ESL WORKSHEET - Signs and Notices

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

MISSING TEENAGER SAVED

BY HAND SIGNAL

LinguaHouse
Nov. 24, 2021

Level: Upper-Intermediate (B2-C1)
Type of English: General English
Tags: Breaking News; Controversial Issues; Ethics and Conduct; Behavior, Feelings and Emotions; Crime and the Law; Education, Teaching and Learning; People and Places; Psychology; Signs and Notices; The Media; Coronavirus; Health and Well-being; First Conditional; Zero Conditional; Article Based; Video Talk
Publication date: 11/24/2021

This lesson is based around a news report about a missing teenager being found in the United States and an article about how to tell if a relationship is abusive. Exercises look at connected vocabulary, reading skills, and grammar work on Real Conditionals. Students will also have an opportunity to discuss situations related to the topic (by Joe Wilson).

Note: While this is an educational worksheet, it does deal with the topic of domestic violence and mentions the abuse of young children in a non-graphic way. It will not be suitable for all classes, and caution is advised.

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the video in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the video in British English.

AUDIO/VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

A teenager, who had been reported missing by her parents in North Carolina in the United States, has been rescued. The 16-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was spotted in a silver-colored Toyota with 61-year-old James Herbert Brick as they were driving through Kentucky.
A passing motorist observed the girl showing signs of distress and using a hand gesture that signaled that she needed help and was under threat of violence.
The gesture was popularized earlier this year on TikTok and other social media platforms in a video that went viral. In the video, a woman demonstrates a non-verbal way of communicating that she is being abused by placing her flat palm toward the camera, folding her thumb across her palm, and then folding her fingers over the thumb.
This allows the victim to communicate a problem within earshot of the abuser without alerting them and, if performed during a video call, leaves no digital trace. During 2020, there was a significant worldwide rise in domestic abuse cases, and the video was part of a campaign to provide assistance for the victims.
Having seen the signal, the motorist alerted local police and followed Brick to keep track of the vehicle. Later, Brick was stopped and subsequently arrested and charged for unlawful imprisonment of a minor. He was also found to possess photography showing an underage girl in a sexual situation on his smartphone.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/a-hand-signal. Accessed on April 29, 2022. LinguaHouse.com © 2008 - 2022. All rights reserved.