Saturday January 15, 2005
Intermediate +

THE ARTICLE

North Korea has urged the United States to come to the negotiating table for talks on suspending its nuclear weapons programme and becoming friends. One provision, however, is that US President George W, Bush be ‘kinder’ in his rhetoric towards Pyonyang and adopt a ‘less hostile’ approach. All of this comes at the end of a four-day visit by American diplomats, in which the head of the US team, Curt Weldon, assured North Korean leaders that Mr. Bush had no intention of carrying out an Iraq-style invasion of their country, nor of toppling leader Kim Jong Il. George W. Bush outcast North Korea in his “axis of evil” speech in 2002 and has stuck to his guns regarding the freezing and dismantling of the Stalinist state’s nuclear weapons programme. The North Koreans maintain nuclear weapons are a deterrent against an “aggressive” US foreign policy. Such diplomatic wrangling is not new. North Korea has continually tried to play its hand in using the nuclear issue as a lever in gaining financial and economic aid from the West while trying to become a member of the world’s elite nuclear club. However, their recent conciliatory moves represent a changed attitude. The (North) Korean Central News Agency reports of a need for a “future-oriented approach toward improving the bilateral relations in the new century, instead of repeating the unpleasant past.”

Lesson & plan in Word.doc     Example Class Handout in .pdf

POSSIBLE WARM UPS / COOL DOWNS

1. CHAT:  Talk in pairs or groups about North Korea / South Korea / axis of evil / nuclear states / dangerous countries / Kim Jong Il / nuclear disarmament …
To make things more dynamic, try telling your students they only have one minute (or 2) on each chat topic before changing topics / partners. Change topic / partner frequently to energize the class.

2. NORTH KOREA BRAINSTORM: Write on the board anything students know about North Korea. Use this as a springboard for students to discuss in pairs or groups.

3. MY COUNTRY: Students write down two counties with which their own country is “best friends” and two countries which share hostile  / non-existent / or cold relations with. Inform partner, other students of these international relationships. As a follow-on, discuss how to make the colder relationships warmer.

4. NUCLEAR WEAPONS: Students comment on the following:
- All nuclear weapons should be banned.
- Nuclear weapons are deterrents and have maintained world peace for a record fifty years.
- Only the ‘big’ countries such as the USA, China, Russia should have nuclear weapons.
- Both India and Pakistan should abandon their weapons, as their relations are the most likely to start a nuclear conflict.
- Too little world attention is given to nuclear weapons testing.
- Any countries trying to develop a weapons programme now should be stopped.
- The “axis of evil” countries should be threatened with Iraq-style invasion if they do not dismantle their weapons programmes.
- If it’s OK for small countries like Great Britain to have nuclear weapons, then it’s OK for largely populated countries like Indonesia or Brazil to have them.
- It’s dangerous for Middle-Eastern countries to have nuclear weapons.
- It’s OK for Israel to have nuclear weapons.
- Technology means one day all countries, and even all terrorist groups will be nuclear armed.

5. 2-MINUTE DEBATES: Students face each other in pairs and engage in the following (for-fun) 2-minute debates. Students A are assigned the first argument, students B the second. Rotate pairs to ensure a lively pace and noise level is kept:

(a) Diplomacy is best with North Korea. vs. America should attack.
(b) North Korea must dismantle its weapons programmes. vs. Double standards if America doesn’t.
(c) America should lead by example and reduce its weapons. vs. Sinc the end of the Cold War America has drastically reduced its stockpiles of nuclear weaons.
(d) George W. Bush should topple Kim Jong Il like he did with Saddam Hussein. vs That would mean a longer war then Viet Nam.
(e) North Korea has every right to develop nuclear weapons to defend itself. vs Not when its people are starving to d eath.
(f) One day the world will be rid of nuclear weapons. vs. Yes, but then chemical or biological weapons will be the threat.
(g) North Korea is a major threat to world peace. v. North Korea is just defending itself.

PRE-READING IDEAS

1. WORD SEARCH: Students look in their dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … of the words ‘table’, and ‘talk’.

