The Reading / Listening - Secret Life - Level 6

Next time you take a flight, you just never know who might be at the controls. It could be a king. Holland's King Willem-Alexander has just revealed he has been secretly flying planes for the Dutch carrier KLM for the past 21 years, completely unbeknown to his passengers. The 50-year-old king got his military pilot's license as a member of the Royal Netherlands Air Force when he was in his twenties. He developed a love of flying and trained to become a commercial pilot. He revealed his secret life as a pilot in an interview with Dutch media. He flew for KLM twice a month. The king said he was now preparing to upgrade his skills. He is back on the aircraft simulator to train to fly Boeing 737s.

King Willem-Alexander told reporters that his passion for flying meant he could relieve all stress while up in the skies. He explained: "You have an aircraft, passengers and crew. You have responsibility for them. You can't take your problems from the ground into the skies. You can completely disengage and concentrate on something else. That, for me, is the most relaxing part of flying." He said it was easy to keep his anonymity while flying, and that very few passengers ever knew he was piloting their plane. He said: "I always say that I wish everyone a heartfelt welcome on behalf of the captain and the crew. I don't have to say my own name, but most people don't listen anyway."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Secret Life - Level 4  or  Secret Life - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/05/18/dutch-king-reveals-secret-life-as-a-klm-airline-pilot
  • http://www.newsweek.com/dutch-king-airline-pilot-klm-martinair-king-willem-alexander-611265
  • http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/05/king-willem-alexander-flies-regular-flights-for-klm-retrains-to-fly-a-boeing-737/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. SECRET LIFE: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about secret life. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

       flight / controls / secretly / passengers / pilot / love  / secret life / upgrade / skills /
       passion / stress / aircraft / crew / responsibility / sky / flying / anonymity / welcome

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. ROYALS: Students A strongly believe royals should also work in "normal" jobs; Students B strongly believe they shouldn't because they are already very, very busy being royals.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

4. PILOT: What kind of life do these pilots have? Would you want it? Complete this table and share what you wrote with your partner(s). Change partners often.

Kind of pilot

Good things

Bad things

Is it for you?

Commercial airliner

 

 

 

Private jets for celebrities

 

 

 

Jet fighter

 

 

 

Hot-air balloon

 

 

 

Cruise ship

 

 

 

Space rocket

 

 

 

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5. SECRET: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "secret". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. FLYING: Rank these with your partner. Put the best things about flying at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • taking off
  • being up in the air
  • duty free shopping
  • landing
  • the food
  • the flight attendants
  • in-flight entertainment
  • the airplane seats

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. Holland's King Willem-Alexander has been flying planes for 21 years.     T / F
  2. King Willem-Alexander became a commercial pilot in his twenties.     T / F
  3. King Willem-Alexander flew twice a month for KLM.     T / F
  4. King Willem-Alexander is training to fly Boeing 737s.     T / F
  5. Flying helps get rid of the king's stress.     T / F
  6. The king said you could take your problems into the skies.     T / F
  7. The king said keeping his anonymity was very difficult.     T / F
  8. The king had to say his name in the cockpit many times.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. secretly
  2. developed
  3. revealed
  4. upgrade
  5. train
  6. passion
  7. concentrate
  8. heartfelt
  9. welcome
  10. crew
  1. sincere
  2. improve
  3. greet
  4. evolved
  5. focus
  6. disclosed
  7. team
  8. on the quiet
  9. love
  10. learn

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. you just never know who might be
  2. completely unbeknown
  3. when he was in
  4. he was now preparing to
  5. aircraft
  6. his passion
  7. he could relieve
  8. concentrate
  9. it was easy to keep his
  10. on behalf
  1. all stress
  2. simulator
  3. for flying meant
  4. to his passengers
  5. of the captain
  6. at the controls
  7. on something else
  8. upgrade his skills
  9. his twenties
  10. anonymity while flying

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
secretly
secret
take
license
simulator
love
flew
unbeknown

