Set the Scene:
Let’s start with some engaging questions to connect your everyday life to the subject of the activity. Please consider the following:
- Have you ever heard of a group of people who were known for their stealth and ability to strike without warning?
- Can you think of a time when a small group of people made a significant impact on a larger community or organization?
- How do you think a group of people could use psychological warfare to their advantage?
- Have you ever seen a movie or read a book about a secret society or group of assassins?
- What do you think it would take for a group of people to become legendary in their time?
Featured Image Analysis & Prediction:
Look at the featured image and consider the following questions:
- What do you see in the image?
- What do you think this activity will be about based on this image?
- Do you see any symbols or objects in the image that could give you a clue about the topic?
Introduction:
Please read the introduction to the activity, which discusses the deadliest special forces in the medieval world, known as the assassins.
Video Engagement:
Watch the video associated with the activity, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqnntI-eZhQ. As you watch the video, please pause at the following points and consider the questions:
- Pause at 2:00 minutes: What do you think is the most significant challenge facing the assassins in their mission? How do you think they will overcome it?
- Pause at 5:00 minutes: Can you think of a time when a group of people used asymmetric warfare to their advantage? How did they do it?
- Pause at 8:00 minutes: What do you think is the key to the assassins’ success in their missions? Is it their training, their strategy, or something else?
For more information about the activity, please visit the original post at https://maestrocursos.com.br/quizzed-esl-activities/the-order-of-assassins-the-deadliest-special-forces-of-the-medieval-world/.
Vocabulary Quiz:
Please complete the vocabulary quiz to test your understanding of the key terms:
- Which word means ‘a person who is trained to carry out secret and often deadly missions’?
- A) Warlord
- B) Assassin
- C) Crusader
- D) Commander
- What is the term for ‘warfare that involves targeting high-profile victims to create an atmosphere of dread and fear’?
- A) Asymmetric warfare
- B) Psychological impact
- C) Stealth warfare
- D) Guerrilla warfare
- Which group did Hassan Isabah lead in the mountain fortress of Alamut in northern Persia?
- A) Sunni Muslims
- B) The Fiden
- C) The Ismaelis
- D) Shiite Muslims
- What is the name of the champion of Sunni Orthodoxy who sought to root out heresy, including Hassan’s Ismaelis?
- A) Saladin
- B) Nisam al-mul
- C) Conrad of Monura
- D) Sinan
- What is the term for ‘a person who remains in a target area, often for an extended period, waiting for the perfect moment to strike’?
- A) Sleeper cell
- B) Assassin
- C) Spy
- D) Infiltrator
Answer Key:
- B) Assassin
- A) Asymmetric warfare
- C) The Ismaelis
- B) Nisam al-mul
- A) Sleeper cell
Grammar Focus:
The present perfect simple and present perfect continuous are used to describe actions that started in the past and continue up to the present moment. Please consider the following examples:
- The assassins have become a legend.
- The Islamic world has been divided between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
Grammar Quiz:
Please complete the grammar quiz to test your understanding of the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous:
- By the time the assassins finished their training, they ________ their skills in close quarters combat.
- A) have mastered
- B) master
- C) were mastering
- D) had mastered
- The Ismaelis ________ in the mountain fortress of Alamut for nearly two centuries.
- A) have taken refuge
- B) take refuge
- C) were taking refuge
- D) had taken refuge
- The assassins ________ a significant psychological impact on their enemies.
- A) have made
- B) make
- C) are making
- D) had made
- By the time Saladin realized the threat, the assassins ________ a sleeper cell in his camp.
- A) have inserted
- B) insert
- C) were inserting
- D) had inserted
- The assassins’ tactics ________ throughout history, and their name has become synonymous with stealth and cunning.
- A) have been studied
- B) are studied
- C) were studied
- D) study
Answer Key:
- D) had mastered
- A) have taken refuge
- A) have made
- D) had inserted
- A) have been studied