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The Flood (Epic of Gilgamesh Part 2)

8/24/2015

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Picture
Six days and seven nights came the wind and flood, the storm flattening the land. When the seventh day arrived, the storm was pounding, the flood was a war--struggling with itself like a woman writhing (in labor).
The sea calmed, fell still, the whirlwind (and) flood stopped up. I looked around all day long--quiet had set in and all the human beings had turned to clay!
The terrain was as flat as a roof.
I opened a vent and fresh air (daylight!) fell upon the side of my nose. I fell to my knees and sat weeping, tears streaming down the side of my nose.

Introductory Brainstorming and Discussion Questions
Brainstorm different kinds of storms. Examples: lightning, tornado, rain, typhoon, sand, etc.
What kind of storm is the scariest to you? Why?
How long was the longest storm you remember?
How did you feel when the storm was over?
Brainstorm some objects that are flat. Is a roof flat?

Matching Storm Vocabulary to Pictures
Vocabulary Pictures appear in this order: rain storm, wind storm, flood, hurricane or typhoon, lightning storm, ice storm, snow storm, sand or dust storm, and tornado or whirlwind. Display each picture and have students discuss what they think the vocabulary is. Teach and repeat the new words if necessary. 

Matching Game with Pairs of Vocabulary
In groups, have students play a matching game with vocabulary. You will need to make pairs of vocabulary cards that can be flipped over. 
If they make a match, they must make a sentence using the vocabulary word in order to keep the pair. The person with the most pairs collected wins. Allow students to play two or three times.

Wind                                                                       Lightning                                                           Nose
Wind                                                                       Lightning                                                           Nose
Flood                                                                      Typhoon                                                            Knees
Flood                                                                      Typhoon                                                            Knees
Whirlwind                                                              Rain                                                                   Roof
Whirlwind                                                              Rain                                                                   Roof
Sand storm                                                           Ice                                                                      Snow
Sand storm                                                           Ice                                                                      Snow

Antonym Matching
Day                                                                                         went
Wind                                                                                      stood                                                                                   
Arrived                                                                                  night
War                                                                                       laughing
Sat                                                                                         closed
Weeping                                                                               peace
Opened                                                                                calm

Listening Blank Fill
Six days and seven nights came the wind and _______, the storm flattening the land. When the seventh ______ arrived, the storm was pounding, the flood was ____ war--struggling with itself like a woman writhing (_____ labor).
The sea calmed, fell still, the whirlwind (and) flood __________ up. I looked around all day long--quiet ______ set in and all the human beings had _________ to clay!
The terrain was as flat as a _______.
I opened a vent and fresh air (daylight!) _______ upon the side of my nose. I fell _____ my knees and sat weeping, tears streaming down ______ side of my nose.

Word Bank Fill in the Blank
Six days and seven nights came the 1._______ and flood, the storm flattening the 2._______. When the seventh day arrived, the storm was pounding, the flood was a 3.______--struggling with itself like a woman writhing (in 4.________).
The sea calmed, fell still, the whirlwind (and) flood 5.__________ up. I looked around all day long--quiet had 6._______ in and all the human beings had turned to clay!
The terrain was as flat as a 7._______ .
I opened a vent and fresh air (daylight!) fell upon the side of my nose. I fell to my 8.________  and sat weeping,
tears streaming down the side of my 9._______.

Land
Stopped
Nose
Labor
Wind
Set
War
Roof
Knees

Pair Work Discussion Questions
A
Can you remember a very scary event in your life? What was scary?
How was the scary event stopped?
How did you feel after the scary event was resolved?
How do you respond to feeling greatly relieved? Do you weep?
What things do you think help bring relief in difficult circumstances?
B  
Can you remember a dangerous event in your life? What was dangerous?
How was the dangerous event stopped?
How do you think flood and storm dangers could be made less frequent?
Do you think the character in this story was crying tears of joy, sadness, or both? Why?
What would be the most terrifying thing about the storm described in the story?



Key Vocabulary
Day   白天
Night   夜
Wind   风
Flood   洪水
Storm   暴风雨
Land   陆地
Pounding   重击
War   战争
Struggling   争斗
Be in labor   在分娩中
Writhing  折腾
Sea   大海
Calmed   平静下来
Stopped   停止
Whirlwind   旋风
Quiet   小声
Clay   粘土
Terrain   地势
Flat   平坦
Roof   屋顶
Vent   通风孔
Fresh air  新鲜空气
Daylight   日光
Nose   鼻
Knees  膝
Weeping   大哭
Tears   泪
Streaming   流 

Exercise Answers
Antonym Matching: day-->night, wind-->calm, arrived-->went, war-->peace, sat-->stood, weeping-->laughing,        opened-->closed.
Listening Blank Fill: Flood, day, a, in, stopped, had, turned, roof, fell, to, the
Word Bank Fill in the Blank: 1. Wind, 2. Land, 3. War, 4. Labor, 5. Stopped, 6. Set, 7. Roof, 8. Knees, 9. nose
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    Author

    My name is Paul. I am from Michigan, USA. I am a perpetual language learner and teacher, trading my time between two continents. I obtained my MA in TESOL from Cornerstone University. 

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