Next time you (1) ____________ a flight, you just never know who might be at the controls. It could be a king. Holland's King Willem-Alexander has just revealed he has been (2) ____________ flying planes for the Dutch carrier KLM for the past 21 years, completely (3) ____________ to his passengers. The 50-year-old king got his military pilot's (4) ____________ as a member of the Royal Netherlands Air Force when he was in his twenties. He developed a (5) ____________ of flying and trained to become a commercial pilot. He revealed his (6) ____________ life as a pilot in an interview with Dutch media. He (7) ____________ for KLM twice a month. The king said he was now preparing to upgrade his skills. He is back on the aircraft (8) ____________ to train to fly Boeing 737s.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
responsibility
passion
anyway
easy
behalf
stress
piloting
skies

King Willem-Alexander told reporters that his (9) ____________ for flying meant he could relieve all (10) ____________ while up in the skies. He explained: "You have an aircraft, passengers and crew. You have (11) ____________ for them. You can't take your problems from the ground into the (12) ____________. You can completely disengage and concentrate on something else. That, for me, is the most relaxing part of flying." He said it was (13) ____________ to keep his anonymity while flying, and that very few passengers ever knew he was (14) ____________ their plane. He said: "I always say that I wish everyone a heartfelt welcome on (15) ____________ of the captain and the crew. I don't have to say my own name, but most people don't listen (16) ____________."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  Next time you take a flight, you just never know who might ______
     a.  be on the controls
     b.  beat the controls
     c.  by that the controls
     d.  be at the controls

2)  secretly flying planes for the Dutch carrier KLM for ______
     a.  the parsed 21 years
     b.  the passed 21 years
     c.  the past 21 years
     d.  the psst 21 years

3)  He developed a love of flying and trained to become ______
     a.  a commercially pilot
     b.  a commercial pilot
     c.  a commercial pilots
     d.  a commercialized pilot

4)  He revealed his secret life as a pilot in an interview ______
     a.  with Dutch medium
     b.  within Dutch media
     c.  without Dutch media
     d.  with Dutch media

5)  He is back on the aircraft simulator to train to ______
     a.  flight Boeing 737s
     b.  fly Boeing 747s
     c.  flies Boeing 747s
     d.  fly Boeing 737s

6)  his passion for flying meant he could relieve all stress ______ skies
     a.  while upping the
     b.  while upper in the
     c.  while up in the
     d.  while up pin the

7)  He explained: "You have an aircraft, passengers ______."
     a.  and clue
     b.  and crew
     c.  and craw
     d.  and claw

8)  You can completely disengage and concentrate ______
     a.  on something else
     b.  ton something else
     c.  on some things else
     d.  on something or else

9)  He said it was easy to keep his ______ flying
     a.  a non a mighty while
     b.  a non almighty while
     c.  a non all mighty while
     d.  anonymity while

10)  I always say that I wish everyone a heartfelt welcome on ______ captain
     a.  bee half of a
     b.  behind of the
     c.  behalf of the
     d.  behalf of a

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Next time you take a flight, you (1) ___________________ who might be at the controls. It could be a king. Holland's King Willem-Alexander has just (2) ___________________ been secretly flying planes for the Dutch carrier KLM for the past 21 years, completely (3) ___________________ his passengers. The 50-year-old king got his military pilot's license as a member of the Royal Netherlands Air Force when he (4) ___________________. He developed a love of flying and trained to become a commercial pilot. He revealed his secret (5) ___________________ in an interview with Dutch media. He flew for KLM twice a month. The king said he was now preparing to upgrade his skills. He is back on the aircraft (6) ___________________ to fly Boeing 737s.

King Willem-Alexander told reporters that his (7) ___________________ meant he could relieve all stress (8) ___________________ skies. He explained: "You have an aircraft, passengers and crew. You have responsibility for them. You can't take your problems from the ground into the skies. You can completely disengage and (9) ___________________ something else. That, for me, is the most relaxing part of flying." He said it was easy to (10) ___________________ while flying, and that very few passengers ever knew he was piloting their plane. He said: "I always say that I (11) ___________________ heartfelt welcome on behalf of the captain and the crew. I don't have to say my own name, but most people (12) ___________________."

