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The Golden Gate Bridge

Episode of the series Man-made Wonders of America

CEFR : A2, B1
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The Golden Gate Bridge
Level

The episode

The Golden Gate Bridge

Listen to an extract:
0:00 / 0:45

Episode worksheets (2)

  • Student sheet In your teacher account
  • Teacher sheet In your teacher account

Teaching guide

Objective & content

This A2+ documentary introduces the Golden Gate Bridge, where a narrow, foggy strip of sea separated San Francisco from the land to the north. The narrator explains why ferries were no longer enough, names the engineer Joseph Strauss, his colleague Charles Ellis and the designer Irving Morrow, and describes how workers built the towers and cables during the Great Depression. The text also states that eleven workers died and that a safety net saved 19 men. Language focus is present simple to describe the bridge and past simple for dated build facts, with the vocabulary of transport and the city. The main skill is listening comprehension, followed by the in-app quiz.

Materials & prerequisites

The episode comes with a student sheet and a teacher sheet (PDF and HTML). Learners should already know present simple, there is / there are and basic past simple forms (was, were, built, opened).

Curriculum alignment

Tagged for cycle 3 (6e): "L'enfant et le temps qui passe" and "L'enfant et son environnement élargi". The episode targets CEFR A2+.

Possible adaptations

  • Lower levels: Offer segmented listening and additional visual aids.
  • Advanced levels: Encourage an oral summary and a debate in English on the theme.
  • Large groups: Organise group work with differentiated roles.

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Tags

  • Documentary
  • Present simple
  • Past simple: was / were
  • Past simple: regular verbs
  • Past simple: irregular verbs
  • Can: ability
  • Logical connectors
  • Historical dates
  • Transport
  • Town & village
  • Environment
  • Government
  • US states
  • San Francisco
  • Urban planning
  • Child and passing time
  • Child and wider environment
  • Listening comprehension
  • Vocabulary building
  • Cultural awareness