Teen Pilot
WORKSHEET
1. Suggested Use
Aviation and career focus, followed by B1+-level vocabulary and grammar activities.
2. Suggested Activities
A. Project-based learning
Students imagine they are creating a training program (like the Flight Academy) to help young people achieve their dreams. The program could be about any field - flying, science, technology, sport, design, or another interest. They present a short written or spoken pitch describing who it’s for (age, background, location), what students will learn, how the program helps their future and why it’s important.
B. Mediation task: Collaborating to construct meaning
Write some figures from the video on the board, e.g. 13, 30, 18,000, 10. Have students work together to recall what the figures referred to in the video. If they are struggling, give them a clue for each, e.g. students, age, jobs, years. Then, give students a copy of the script to confirm their answers.
C. Pronunciation task: Word stress and rhythm in multi-syllable nouns
Write some words from the video on the board, e.g. aviation, professional, academy, mechanic etc. Elicit the pronunciation of the words and where the stressed sound is in each. Students write their own sentences using the words and practise reading them aloud naturally, with their partner identifying the stressed sound as they read aloud.
3. Vocabulary
Aviation
pilot
aircraft
airport
plane
flight
academy
aviation
training
program
college
university
license
skills
People and jobs
mechanic
expert
teacher
donor / donation
airline
Adjectives
free
professional
open
Nouns
dedication
academy
maintenance
controls
donation
4. Grammar
Future forms:
He plans to continue his flight training at university; There will be about 18,000 pilot jobs open every year.
Relative clauses:
A neighbour, who works as an aircraft mechanic …
Past perfect:
… Kyan had never even been in a plane.
TRANSCRIPT
Teen Pilot
NARRATOR:
Kyan Bovee has big dreams for his future. He wants to fly planes. Kyan is part of a program in Detroit that teaches young people how to become pilots. About 30 high school students join the Flight Academy each year. Their classroom is the sky above Detroit’s small Coleman A. Young airport. The program, which is free thanks to donations, is for teenagers aged 14 to 19 who want to be professional pilots. Students learn how to fly, study aircraft maintenance, and take classes to get a private pilot license. Kyan found out about the academy when he was 13. A neighbour, who works as an aircraft mechanic, told him about it. At that time, Kyan had never even been in a plane.
SOUNDBITE - Kyan Bovee:
“It was something I really fell in love with. I enjoyed it. I thought it was so cool. I was actually behind a small airplane at the controls.”
NARRATOR:
Kyan is now studying aviation at community college. Later, he plans to continue his flight training at university. His goal is to become an airline pilot.
SOUNDBITE - Kyan Bovee:
“Being a pilot is a very cool experience. It takes a lot of hard work, studying, dedication.”
NARRATOR:
More and more people want to travel by plane, and many pilots are retiring. As a result, airlines need to find new pilots. Experts say that in the US, there will be about 18,000 pilot jobs open every year in the next 10 years. For Kyan and his classmates, the journey starts now. They are learning the skills they need for a future in the skies.