911

High Beginning ESL Level

     I.  Pre-reading

          What is 911? When can you call 911? Look at the pictures in this lesson.

   II.  Vocabulary

 

   emergency/emergencies

   afraid

   odor

   worry/worries

   paramedic

   lost

   dispatcher

   scare

   stolen

   firefighter

   inactive

          III.        Reading

When to Call 911

*  Medical Emergencies
 Paramedics will come:
  • if you are hurt
  • if you are sick
They will take you to the hospital.

*  Police
 Police will come:
  • if something is stolen
  • if you are afraid- if someone is lost
  • if you see something bad
*  Fire Emergencies


Firefighters will come:
  • if you report heavy smoke or fire
  • if you smell gas or a bad odor
*  Roadside Emergencies


Firefighters will come if you report a car accident or fire.

Call 911 from your home

 The dispatchers will know your name and address. If you cannot speak, then they will send the police to your house to see what is wrong. If you cannot speak English, you must try to say “I speak Spanish” for example, and the dispatcher will find you a Spanish-speaking person to help you.

Call 911 from your cell phone

 You can call 911 from your cell phone. They will know what area, within a mile, you are calling from. They will not know the exact location. You must tell the dispatcher the name of the street or a building nearby.

You can use an inactive cell phone to call 911. Do not throw away an old cell phone. Charge it up to use for emergencies.

Feel Safe

If something worries or scares you, call 911. If you hear a noise outside at night, and you are nervous, call 911. If the police come and find that a raccoon is in your garbage, then everyone is happy. You feel safe again. That is the important thing.

It's Free

911 is a free service. There is no charge for any emergency services such as the Fire Department and paramedics or the Police Department.

  IV. Post-reading


True or False?  Click on "Select" to choose your answers. After you have answered all the questions, go back and click on "Answer" to see the correct answers.

  1.   

  A paramedic will not take you to the hospital.
  

  2.   

  A firefighter will come if you report a car fire.
  

  3.   

  You can call 911 from an inactive cell phone.
  

  4.   

  There are dispatchers who speak more than one language.
  

  5.   

  911 is a free service.
  

Crossword Puzzle

  Type a letter in each box.
  Then check your answers
  in the "answer" boxes.

Across

  3.  not doing anything
       
  6.  to have fear
       is to be ______.
       
  8.  a person who saves
       you from a burning
       building 
1.
                    
                   
                   
       
2.
          
3.
4.
      
               
                       
5.
                 
6.
     
7.
                  
                       
                         
                         
8.
        
                       
    

Down

  1.  a place to receive medical care  
  2.  a person who takes a call and then sends people to different places  
  4.  a quick need for help  
  5.  a smell  
  7.  If a thief takes something from you, it is ___.  

  V.    Activities

             If you are working with a tutor or a partner, discuss your answers.
  1.  Name 3 emergencies for calling 911.

  2.  Tell about a time when you or someone you know called 911.
This skillpack was developed by Debra Pizzato, with the assistance of
the Mount Prospect, Illinois Police Department
Cartoons by Naomi Takeuchi   May 2003