1. The document discusses activities for students to practice their English skills through discussing photographs and a passage about immigration from Spain to Venezuela in the 1940s. 2. Students are asked to interpret photographs, discuss what they see, when and where it takes place. They then read a footnote providing context about the photograph depicting immigrants. 3. Students then read a passage about immigration from Spain to Venezuela via "ghost ships" that would change course and take on additional passengers and supplies secretly. Immigrants faced difficult conditions with little food and water on long voyages.

1. Task The simple past (regular and irregular)By Sergio Pérez Tabares, aimed at 3rd level Compulsory Education1Working on the pictureFor this oral activity it is advisable to assign a discussion monitor. This person will be in charge of controlling the discussion activity. S/he will make sure that all the members in the group participate and that all the tasks are fulfilled. Imagination and speculation are necessary to fulfill this activity. It consists in interpreting a photograph. Everything can be possible providing your point is supported.What can you see in this photograph?When do you think it was taken? Where do you think they are? Where do you think they are going or where do you think they are coming back from?Are they sad, excited, or happy? How do you think they feel? Why?2Working on the pictureBy Sergio Pérez Tabares, aimed at 3rd level Compulsory EducationThis is an abstract from a newspaper in 1949. The name of this vessel is La Elvira. For this activity the discussion monitor must guide the task questions after reading the foot note:Were your thoughts about photograph 1 right? Did you make any comment about immigrants in photograph 1? If so, were your comments good or bad?How do you feel about photograph 2?2Working on pronunciation and a first approach to the textBy Sergio Pérez Tabares, aimed at 3rd level Compulsory EducationFirst, listen to the teacher and try to write down as much information as possible. Do not worry if you can only jot down single words. This is an activity to grasp the main idea of the text. In turns, you read aloud your notes and we write the most repeated ideas on the board. We try to figure out the general idea of the text, joining ideas and concepts. Then, you read the text aloud to improve your pronunciation. For the second part of this activity you may need an online dictionary. You are going to work on the vocabulary and grammar. Underline all the verbs in the simple past that you may find in this text. Then, proceed to make two lists, one for the regular and one for the irregular verbs. Complete the sequence:IrregularRegularInfinitivePast simplePast participleSpanishInfinitivePast simple/ Past participleSpanishEg. SetSetSetDisponer, prepararNameNamedNombrar, llamar-2095515875Those vessels which set sail from the Canaries were named as ghost vessels. Sometimes, they were said to have been spotted in the open sea and after a forty-day journey they appeared in Venezuelan lands with their corresponding passengers and crew members. These vessels set sail from their harvour in the Canaries and, as soon as they were in the open sea, they changed their course at night and they set off for an agreed place along the Canary coast, where food and passengers got on board. Occasionally, the inside cabin was divided with new horizontal floors so that more passengers could take their place. They slept on wooden boards and sacks, in very bad conditions. Some of these vessels were piloted by expert captains who knew the sea voyage and the vessel, and who could steer it without problems, but some others were piloted by inexpert captains who didn’t know the Alisios winds or the sea currents, without nautical charts and who only knew that Venezuela was where the sun set, and with this scarce knowledge they sailed to the west. Their favourite food was gofio because it could last a long time. The most resistant potatoes were eaten afterwards with other less used products. The biggest problem was the water they needed to drink. It was rationed from ¼ to ½ litre per person a day, but sometimes it was not enough for the whole voyage and they managed to continue their way by borrowing some from the vessels they came across or the water they obtained from the rain on the vessel canvas.Translated by Sergio Pérez Tabares from an abstract in http://historia.mforos.com/681975/7270666-la-emigracion-espanola-con-franco-rumbo-venezuela/ Picture of the vessel “ La Elvira” taken from http://www.larepublica.es/spip.php?article1461 Make a list of the words related to the sea and maritime world and nautical terms and write their translation into Spanish, eg, Vessel: velero2Working on the textBy Sergio Pérez Tabares, aimed at 3rd level Compulsory EducationWhy do you think these people had to go to a different country? Name the reasons you think they had.Which was the situation in Spain at that time? Which was the situation in Venezuela?Was it a pleasure trip?Is there any difference between those immigrants and the immigrants who are coming to Lanzarote every day?Why were these vessels called ghost vessels?Did any of your relatives migrate into a different country? Who? Where? When? How? Why?According to the text, the journey took 40 days, and the crew members were given ½ litre per person a day, and they were 160 crew members, how much water did they need for their voyage?How far is it Garupano from Santa Cruz de Tenerife?In which month do the Alisios winds stop blowing?Discussion monitor evaluationHow did s/he do it?Very badlyBadlyAverageOkVery goodDid he help everybody?Not at allA littleOkconsiderablyDid he speak in English?Not at allA littleOkconsiderablyGroup evaluationDid the group work together?Not at allA littleOkconsiderablyDid the group speak in English?Not at allA littleOkconsiderablyActivity evaluationWas it difficult?Not at allA littleOkconsiderablyDid you like the activity?Not at allA littleOkconsiderablyDid you learn anything?Not at allA littleOkconsiderably Did you enjoy working in group?Not at allA littleOkconsiderably