2. TRUE / FALSE: Students look at the headline and predict whether they believe the following statements are true or false:
(a)  North Korea has urged the United States to come to the negotiating table.  T / F
(b)  North Korea has asked to buy nuclear weapons from the USA.  T / F
(c)  North Korea has asked George W. Bush to be kinder.  T / F
(d)  Mr. Bush has every intention of carrying out an Iraq-style invasion of N. Korea.  T / F
(e)  George W. Bush has been a friend of North Korea since 2002.  T / F
(f)  The North Koreans maintain nuclear weapons are a deterrent against an “aggressive” US foreign policy.  T / F
(g)  North Korea is really using nuclear weapons as a lever to get economic assistance from the West.  T / F
(h)  Pyongyang wants to focus on improving bilateral relations with America.  T / F

3. SYNONYM MATCH: Students match the following synonyms from the article:

(a)	urged	antagonistic
(b)	suspending	remain strong
(c)	rhetoric	removing
(d)	hostile	friendly
(e)	invasion	troublesome
(f)	stick to one’s guns	recommended
(g)	toppling	freezing
(h)	play its hand	attack
(i)	conciliatory	gamble
(j)	unpleasant	language

 

4. PHRASE MATCH: Students match the following phrases based on the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

(a)	come to the	towards Pyonyang
(b)	nuclear weapons	evil
(c)	his rhetoric	relations
(d)	Mr. Bush had no intention of carrying	wrangling
(e)	axis of	its hand
(f)	stuck to his	negotiating table
(g)	nuclear weapons are a	out an Iraq-style invasion
(h)	diplomatic	programme
(i)	North Korea has tried to play	deterrent
(j)	bilateral	guns

 

WHILE READING ACTIVITIES

1. GAP-FILL:  Put the missing words under each paragraph into the gaps.

Let’s be friends – North Korea

bNE: North Korea has __________ the United States to come to the negotiating table for talks on __________ its nuclear weapons programme and becoming friends. One provision, however, is that US President George W, Bush be ‘kinder’ in his rhetoric towards Pyonyang and adopt a ‘less __________ approach. All of this comes at the end of a four-day visit by American diplomats, in which the head of the US team, Curt Weldon, __________ North Korean leaders that Mr. Bush had no intention of carrying out an Iraq-style invasion of their country, nor of toppling leader Kim Jong Il. George W. Bush __________ North Korea in his “axis of evil” speech in 2002 and has stuck to his guns regarding the freezing and dismantling of the Stalinist state’s nuclear weapons programme. The North Koreans maintain nuclear weapons are a __________ against an “aggressive” US foreign policy. Such diplomatic wrangling is not new. North Korea has continually tried to play its hand in using the nuclear issue as a lever in gaining financial and economic aid from the West while trying to become a member of the world’s __________ nuclear club. However, their recent conciliatory moves represent a changed attitude. The (North) Korean Central News Agency reports of a need for a “future-oriented approach toward improving the bilateral relations in the new century, instead of __________ the unpleasant past.”

hostile deterrent repeating outcast urged elite assured suspending

2. TRUE/FALSE:  Students check their answers to the T/F exercise.

3. SYNONYMS:  Students check their answers to the synonyms exercise.

4. PHRASE MATCH: Students check their answers to the phrase match exercise.

5. QUESTIONS: Students make notes for questions they would like to ask the class about the article.

6. VOCABULARY:  Students circle any words they do not understand. In groups pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find the meanings.

POST READING IDEAS

1. GAP-FILL: Check the answers to the gap-fill exercise.

2. QUESTIONS:  Students ask the discussion questions they thought of above to their partner / group / class. Pool the questions for all students to share.

3. VOCABULARY: As a class, go over the vocabulary students circled above.

4. STUDENT-GENERATED SURVEY: Pairs/Groups write down 3 questions based on the article. Conduct their surveys alone. Report back to partners to compare answers. Report to other groups / the whole class.

5. ‘TABLE’/ ‘TALK’: Students make questions based on their findings from pre-reading activity #1.

