7 George, The Ingenious Pilot
Note of Caution: This activity contains details (mainly in adventure #2) that some learners may find disturbing, making it difficult for them to engage with the content. Share a preview of the content before engaging in the activity.
|
Level |
Material needed |
| B1 and up
Note: This RPA was created to use with a student online. It is different from the other ones because there is only one character and student(s) will create a story for the character. As we created the story, I rolled the dice several times. We also negotiated new vocabulary, which I listed on a blank sheet of paper. After each part, he had to tell and retell the events. I then emailed him the vocabulary list and he wrote what had happened. Under the heading My online student’s work I share with you a summary of the story he created. |
Copy of cards (at the end on this chapter)
1 or 2 dice for the teacher Note: Check the Introduction to Role-Playing Adventures for instructions on how to use the dice, how to integrate writing into the RPA, and how to adapt the RPA to different size classes. |
Personal note: For this adventure, I chose Africa because of the strong ties between Brazil and that continent. You may choose another location and adapt the story accordingly. After each task, I am including as an example a summary of what one of my online students created.
Storyline: Students create adventures for a bush pilot who lives in Africa.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 1. | Tell the class that together you will create a character for the adventure. Tell them that the character is a small, 4-seater airplane pilot called George, who lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He lives in a small town near Kinshasa, the capital city. Elicit the following information:
As students contribute their ideas, roll the die. Tell them that faces 1, 2, 3 of the die mean that the idea was accepted, but faces 4, 5, and 6 mean that the idea was not accepted and they have to think of something else. Keep rolling the die until the description is complete. As students suggestions are successful, write the key words on the board. When finishing answering the questions above, invite students to report back to the class the description of the character. You may also ask students to keep a journal of the adventures. In that case, have students report the story using the key words several times. This will help them feel confident when writing the story at home. My personal experience: This is an RPA where students control the character, that is, they are not participants themselves, I developed the character George with the whole class. I rolled the dice as students contributed ideas defining the faces 1, 2, 3 of the dice as ‘idea accepted’, and faces 4, 5, and 6 as ‘not accepted: think of something else’. This encourages the creation of out-of-the-box characters. I asked my students to keep a journal of George’s adventures.
|
15 – 40 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: George is a 28-year-old pilot from the DRC. He is resourceful and reckless. He is single, not afraid of anything; loves radical sports; calls his plane “My babe Annie”.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 2. | With the whole class, ask students to describe where he lives and what his house/apartment looks like.
As students contribute their ideas, roll the die. Tell them that faces 1, 2, 3 of the die mean that the idea was accepted, but faces 4, 5, and 6 mean that the idea was not accepted and they have to think of something else. Keep rolling the die until the description is complete.
|
15 – 40 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: George lives in a small village by a beautiful river about 40 km from Kinshasa. His house is very simple: a wooden straw-covered hut. However, he has access to some comforts: electricity, plumbing, and access to the Internet. He built a landing strip in his backyard. He also has a dog and a bird.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 3. | Place students in groups and give each group one of the cards below. Tell them they have 10 minutes to complete their task.
Have the groups present their work to the whole class. As they present their ideas, write key words on the board. After the presentations, ask each group to retell what another group said using the key words on the board. |
40 – 60 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: George’s father was a pilot himself and taught George how to fly planes. George also went to flying school. He saved all the money he got in his first job and bought his own plane. George hates big cities and loves fishing. That’s why he decided to live by a river. He travels a lot and doesn’t need much comfort. He is the youngest of 8 children and his parents have already passed away.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 4. | Tell them that George is a free-lance pilot and often works for Nature Magazine, transporting personnel to and from different locations.
It’s time to begin our adventure. Adventure #1: At Upemba National Park Nature Magazine has called George to take a photographer and a journalist to Upemba National Park, where they will stay for two days. Have students research (individually or in groups, in class or at home) about Upemba National Park. Alternatively, you may hand out a text about the park, which you can easily find on the internet (for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upemba_National_Park). Also, have them Google and print out pictures of the park. Here are some suggestions of what students should research about:
Take a roll of brown wrapping paper and roll it out on the floor. You will also need glue, markers, and scissors. Ask students to glue pictures scattered on the wrapping paper. Students then take turns writing one word somewhere on the paper and explain what that word means and how it relates to the park. For example: a student writes ‘poachers’ and says “Poaching is a pig problem in the park, and they are trying to educate the population against it”. Another student writes ‘lake’ and says “There is a beautiful lake in the park”. Optional task After they learn about the park, ask students what they would like to do if they went to this park. Then, ask them what kinds of things they believe George would like to do. |
50 – 80 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: My student read about the park. Then he told me about it and shared online pictures. I used this opportunity to teach him compass-related vocabulary (north, northeast, northern, etc.) and vocabulary related with geographical features (plateau, valley, highlands, lowlands, etc.).
