9 September
What is a superhero?
Who is your favourite superhero?
What do you like about them?
What powers, if any, would you like to have?
Do you like watching superhero movies?
Who is the most famous superhero in your country?
Would you want to be a superhero? Why or why not?
Do you think superheroes can be real in the future?
What would you do if you had superhero powers?
Who is your favourite villain in superhero movies?
Do you think the world needs superheroes right now? Why?
Related Words: superhero, hero, villain, powers, abilities, strength, courage, bravery, justice, protection, rescue, mission, mask, costume, identity, secret identity, transformation, battle, fight, save, world, danger, adventure, fantasy, comic, legend, good, evil, responsibility, sacrifice
Watch the videos above and discuss what you learned from them during your Spoken Cafe session
Vasa: A High-Tech Ship That Sank on Its First Voyage
The Vasa, once the most advanced warship of its time, stands today as both a cautionary tale of engineering failure and a remarkable resource for historians and archaeologists. Designed in the early 17th century, the Vasa was a massive, beautifully decorated ship, commissioned by the Swedish King Gustav II Adolf. With 64 bronze cannons and an elaborate wooden design depicting scenes of the Swedish royal family, the Vasa was set to be an indomitable force at sea.
However, despite its grandeur, the ship met a tragic fate on its maiden voyage in 1628. The Vasa survived its first sail without issue, but when the second storm hit, the ship capsized and sank in a mere 20 minutes, all in full view of a horrified public.
The reasons behind its sinking were largely due to design flaws and engineering miscalculations. The ship’s gun deck, which was heavily laden with bronze cannons, was too heavy for its structure. Additionally, the Vasa was designed and built by a team without much experience in constructing a fully armed warship. To make matters worse, King Gustav rushed the construction process, pushing for an expedited completion. These engineering missteps, combined with a ship that lacked the necessary balance, sealed the Vasa’s fate.
Despite its sinking, the cold, oxygen-poor waters of the Baltic Sea helped preserve the Vasa remarkably well. When the ship was finally raised from the sea floor in 1961, 95 per cent of its wood was still in good condition, protected from bacteria and worms by the sea’s unique conditions. Today, the Vasa resides in the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden, where it stands as the only fully preserved 17th-century ship in the world. The museum serves not only as a site for tourists to marvel at the Vasa’s intricate craftsmanship but also as a place for historical and anthropological research, ensuring that the ship’s legacy continues to teach us valuable lessons about the intersection of technology, ambition, and failure.
Watch the videos above and discuss what you learned from them during your Spoken Cafe session
READ/SPEAK
Do you know any other historical weapons or vehicles in history? What is or was special about it?
Have you ever visited a museum? What did you see?
Would you like to work on a big ship? Why or why not?
Have you ever heard of another famous ship that sank?
What is the most interesting historical story you know?
You eventually have to face up to the consequences of your actions.
“Don’t blame others, you chose to be evil. You reap what you sow”
LEARN THE IDIOM AND SPEAK
Have you ever done something wrong and had terrible results eventually? What did you learn from your bad experiences?