Title of the scenario
Maritime Taboos
Language and level
English/A2 - B2
Duration
1 hour
Final task
To produce a written document (email) containing information about Romanian superstitions on board
ships – the document is to be produced in English. Romanian can be substituted according to the
target language.
Activity no. 1
Title of Activity
Introducing Superstitions
Type of Activity
Plenary Discussion
Type of input
Questions and Answers
N. of exercises
1
Duration
3-5 ‘ (depending on the number of students)
Communicative Function
Sharing beliefs, thoughts, opinions
Guidelines for teachers
Lead-in
Brainstorm superstitions people face in their lives (if no ideas are forthcoming, suggest some of the most
common: black cats, broken mirrors, walking under a ladder, etc).
Activity no. 2
Title of Activity
Sea Superstitions
Type of Activity
Group Work
Type of input
Images provided by teachers; grid on the board
N. of exercises
2
Duration
15 - 20’
Communicative Function
Identifying objects related to sea superstitions
Guidelines for teachers
Divide the class in two groups and provide them with a set of pictures (18 pictures for each). Ask the
students to look at the pictures and make sure they understand what each item represents. Then have
students write the names of the items on the whiteboard under the right category.
Answers
Animals: albatross, cat, goat, dog, raven, cormorant, seagull, rabbit
Parts of ships: hull, figurehead
Beverages: champagne
Elements: rainbow
People: lawyer, crossed-eyed person, women, priest, ship-christener,
Materials: emerald, ruby
Objects: earrings, old shoes, knife, horseshoe, sailor’s hat, bucket, flower-wreath, tattoo
Plants: seaweed, garlic
Miscellanea: December, Friday, Candlemas, pointing to a ship, hair cut, whistling
Activity no. 3
Title of Activity
Superstitions: good or bad; past or present
Type of Activity
Group Work
Type of input
Grid on the board
N. of exercises
2
Duration
15 - 20’
Communicative Function
Arguing or debating; Comparing and contrasting;
Formulating and supporting opinions
Guidelines for teachers
Give the students 10 minutes to discuss the questions in their groups. When they finish, ask each group
to choose their group’s representative to write down their answers under the correct heading in the grid
on the board.
Good luck:
Bad luck:
Now:
Then:
Activity no. 4
Title of Activity
Matching superstitions
Type of Activity
Group Work
Type of input
Texts and images
N. of exercises
1
Duration
15 - 20’
Communicative Function
Scanning, skimming for information
Guidelines for teachers
Each group will receive a set of 18 texts on slips of paper and have to match the images to their
corresponding meaning. Point out that the texts might have clues which can help them to grasp the
meaning more easily. Examples of clues: mice, skin, etc.
Answers (Texts for Group A)
It heralds bad weather and heavy storms when on water, but good winds when in the air. (Albatross)
Useful on board a ship to get rid of mice; nevertheless, not always very highly regarded: If black, it is not
welcome except for English sailors who think the opposite. However, throwing one overboard would bring
about heavy storms and other mishaps. Better not hear it mew, and seeing one before setting sails might
lead to voyage cancellation. (Cat)
Hanging this animal’s skin on top of the mainmast used to ensure a safe voyage. (Goat)
It was not good omen for fishermen in Brittany (France), not to mention that Scottish sailors do not even
say its name when onboard. (Dog)
If hearing its caw at night or in the early hours, it means a storm is about to break out. (Raven)
Seeing one means poor catch for a fisherman especially when followed by a sea gull. Its screams spell
the approach of a storm. (Cormorant)
It represents the soul of a dead man. It also hosts the soul of a drowned person whose body has not
been retrieved from the waters; therefore, no one is to harm this bird for fear they should interfere with
the dead. (Seagull)
It is the most dreaded animal on board since it simply loves nibbling at hemp ropes and wood. Sailors
don’t even call it by its name, referring to it as “the long-eared animal”. (Rabbit)
During the process of shipbuilding, it is customary to spray some sea water over it to get the ship
accustomed to marine environment. (Hull)
Carved in wood and then painted, they used to decorate the bow in order to place her under God’s
protection. Most of the times they came in the form of mermaids or women that had their breasts
exposed with the purpose of chasing evil away. (Figurehead)
Tradition has it that any ship has to be baptized to prevent her from experiencing heavy storms, damage
or encountering sea monsters. Therefore, it was broken against the bows only by a woman. If it didn’t
break, it would have meant ill omen for the ship!! The noisier the better, as this would keep demons
away from the ship! (Champagne)
Pointing at it will bring heavy storms. (Rainbow)
Seeing one aboard causes fights among crew members. (Lawyer)
If the sailor comes across one, s/he will avoid sailing off that day. (Crossed-eyed person)
Their presence aboard used to bring bad luck. Nowadays many of them work on board the ships.
