biography

An ESOL reading comprehension based on a BBC News report on the death of Stanislav Petrov, who averted a potential Cold War disaster in 1983.

The text contains several examples of past perfect, reported speech and third / mixed conditionals. The activity combines reading for gist, for detail, identifying vocabulary and identifying parts of speech. An extension activity gives learners an opportunity to write a similar short text, using the same elements of grammar to tell a story about a decision that changed events.

Level
Level 2
Level 1
English
Use knowledge of grammar
Apply grammar
General literacy / English
Functional Skills English
ESOL
ESOL Reading: word focus (vocabulary, word recognition, phonics)
ESOL Writing: sentence focus (punctuation and grammar)
ESOL Reading: sentence focus (grammar, punctuation)
ESOL Writing: text focus (composition)
ESOL Reading: text focus (comprehension)
Context
News, Politics & Government items
History, culture, museums, libraries