Is slavery a thing of the past?

Introduction

Designed to raise awareness of the UN's World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, this lesson begins by asking learners to consider what they know about the issue, then takes them through a process of learning more, before concluding by asking them about what they have learned, and how their understanding might have changed. 

The lesson involves plenty of speaking, a vocabulary focus that pre-teaches topic-related vocabulary later found in the text, a jigsaw reading and a focus on passives. 

Learning outcomes

• Discuss the issue of modern-day slavery
• Use vocabulary related to slavery, e.g. trade, product, campaign
• Develop reading and speaking skills through a jigsaw reading activity and other tasks
• Review simple past and simple present passive forms

Age and level

Aged 13–17 and adults (CEFR level B1)

Time

60 minutes. This could be done over two lessons.

Materials

The lesson plan and student worksheets can be downloaded below in PDF format. There is also a presentation for a low-print lesson. You can use the presentation with worksheets 3 and 4 - jigsaw reading.

Task 1: Lead-in (10 minutes)

• Write on the board, 'Is slavery a thing of the past?' and check that learners understand both the broad meaning of slavery and that 'a thing of the past' means something that no longer happens today.
• Put learners into small groups and ask them to discuss the questions in worksheet 1, exercise 1. This worksheet could be shared between two or three learners. Or you can display slide 2.
• Brief feedback as a class. Note: The Cambridge Dictionary defines slavery as 'the condition of being legally owned by someone else and forced to work for or obey them'.

Task 2: Pre-reading/Prediction (5 minutes)

• Put learners into pairs and ask them to discuss how each picture in exercise 2 might be connected with slavery. Monitor, but don't give any answers or explanations at this stage (though depending on your learners you might need to explain that picture A is cotton). You can display slide 3.

Task 3: Vocabulary focus (10 minutes)

• Learners remain in their pairs. Give them worksheet 2 or use slide 4. Ask learners to match the words and definitions.
• Make sure they understand that (n) means the word is a noun and (v) means that it is a verb.
• Note: With the exception of exchange, goods and product, these words are above B1 level but are important for reading about and discussing the topic.
• Answers: 1 H, 2 I, 3 A, 4 E, 5 J, 6 K, 7 B, 8 C, 9 D, 10 F, 11 G
• Ask learners to discuss in small groups how the words could relate to the topic. There are no specific answers here.

Task 4: Jigsaw reading (15 minutes)

• Put learners into pairs and give each pair either worksheet 3 or worksheet 4 to share. Distribute the two worksheets evenly throughout the class. Ask them to read the text and match each paragraph with a picture from worksheet 1, or display slide 3.
• They check their ideas with their partner and then briefly check as a class.
• Answers: Worksheet 3: 1C (Egyptian slaves building the Pyramids), 2A (cotton being grown – or B showing African slaves), 3B (African slaves being taken on ships to the Americas), 4E (a Victorian child worker)
• Answers: Worksheet 4: 3A cotton, 2E child labour, 3F chocolate
• Give the pairs of learners a few minutes to discuss what surprised or shocked them (exercise 2).
• Put the learners into new pairs so that each pair has a learner who read worksheet 3 and a learner who read worksheet 4. Ask them to tell each other about what they read and discuss their reaction to it (exercise 3).

Task 5: Grammar (passives) (15-20 minutes)

• If your learners have seen the passive before, briefly elicit from the class what they already know about the passive, e.g. it is formed using the verb to be + the past participle. It is used to talk about processes or when we are focusing on the action rather than the person who did the action.
• If the passive is new to them, write on the board: 'some factories employ children' and 'children are employed by some factories'. Show the difference in the verb forms and how we use by to show who does the action. Then discuss why we might choose the passive here (to put more emphasis on the children rather than the factories).
• Show the learners a similar example using the past tense, e.g. 'Slaves were taken to the Americas' vs 'The traders took slaves to the Americas' and discuss the fact that the passive focuses more on the slaves and doesn't even mention who did the action because it is obvious.
• Give learners worksheet 5 or display slides 6–7. Then ask them to complete the sentences from the text, using the verbs in the box in the correct passive tense. (The first set are all simple past and the second set are all simple present.)
• Check as a class.
• Then ask learners to write their own passive sentences about what they read. Monitor and help as needed, then elicit some examples from the class.

Task 6: Speaking (10 minutes) OPTIONAL

• Display slide 8 or use worksheet 5. Put learners into small groups and ask them to discuss the questions. Learners may now be better able to see the relevance to their own lives (e.g. that they probably buy products that were produced using slavery, and understand, if they didn't before, that slavery is still very much a problem nowadays).
• Note: This could also be used as an extension activity or a topic review in the following lesson.

Additional information

• https://www.grammarly.com/blog/passive-voice/ - This page has grammar information and a useful video related to passives.

Contributed by Rachael Roberts

Edited by Suzanne Mordue