Using The Daily Yomiuri in the Classroom
Simon Goddard Weedon Special to The Daily Yomiuri
This month's article looks at the aftermath of the recent Niigata earthquake. The topical nature of the article should provoke interest in most classrooms, and the variety of activities allows you to choose the most relevant activity types / levels for your class.
N-plant shows
scars of quake
The inside of the complex of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant shows the damage inflicted by the Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake, with the ground caved in in places and the walls scorched around an electric transformer at one of the reactors. Even officials at the plant are having difficulty coming to terms with the damage. (1)
On Saturday, Tokyo Electric Power Co. opened the plant to the media for the first time since the quake hit last Monday. An oily smell filled the air near the transformer for the No. 3 reactor. Oil that is supposed to be sealed inside the transformer has been draining out of it since its insulation came off in the quake. Walls were charred from the fire. Fire hoses that employees at the plant apparently used to put out the fire were left scattered near a fire hydrant dozens of meters from the walls. Roads and gravel paths were rippled, undulating like the sea. Unlike the buildings housing the reactors, which stand on firm ground, the transformer is on relatively soft ground, which sank in the temblor. The depression, which a TEPCO employee measured in front of reporters, was 50 centimeters long. (2)
Other places in the complex also showed damage. Soil beside a diesel tank near the plant's No. 1 reactor sank as much as 1.6 meters, damaging pipes that distribute water for fire fighting. Work to replace the pipes was under way. (3)
one problem was that electric transformers and other facilities weren't made as quake-resistant as the reactor buildings, which are designed to withstand strong quakes," the plant's senior official said. "We need to discuss how best we can learn lessons from this quake when designing future facilities." (4)
However, further unexpected scenes were witnessed inside the reactor buildings, which were built on top of solid bedrock and supposedly more able to withstand tremors. Water containing a small amount of a radioactive substance was discovered at the plant's No. 6 reactor building. (5)
The building's third floor and the deck floor between the third and fourth floors, which houses equipment to control the reactor and other devices, was designated as a noncontrolled area, meaning radioactive substances are not supposed to be handled there. After the quake, however, about 1.5 liters of the tainted water was sprinkled on the floors of the noncontrolled area. The plant official said the water probably dripped from ducts and electric cables hanging from the ceiling, after first spilling over from a spent fuel pool to the fourth floor. As this was an unexpected leak, a TEPCO official conducted a reinspection. (6)
A bucket and paper towels were placed on a pink sheet spread on the floor in case radioactive water drips from the ceiling again--an oddly low-tech image compared with such a state-of-the-art facility. (7)
(The Daily Yomiuri, July 23)
STUDENTS' ACTIVITIES
Basic scanning
How many times can you see these words?
quake ( ), radioactive ( ), transformer ( ), unexpected ( ), withstand ( )
Vocabulary--synonyms
Find a word that means
* cause (paragraph 1)
* untidy (paragraph 2)
* burned (paragraph 1)
* burned (paragraph 2)
* not straight (paragraph 2)
* dirty (paragraph 6)
* basic (paragraph 7)
* modern (paragraph 7)
Vocabulary chain
Look at paragraphs 5 and 6. Underline all the words connected to water. (hint--there are five)
Now put the words into the right place:
1. The tap in the kitchen keeps > ing. It's driving me mad!
2. I learned to swim at the local > .
3. I > ed coffee on my best suit! I can't believe it.
4. The pipe under the sink is > ing. We'll have to call a plumber.
5. I use a garden >> r during the summer.
Reading comprehension 1
1. What day did the earthquake happen?
2. Where did oil leak from?
3. Which area of soil sank more than 1 meter?
4. How much water leaked onto the floor of the noncontrolled area?
Reading comprehension 2
1. Which reactor leaked radioactive water?
2. Find two reasons why this was strange.
3. How did the plant staff stop any more water from dripping on the floor?
4. Why does the writer think this is unusual?
Language transfer tasks
1. Imagine you are sending a box of supplies to help the earthquake victims. Make a list of things to put in it.
2. Debate--Prepare arguments for or against this statement: "Nuclear power plants shouldn't be built in countries with earthquakes."
NOTES FOR TEACHERS
Vocabulary--synonyms
This activity should help to cover less familiar vocabulary before the students read. Answers: inflict, scattered, scorched, charred, undulating, tainted, low-tech, state-of-the-art
Vocabulary chain
This activity first focuses the students on a single lexical group, and then gives examples to try in a different context. Answers: drip, pool, spill, leak, sprinkle
Reading comprehension 1
The first set of questions focus on capital letters and numbers to find the answers: Monday, reactor No. 3, area around reactor No. 1, 1.5 liters
Reading comprehension 2
The second set of questions requires more detailed reading of the text. Answers: 1. reactor 6; 2. It was built on strong ground and shouldn't have sunk; Radioactive material shouldn't have been there; 3. They put a bucket and paper towels on the floor; 4. They used a very basic cleaning method in a very modern building
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.