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 5. | Tell the class that George, the journalist, and the photographer have left Kinshasa to Upemba National Park.
On the board, draw three columns: awful, OK, amazing. Elicit from students vocabulary and expressions for each of the columns in relation to flights. For example: under awful, you can write turbulence, feeling sick, engine problems, storm, etc. Under OK, you can write uneventful, boring, nothing to do, etc. Under amazing, you can write beautiful views, fun, etc. After that, tell students you are going to roll the die and if you get 1 or 2 it means the flight was horrible. If you get 3 or 4, it was OK, and if you get a 5 or 6, it was amazing. Ask the class to describe the flight according to the result of the dice, and write the key words on the board. Invite volunteers to retell the flight using the key words.
|
20 – 40 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: The flight was awful. The reporter had eaten something he shouldn’t have, and started complaining that he needed to go. They could find no clearings to land the plan until the reporter couldn’t hold it anymore. When they arrived at the park, George made the reporter clean up the plane.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 6. | They arrive at the park, and George decides to go on a safari and see the wildlife. On the way, he sees a large animal calmly lying in the middle of the road. Ask the class what animal it is.
Suddenly, it stands up and threatens to attack. What does George do? As the class to come up with a plan. As they present their ideas, roll the dice to see if that’s what happened – 1, 2, 3 for yes; 4, 5, 6 for no. For example, someone says “George turned the car around and drove away”. You roll the dice and you get a 5. You say, “No, he didn’t.” If you have more than one student, have them take turns giving suggestions until a suggestion is successful. Let’s suppose the first suggestion is successful, the teacher will need to improvise to keep the story going. For example, you say: “George turns the car around, but the animal starts chasing the car. It seems to be gaining ground. It’s getting closer and closer.” As students suggestions are successful, write the key words on the board. When the story is complete, invite volunteers to retell it using the key words. |
20 – 30 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: (He came up with many different suggestions which were not successful – it seemed like the die was against him – but here is what resulted in the end): Something very interesting happened at the park. George showed why he was Nature Magazine’s favorite pilot. He went on a safari. A rhino stopped in front of the car and threatened to attack. George got off the car attracting the animal away from it. He took a yellow scarf from his pocket and started shaking it while singing at the top of his voice, and jumping up and down. That scared the rhino away.
PS: You probably find ‘singing’ an odd choice. My student suggested screaming instead of singing, but the die said no. Singing it is…
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 7. | In the evening, George goes back to his hotel. There he meets Simon, an old friend he hasn’t seen for a long time. Simon is now a billionaire.
Place the students into groups and give each group one of the cards below. When students are ready, ask each group to present their ideas. As the groups present their ideas, write the key words on the board. Then, invite volunteers to retell the story from a group s/he didn’t participate in.
|
30 – 50 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: Simon and George were classmates at school. Simon became a billionaire after he set up an IT company which now has branches all over Africa. Today, Simon is married and lives in Sweden. He decided to donate money to Upemba because his father had grown up in the area and worked as a park ranger at Upemba.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 8. | Say: Simon and George have not seen each other for a long time. Simon tells George that he wants to donate some money for a project to protect Upemba National Park. He has selected 5 proposals, but he doesn’t know which one to finance. He asks George to choose one.
Option 1 (for less proficient students). Tell the students Simon has given George the 5 projects he has received from people all over the world. Ask students to go to www.futurefornature.org/winners/ (or other sites of your choice) and choose one of the projects the organization has awarded. You can place them in groups and each group can present one of the projects they liked. Then, the whole group picks one. Option 2 (for more proficient students). Divide the students into groups and ask each group to come up with a conservation project for the park. Then, the whole group can pick one. Tell them they may look for ideas on the net. |
50 – 80 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: My student selected one of the projects from the Future for Nature website and presented it.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 9. | Say: The next day, George and his passengers take the plane back to Kinshasa. The photographer asks George to fly over the park because he wants to take some pictures from the plane. They see a/some beautiful animal(s).
