A difficult situation
Characters:
Theme: Strategies and types of comprehension.
Competencies
Competence in Linguistic Communication
Competence in cultural awareness and expressions
Subjects and year by Educational System
Spain > English > 2nd ESO > Communication
Enunciation
Read this text about Donna Ferrato, a photographer who fights for womens’ rights, and do the activities.
ACTIVITY 1:
Read the text and answer the questions
https://www.iamunbeatable.com/
Donna Ferrato: 'I saw that he was getting ready to hit her and I took the picture'
I try to get into real people's lives and tell their stories. I was photographing a couple for some time. I was in their home, sleeping, when I heard the woman screaming. It was 2 a.m. and I could hear things crashing and breaking in the bathroom. I was scared because I knew the husband had a gun. I took my camera and went running down the hall. When I walked into the bathroom, I saw that he was going to hit her and I took the picture. His hand was in the air and I was shocked. That was the first time I saw him commit an act of violence, and my instinct was to take the picture first.
But after I got the picture, I didn't just keep shooting. When I saw his hand go back to hit her a second time, I grabbed his arm and said, "What the hell are you doing? You're going to hurt her!" He said, "She's my wife and I have to teach her a lesson", but he didn't hit her again.
When I was taking other photographs for I Am Unbeatable, my book on domestic violence, I was always divided: What is more important, to take a picture or defend the victim? If I chose to put down my camera and stop one man from hitting one woman, I'd be helping just one woman. However, if I got the picture, I could help countless more.
Questions
1. How many times can you read the Past Simple of verbs TO BE, CAN, SEE and GET in the text?
2. How many negative sentences can you find?
3. Underline all verbs in the Past Simple and classify them into regular or irregular verbs. Write their infinitive form.
| REGULAR | IRREGULAR |
|
|
4. Number the sentences in the order they happened.
a. The photographer ran to the bathroom.
b. The photographer grabbed the man’s arm.
c. The photographer was sleeping.
d. The photographer took her camera.
e. The photographer took the picture of the man beating his wife.
f. The photographer heard the woman screaming.
5. Summarize the text in two sentences.
6. Watch the whole sequence of what happened in this VIDEO (you need a Vimeo account).
Observations and context
You can work together with the activities To help or not to help and How many Pulitzers do you have? in several sessions and reflect on the consequences, beneficial or detrimental, of the intervention of people who photograph conflicts.
Distribute the students preferably in heterogeneous groups so that everyone can participate according to their level, as some questions are easier and others more difficult.
You will need a computer, projector and speakers for the video, as well as a Vimeo account (free of charge).
Other contemporary women or women with similar characteristics: April Saul, Mary Ellen Mark or Lynn Johnson.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
https://vimeo.com/30335035 (account needed).
https://www.iamunbeatable.com/ (22/03/2022).
Description
Reading comprehension activity: students read the text extracted and adapted from an article in The Guardian, identify the required information (general and essential), reflect on socio-cultural aspects (gender-based violence) and how they are represented through art and culture, and answer the questions.
Comprehension strategies. Distinguishing types of comprehension. General meaning, essential information and main points. Inferring from text and context the meanings of less frequently used or more specific words and expressions. Predicting the meaning of unfamiliar words using knowledge of the language.
Listening comprehension strategies. Distinguishing types of comprehension. General meaning, essential information and main points. Formulation of reasonable hypotheses about content and context.