The Bayou, Louisiana
Episode of the series Natural Wonders of America
- Illustrated slideshow (55 images)
- Glossary (15 words)
- Comprehension quiz (18 questions)
- Cultural notes
Extract · 30 sThe episode
Dark water, grey moss and alligators. In Louisiana, the Mississippi carries mud to the sea and makes new land. Alligators wait in the quiet water under old trees. Nearby, the city of New Orleans gave the world jazz.
Episode worksheets (2)
- Student sheet In your teacher account
- Teacher sheet In your teacher account
Teaching guide
Objective & content
This documentary explores the bayou in Louisiana, in the south of the United States. It explains how the Mississippi River carries mud to the sea and builds a delta, and why the land is now disappearing: "Since the 1930s, Louisiana has lost about 5,000 square kilometres." It presents the bald cypress, the alligator and the Atchafalaya Basin, then the history of New Orleans, the Cajuns, the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The main grammar is the present simple to describe a place, with the past simple for dated events. Learners practise listening comprehension and nature and weather vocabulary.
Materials & prerequisites
- A student sheet and a teacher sheet (PDF and HTML versions) in `printables/`.
- Learners should know the present simple, "there is / there are" and "can".
- A few past simple forms (regular and irregular) are useful for the dated facts.
Curriculum alignment
Tagged `c3-child-and-living-world`: cycle 3 (6e). 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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