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Scotland rejects independence from U.K. (20th September, 2014)

The Reading / Listening - Level 6

Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom after rejecting independence in a historic vote on Thursday. Scottish people cast their ballots on whether or not to be an independent country for the first time since 1707, when it joined the United Kingdom. Several polls in the weeks before the vote showed a small lead for the pro-independence campaigners. However, on the day, there was a clear victory for those wishing to stay part of the UK, with 55% voting 'No' and 45% voting 'Yes'. The referendum was the culmination of two years of intense campaigning by the 'Yes' and 'No' teams. Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC the result was "a deep personal and political disappointment".

The referendum was one of the most historic votes ever to take place in the U.K. The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It would have been a dramatic moment had Scotland broken away. Pro-independence campaigners claimed Scottish people would have been better off as an independent nation. The "Better Together" campaigners, including the U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, said Scottish independence would have been detrimental to Scottish interests. Despite the 'no' vote, Scotland will get more powers from the British government. Ms Sturgeon said she would work with "anyone in any way" to secure more powers for Scotland.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 4 or Level 5

Sources

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29270441
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/09/19/scotland-referendum-vote/15839719/
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/its-no-go-scotland-rejects-independence.1411101075

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The 40 Lesson Activities on the PDF Handout

WARM-UPS

1. SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Scottish Independence. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

voted / historic / independent / campaigners / victory / personal / disappointment / England / Scotland / Wales / N. Ireland / dramatic / detrimental / powers / secure

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. ONE COUNTRY: Imagine all countries became united as one. Complete this table with your partner(s) and make plans for the new country. Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	What?	Why?
The name
The flag
The capital city
The currency
The official language
The biggest problem

4. INDEPENDENCE: Students A strongly believe all peoples that want independence should get it; Students B strongly believe otherwise. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. PRIDE: Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the things that make you most proud of your country at the top. Change partners often.

• history

• language

• food

• army

• natural beauty

• people

• environmental policies food

• sporting achievements

6. VOTE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "vote". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Scotland has been part of the UK for over 400 years.	T / F
b.	Around 45 per cent of people voted for independence.	T / F
c.	The campaigning for independence started 18 months ago.	T / F
d.	Scotland's Deputy First Minister was very happy with the result.	T / F
e.	The article says the referendum was the UK's most historic vote ever.	T / F
f.	"Better Together" campaigners said a yes vote would harm Scotland.	T / F
g.	Scotland will now get fewer powers from the British government.	T / F
h.	Scotland's Deputy First Minister said she would work with anyone.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	stay	a.	triumph
2.	rejecting	b.	declared
3.	poll	c.	occur
4.	victory	d.	turning down
5.	culmination	e.	harmful
6.	take place	f.	vote
7.	claimed	g.	concerns
8.	detrimental	h.	remain
9.	interests	i.	get
10.	secure	j.	climax

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	a historic	a.	campaigning
2.	a small lead for the pro-independence	b.	been better off
3.	The referendum was the	c.	ever to take place
4.	two years of intense	d.	vote
5.	a deep personal and	e.	moment
6.	one of the most historic votes	f.	to Scottish interests
7.	a dramatic	g.	political disappointment
8.	Scottish people would have	h.	culmination
9.	detrimental	i.	powers
10.	secure more	j.	campaigners

GAP FILL

Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom after (1) ____________ independence in a historic vote on Thursday. Scottish people (2) ____________ their ballots on (3) ____________ or not to be an independent country for the first time since 1707, when it joined the United Kingdom. Several polls in the weeks before the vote showed a (4) ____________ lead for the pro-independence campaigners. However, on the day, there was a clear (5) ____________ for those wishing to stay part of the UK, with 55% voting 'No' and 45% voting 'Yes'. The referendum was the (6) ____________ of two years of intense campaigning by the 'Yes' and 'No' (7) ____________. Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC the result was "a (8) ____________ personal and political disappointment".

