13 August
Memories
Tell us some of your memories that you will never forget.
Tell us about some of your favourite TV programmes from when you were a child.
Who did you like a lot when you were a child?
Tell us more unforgettable memories from university.
What is your happiest childhood memory?
Do you have a funny memory from school? What happened?
What was your favourite toy as a child?
Do you remember your first day at school? How was it?
Have you ever been on a memorable trip? Where did you go?
Do you remember your first pet? What was its name?
Have you ever met a famous person? How did it happen?
What was your favourite place to visit when you were young?
What moment would it be if you could relive one moment from your past?
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Watch the videos above and discuss what you learned from them during your Spoken Cafe session
Alexander Selkirk: The Real-Life Inspiration for Robinson Crusoe
Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor born in 1676, became the inspiration for one of literature’s most famous characters—Robinson Crusoe, the protagonist of Daniel Defoe’s novel. Selkirk’s life is an incredible story of survival and adventure, which captivated writers and readers alike.
The son of a shoemaker, Selkirk ran away to sea in 1695. He joined a group of pirates sailing in the Pacific Ocean. Selkirk’s life took an unexpected turn in 1704 when he quarrelled with his captain during a voyage. Following the dispute, Selkirk requested to be left on an uninhabited island called Más a Tierra (now known as Robinson Crusoe Island) in the Pacific Ocean, located about 640 kilometres west of Valparaíso, Chile.
He spent four years living alone on the island, from 1704 to 1709, surviving by hunting, fishing, and making shelter from the natural resources around him. His time on the island was one of isolation, but he managed to survive in the wild through his resourcefulness and resilience. In February 1709, he was finally discovered by a passing British ship. He was taken aboard the ship and returned to England in 1711.
Selkirk’s extraordinary story was published in a book called Cruising Voyage Round the World in 1712. The book included a detailed account of his life on the island and became widely popular. Additionally, writer Richard Steele told Selkirk’s tale in The Englishman in 1713, helping to cement his place in popular culture.
The account of Selkirk’s solitary existence influenced Daniel Defoe when he wrote Robinson Crusoe in 1719. Defoe’s novel, featuring a shipwrecked man surviving alone on a desert island, closely mirrors the real-life experiences of Selkirk. Selkirk’s incredible endurance and self-sufficiency made him a symbol of human survival against the odds, and his story remains one of the most enduring sources of inspiration for adventure literature.
Watch the video above and discuss what you learned from it during your Spoken Cafe session
READ/SPEAK
If you had to live on an island for 3-4 years like Robinson Crusoe, which 5 items would you like to have and why? And what do you think are the hardest things to survive on an island?
What do you think it would be like to live alone on an island for four years?
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you want with you?
What would you do to survive if you were alone on an island for a long time?
What do you think would be the hardest part of being alone on an island for so long?
surprise someone
Example: The match was so good, it blew my mind
LEARN THE IDIOM AND SPEAK
What was the last time something blew your mind? Why were you so surprised by the situation?