The youngest person to sail solo around the world

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The youngest person to sail solo around the world

Warm-up

Do you get seasick?

Vocabulary Match

amazing -   - finished
encourage -   - had a party
confirm -   - agree
celebrated -   - support
completed -   - awesome
imagine -   - think of

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In 2012, a teenage girl from the Netherlands, Laura Dekker, ________ a solo trip around the world. She sailed her boat, named "Guppy", for 518 days. Laura ________ her 16th birthday during the trip. She believes she is the youngest person to sail around the world alone.

However, Guinness World Records will not ________ this because they don't want to ________ dangerous trips. Some people in the Netherlands didn't want Laura to go because they thought she was too young and it was too risky. They also said she should be at school.

The last part of her trip was very difficult. She sailed from Cape Town, South Africa, through strong winds and big waves. Laura was very happy and cried when she saw her family at the end of her trip. One of Laura's fans, Jody Bell, said, "Her story is just ________. I can't ________ someone her age going out to sea all by herself."

Quiz

  1. What did Laura Dekker do in 2012?
  2. Why won't Guinness World Records confirm her record?
  3. Where did Laura sail from in the last part of her trip?

True or False

  1. Laura sailed on her boat, "Puppy", for 518 days.  T  |  F
  2. Some people thought Laura was too young and the trip was too risky.  T  |  F
  3. Laura was happy and cried when she saw Jody Bell at the end of her trip.  T  |  F

Conversation

A: Laura, you're so young. Are you sure about this trip?
B: Yes, absolutely! I've been dreaming of this for a long time.
A: But it's dangerous. And you should be at school.
B: I know, but this is something I have to do. I'll continue my studies later.
A: Well, be careful. We'll be waiting for you.
B: Thank you. I promise I'll be back safe and sound.

Discussion

  1. Have you ever been on a boat before? How long were you at sea?
  2. Would you like to sail around the world? Why or why not?
  3. Do you think it's important to follow your dreams?
  4. If you could break a world record, what would it be?

True Story Answers

In 2012, a teenage girl from the Netherlands, Laura Dekker, completed a solo trip around the world. She sailed her boat, named "Guppy", for 518 days. Laura celebrated her 16th birthday during the trip. She believes she is the youngest person to sail around the world alone.

However, Guinness World Records will not confirm this because they don't want to encourage dangerous trips. Some people in the Netherlands didn't want Laura to go because they thought she was too young and it was too risky. They also said she should be at school.

The last part of her trip was very difficult. She sailed from Cape Town, South Africa, through strong winds and big waves. Laura was very happy and cried when she saw her family at the end of her trip. One of Laura's fans, Jody Bell, said, "Her story is just amazing. I can't imagine someone her age going out to sea all by herself."

Vocabulary Answers

completed → finished
celebrated → had a party
confirm → agree
encourage → support
amazing → awesome
imagine → think of

Quiz Answers

  1. She completed a solo trip around the world.
  2. Because they don't want to encourage dangerous trips.
  3. She sailed from Cape Town, South Africa in the last part of her trip.

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. False

Further Reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Dekker

More "True Story" Lessons

ESL Lessons: True Stories