A Christmas Miracle from the Korean War (Intermediate Lesson)

ESL/EFL Level: Intermediate
Lesson Topic: a "Christmas Miracle" story of an American sailor saving a shipload of refugees during the Korean War
Skill Focus
: Speaking, Reading, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 2 hours
Lesson Plan Download: korean-christmas-refugees-intermediate-122022.docx
Lesson Overview:

  • The reading passage tells a story from the Korean War of an American captain who used his ship to save the lives of 14,000 Korean refugees. The evacuation happened on Christmas and the captain believed it was a sign of the power of God.
  • Post-reading activities include a section on lifeboat ethics, a role-play about the meaning of Christmas, and a debate about accepting refugees.
  • All lessons come with warm-up questions, comprehension questions, a vocabulary section, and discussion questions.

A Korean island

INTERMEDIATE Lesson on a Korean Christmas Miracle & Refugees

Warm-up (Pair Work)

  1. During the holiday season, do you try to help others?
  2. What’s the most uncomfortable trip you’ve been on?
  3. How would you define a ‘miracle’?

Membership is required to view this post. Please support EnglishCurrent by becoming a member today. Members, please log in.

-- Lesson plan on Christmas & Refugees by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright). 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.

Suggested comprehension question answers

  1. He went to the port to save refugees of war in Korea. It was dangerous because the Chinese were arriving soon, the waterway around the port contained explosive mines, and it was winter (cold).
  2. He fit 14,000 people on it.
  3. It reminded him of the story of Mary being turned away at the inn from the Bible.
  4. Five women had given birth.

Vocabulary Answers: 1-b, 2-f, 3-i, 4-e, 5-g, 6-a, 7-j, 8-d, 9-h, 10-c

Endnotes

[1] Adapted from https://www.friesian.com/valley/dilemmas.htm

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *