Using The Daily Yomiuri in the Classroom
Simon Goddard Weedon Special to The Daily Yomiuri
This month's article focuses on antisocial behavior! during flights and considers ways to prevent such behavior!. The activities look at vocabulary relating to flying and synonyms for bad behavior!. Students have the opportunity to make their own headlines to better understand the construction of newspaper headlines and to engage in discussion and role playing based on the information in the article.
Unruly passengers flouting aircraft law
More than 1,000 cases of passengers becoming unruly, using mobile phones or smoking in toilets on aircraft, have been reported in the past three years, according to the Construction and Transport Ministry.
Smoking onboard and using electronic devices are prohibited under the revised Civil Aeronautics Law, which took effect in January 2004.
According to the ministry, 80 instances of aircraft trouble believed to have been caused by signals from mobile phones and other devices were reported in 2004 and 2005. In some cases, aircraft unexpectedly came out of autopilot, or suddenly banked during ascent.
Alarmed that the spate of violations indicates many passengers do not know enough about the revised law, the ministry plans to launch a public relations campaign that includes distributing pamphlets to increase awareness of actions not permitted on flights.
A maximum fine of 500,000 yen can be imposed on passengers who commit one of the eight actions prohibited by the law after being warned by crew members or ordered by the captain to stop.
As many as 1,154 infractions were reported to the ministry in the almost three years from when the law was enforced until the end of 2006, despite efforts by the ministry and airlines to warn passengers through steps such as putting up posters at boarding gates.
Smoking in toilets was reported 734 times--more than 60 percent of all infringements--and electronic appliances such as mobile phones were used 171 times.
Some passengers have become unruly after being warned by flight attendants for violating the law. [One male passenger on a domestic flight last year became so incensed when an attendant asked him to turn off his mobile phone off that he grabbed the attendant].
[A man on an international flight who would not switch his phone off despite being warned, told the attendant to shut up and vented his rage by shoving another passenger].
Taking such incidents into consideration, the ministry judged the public needed to be more aware of what actions are prohibited and how these actions could affect flight safety. It plans to have the pamphlets ready by summer, and to hand them to every passenger.
"It's not just a question of manners. I hope [the pamphlets] clearly explain the reasons why such actions are banned and increase understanding of the law," a ministry spokesman said.
(The Daily Yomiuri, May 12)
STUDENTS' ACTIVITIES
Lexical chain
Go through the article and make a list of all the words connected to flying.
Phrase search
Look in the following paragraphs and find words or phrases that mean "breaking a rule."
Paragraphs-- 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Main ideas
Make a list of all the bad behavior! listed in the article. Now add any information about the number of incidents.
Headline makers
Look at the highlighted sections. Make a headline for each one by taking away any unnecessary words and simplifying the grammar.
Reading comprehension
Read the article and then cover it and mark these statements as True or False
* T/F Hundreds of complaints have been made since 2004.
* T/F Smoking cigarettes and using mobile phones are not allowed on aircraft.
* T/F The maximum fine is 500,000 yen.
* T/F There are posters in travel agents describing prohibited behavior!.
* T/F Smoking in toilets is the most common problem.
* T/F The ministry will use television commercials to educate the public about bad behavior!.
Language transfer tasks
Discussion: What punishments should be given to people who:
* Smoke in aircraft toilets
* Use electronic devices on planes.
* Verbally abuse staff and passengers
* Physically abuse staff and passengers Now, make a list of other antisocial behavior! and choose suitable punishments.
Role play:
A: Imagine you work at the check-in counter. Explain the rules about behavior! on the airplane.
B1: You are traveling on a plane but want to use your mobile phone for business.
B2: It's your first time on a plane and you're very nervous. You think it's OK to smoke in the toilets on the plane. Ask the staff if it's OK.
NOTES FOR TEACHERS
Phrase search
Answers: trouble, violations, infractions, infringements, violating the law
Headline makers
This activity encourages students to play with the grammar of a sentence. This can be a good way to better understand the basics of English grammar and rules that are commonly broken in newspaper headlines. Possible headlines are: Mobile phone user assaults flight attendant; Phone dispute sparks "flight rage"; Air passenger held over phone dispute
Reading comprehension
To make the activity more interactive, have one student make a question for each statement and the other scan for information. Answers: F, T, T, F, T, F
Language transfer tasks
* Discussion: This activity is a good way to review modal verb use--in particular shades of meaning between "should" and "have to/can't." It also encourages the use of conditional patterns as well as building simple debate/discussion skills.
Weedon has 10 years' experience teaching English in Japan. He is also the coordinator for the Oita chapter of English Teachers in Japan. Contact him with any questions about the ideas in this column at gweedon 1971@nifty.com.
