Alien abduction

Preparation

Half the learners will need a copy of the Student A worksheet each, and half the learners a copy of the Student B worksheet each.

Procedure

• Draw a map of England on the board and highlight the fictional town of Huntingdugton. Tell the learners that it is famous for UFO (unidentified flying objects) sightings.
• Give half the learners a copy of the Student A worksheet, and half the learners the Student B worksheet.
• Ask learners to read the short newspaper story (this is the same on both worksheets) and ask them what happened on that particular night. Check everybody understands the story.
• Ask the Student As (reporter) and Student Bs (Joe Cole) to sit together in a group.
• Give them some preparation time together to write down questions (in the reporters group) or invent their stories (in the Joe Cole group).
• When they are prepared, match every reporter with a Joe Cole and tell them to conduct an interview. Make sure that the newspaper reporters note down what they are told.
• Finally, ask each pair to draw a picture and write the story of what happened on the back of their worksheets.

Variations

The writing can be done at home, one version is the journalist's sensationalist story and the other is Joe's true account. They can then be compared in class.