(Aug. 3, 2007)
Simon Goddard Weedon Special to The Daily Yomiuri
This month's article looks at the aftermath of the recent Niigata earthquake. The topical nature of the article should provoke interest in most classrooms, and the variety of activities allows you to choose the most relevant activity types / levels for your class.
N-plant shows
scars of quake
The inside of the complex of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant shows the damage inflicted by the Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake, with the ground caved in in places and the walls scorched around an electric transformer at one of the reactors. Even officials at the plant are having difficulty coming to terms with the damage. (1)
On Saturday, Tokyo Electric Power Co. opened the plant to the media for the first time since the quake hit last Monday. An oily smell filled the air near the transformer for the No. 3 reactor. Oil that is supposed to be sealed inside the transformer has been draining out of it since its insulation came off in the quake. Walls were charred from the fire. Fire hoses that employees at the plant apparently used to put out the fire were left scattered near a fire hydrant dozens of meters from the walls. Roads and gravel paths were rippled, undulating like the sea. Unlike the buildings housing the reactors, which stand on firm ground, the transformer is on relatively soft ground, which sank in the temblor. The depression, which a TEPCO employee measured in front of reporters, was 50 centimeters long. (2)
Other places in the complex also showed damage. Soil beside a diesel tank near the plant's No. 1 reactor sank as much as 1.6 meters, damaging pipes that distribute water for fire fighting. Work to replace the pipes was under way. (3)
one problem was that electric transformers and other facilities weren't made as quake-resistant as the reactor buildings, which are designed to withstand strong quakes," the plant's senior official said. "We need to discuss how best we can learn lessons from this quake when designing future facilities." (4)
However, further unexpected scenes were witnessed inside the reactor buildings, which were built on top of solid bedrock and supposedly more able to withstand tremors. Water containing a small amount of a radioactive substance was discovered at the plant's No. 6 reactor building. (5)
The building's third floor and the deck floor between the third and fourth floors, which houses equipment to control the reactor and other devices, was designated as a noncontrolled area, meaning radioactive substances are not supposed to be handled there. After the quake, however, about 1.5 liters of the tainted water was sprinkled on the floors of the noncontrolled area. The plant official said the water probably dripped from ducts and electric cables hanging from the ceiling, after first spilling over from a spent fuel pool to the fourth floor. As this was an unexpected leak, a TEPCO official conducted a reinspection. (6)
A bucket and paper towels were placed on a pink sheet spread on the floor in case radioactive water drips from the ceiling again--an oddly low-tech image compared with such a state-of-the-art facility. (7)
(The Daily Yomiuri, July 23)
STUDENTS' ACTIVITIES
Basic scanning
How many times can you see these words?
quake ( ), radioactive ( ), transformer ( ), unexpected ( ), withstand ( )
Vocabulary--synonyms
Find a word that means
* cause (paragraph 1)
* untidy (paragraph 2)
* burned (paragraph 1)
* burned (paragraph 2)
* not straight (paragraph 2)
* dirty (paragraph 6)
* basic (paragraph 7)
* modern (paragraph 7)
Vocabulary chain
Look at paragraphs 5 and 6. Underline all the words connected to water. (hint--there are five)
Now put the words into the right place:
1. The tap in the kitchen keeps > ing. It's driving me mad!
2. I learned to swim at the local > .
3. I > ed coffee on my best suit! I can't believe it.
4. The pipe under the sink is > ing. We'll have to call a plumber.
5. I use a garden >> r during the summer.
Reading comprehension 1
1. What day did the earthquake happen?
2. Where did oil leak from?
3. Which area of soil sank more than 1 meter?
4. How much water leaked onto the floor of the noncontrolled area?
Reading comprehension 2
1. Which reactor leaked radioactive water?
2. Find two reasons why this was strange.
3. How did the plant staff stop any more water from dripping on the floor?
4. Why does the writer think this is unusual?
Language transfer tasks
1. Imagine you are sending a box of supplies to help the earthquake victims. Make a list of things to put in it.
2. Debate--Prepare arguments for or against this statement: "Nuclear power plants shouldn't be built in countries with earthquakes."
NOTES FOR TEACHERS
Vocabulary--synonyms
This activity should help to cover less familiar vocabulary before the students read. Answers: inflict, scattered, scorched, charred, undulating, tainted, low-tech, state-of-the-art
Vocabulary chain
This activity first focuses the students on a single lexical group, and then gives examples to try in a different context. Answers: drip, pool, spill, leak, sprinkle
Reading comprehension 1
The first set of questions focus on capital letters and numbers to find the answers: Monday, reactor No. 3, area around reactor No. 1, 1.5 liters
Reading comprehension 2
The second set of questions requires more detailed reading of the text. Answers: 1. reactor 6; 2. It was built on strong ground and shouldn't have sunk; Radioactive material shouldn't have been there; 3. They put a bucket and paper towels on the floor; 4. They used a very basic cleaning method in a very modern building
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.
(Aug. 3, 2007)