Comprehension questions

  1. For how long has King Willem-Alexander been flying for KLM?
  2. How old was the king when he got his military pilot's license?
  3. What did King Willem-Alexander develop a love of?
  4. How often did King Willem-Alexander fly for KLM?
  5. What kind of aircraft is King Willem-Alexander learning to fly?
  6. What did the king say he could relieve while up in the skies?
  7. Who did the king say he had a responsibility for?
  8. What did the king say it was easy to keep while flying?
  9. On whose behalf did the king welcome people?
  10. What did the king not have to say?

Multiple choice quiz

1) For how long has King Willem-Alexander been flying for KLM?
a) 2 years
b) 21 years
c) since 1987
d) a decade and a half

2) How old was the king when he got his military pilot's license?
a) he was in his late teens
b) 32
c) 22
d) he was in his 20s

3) What did King Willem-Alexander develop a love of?
a) flying
b) Boeing aircraft
c) turbulence
d) the Air Force

4) How often did King Willem-Alexander fly for KLM?
a) twice a week
b) twice a year
c) twice a month
d) twice

5) What kind of aircraft is King Willem-Alexander learning to fly?
a) Boeing 777s
b) Boeing 737s
c) Boeing 747s
d) Boeing 787s

6) What did the king say he could relieve while up in the skies?
a) stress
b) the captain
c) pain
d) himself

7) Who did the king say he had a responsibility for?
a) the Dutch people
b) princes and princesses
c) passengers and crew
d) airport staff

8) What did the king say it was easy to keep while flying?
a) his anonymity
b) his sanity
c) his brain functioning
d) his dream alive

9) On whose behalf did the king welcome people?
a) the captain and crew
b) the Dutch royal family
c) the Dutch people
d) aircraft engineers

10) What did the king not have to say?
a) H8-737-A
b) a secret
c) a flight number
d) his name

Role play

Role  A – Airplane Food

You think the food is the best thing about flying. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): the in-flight entertainment, the flight attendants or taking off.

Role  B – In-Flight Entertainment

You think the in-flight entertainment is the best thing about flying. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): the food, the flight attendants or taking off.

Role  C – Flight Attendants

You think the flight attendants are the best things about flying. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): the in-flight entertainment, the food or taking off.

Role  D – Taking Off

You think taking off is the best thing about flying. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why):  the in-flight entertainment, the flight attendants or the food.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'secret'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'life'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • stress
    • them
    • me
    • few
    • wish
    • listen
    • controls
    • just
    • 21
    • love
    • media
    • back

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - Holland's king reveals secret life as pilot

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What springs to mind when you hear the word 'king'?
    3. What kind of secret life would you like to lead?
    4. What do you think of the king for flying?
    5. Should the king get a salary for his flights?
    6. Who would you like to be pilot of your plane?
    7. Would you like to learn to fly?
    8. What do you think it's like to be a pilot?
    9. Do you think KLM should have told passengers the pilot was the king?
    10. What skills would you like to upgrade?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'king'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Do you get to follow your passion every day?
    5. What do you do to relieve your stress?
    6. Are you good at keeping secrets?
    7. What is the most and least relaxing part of flying?
    8. How important is it to keep your anonymity?
    9. Should all kings and other royals do normal jobs too?
    10. What questions would you like to ask King Willem-Alexander?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    Next time you take a (1) ____, you just never know who might be at the controls. It could be a king. Holland's King Willem-Alexander has just (2) ____ he has been secretly flying planes for the Dutch carrier KLM for the past 21 years, completely (3) ____ to his passengers. The 50-year-old king got his military pilot's license as a member of the Royal Netherlands Air Force when he was in his (4) ____. He developed a love of flying and trained to become a commercial pilot. He revealed his (5) ____ life as a pilot in an interview with Dutch media. He flew for KLM twice a month. The king said he was now preparing to upgrade his skills. He is back on the aircraft (6) ____ to train to fly Boeing 737s.

