Page 129 - Think 4. Teacher's Book B2

Unit 12
Off the beaten track Reading

Warmer
Ask: How do you travel to … (city
near the school)? Elicit answers in
open class. Ask: How could you lmost every country on our planet has been explored and mapped and all of these have roads,
travel if there were no roads or Arailways and lines of communication. So it can be hard for us to imagine the people who went there
without all the infrastructure that we now take for granted.
railways? How long would it take? This series celebrates the men and women who opened the world up and risked their lives to protect the
people and environments they discovered along the way. This week, we profile a man not well-known
Ask students to discuss with a outside his own country and continent – Cândido Rondon.
partner before eliciting some of their
ideas. A FRIEND TO NATIVE PEOPLE CÂNDIDO RONDON
In 1865, in a small village in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, a boy was born. His father was of Portuguese ancestry and his
mother was a native Brazilian. Who could have known that his origins would play such a big part in helping to connect so many
1 If students have access to the cultures in very real and visible ways?
internet, give them time to He decided to join the army as an engineer and when he was only 25, he was involved in the building of a road from Rio de
Janeiro to Cuiabá, a journey that previously could only be made by boat. He was later given the monumental task of placing
research their answers to the telegraph lines from Brazil to Bolivia and Peru. This was a difficult job through rough and unexplored terrain, so it required a
questions before discussing them. skilled engineer. Rondon opened paths through uncharted territory, and he came into contact with the Bororo, a tribe he had
family connections with on his mother’s side. Rondon established a friendly and respectful relationship with the Bororo people,
and the telegraph lines were completed with their help.
2 Before students read the article, Next, Rondon was given the job of extending the telegraph system from Mato Grosso to the Amazon.
This time he came across and made friends with the Nambikwara, previously thought of as a timid but
get them to cover it and just hostile tribe. Rondon got to know many tribes during his expeditions, and he was a great friend to them.
look at the title and pictures and He was disturbed and ashamed to learn about the terrible way that they were often treated by outsiders.
He fought long and hard to protect them and their right to
answer the question. Then set a follow their own beliefs, traditions and customs.
However, some people still considered him an outsider.
three-minute time limit for them During his expeditions in Amazonia, Rondon was attacked
to skim the article quickly. several times, and once he was wounded by an arrow.
Other members of the expedition wanted to take revenge
Rondon built many roads and on the native people who had attacked them, but Rondon
said, ‘Die if necessary, but never kill.’ Years later, Rondon set
telegraph lines across Brazil. He up Brazil’s Indian Protection Service, an agency to safeguard
also spent his life protecting the the interests and support the cultures of native peoples.
Rondon’s famous words became its motto.
interests, cultures and lives of many Rondon died in 1958 and is remembered as a hero in Brazil.
of the native peoples of Brazil. A state in Brazil (Rondônia) was named after him, as well as
the airport in Cuiabá and several roads.
Next week: Abel Tasman
3 12.06
1 T 2 T
3 F (He became friends with them.) READING 3 12.06 Read and listen to the article again.
4 T 5 DS 6 T 1 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Discuss what Mark the sentences T (true), F (false) or DS (doesn’t say).
SPEAKING
Then correct the false sentences.
you know about when the main roads, 1 Cândido Rondon was half Portuguese and half Brazilian.
4 Make sure all students get an railways and telephone lines were built in 2 Rondon was considered a good engineer.
opportunity to speak. your country. Think about these things: 3 The Nambikwara were not friendly to Rondon.
1 how and when the main roads (and/or 4 Rondon was upset by the way strangers treated the tribes.
railways) were built, and by whom 5 Rondon’s motto came from one of the tribes.
2 how communications, such as telephone 6 Many people in Brazil still appreciate what Rondon
Activity idea Fast finishers lines, started, and when did for the country.
3 any difficulties people had when building
Ask students to write two more the roads, telephone lines, etc. 4 SPEAKING Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
SPEAKING
statements about the article for their 2 Look at the title of the article and the 1 What do you understand by Rondon’s motto, ‘Die if necessary,
but never kill.’?
partners / the class to decide if they pictures. What do you think Rondon 2 What places in your country are named after famous people?
achieved? Read the article quickly
are true, false or not in the article. to check. 3 Who would you name an airport after in your country?
114
Activity idea Extension
Ask students to write five questions Culture notes
based on the article in pairs. Put
pairs together to form groups of four The Bororo are indigenous people living along the upper Paraguay River in
to ask each other their questions. southern Brazil. It is estimated that they have been living in this area for at
Students score two points if they can least 7,000 years. The term Bororo means ‘village court’ and their houses are
answer correctly from memory and traditionally in a circular position around a central court where ceremonies are
one point if they can find the answer held. During rainy seasons, the Bororo abandon their villages and move to higher
after looking at the article for only ground, subsisting mostly by hunting, gathering and fishing but also some farming.
15 seconds. They probably number a little more than 1,000 persons.
The Nambikwara are the indigenous people of Mato Grosso in Brazil. In the early
20th century, Cândido Randon estimated the population to be around 10,000
people, but by 1930, due to introduced diseases such as measles and smallpox,
this had reduced to only 500. The Nambikuára language is apparently unrelated to
any other.
Indian Protection Service (Serviço de Proteção aos Índios, abbreviated as SPI)
was the first Brazilian government agency to be charged with protecting Indian
more peoples from persecution and extermination. Founded in 1910 in response to
international pressure and accusations of indigenous genocide from Cândido
Randon, the organisation was disbanded in 1967 and replaced by the National
Workbook Indian Foundation (Funaçāo Nacional do Índio or FUNAI), which is still active today.
Reading p112, Ex.1–4

T114 Off the beaten track | Unit 12