ESL/EFL Level: Upper-Intermediate (B2/C1)
Lesson Topics: UAP (UFOs), whistleblowing
Skill Focus: Reading, Vocabulary, Speaking
Approximate Class Time: 2 hours
Lesson Plan Download: uap-whistleblower-grusch-upper-intermediate-062023.docx
Lesson Overview:
Lesson Topics: UAP (UFOs), whistleblowing
Skill Focus: Reading, Vocabulary, Speaking
Approximate Class Time: 2 hours
Lesson Plan Download: uap-whistleblower-grusch-upper-intermediate-062023.docx
Lesson Overview:
- This is a news-based lesson on a recent story (from June 6th) about David Grusch, a former US intelligence officer who blew the whistle about the US government's clandestine UAP (UFO) program. After reading a summary of the story, students do a recall activity, comprehension questions, and then vocabulary activities.
- For speaking activities, the lesson has a debate about whether governments ought to disclose classified information. For roleplays, students also enact a fun scenario about an extraterrestrial visitor who interviews a human and a whistleblowing scenario. As a bonus, there is also an activity in which students must decide whether to blow the whistle in three ethical dilemmas.
- Finally, the lesson ends with discussion questions and a quick collocation review.
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2/C1) EFL Lesson on Whistleblowing & UFO
Warm-up Questions
- Is space exploration important for humankind?
- Do you believe that we are “not alone”?
- What does it mean to “blow the whistle” on a company? What do you think of people who do this?
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-- Lesson plan on The UAP Whistleblower written by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright). ChatGPT helped in creating some ideas for this lesson and providing answer keys. Site members may photocopy and edit the file for their classes. Permission is not given to rebrand the lesson, redistribute it on another platform, or sell it as part of commercial course curriculum. For questions, contact the author.
Possible answers to comprehension questions:
- Increased reports of UAP, and video evidence, put pressure on the government.
- …
- Grusch blew the whistle about a top-secret "crash retrieval" program, claiming that the US government possesses aircraft of non-human origin and possibly the bodies of alien pilots.
- He wants the US Congress to disclose information about the program and share the details publicly about non-human intelligence.
- It suggests that he is trustworthy.
- She understands that the information would be classified.
- …
Vocabulary Answers: 1-a, 2-i, 3-f, 4-b, 5-i, 6-g, 7-d, 8-c, 9-k, 10-h, 11-e
Collocation Answers: 1-d, 2-e, 3-a, 4-f, 5-b, 6-g, 7-c
Endnotes:
- [1] Ideas are synthesized from https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/military-whistleblowe-us-ufo-retrieval-program/ and https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/06/whistleblower-ufo-alien-tech-spacecraft
- [2] https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Prelimary-Assessment-UAP-20210625.pdf