6. DISCUSSION:  Students ask each other the following questions:
(a)  What do you think of North Korea’s actions?
(b)  Do you think America and North Korea can resolve their nuclear problem?
(c)  Should North Korea be ‘allowed’ to develop nuclear weapons?
(d)  How long will it be before North Korea becomes an accepted member of the international community (i.e. be democratic)?
(e)  How long will it be before North Korea and South Korea unify?
(f)  What do you know about North Korea and its leader Kim Jong Il?
(g)  Should all nuclear weapons be banned?
(h)  Should George W. Bush follow up on Pyongyang’s conciliatory gesture and go to North Korea himself to meet the N. Korean leader?
(i)  Is North Korea “evil”?
(j)  Does the USA have an “aggressive” foreign policy?
(k)  Teacher’s / Students’ additional questions

HOMEWORK

1. VOCAB EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or the Google search field to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on North Korea. Share your findings with your class next lesson.

3. NORTH KOREA POSTER: Create an information poster on N. Korea.

4. LETTER TO GEORGE: Write a letter to US President George W. Bush explaining your thoughts on how he should now proceed with North Korea.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:
(a)  North Korea has urged the United States to come to the negotiating table.  T
(b)  North Korea has asked to buy nuclear weapons from the USA.  F
(c)  North Korea has asked George W. Bush to be kinder.  T
(d)  Mr. Bush has every intention of carrying out an Iraq-style invasion of N. Korea.  F
(e)  George W. Bush has been a friend of North Korea since 2002.  F
(f)  The North Koreans maintain nuclear weapons are a deterrent against an “aggressive” US foreign policy.  T
(g)  North Korea is really using nuclear weapons as a lever to get economic assistance from the West.  T
(h)  Pyongyang wants to focus on improving bilateral relations with America.  T

DEFINITIONS:

(a)	urged (v)	(b) to strongly recommend someone does something
(b)	negotiating table (n)	(a) a place where meetings take place to agree on important issues
(c)	rhetoric (n)	(b) a style of speaking
(d)	hostile (adj)	(b) not friendly, aggressive in relations with
(e)	invasion (n)	(b) when one country sends its army into another country to take power
(f)	toppling (n)	(a) the forceful removal from power of a country’s leader
(g)	outcast (n)	(a) someone (or a country) that has been excluded from society or the world
(h)	deterrent (n)	(b) something dangerous which stops someone else attacking you
(i)	lever (n)	(a) a way of applying pressure to make someone do something
(j)	conciliatory (adj)	(b) doing things to become friends again with someone

 

SYNONYM MATCH:

(a)	urged	recommended
(b)	suspending	freezing
(c)	rhetoric	language
(d)	hostile	antagonistic
(e)	invasion	attack
(f)	stick to one’s guns	remain strong
(g)	toppling	removing
(h)	play its hand	gamble
(i)	conciliatory	friendly
(j)	unpleasant	troublesome

 

PHRASE MATCH:

(a)	come to the	negotiating table
(b)	nuclear weapons	programme
(c)	his rhetoric	towards Pyonyang
(d)	Mr. Bush had no intention of carrying	out an Iraq-style invasion
(e)	axis of	evil
(f)	stuck to his	guns
(g)	nuclear weapons are a	deterrent
(h)	diplomatic	wrangling
(i)	North Korea has tried to play	its hand
(j)	bilateral	relations

 

GAP FILL:

Let’s be friends – North Korea

North Korea has urged the United States to come to the negotiating table for talks on suspending its nuclear weapons programme and becoming friends. One provision, however, is that US President George W, Bush be ‘kinder’ in his rhetoric towards Pyonyang and adopt a ‘less hostile’ approach. All of this comes at the end of a four-day visit by American diplomats, in which the head of the US team, Curt Weldon, assured North Korean leaders that Mr. Bush had no intention of carrying out an Iraq-style invasion of their country, nor of toppling leader Kim Jong Il. George W. Bush outcast North Korea in his “axis of evil” speech in 2002 and has stuck to his guns regarding the freezing and dismantling of the Stalinist state’s nuclear weapons programme. The North Koreans maintain nuclear weapons are a deterrent against an “aggressive” US foreign policy. Such diplomatic wrangling is not new. North Korea has continually tried to play its hand in using the nuclear issue as a lever in gaining financial and economic aid from the West while trying to become a member of the world’s elite nuclear club. However, their recent conciliatory moves represent a changed attitude. The (North) Korean Central News Agency reports of a need for a “future-oriented approach toward improving the bilateral relations in the new century, instead of repeating the unpleasant past."