(Jun. 8, 2007)
Simon Goddard Weedon Special to The Daily Yomiuri
This month's article focuses on antisocial behavior! during flights and considers ways to prevent such behavior!. The activities look at vocabulary relating to flying and synonyms for bad behavior!. Students have the opportunity to make their own headlines to better understand the construction of newspaper headlines and to engage in discussion and role playing based on the information in the article.
Unruly passengers flouting aircraft law
More than 1,000 cases of passengers becoming unruly, using mobile phones or smoking in toilets on aircraft, have been reported in the past three years, according to the Construction and Transport Ministry.
Smoking onboard and using electronic devices are prohibited under the revised Civil Aeronautics Law, which took effect in January 2004.
According to the ministry, 80 instances of aircraft trouble believed to have been caused by signals from mobile phones and other devices were reported in 2004 and 2005. In some cases, aircraft unexpectedly came out of autopilot, or suddenly banked during ascent.
Alarmed that the spate of violations indicates many passengers do not know enough about the revised law, the ministry plans to launch a public relations campaign that includes distributing pamphlets to increase awareness of actions not permitted on flights.
A maximum fine of 500,000 yen can be imposed on passengers who commit one of the eight actions prohibited by the law after being warned by crew members or ordered by the captain to stop.
As many as 1,154 infractions were reported to the ministry in the almost three years from when the law was enforced until the end of 2006, despite efforts by the ministry and airlines to warn passengers through steps such as putting up posters at boarding gates.
Smoking in toilets was reported 734 times--more than 60 percent of all infringements--and electronic appliances such as mobile phones were used 171 times.
Some passengers have become unruly after being warned by flight attendants for violating the law. [One male passenger on a domestic flight last year became so incensed when an attendant asked him to turn off his mobile phone off that he grabbed the attendant].
[A man on an international flight who would not switch his phone off despite being warned, told the attendant to shut up and vented his rage by shoving another passenger].
Taking such incidents into consideration, the ministry judged the public needed to be more aware of what actions are prohibited and how these actions could affect flight safety. It plans to have the pamphlets ready by summer, and to hand them to every passenger.
"It's not just a question of manners. I hope [the pamphlets] clearly explain the reasons why such actions are banned and increase understanding of the law," a ministry spokesman said.
(The Daily Yomiuri, May 12)
STUDENTS' ACTIVITIES
Lexical chain
Go through the article and make a list of all the words connected to flying.
Phrase search
Look in the following paragraphs and find words or phrases that mean "breaking a rule."
Paragraphs-- 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Main ideas
Make a list of all the bad behavior! listed in the article. Now add any information about the number of incidents.
Headline makers
Look at the highlighted sections. Make a headline for each one by taking away any unnecessary words and simplifying the grammar.
Reading comprehension
Read the article and then cover it and mark these statements as True or False
* T/F Hundreds of complaints have been made since 2004.
* T/F Smoking cigarettes and using mobile phones are not allowed on aircraft.
* T/F The maximum fine is 500,000 yen.
* T/F There are posters in travel agents describing prohibited behavior!.
* T/F Smoking in toilets is the most common problem.
* T/F The ministry will use television commercials to educate the public about bad behavior!.
Language transfer tasks
Discussion: What punishments should be given to people who:
* Smoke in aircraft toilets
* Use electronic devices on planes.
* Verbally abuse staff and passengers
* Physically abuse staff and passengers Now, make a list of other antisocial behavior! and choose suitable punishments.
Role play:
A: Imagine you work at the check-in counter. Explain the rules about behavior! on the airplane.
B1: You are traveling on a plane but want to use your mobile phone for business.
B2: It's your first time on a plane and you're very nervous. You think it's OK to smoke in the toilets on the plane. Ask the staff if it's OK.
NOTES FOR TEACHERS
Phrase search
Answers: trouble, violations, infractions, infringements, violating the law
Headline makers
This activity encourages students to play with the grammar of a sentence. This can be a good way to better understand the basics of English grammar and rules that are commonly broken in newspaper headlines. Possible headlines are: Mobile phone user assaults flight attendant; Phone dispute sparks "flight rage"; Air passenger held over phone dispute
Reading comprehension
To make the activity more interactive, have one student make a question for each statement and the other scan for information. Answers: F, T, T, F, T, F
Language transfer tasks
* Discussion: This activity is a good way to review modal verb use--in particular shades of meaning between "should" and "have to/can't." It also encourages the use of conditional patterns as well as building simple debate/discussion skills.
Weedon has 10 years' experience teaching English in Japan. He is also the coordinator for the Oita chapter of English Teachers in Japan. Contact him with any questions about the ideas in this column at gweedon 1971@nifty.com.
(Jun. 8, 2007)