    King Willem-Alexander told reporters that his (7) ____ for flying meant he could relieve all stress while up in the skies. He explained: "You have an aircraft, passengers and crew. You have (8) ____ for them. You can't take your problems from the ground into the skies. You can completely disengage and concentrate on something (9) ____. That, for me, is the most relaxing part of flying." He said it was easy to keep his anonymity (10) ____ flying, and that very few passengers ever knew he was piloting their plane. He said: "I always say that I wish everyone a heartfelt welcome on (11) ____ of the captain and the crew. I don't have to say my (12) ____ name, but most people don't listen anyway."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     flight     (b)     flightless     (c)     flighty     (d)     flight path    
    2. (a)     revered     (b)     delivered     (c)     revealed     (d)     reviled    
    3. (a)     unbecoming     (b)     unreasonable     (c)     unbeknown     (d)     unfathomable    
    4. (a)     twentyfold     (b)     twentieth     (c)     twenty     (d)     twenties    
    5. (a)     secrecy     (b)     secreted     (c)     secret     (d)     secretion    
    6. (a)     simulation     (b)     simulator     (c)     stimulator     (d)     stimulus    
    7. (a)     persuasion     (b)     passion     (c)     parsing     (d)     potions    
    8. (a)     responsive     (b)     responsibility     (c)     responsibly     (d)     responsiveness    
    9. (a)     entire     (b)     another     (c)     else     (d)     whole    
    10. (a)     whiled     (b)     whiles     (c)     whole     (d)     while    
    11. (a)     behemoth     (b)     beheld     (c)     behave     (d)     behalf    
    12. (a)     frown     (b)     mown     (c)     down     (d)     own

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. completely nbnnkwueo to his passengers
    2. got his rmiltiya pilot's license
    3. trained to become a craolicmem pilot
    4. He edvalere his secret life as a pilot
    5. preparing to dgaprue his skills
    6. back on the aircraft isltoruam

    Paragraph 2

    1. he could ivleeer all stress
    2. You can completely eigsendag
    3. cnteoatrnce on something else
    4. it was easy to keep his naintomyy
    5. a tfehltare welcome
    6. on lbhefa of the captain and the crew

    Put the text back together

    (    )     media. He flew for KLM twice a month. The king said he was now preparing to upgrade

    (    )     carrier KLM for the past 21 years, completely unbeknown to his passengers. The 50-year-old king got his military pilot's

    (    )     his skills. He is back on the aircraft simulator to train to fly Boeing 737s.

    (    )     of flying and trained to become a commercial pilot. He revealed his secret life as a pilot in an interview with Dutch

    (    )     piloting their plane. He said: "I always say that I wish everyone a heartfelt welcome on

    (    )     King Willem-Alexander told reporters that his passion for flying meant he could relieve all

    (    )     on something else. That, for me, is the most relaxing part of flying." He said it was easy to keep his

    1  )     Next time you take a flight, you just never know who might be at the controls. It could be a

    (    )     anonymity while flying, and that very few passengers ever knew he was

    (    )     behalf of the captain and the crew. I don't have to say my own name, but most people don't listen anyway."

