Center for English Language and Orientation Programs
Intensive English Training Program for Teachers I Madrid Program I 2013
This Program is co-financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports
Name ______________________________
BEFORE LISTENING
Discuss these questions with a partner before we listen to an adjusted version of the short
story, The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne:
1. Who is Nathaniel Hawthorne? Have you read anything by him before? Where did he do
his writing? Do you know the story The Birthmark?
2. Is perfection possible? What is the opposite of perfection? What’s a perfectionist?
3. How do you feel if you own something that has an imperfection (like a t-shirt with small
coffee stain)? Have you ever thrown something away that worked fine but didn’t look
good? What was it?
4. What is a birthmark? Do you or anyone in your family have any?
5. How do you feel about plastic surgery? Do you think you would ever get plastic surgery
to remove a birthmark?
6. When is it okay for someone to get plastic surgery? Are there times when it can help
someone’s appearance? Are there times when it’s better to keep the person’s
appearance the way it is?
7. If your boyfriend or girlfriend has something wrong with their appearance (something
in their teeth, a hair growing out of their nose, messed up makeup, messy hair) do you
tell them about it? Do you want them to tell you about it?
8. What do you think this story will be about?
Vocabulary support before you listen
Discuss any of the vocabulary you already know with a group of three. Ask other classmates about
ones you don’t. Finally, ask the teacher or look up the words in a dictionary. Look for the part of
speech too (e.g. noun, adjective, verb, adverb, idiom, etc.)
scientist
birthmark
miracle
charm
defect
shock someone
blush
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Center for English Language and Orientation Programs
Intensive English Training Program for Teachers I Madrid Program I 2013
This Program is co-financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports
to pale/to be pale
deform one’s face or damage one’s health
failure/ success
poison
to be ruined
to put one’s life in someone’s hands
reject
With a partner, discuss:
Now that you know some of the vocabulary, what do you think this story will be about?
LISTENING
Start by listening to this summary of the story. Were you right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Maimye_ZN00 (start at 2 minutes)
Now listen to the story, it has been simplified from the original. It was adapted and produced
by Dana Demange. Your storyteller is Barbara Klein. We will look at Hawthorne’s complete text
later. You will listen to the story two times.
The first time you listen, write the answers to these comprehension questions for the main
ideas of the story (you will turn this in):
http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/a-23-2009-09-25-voa183142712/117091.html
Describe the two main characters in the story.
What problem does the Alymer have with Georgiana? What is the conflict in the story?
What dream did Alymer have?
How does the story end?
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Center for English Language and Orientation Programs
Intensive English Training Program for Teachers I Madrid Program I 2013
This Program is co-financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports
Now listen again and write the answers to these comprehension questions looking for
significant detailed ideas:
Describe Georgiana’s birthmark and how different people have reacted to it.
Georgiana’ s birthmark was like a small human hand. When she blushed I became more
visible and when she was pale it was like a red stain on snow.
Some said the mark was the small hand of a magical fairy that had touched he face and they
considered it to be a charm. Some women said that the mark destroyed her beauty and some
men didn’t want to see it.
How does Alymer view the birthmark? Be specific.
Alymer said that Georgiana was so beautiful that such imperfection shocked him. He didn’t
want to see it, it became unbearable for him.
How doe Georgiana feel about his view of her birthmark?
She was very unhappy.
How do you think Georgiana knows about the dream that Alymer had?
I think he shouted.
Describe what Georgiana sees when she finds Alymer in his laboratory.
She sees a hot furnace, containers for chemicals and Alymer preparing a liquid.
How does Alymer feel about trying to remove Georgiana’s birthmark?
He was really nervous, he had been hiding his tension and fear.
Does Alymer’s dream come true in the end?
Yes, it does. Georgiana dies.
Summarizing the main idea:
Explain the meaning of the sentence we hear at the beginning of the story: “It was not unusual
for the love of science to compete with the love of a woman.” How does this sentence relate to
the message of the story?
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Center for English Language and Orientation Programs
Intensive English Training Program for Teachers I Madrid Program I 2013
This Program is co-financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports
You can’t have both. If you are devoted to science you can’t do anything else.
LISTENING
Story themes highlighted with back up from song “Nobody Said It Was Easy” by Coldplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=Fqs8Hhyt5JE&feature=fvwp
What are the components to a good summary? List them here.
SPEAKING
Re-telling a story with key concepts and vocabulary
Using the key vocabulary you were introduced to, retell “The Birthmark” story with a partner
Each partner should try to tell the story in 3 minutes with main ideas, significant details and
key vocabulary.
Then switch partners and each try to tell the story in 2 minutes with the same key ideas but
fewer details.
Finally, switch partners again, and tell the story in 1 minute with only the key ideas.
You will record all three of these summaries in the computer lab using the Audio Recorder
software available there. Or, alternatively, record your voice (in mp3 format) on your phone.
Once you are satisfied with your recordings, upload the mp3s to your PB Wiki page.
Questions to discuss after the story
How do you feel about the story, The Birthmark?
Do you think the characters did the right thing—trying to remove his wife’s birthmark and
allowing her husband to try to remove it?
Do you think Alymer would have been satisfied as a scientist and as a husband if he’d been
successful?
How else could the story have ended?
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Center for English Language and Orientation Programs
Intensive English Training Program for Teachers I Madrid Program I 2013
This Program is co-financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports
Questions that relate to the theme of the story
Do you know any cases in current society when this kind of thing happens?
Look at this advertisement that was on the T (the Boston train line). Relate/write its
relationship to the story here.
Do you think there will be a time in the future when plastic surgery is affordable and we’ll be
able (and maybe even expected) to change our appearance easily? Describe that time here.
Look at the pictures of famous women without their makeup. Can you name who they are?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI8j_S3Y8MQ
What do you think of their ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures?
French stars with minimal/no makeup and Jamie Lee Curtis with makeup and airbrushing
http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/04/30/french-elle-stars-without-makeup/
What do you think about these pictures and the touching up of photographs?
How do you feel about people wearing makeup to cover blemishes? Is that more acceptable
than plastic surgery? If you found out that a man was wearing makeup, how would you feel?
READING
Now read the complete version of The Birthmark by Hawthorne and comment on what else
you learned about the characters, the operation, the feelings, the theme, the nuances that were
missing from the adjusted version. Do you see any literary devices being used? Write those
here. Write any vocabulary you looked up and/or have questions about.
WRITING
Write a paragraph to Alymer or Georgiana. You know either Alymer or Georgiana. They have
asked you for advice about performing the operation.
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Center for English Language and Orientation Programs
Intensive English Training Program for Teachers I Madrid Program I 2013
This Program is co-financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports
You can respond to the characters in whatever character you choose; for example, Alymer’s
assistant, Alymer’s mother, Georgiana’s friend, Georgiana’s ‘frenemy’ (friend but really enemy),
etc.
LISTENING
What is beauty?
What does ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ mean?
Do you know the song by One Direction called “What Makes You Beautiful”?
Listen to the song once.
Youtube:
General/main idea listening task
What is its message? Do you agree with them?
Listen again and do this more detailed listening task
Here are the song lyrics with blanks for you to fill in. How many can you get?
http://www.lyricstraining.com/play/8997/one_direction/what_makes_you_beautiful
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