Intermediate Level 8

Roberto Carlos Rangel Alvarez

Master of Science Sam Houston State University
Bilingual Education and TESOL Certified
Making a Difference

Language Note
To Save Someone’s life means to prevent a person from dying.
To affect somthing or someone means to have an impact. Note that
affect is the verb, while effect is the noun.

Content Note
A volunteer firefighter works as support during an emergency. The
position is common in many local fire Stations in the United States.
Volunteers, or they only receive a small Amount of compensation.
Everyday Heroes

• When you make a difference, you change something in a positive

way.
• You can help out in many different ways. You can help a friend
out or help out at a charity by volunteering your time.
• To take care of someone usually refers to aiding a person in some
way (for example, when they’re sick).
• To be there for someone means to be available to them in times of
trouble.
Making an Impact

• Grammar Note (Additional)

• The language chart reviews present, past, present progressive, past
progressive and present perfect forms.
• The past and present progressive tenses use be + -ing to explain
somehting that is happening now, or was happening at a time in the
past.
• The present perfect tense uses have/has + past participle to
communicate that an action is completed (e.g. Governments around
the world have signed…) or is still happening (e.g. The internet has
changed everything…)
Making an Impact

• Blare Gooch was 12 years old when he started Blare’s

Bears in 2010. In 2010, he actually collected 50,000
teddy bears, of which 25,000 were sent to Haiti. The rest
were donated to Children in need in the U.S. The
organization now encourages students to collect unused
School Supplies at their schools at the end of the School
year to send to students in Haiti.
Food Rescue Mission
Reading Skill

• SKIMMING involves Reading quickly for main ideas. The

first step of skimming includes quickly Reading the title,
subheadings, and captions, and looking at pictures.
Students should read the first and last paragraphs quickly,
and the first and last sentence of each paragraph. Students
should be picking up key words and phrases that can give
them a general idea of what the passage is about.
Language Note

• Something that happens on a global scale (line 6)

happens worldwide.
• A nonprofit (line 19) is a charity organization that
does not operate to make money, but for a cause.
• A food kitchen (lines 22-23) is like a cafeteria that
provides free meals to the homeless and people in
need.
Content Note

• Robert Lee’s organization, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine,

uses Technology to make helping easier and more
efficient. By using and app to connect volunteers to
nearby restaruants with leftovers it becomes a quick trip
for volunteers as they can choose restaurants and
shelters that they are already near. In this way, Lee is
trying to make volunteering a more common part of
everyday life, and not something that requires a special
effort. By making helping so easy, he is creating more
everyday heroes like himself.
A life Lesson from a volunteer firefighter
TED Talk Summary

• Mark Bezos volunteers his time as assistant Captain of the

firehouse near where he lives outside of New York City. In
his talk, he tells the story of the first burning house that he
went into as a volunteer, where he was instructed to get a
pair of shoes from the bedroom. While it wasn´t the
glamourous kind of assignment that he had imagined he’d
have as a firefighter, this first job made Bezos realize that
even small, seemingly insignificant Jobs make a difference.
Language Note
Part 1
• Bezos uses the phrase Back in New York to tell his audience
that the Story he is telling took place in New York. A Location
can be introduced with the phrase Back in…when it is different
from the speaker’s current Location.
• Bezos uses the term highly skilled career staff to refer to the
professional firefighters, who are well trained to do their Jobs
and Received a salary.
• The term career firefighter is often used to refer to the
professionals.
• A footrace is hurrying to do something before someone else.
Language Note
Part 2

• To be stunned with jealousy means to feel it deeply so

you were unable to react.
• The phrase I swear is used to say you’re not lying in
situations where the listener might be experiencing a
sense of disbelief about what the speaker is saying.
• A master bedroom is the largest bedroom in a house.
• A nemesis is someone you’re in competition with.
Language Note
• Part 3

• Your vocation is your job, while your avocation is a

hobby or side job.
• A sour kitchen is a kind of cafeteria where homeless
people and others in need can go for free meals.
• A mentor is someone who spends time advising
someone with less experience.
Skills Note
• Note that helping your audience visualize refers to helping them
see in their minds in order to better understand the topic being
discussed. Bezos does this mainly through a Story in which he
paints a picture of the scene of the house on fire. His audience
can picture what he is saying in their minds – they can see the
scene.

• In other cases, a story may not be the best technique to use. A

demonstration involves a speaker showing the Audience how to do
something in order for them to understand it better. This is
another way to help an Audience better grasp an idea.
Skills note

• Don’t confuse visuals with visualization. Visuals are one

tool to help an Audience understand a topic and main
point more clearly. Visuals can include pictures,
infographics, slides, charts, etc.While using visuals can
be one way for helping an Audience visualize, a speakcer
has many other ways to accomplish this as well.