    (    )     license as a member of the Royal Netherlands Air Force when he was in his twenties. He developed a love

    (    )     for them. You can't take your problems from the ground into the skies. You can completely disengage and concentrate

    (    )     king. Holland's King Willem-Alexander has just revealed he has been secretly flying planes for the Dutch

    (    )     stress while up in the skies. He explained: "You have an aircraft, passengers and crew. You have responsibility

    Put the words in the right order

    1. the   just   who   at   You   know   be   controls   never   might   .
    2. for   KLM  been  planes  carrier   has   flying  the  He  secretly  Dutch   .
    3. 50   The   license   pilot's   military   his   got   king   old   -   year   -   .
    4. secret   life   as   a   pilot   in   an   interview   He   revealed   his   .
    5. Boeing  train  aircraft  back  737s  to  simulator  on  He  fly  to  the  is  .
    6. for   he   all   passion   meant   relieve   His   flying   could   stress   .
    7. into  the  skies  You  can't   take   your  problems  from   the  ground   .
    8. the   is   ,   me   for   ,   That   flying   of   part   relaxing   most   .
    9. anonymity   while   flying   He   said   it   was   easy   to   keep   his   .
    10. welcome  on  behalf  of   the  captain   I  wish   everyone  a   heartfelt  .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Next time you take a fly / flight, you just never know who might be at the controlling / controls. It could be a king. Holland's King Willem-Alexander has just revealed he has been secretly / secret flying planes for the Dutch carrier KLM for the past / passed 21 years, completely unbeknown of / to his passengers. The 50-year-old king got his military pilot's license was / as a member of the Royal Netherlands Air Force when he was in his twenties. He developed a love / lover of flying and trained to become a commercial pilot. He revealed / revels his secret life as a pilot in an interview with Dutch media. He flew for KLM twice a month. The king said he was now preparing to upgrade this / his skills. He is back / front on the aircraft simulator to train to fly Boeing 737s.

    King Willem-Alexander told reporters that his passionate / passion for flying meant he could relieve / relive all stress while up in the skies. He explained: "You have an aircraft, passengers / passenger and crew. You have responsibility / responsible for them. You can't take your problems from the ground into the skies. You can completely disengage and concentrate in / on something else. That, for me, is the most relaxing / relax part of flying." He said it was easy to keep his anonymity while flying, and that very / much few passengers ever knew he was piloting their plane. He said: "I always say that I wish everyone a heartfelt / heartache welcome on before / behalf of the captain and the crew. I don't have to say my own name, but much / most people don't listen anyway."

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    N_xt t_m_ y__ t_k_ _ fl_ght, y__ j_st n_v_r kn_w wh_ m_ght b_ _t th_ c_ntr_ls. _t c__ld b_ _ k_ng. H_ll_nd's K_ng W_ll_m-_l_x_nd_r h_s j_st r_v__l_d h_ h_s b__n s_cr_tly fly_ng pl_n_s f_r th_ D_tch c_rr__r KLM f_r th_ p_st 21 y__rs, c_mpl_t_ly _nb_kn_wn t_ h_s p_ss_ng_rs. Th_ 50-y__r-_ld k_ng g_t h_s m_l_t_ry p_l_t's l_c_ns_ _s _ m_mb_r _f th_ R_y_l N_th_rl_nds __r F_rc_ wh_n h_ w_s _n h_s tw_nt__s. H_ d_v_l_p_d _ l_v_ _f fly_ng _nd tr__n_d t_ b_c_m_ _ c_mm_rc__l p_l_t. H_ r_v__l_d h_s s_cr_t l_f_ _s _ p_l_t _n _n _nt_rv__w w_th D_tch m_d__. H_ fl_w f_r KLM tw_c_ _ m_nth. Th_ k_ng s__d h_ w_s n_w pr_p_r_ng t_ _pgr_d_ h_s sk_lls. H_ _s b_ck _n th_ __rcr_ft s_m_l_t_r t_ tr__n t_ fly B___ng 737s.

