Session 1: Day one: the outbreak
Goals
- Discover the scenario and its vocabulary
- Make deductions with must, might, can't
- Give a short emergency announcement
To understand an emergency, guess what is happening and give instructions, we need the outbreak words (outbreak, infected, curfew, shelter, supplies, rumour), imperatives for instructions and modals of deduction (it must be serious, it can't be a joke).
Warm-up
The teacher reads a fictional radio alert: 'Stay indoors. Do not open your door.' Students list five questions they would ask.
Read
First hour checklist
| Action | Why | Priority (1 to 3) |
|---|---|---|
| Fill bottles with water | the network might stop | |
| Lock doors and windows | the infected must not enter | |
| Charge phones and a radio | to receive news | |
| Contact family | to agree on a meeting point |
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| outbreak | the sudden start of a disease |
| infected | carrying the disease |
| bite | an attack with the teeth |
| shelter | a safe place to stay |
| supplies | food, water, medicine |
| horde | a huge moving crowd |
| curfew | a time when you must stay inside |
| rumour | unchecked information |
Grammar lesson: modals of deduction: must, might, can't
Rule
must be = yes, sure. might be = maybe. can't be = no, sure.
Form
- modal + base verb: The radio might stop.
- modal + be + adjective / noun: It must be serious.
- past: modal + have + past participle: They must have closed the roads.
- the opposite of must is can't, not mustn't
Examples from the lesson
- The shops must be empty.
- The radio might stop.
- It can't be a joke: the army is on the roads.
Common mistakes
- Not
It must to be serious., but It must be serious. - Not
It mustn't be a joke., but It can't be a joke.
Quick check (2 minutes, hands up or mini whiteboards)Must, might or can't?
- Everyone is talking about it: it ______ be serious.
- The network is slow: it ______ stop.
- The whole country is affected: it ______ be a film.
- My neighbour has a car: he ______ have left.
Show the answers
1. must. 2. might. 3. can't. 4. might (or must, with a stronger clue).
Exercises
EntryRecognition. Say how sure the speaker is: yes (Y), maybe (M), no (N).
- It must be an outbreak.
- The bridge might be closed.
- It can't be a drill: the soldiers look scared.
- The radio could stop tonight.
- The shops must have run out of water.
- It can't have started here.
Show the answers
1. Y. 2. M. 3. N. 4. M. 5. Y. 6. N.
CoreTransformation. Rewrite with must, might or can't.
- I'm sure the roads are blocked.
- Perhaps the school is a shelter.
- I'm sure it isn't a joke.
- It's possible the army will help us.
- I'm sure they heard the alert.
- I'm sure the infection didn't start in our street.
- Maybe the curfew is earlier tomorrow.
Show the answers
1. The roads must be blocked. 2. The school might be a shelter. 3. It can't be a joke. 4. The army might help us. 5. They must have heard the alert. 6. The infection can't have started in our street. 7. The curfew might be earlier tomorrow.
StretchProduction. Look out of the window of a classroom in the story. Write five deductions with a clue each.
Show the answers
For example: There are no cars, so the roads must be closed. The lights are off; the power might be down. A helicopter is flying low: it must be the army. Nobody is running, so the horde can't be near. The shop door is open; someone might have taken supplies.
Words in action
EntryMatch: outbreak, curfew, shelter, supplies, rumour.
- a safe place to stay
- food, water, medicine
- the sudden start of a disease
- unchecked information
- a time when you must stay inside
Show the answers
1. shelter. 2. supplies. 3. outbreak. 4. rumour. 5. curfew.
Tasks
More tasks
- Complete with must, might or can't: The army is everywhere, so it ______ be serious.
- The phone network is slow; it ______ stop soon.
- It ______ be a film: the whole country is affected.
- Find two imperatives in the broadcast.
- Give the meaning of 'curfew'.
Corrigé of the exercises
- must
- might
- can't
- Stay inside, collect (also: wait)
- A time when you must stay inside
Sentence starters
- First of all, we must...
- It might be...
- It can't be... because...
- The most important thing is...
Role play
Student A is a radio presenter, Student B calls the radio from a blocked road. Ask and answer questions.
Figures of speech in the documents
Broadcast: “The infected become violent after a bite.” Vocabulary: “horde: a huge moving crowd”
The radio says the infected, not “zombies”, to avoid panic. This is a euphemism.
EntryWhich word does the radio use instead of “zombies”?
Show the answers
the infected.
Gap-fill worksheet
- There is an in the region.
- The become violent.
- The disease spreads with a .
- We need a safe .
- Collect water and .
- A of infected is coming.
- The starts at 6 pm.
- Do not believe every .
Answer key
- outbreak
- infected
- bite
- shelter
- supplies
- horde
- curfew
- rumour
Expression task
In pairs, record a thirty-second emergency announcement for your town.
EntryThree imperatives and one sentence with must.
Tools to use:
- outbreak, curfew, shelter, supplies
- imperatives: stay, lock, collect
- must, might, can't
Sentence starters:
- This is an emergency message.
- Stay ...
- The roads must be ...
- Do not ...
Show a model answer
This is an emergency message for the town of Saint-Martin. An unknown infection is spreading in the region. Stay inside and lock your doors. Collect water and supplies. The roads must be closed, so do not drive. The phone network might stop tonight: keep your radio on. It can't be a rumour: the authorities have confirmed it. Stay calm; we will give new instructions at 8 pm.
Assessment grid
| Criteria | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scenario understanding | Rarely | Sometimes | Mostly | Always and precisely |
| Modals | Many errors | Some errors | Mostly correct | Correct and varied |
| Justification | No reason | One reason | Two reasons | Developed and nuanced |
Homework
Write your first hour diary entry (100 words, three modals).