Ask the class what animal(s) the photographer saw. As students give suggestions, roll the dice until you decide on one. Say: The photographer asks George to fly closer. They see a group of poachers approaching the animal(s). They are armed with rifles. Ask the class why the poachers are approaching the animal(s). What do they want? What does George do? What can George do to save it/them? As students contribute their ideas, roll the die. Tell them that faces 1, 2, 3 of the die mean that the idea was accepted, but faces 4, 5, and 6 mean that the idea was not accepted and they have to think of something else. Keep rolling the die until the story is complete. As students suggestions are successful, write the key words on the board. When the story is complete, invite volunteers to retell it using the key words. |
30 – 40 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: After much negotiation with the dice, this is what happened: The next day George and passengers take off early; It’s a beautiful day. The photographer wants to take pictures of the park from above. They see a female lioness with three cubs. Poachers are coming. George radioes the park police, and he buzzes the area. The lioness and cubs run away, and the poachers fire at the plane. Now George is angry. They are shooting at Babe Annie!! George gets his rifle and gives it to the photographer. George buzzes the poachers and the photographer fires at the poachers, hitting one. The poachers flee. Fortunately, they missed the plane. George resumes the flight.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 10. | At home
Say: George is finally back home. He has two days off before going back to work. What does he do during his days off? Tell the class that what happens next depends on what the class decides George will do. Tell them to use their imagination. As students contribute their ideas, roll the die. Tell them that faces 1, 2, 3 of the die mean that the idea was accepted, but faces 4, 5, and 6 mean that the idea was not accepted and they have to think of something else. Keep rolling the die until the story is complete. Note: In the example provided below, my student decided George would stay home and relax. Other students suggested he went on vacation with his family. In this case, George went to a resort somewhere in Africa. I had them describe the resort, what they did, and create an interesting event. For example, one student reported that they saw a horse giving birth and they helped the horse. Another student said they were in a restaurant near the resort when a storm started and flooded everything and they were rescued by a helicopter sent by the resort. |
40 – 80 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: George decided to go fishing. Suddenly he saw a boy drowning. He took the boy to the river bank, but he wasn’t breathing. He tried CPR, but it didn’t work. He put the boy on his lap and slapped him hard on the back. A fish jumped out of the boys mouth. It had lodged in his throat, and he was actually choking.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 11. | Adventure #2 – Ituri
Say: George receives a call from an NGO asking him if he could take a doctor and two nurses to Ituri (a region of conflict). Have students look for information about Ituri, a poor region which has long suffered from a conflict between different militia. They can also google pictures to have an idea of what it looks like. Here are some of the latest developments in Ituri, taken from Wikipedia (accessed on Feb. 04, 2021)
Note: You may conduct this task in the same way as in task #4. |
50 – 80 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
| 12. | Say: When they arrive in Ituri, George sees that the only landing strip has been destroyed. He finds a clearing and lands the plane. George radioes the NGO to tell them where they are. After a while, a car comes to pick them up.
Place students in groups and ask them to prepare a description of what they see from the car based on what they learned about Ituri. Have the groups present their descriptions.
|
30 – 60 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: The landscape is unbelievable! It’s worse than he thought. He sees destroyed villages, houses burned to the ground, people looting, dogs roaming, people carrying guns, vultures flying above. He also notices some people watching the car from behind the bushes. The doctor and nurses look scared.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 13. | Say:
Still on the way to the NGO headquarters, the driver suddenly brakes the car. There is someone lying on the road unconscious but alive. Is this person male or female? How old does this person look? (After students decide on this, continue telling the story). The doctor examines him/her (depending on what the class decided). S/he has a severe head wound. The doctor believes it’s a gunshot. He tells the others that the person needs to be taken to a hospital immediately. They all help carry him/her to the car and speed towards the NGO’s headquarters’ makeshift hospital. The next day, George visits the patient. George is curious and wants to know what happened. Task (option 1): Place students in groups and give each group the card 1 below to help them create the story. Have the groups present their stories. After that, have the class choose the story they find most creative and interesting. Task (option 2 – for less proficient learners): Place students in groups and give each group card 2. Ask them to collaboratively create and/or write a story using all or most of the information in the card. Have the groups present their stories, and ask the students to find the differences among the stories. |
50 – 80 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
CARD 1
- How old is the person?
- Does s/he have a family?
- What was s/he doing when the event that led to the head wound started? What happened?
- Who shot him/her?
- Was s/he alone on the road when s/he was shot? Was s/he running to/from somebody?
