3.

The Caribbean – Jamaica

Vocabulary
Before you read ... 2 Complete these questions with the correct forms of words
Find Jamaica on the map. Which island group does it from the Vocabulary File. Then answer the questions.
belong to? What do you know about it? Predict the
1 What types of music have Jamaican __________?
answers to these questions.
1 What language(s) do they speak in Jamaica? 2 Who did all the work on the sugar _________?
2 Who are the most famous Jamaicans? Why? 3 Why do you think swimming with __________ is more
3 What can you do if you visit Jamaica? relaxing?
4 Where is the best place in Jamaica to see underwater
__________?
Reading
5 In what ways does Jamaica have a __________ history?
1 Read the article to check. Translate the words from the
Vocabulary File. 6 How far do __________ normally run?
7 Has Jamaican music had a big __________ on the world of
Jamaica: The island of music music?
Jamaica is the third largest English-speaking country in the Americas, 8 Why do you need to __________ when you’re swimming
after the USA and Canada. It has a very sad and brutal history: most with the dolphins?
of the original people, Arawak Indians, died after the Spanish settled
on the island. When the English took the island from Spain in 1655, Comprehension
they kidnapped people from Africa, turned them into slaves and took 3 Are these statements true or false?
them to Jamaica to work on sugar plantations
plantations. Slavery ended only in
1834, and Jamaica became a free country in 1962. 1 There were slaves in Jamaica for more than 150 years.
Jamaican English looks very similar to British English when you see 2 Jamaican English is the same as Jamaican Patois.
it written down, but it sounds very different. Many Jamaicans use 3 Bob Marley was famous for reggae, ska and ragga
Jamaican Patois, a language with many English words but grammar music.
from West African languages. For example, to say ‘I run’ or ‘I ran’ in
4 Punk music started in Jamaica.
Jamaican Patois, you can say ‘mi ron’. ‘I am running’, is ‘mi a ron’,
‘I was running’ is ‘mi did ron’ and ‘I’m going to run’ is ‘mi a go ron’. 5 Jamaica has many great athletes.
For a small country (only about 2.8 million people), Jamaica has had 6 The capital of Jamaica is Kingston.
a big impact on the world of music. One of Jamaica’s most famous 7 The best place to hear reggae music is the Bob Marley
sons, Bob Marley, introduced reggae to the world. Other types of museum.
music from Jamaica include ska, dancehall and ragga. Jungle music 8 The dolphins in Dolphin Cove are faster than stingrays.
and hip hop also have roots in Jamaican communities in London and
9 Dunn’s River Falls are over 200m high.
New York. Even punk has Jamaican roots roots: the first punk rockers in
England loved reggae and ska.
Jamaica is also famous for its athletes, especially sprinters
sprinters. In 2009, Be bright
Jamaican Usain Bolt broke the world records for 100 m and 200 m,
with incredible times of 9.58 and 19.19 seconds.
1 Why do you think Jamaican Patois is a mixture of English
So what can you do in Jamaica? Well, everyone visits the Bob Marley
and African languages?
museum in the capital, Kingston, but if you want the real thing, you
need to go dancing in a reggae club. For a bit more excitement, why 2 Why do you think there are so many shipwrecks near
not visit Dolphin Cove, where you can go swimming with dolphins? Jamaica?
Hold on tight as the dolphins jump out of the water. They are fast, so
you’ll get tired very quickly. For a more relaxing experience, you can
go swimming with stingrays
stingrays! Speaking
Jamaica is a beautiful island, with clean, white sands and pure 4 Work in pairs and answer the questions.
blue water. There are also mountains and forests away from the • Would you like to visit Jamaica?
coast. You can visit one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world, • What would you do during a visit to Jamaica? Choose three
Dunn’s River Falls, or swim in the famous Blue Lagoon, a 200-metre
things.
deep pool of brightly-coloured water. Another great place to swim
Up to yo u
is the Port Royal area near Kingston, where you can explore many
underwater shipwrecks
shipwrecks.
Option 1: Imagine you are
a pirate and you are
visiting Jamaica. Write a
Vocabulary file the island.
description of

brutal a slave Option 2: Write a short

article about oth
languages that are a mixtu er
an impact a slavery re of English
and other languages (e.g
a plantation a sprinter . Scots in
Scotland, Tok Pisin in Pap
ua New Guinea).
roots a stingray Option 3: Prepare a pre
sentation about languages
to settle to hold on tight and dialects in your cou
ntr y.
a shipwreck
5
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