Teaching Grandma to Video Call
A2 · Reading: Reading for information · Technology in Daily Life
📹 How I Taught Grandma to Video Call — by Ben, Grade 7
Grandma got a new smartphone for her birthday. “Could you show me how to see your face on it?” she asked on the phone. So last weekend, I gave her a lesson. On a phone call. Without video. That was the first problem.
“OK, Grandma. First, find the app with the green camera on it. Tap it once.” She tapped it twelve times. Twelve windows opened.
“Then choose my name and tap the camera picture.” After a long time, her face appeared — or most of it. I could see her ear and part of the ceiling. “Hold the phone in front of your face, Grandma. Not next to your ear.”
After that, there was no sound. Her mouth was moving, but I couldn’t hear anything. “Grandma, you’re on mute! Tap the microphone!” She tapped the microphone. Then she tapped it again. Then she was on mute again.
Finally, it worked. I could see her and hear her. Then my picture went upside down on her screen. She thought it was the funniest thing in the world and laughed for five minutes.
Now Grandma video calls me every evening at six, even when I’m eating dinner. Last night she called to show me her new cat. Then she called again to show me the cat sleeping. I think I created a monster. But a very happy one.
Vocabulary
- video call — a phone call where you can see the other person
- tap — touch a screen quickly with your finger
- camera — the part of a phone that takes pictures
- mute — turn the sound off
- volume — how loud a sound is
- upside down — with the top at the bottom
Sample questions (12 questions)
- What was the first problem with the lesson?
- Ben had to teach her without video.
- Grandma had no phone.
- Ben was ill.
- What happened when Grandma tapped twelve times?
- The phone broke.
- Twelve windows opened.
- She called Ben twelve times.
- Why could Ben see Grandma’s ear and the ceiling?
- The camera was broken.
- She held the phone next to her ear.
- She was lying down.
Answers and hints from Migo appear when you do it online.