(Women)
Always a woman, she is the “godmother” of the ship whose launching she presides over. She has to be
very robust to break the bottle at one go, also she is not supposed to be pregnant or married either,
otherwise the ship will sink. (Ship-christener)
He is not welcome on board since the color of his robe can be fatal to sailors. (Priest)
It is beneficial and protective; therefore, sailors carry one piece of it in their pockets to prevent them
from drowning. (Coal)
Answers (Texts for Group B)
This precious stone protected sailors from the dangers of merciless storms. (Emerald)
This precious stone prevents sailors from drowning. (Ruby)
Symbol of the union between the sailor and the sea, they prevented sailors from drowning or being
shipwrecked. They were a sailor’s most valuable treasure, serving as a means of payment for his funeral
ceremony if he died away from home. Finally, they were worn only by the sailors who had crossed Cape
Horn. (Earrings)
Throwing them at a ship leaving port was of good omen in England. In France, this gesture prevented the
ship from coming back home safely. (Old shoes)
Any metal object was welcome on board a ship, and this one is supposed to bring good luck. British
sailors even used to stick one into the mainmast. (Knife)
It is supposed to bring good luck, therefore, Scottish sailors used to attach one to the main mast.
(Horseshoe)
Everybody wants to touch it with their left index since this gesture brings them 24 hours of sheer luck
unless noticed by the sailor. (French sailor’s hat)
Very useful aboard, when misplaced it spells bad luck. English sailors avoid sitting on an inverted one.
(Bucket)
Used to decorate sailors’ cabin walls, since it brought them good luck by protecting them from lightning
and fever or burns. (Seaweed)
Very highly regarded aboard, it brings good luck keeping storms away. It also boosts sailors’ courage and
gives them force. (Garlic)
Usually thrown into the sea after a sailor’s death, it is not advisable to bring one aboard; it calls for the
death of another sailor. (Flower wreath)
The 28th and the 31st of this month are of bad omen; therefore, no sailor will begin his/her voyage at sea
on these particular dates. (December)
This gesture will definitely run a ship aground, so it’s ill omen. (Pointing to a ship)
These are the days most disliked by fishermen since they bring about bad weather and shipwrecks.
Therefore, most captains would rather postpone their departure and set off on Sundays instead.
(Tuesdays and Fridays)
It is of ill omen to set off on the 2nd of February since ________ is celebrated on this day. (Candlemas)
No sailor does this when aboard for fear that storms should break out. (Hair cut)
Sailors used to have these designs made on their skin to get protection. (Tattoo)
This is completely forbidden on board; it will stir up heavy storms and winds. The only person allowed to
do this was the cook, meaning that he was busy and couldn’t eat the provisions. (Whistling)
Activity no. 5
Title of Activity
Writing an email about superstitions
Type of Activity
Individual written assignment
Type of input
Situation provided by teacher
N. of exercises
1
Duration
Up to students’ choice
Communicative Function
Describing and reporting about superstitions
Guidelines for teachers
The teacher can assign Activity number 5 as written HW. Teacher also points out that the email should be
written in an informal style that is: abbreviations, colloquial English, chatty descriptions are allowed.