CARD 2
Characters:
- Mother and children
- Dead father
- (Name of the injured person), the oldest child
- Armed militia
Scenes:
- Village
- River
- Bushes
Clues. Here are some of (name of character)’s sentences:
- “The houses were burning.”
- “I couldn’t see my family.”
- “I don’t know if I’ll ever see my family again.”
My online student’s work: As usual, Kanu was fishing in a nearby river. He is the oldest of six children, and his father had died the year before. As the oldest child, he had to help his mother provide for the family. Every morning he went fishing to feed his family. That day Kanu heard screams and ran to the village. He saw armed militia all around and many houses burning. There were dead people everywhere. He couldn’t see his family. Kanu tried to flee but the militia saw him and ran after him. The last thing he remembers is trying to hide behind some bushes by the road. Kanu wondered if he would ever see his family again.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 14. | Say: George decides to find out whether Kanu’s family is still alive. He asks Kanu where he lives, but Kanu doesn’t know how to give directions to his village. He is lost.
Tell the class they need to discover where Kanu lived. What does George do? As students contribute their ideas, roll the die. Tell them that faces 1, 2, 3 of the die mean that the idea was accepted, but faces 4, 5, and 6 mean that the idea was not accepted and they have to think of something else. Keep rolling the die until the story is complete. As students suggestions are successful, write the key words on the board. When the story is complete, invite volunteers to retell it using the key words. |
10 – 20 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: George looks through the hospital records. He finds a chart with information about Kanu’s mother and the name of the village.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 15. | Say:
George visits Kanu’s village, but there is nobody there, except for an old man. Give the following card to a student to role-play the old man. If you are working with only one on-line student, play the role of the old man yourself. Tell the students to ask questions. |
10 – 30 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
Old Man
You are over 90 years old and you are blind. You have no family, except for your dog. When the armed militia came, they spared you. You don’t know why. You know Kanu’s family, but you don’t know what happened to them. You heard people screaming, and you smelled the stench of people being burned…. It was horrible. You know that some people managed to escape. You believe they went to the White Mountains. It is a remote area and some families are hiding there.
My online student’s work: George borrowed a car from the NGO and hired a guide to help him find the village. There George found the old man. The old man didn’t know much but told him about the mountains where people were hiding.
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 16. | Say: George is intent on finding Kanu’s family and decides to go to the White Mountains. How does he get there? Was it a hard or easy trip? Remember, it’s a remote area. There, George will find out what happened to the family.
As students contribute their ideas, roll the die. Tell them that faces 1, 2, 3 of the die mean that the idea was accepted, but faces 4, 5, and 6 mean that the idea was not accepted and they have to think of something else. Keep rolling the die until the story is complete, including the information on what happened to Kanu’s family – whether they are dead or alive. As students suggestions are successful, write the key words on the board. When the story is complete, invite volunteers to retell it using the key words. |
30 – 50 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
My online student’s work: George hires a guide and gets some donkeys. Together, they ride to the mountains. It was a hard three-day trip. They finally arrived there, only to learn that Kanu’s family had died (the die was not very generous that day).
| # | Task | Suggested Time |
| 17. | Say: George goes back to the NGO’s headquarters and tells Kanu what he found out.
Note:
|
5 – 15 minutes depending on the level of the students, size of the class, and previous knowledge of the vocabulary. |
Cards (Photocopiable)
| Card 1: How did George learn how to fly a plane?
|
| Card 2: George has his own plane – a four-seater. How did he manage to buy a plane?
|
| Card 3: George decided to live in a small village. Why?
|
| Card 4: Describe George’s family.
|
| Card 1: George hasn’t seen Simon since they were both teenagers. How did they first meet? How did they become friends?
|
| Card 2: Simon is a billionaire now. It wasn’t always so. How did he become a billionaire?
|
| Card 3: Simon is in the area because he is about to donate some money to Upemba National park. Why did he choose Upemba?
|
| Card 4: Describe Simon’s life today. Where does he live? Does he have a family? What are his interests?
|
CARD 1
|
| CARD 2
Characters:
Scenes:
Clues. Here are some of (name of character)’s sentences:
|
| Old Man
You are over 90 years old and you are blind. You have no family, except for your dog. When the armed militia came, they spared you. You don’t know why. You know Kanu’s family, but you don’t know what happened to them. You heard people screaming, and you smelled the stench of people being burned…. It was horrible. You know that some people managed to escape. You believe they went to the White Mountains. It is a remote area and some families are hiding there.
|
Feedback/Errata