Oman Frankincense
WORKSHEET
1. Suggested Use
Culture, history and environmental protection focus, followed by A2+-level vocabulary and grammar activities.
2. Suggested Activities
A. Project-based learning
Students work in small groups to research another natural or cultural product that is part of their country’s, or another country’s history - similar to Oman’s frankincense. They choose / research a product and then write a short description of it, including where it comes from, what people use it for, why it’s important for culture or history and how people can protect it today. Groups present their product in a ‘culture fair’ where students take it in turns to walk around the class to learn about and/or present their product.
B. Mediation task: Acting as an intermediary in informal situations
Students imagine they need to teach someone the information from the video who has a low level of English. They watch the video again and note down the key points. They then write the key points in a way that the reader could understand. They swap with a partner to give feedback on their ideas and make any corrections.
C. Pronunciation task: /θ/ and /ð/ sounds
Elicit the difference between the sounds and whether they’re voiceless or voiced and discuss the difference, e.g Voiceless /θ/ → thousands, think, with; Voiced /ð/ → the, this, that, these, other, those, there. Model and drill the pronunciation and have students identify some sentences in the script with the words by circling or highlighting them. Have students think of other words they know with these sounds.
3. Vocabulary
Culture and history
market
port
trade (n)
history
past
future
story
silk
country
UNESCO
Actions and verbs
grow
cut
dry
become
burn
drink
believe
help
protect
collect
study
dig
find
Travel
Adjectives and nouns
southern
special
old
ancient
hard
rare
important
rich
healthy
in danger
4. Grammar
Present simple:
The sap comes out when the bark is cut; It then dries and becomes hard.
Present continuous:
Experts are digging and studying the past.
Passive voice:
The sap is called frankincense: Frankincense has been used for thousands of years; Items have been found here.
Modal verb ‘can’:
People can smell it in markets; They can drink it as tea; It can help with health problems.
Past simple:
Frankincense was traded for other things like silk; It helped Oman become rich and important.
TRANSCRIPT
Oman Frankincense
NARRATOR:
In southern Oman, the Boswellia tree grows. Its sap is called frankincense. The sap comes out when the bark is cut. It then dries and becomes hard. Frankincense has been used for thousands of years. You can smell it in markets like this one. People often burn it in small pots. Some people also drink it as tea. They believe it can help with health problems.
But there is a problem. People are taking too much sap from the trees. Also, animals and building work are putting the trees in danger. The government and UNESCO want to stop the trees from disappearing. They have made a special park to look after the trees.
SOUNDBITE - Ali al-Khathiri:
"The trees are rare. In order to protect them, we collected trees from many places in the Dhofar province and we protect them at this reserve."
NARRATOR:
Frankincense was very important in the past, so people are also saving the places that show its history. At al-Baleed, an old port city, experts are digging and studying the past. Long ago, frankincense was traded here for other things, like silk. Items from China, Africa, and other countries have been found here. This shows how far frankincense travelled. The frankincense trade helped Oman become rich and important in history. But now, if the trees die, part of that story could be lost. That’s why protecting frankincense is not just about the past. It’s about the future too.