Teacher Protects Students from Gunfire
Article: Read the text below. (5 minutes)
A 33-year old kindergarten teacher from Monterrey, Northern Mexico was recently awarded for showing remarkable courage while protecting her students during a violent gang war which happened a few blocks from their school.
Rivera Alanis instructed her students, ages 5 to 6, to lay on the floor with their heads down and to remain in that position. After what seemed like less than a minute the gunfire broke out. To further distract her students from the loud firing sounds she started to sing a popular children song which was about ‘the sky raining with sweets'. She took a video using her mobile phone while all these were happening.
Alanis posted the video on her Twitter account and the person who saw it posted the video on YouTube.
(Click on the link to see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FXIH1GGXL8)
Alanis admitted she got terrified at that time, but her students helped her get through the situation. She said her young students inspire everyone in their community to persist even in the face of constant danger.
Paramedics later confirmed that the series of gunfire came from a gang who killed five people at a taxi stand.
Monterrey has always been exposed to violence related to drugs. For over four years, 35,000 people have died because of gang wars related to drugs. Several schools in North Mexico have conducted drills in order to train teacher and students how to act when violence breaks out.
Words Difficult to Pronounce
courage – [kur-ij]
violent – [vahy-uh-luh nt]
incident – [in-si-duh nt]
inspire - [in-spahyuh r]
Monterrey - [mon-tuh-rey]
Vocabulary Review: Read the following words/expressions used in the article and make sample sentences using them. (5 minutes)
1. kindergarten (n.) – a class for young children aged 4 to 6
Example: My four-year old daughter will start kindergarten next year.
2. break out (idiom) – to begin or happen suddenly
Example: The protest broke out without warning.
3. get through (idiom) – to be able to succeed or overcome a difficult situation
Example: We were able to get through the hard test because we studied well.
4. paramedic (n.) – a trained person who to give temporary aid to an injured person, especially if a doctor is not present
Example: Paramedics helped the injured man before the doctor arrived.
5. drill (n.) – an exercise which is repeatedly done
Example: Vocabulary drills help students remember words.
Comprehension Questions: Basing it from the article, answer the following questions. Answer using your own words. (5 minutes)
1. Why did Rivera Alanis receive an award?
2. How did Rivera Alanis protect her young students?
3. What do schools in Mexico do in order to help teachers and students survive violent situations?
Viewpoint Discussion: Read the following statements and determine whether you AGREE or DISAGREE. Discuss the reasons with your tutor. (5 minutes)
1. Teachers are the second parents of young students.
2. Gang wars should never be tolerated by authorities.
