News-based English language activities from the global newspaper
June 2009
Level ≥ Lower intermediate
Style ≥ Lesson plan
Welcome to the Guardian Weekly’s special news-based materials to support learners and teachers of English.
Each month, the Guardian Weekly newspaper selects topical news articles that can be used to practise English
language skills. The materials are graded for two levels: advanced and lower intermediate. These worksheets
can be downloaded free from guardianweekly.co.uk/learningenglish/. You can also find more advice for
teachers and learners on the site.
Satnav system could take wrong turn
Materials prepared by Janet Hardy-Gould
Instructions
Lesson focus:
Materials sheet:
Time:
reading, giving directions
copies of the article, satnav image, map
55 minutes
1 Divide the class into A/B pairs and explain they are going to play “20 questions”. The A students will think of a
certain object and the B students will ask up to 20 yes/
no questions to find out what it is. Go through possible
questions eg Is it small/expensive/electronic? Can you
find it in your kitchen/office/car? 6 mins
2 Ask the B students to leave the room. Pass round the
photo of the satnav and check the A students know what
it is. The B students return and then play 20 questions
with their partner. Class feedback. Encourage students
to say how satnav works and establish: motorist, navigate, navigation, network, satellite, signal, position, system.
10 mins
3 Write up the questions below and go through them as
a class. Give out copies of the article. Students read and
choose the correct words. Class feedback. 12 mins
a From next year, the satnav system will get better/
worse.
b This new information about satnav comes from a
report/book.
c The US air force/Congress looks after the satnav
system.
d The satnav network is now three/20 years old.
e A new satellite will go into space a few years late/early.
f Ordinary satnav users might/won’t have problems.
g The situation could be good for the Chinese/European
system called Galileo.
Answers: a worse b report c air force d 20 e late f might
g European
4 Explain to students they are now going to be satnav
voices. Give out copies of a town map. Demonstrate how
to give basic satnav directions. Include phrases such as:
at the end of the road turn left, turn right in 200 metres,
turn right onto the (road number), turn left now, bear
right, at the roundabout take the 2nd exit, in 200 metres
you will arrive at your destination, you have arrived at
your destination, your destination is in on the left, turn
round now. 12 mins
5 Put students into pairs with a map in front of them. One
student is the “satnav” and gives directions from a specific place to an unknown destination. The other person
listens and pushes a “car” (small object) around their map
to reach the destination. The listener then gives feedback
– Did the satnav speak slowly/clearly and give good directions? Swap roles and repeat. Students nominate people
who were talented satnavs. These students demonstrate
their abilities. 15 mins
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper
June 2009
Materials sheet
Article: Satnav system could
take wrong turn
1 For millions of motorists who thought satnav would
stop them ever getting lost, it could soon be time to think
again.
Student tasks
Read the article and chose the correct word to use in
these sentences
a From next year, the satnav system will get better/
worse.
b This new information about satnav comes from a
report/book.
c The US air force/Congress looks after the satnav
system.
d The satnav network is now three/20 years old.
e A new satellite will go into space a few years late/early.
f Ordinary satnav users might/won’t have problems.
g The situation could be good for the Chinese/European
system called Galileo.
Satnav Map
2 The navigation technology built into many cars and
mobile phones may have problems from next year, US
experts have warned. This is because of the possible
failure of some GPS satellites.
3 Satellites constantly orbit the planet and send signals
back that help find a person’s position on the Earth’s
surface.
4 A report says the whole system could begin to get worse,
leading to blackouts, failures and even wrong directions to
millions of users.
5 The system is maintained by the US air force and the report warns that a lack of money and serious management
problems could affect some military and civilian users.
6 “It is uncertain whether the air force will be able to acquire
new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service
without interruption,” said the report for the US Congress.
7 Although the air force is spending nearly $2bn to improve
the 20-year-old system, delays are putting the whole
system in danger.
8 The first new GPS satellite was due to launch at the beginning of 2007, but it has been delayed several times and
it will now go into orbit in November this year – almost
three years late.
9 The impact on ordinary users could be serious, with millions of satnav users becoming possible victims of bad
directions or failed services. There would also be similar
difficulties for the military, which uses GPS for mapping,
reconnaissance and finding enemy targets.
10 The problems with GPS could open the door to other satellite navigation systems such as Galileo – the European
attempt to beat the US system – which starts next year.
11 Russia, India and China are also expanding their own
satellite navigation technologies.
Original article by Bobbie Johnson, rewritten by
Janet Hardy-Gould