    K_ng W_ll_m-_l_x_nd_r t_ld r_p_rt_rs th_t h_s p_ss__n f_r fly_ng m__nt h_ c__ld r_l__v_ _ll str_ss wh_l_ _p _n th_ sk__s. H_ _xpl__n_d: "Y__ h_v_ _n __rcr_ft, p_ss_ng_rs _nd cr_w. Y__ h_v_ r_sp_ns_b_l_ty f_r th_m. Y__ c_n't t_k_ y__r pr_bl_ms fr_m th_ gr__nd _nt_ th_ sk__s. Y__ c_n c_mpl_t_ly d_s_ng_g_ _nd c_nc_ntr_t_ _n s_m_th_ng _ls_. Th_t, f_r m_, _s th_ m_st r_l_x_ng p_rt _f fly_ng." H_ s__d _t w_s __sy t_ k__p h_s _n_nym_ty wh_l_ fly_ng, _nd th_t v_ry f_w p_ss_ng_rs _v_r kn_w h_ w_s p_l_t_ng th__r pl_n_. H_ s__d: "_ _lw_ys s_y th_t _ w_sh _v_ry_n_ _ h__rtf_lt w_lc_m_ _n b_h_lf _f th_ c_pt__n _nd th_ cr_w. _ d_n't h_v_ t_ s_y my _wn n_m_, b_t m_st p__pl_ d_n't l_st_n _nyw_y."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    next time you take a flight you just never know who might be at the controls it could be a king holland's king willem-alexander has just revealed he has been secretly flying planes for the dutch carrier klm for the past 21 years completely unbeknown to his passengers the 50-year-old king got his military pilot's license as a member of the royal netherlands air force when he was in his twenties he developed a love of flying and trained to become a commercial pilot he revealed his secret life as a pilot in an interview with dutch media he flew for klm twice a month the king said he was now preparing to upgrade his skills he is back on the aircraft simulator to train to fly boeing 737s

    king willem-alexander told reporters that his passion for flying meant he could relieve all stress while up in the skies he explained "you have an aircraft passengers and crew you have responsibility for them you can't take your problems from the ground into the skies you can completely disengage and concentrate on something else that for me is the most relaxing part of flying" he said it was easy to keep his anonymity while flying and that very few passengers ever knew he was piloting their plane he said "i always say that i wish everyone a heartfelt welcome on behalf of the captain and the crew i don't have to say my own name but most people don't listen anyway"

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Nexttimeyoutakeaflight,youjustneverknowwhomightbeatthecontro
    ls.Itcouldbeaking.Holland'sKingWillem-Alexanderhasjustrevealedh
    ehasbeensecretlyflyingplanesfortheDutchcarrierKLMforthepast21y
    ears,completelyunbeknowntohispassengers.The50-year-oldkingg
    othismilitarypilot'slicenseasamemberoftheRoyalNetherlandsAirFor
    cewhenhewasinhistwenties.Hedevelopedaloveofflyingandtrainedto
    becomeacommercialpilot.Herevealedhissecretlifeasapilotinaninterv
    iewwithDutchmedia.HeflewforKLMtwiceamonth.Thekingsaidhewas
    nowpreparingtoupgradehisskills.Heisbackontheaircraftsimulatortot
    raintoflyBoeing737s.KingWillem-Alexandertoldreportersthathispas
    sionforflyingmeanthecouldrelieveallstresswhileupintheskies.Heexpl
    ained:"Youhaveanaircraft,passengersandcrew.Youhaveresponsibili
    tyforthem.Youcan'ttakeyourproblemsfromthegroundintotheskies.Y
    oucancompletelydisengageandconcentrateonsomethingelse.That,f
    orme,isthemostrelaxingpartofflying."Hesaiditwaseasytokeephisan
    onymitywhileflying,andthatveryfewpassengerseverknewhewaspilo
    tingtheirplane.Hesaid:"IalwayssaythatIwisheveryoneaheartfeltwel
    comeonbehalfofthecaptainandthecrew.Idon'thavetosaymyownnam
    e,butmostpeopledon'tlistenanyway."

    Free writing

    Write about secret life for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Kings and other royals should all do "normal" jobs like the rest of us. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

    3. HOLLAND'S KING: Make a poster about Holland's King Willem-Alexander. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

    4. A SECRET LIFE: Write a magazine article about kings and other royals having a secret life. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.

    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on kings. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on what kings can do to live more normal lives. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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