The Tsunami (Listening and Reading Tasks)

Title of the book – Honeydew

Lesson- The Tsunami

This lesson is about the powerful tsunami of 2004 that destroyed most of the countries near the Indian Ocean, and many people lost their lives. Most of the affected places include Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. This lesson explains the people who were saved from the Tsunami.

Pre-reading activity

Ask the students to name natural calamities such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, etc. after naming these calamities; the teacher can show the pictures to the learners. The teacher can also show the pictures of other natural calamities that were not told by the students.  After showing the pictures, ask the following questions:

1. Which of the following calamities has affected our country?
2. Is there anything common related to natural calamities?
3. Why many people die during a natural calamity?
4. Is it possible to predict natural calamities?
5. Have you heard any such predictions before?
6. What will you do if an earthquake happens in your hometown?
7. Will you be able to help others?

After asking these questions, ask students what they know about the earthquake?

1. Have you learned about the earthquake in Geography class?
2. What happens during an earthquake?
3. Where does the earthquake happen?
4. Does it happen only inland?

Now, tell the students that the earthquake happens not only in lands but also in sea and introduce the topic Tsunami.

As Tsunami would be a new topic to the students, the students can listen to an audio clip to understand more about tsunami and how it is caused. This can also be used as a listening activity for the learners.

Audio Transcription:

Hello Friends

Whoops.. oh know.. I guess that’s a tsunami

Come, let me tell you all about it.. Zoom in

Tsunamis are caused by sudden movements of the ocean floor due to earthquakes, landslides on the seafloor, land slumping into the ocean, large volcanic eruption, or a meteorite crash on the ocean floor. When an earthquake, landslides, or a volcanic eruption occurs on the sea or ocean bed, a vertical jolt is created which displaces the bed and causes extreme tension in water. The water is pushed upwards and the gravity tries to pull it down. This causes an upsurge in the water levels and the waves start moving away from the point of tension. Tsunamis are barely felt as a ripple on the ocean surface as the water is quite deep. But, as and when those waves reach the land, the water becomes shallower and the waves constantly increase in height. They hit the shore and cause a lot of destruction. It is said the first wave of a tsunami is not the strongest but the successive waves are bigger and stronger. Tsunamis can travel at a speed of 500 miles per hour which is almost as fast a jet plane. That’s why tsunami waves are called killer waves. Did you know that the tsunami wave can be less than 30 cm in height and can pass off unnoticed? If you get stuck in the tsunami, don’t swim because the current will pull you in the opposite direction. Just hold on to a floating object and be safe.

Exercise (Fill in the Blanks)

This exercise helps the teacher to understand the listening skills of the learners. It also helps them to understand the tsunami.

Hello Friends

Whoops.. oh know.. I guess that’s a tsunami

Come, let me tell you all about it.. Zoom in

­­­­­__________are caused by sudden movements of the ocean floor due to earthquakes, landslides on the seafloor, land slumping into the ocean, large volcanic eruption or a meteorite crash on the _________. When an earthquake, landslides or a volcanic eruption occurs on the sea or ocean bed, a _________is created which displaces the bed and causes extreme _______ in _______. The water is pushed upwards and the _______ tries to pull it down. This causes an upsurge in the water levels and the waves start moving away from the point of _______. Tsunamis are barely felt as a _____on the ocean surface as the water is quite deep. But, as and when those waves reach the land, the water becomes ________ and the waves constantly increase in _____. They hit the shore and cause a lot of destruction. It is said the ______wave of tsunami is not the strongest but the successive waves are bigger and stronger. Tsunamis can travel at a speed of ______ miles per hour which is almost as fast a jet plane. That’s why tsunami waves are called ______ waves. Did you know that the tsunami wave can be less than _____ cm in height and can pass off unnoticed? If you get stuck in the tsunami, don’t ______because the current will pull you in the opposite direction. Just hold on to a ­_______object and be safe.

While-Reading

While reading, divide the text into subsections and ask the students to read each section. After reading the first section, the teacher can ask the following questions to check the comprehension skills of the learners.

Section 1

1. Ignatius lost his wife, two children, his father-in-law, and his brother-in-law in the tsunami. True/False
2. When did the Tsunami happen?
3. Was Sanjeev safe during Tsunami?
4. How many days did Meghna spend on the sea?
5. Almas Javed’s family went to _______ island to celebrate Christmas.
6. What did Almas’s father do when he saw the seawater?

• He watched it
• tried to move near the sea
• Rushed his family members to a safer place

7. Alama’s mother and aunts stood clinging to the leaves of a coconut tree, calling out to her. What happened to them?

• Moved to a safer place
• Rescued by other people
• A wave uprooted the tree and they were washed away.

Section 2

1. Where did the Smith family come from?
2. Why did they come to Thailand

• To celebrate Easter
• To celebrate Christmas
• To celebrate Halloween

3. How did Tilly Smith come to know about the Tsunami?
4. The Smith family and other tourists took refuge in the ______ of the hotel

• Third floor
• Kitchen
• Ground floor

5. Tilly Smith told the terrifying tale to her classmates in England. True/False

The teacher can also ask if any of the students have helped anyone during an accident or has given any warning before an accident.

Section 3

1. How many animals died in the Tsunami?
2. The Yala National Park is located in _____

• Sri Lanka
• Canada
• Australia
• India

3. What do people say about the three elephants?
4. How many species of birds are there in Yala national park?

Post Reading

1. What will you do if the Tsunami happens in your place?
2. Do you think the Tsunami happens in our area?
3. Do you think it is necessary to listen to warnings issued by the government?
4. Will you help other people during a natural calamity like an earthquake?