old boy from Iraq who is an apprentice builder and carpenter. He speaks no English – only Arabic – but he has a very high I. Q.
- A 24-year-old Canadian computer programmer and technician. He speaks English, Spanish, Arabic, French, and Italian.
* * *
So you’ve got plenty to talk about there after you put the students in groups and have them choose which six survive. Which job skills are the most useful? Will rascism and homosexuality be a barrier to survival? Will languages be important in the beginning, or will people find a way to communicate? Can drug and alcohol problems be overcome?
And last but most importantly: why the fuck would such a bunch of losers be chosen to repopulate the earth?
Well, you can say they were selected at random or something.
And don’t forget to tell ‘em English Teacher X gave you the idea. . .
bACk TO TEEchUR TiPZ MenU