This lesson uses a real-life gut-wrenching story hidden within a TEDx talk. Students play with contrastive evidence, flashbacks and flashforward narratives to put pieces of the story together. After comparing their versions with the original, they get into a 3-part discussion about the painful aspects of life after war for veterans suffering from  PTSD.

Minimal language level: B2

Ingredients:

• a controversial TEDx talk with a real-life story
• a poem by Simon Armitage: The Not Dead
• Zaption – an app which makes video interactive

Theme:

• war, military service, war veterans, social justice, injustice

Language aims:

• speaking: videotelling, speculating, exchanging opinions, offering solutions
• interactive post-videotelling listening for detail (Zaption-ed video)
• reading: interpreting poetry
• language: functional expressions to interact in discussions

• TEDxMarionCorrectionalSalon talk by  Andrew Chambers and his TEDx profile
• excerpts from Simon Armitage`s poem The Not Dead from his collection of poem of the same title
• Photos: Pixabay.com