victory
whether
rejecting
teams
small
deep
cast
culmination

The referendum was one of the most historic votes (9) ____________ to take place in the U.K. The United Kingdom (10) ____________ of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It would have been a (11) ____________ moment had Scotland broken away. Pro-independence campaigners claimed Scottish people would have been better (12) ____________ as an independent nation. The "Better Together" campaigners, (13) ____________ the U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, said Scottish independence would have been (14) ____________ to Scottish interests. Despite the 'no' vote, Scotland will get more (15) ____________ from the British government. Ms Sturgeon said she would work with "anyone in any way" to (16) ____________ more powers for Scotland.

off
ever
powers
including
dramatic
secure
consists
detrimental

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	stay in the United Kingdom after ______
	a. rejection independence b. reject in independence c. rejecting independence d. reject thing independence
2)	Several polls in the weeks before the vote ______
	a. showed a smaller lead b. showed a small lead c. showed a smallish lead d. showed a smallest lead
3)	However, on the day, there was ______
	a. a cleared victory b. a clearer victory c. a clears victory d. a clear victory
4)	The referendum was the culmination of two years of ______
	a. in tense campaigning b. in tents campaigning c. intensive campaigning d. intense campaigning
5)	the result was "a deep personal and ______
	a. political disappointing b. political disappoint meant c. political disappointment d. political disappointments
6)	The referendum was one of the most historic votes ______
	a. even to take place b. ever to take place c. never to take place d. every to take place
7)	It would have been a dramatic moment had Scotland ______
	a. broke in away b. broken away c. breaking away d. broke can away
8)	campaigners claimed Scottish people would have ______
	a. been bettered on b. been bettered off c. been better on d. been better off
9)	Scottish independence would have been detrimental ______
	a. to Scottish interests b. to Scottish interest c. to Scottish in trusts d. to Scottish on trusts
10)	Sturgeon said she would work with "anyone in any way" to ______
	a. secure more powers b. secures more powers c. secured more powers d. security more powers

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom after rejecting independence in (1) ___________________ Thursday. Scottish people cast their ballots (2) ___________________ to be an independent country for the first time since 1707, when it joined the United Kingdom. Several polls in the weeks before the vote showed (3) ___________________ the pro-independence campaigners. However, on the day, there (4) ___________________ for those wishing to stay part of the UK, with 55% voting 'No' and 45% voting 'Yes'. The referendum was (5) ___________________ two years of intense campaigning by the 'Yes' and 'No' teams. Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC the result was "a deep (6) ___________________ disappointment".

The referendum was one of the most historic votes (7) ___________________ in the U.K. The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It would have been (8) ___________________ had Scotland broken away. Pro-independence campaigners claimed Scottish people would have (9) ___________________ an independent nation. The "Better Together" campaigners, including the U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, said Scottish independence would have (10) ___________________ Scottish interests. Despite the 'no' vote, Scotland will (11) ___________________ the British government. Ms Sturgeon said she would work with "(12) ___________________" to secure more powers for Scotland.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	What adjective did the article use to describe the vote?
2.	What did Scottish people cast?
3.	When did Scotland join the United Kingdom?
4.	What percentage of people voted for independence?
5.	What is the job of Nicola Sturgeon?
6.	What adjective did the article use to describe a possible breakaway?
7.	What is the name of the campaign run by the no voters?
8.	What did David Cameron say a yes vote would have been?
9.	Who will Nicola Sturgeon work with?
10.	What does Nicola Sturgeon want to get for Scotland now?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	What adjective did the article use to describe the vote?	6.	What adjective did the article use to describe a possible breakaway?
	a) historic b) amazing c) prophetic d) cataclysmic		a) theatrical b) poetic c) lyrical d) dramatic
2.	What did Scottish people cast?	7.	What is the name of the campaign run by the no voters?
	a) boats b) pots c) ballots d) fishing lines		a) Tougher Together b) Better Together c) Get Together d) Together Better
3.	When did Scotland join the United Kingdom?	8.	What did David Cameron say a yes vote would have been?
	a) 1777 b) 1707 c) 1770 d) 1700		a) departmental b) compartmental c) regimental d) detrimental
4.	What percentage of people voted for independence?	9.	Who will Nicola Sturgeon work with?
	a) 65 b) 35 c) 55 d) 45		a) only by herself b) everyone c) anyone d) no one
5.	What is the job of Nicola Sturgeon?	10.	What does Nicola Sturgeon want to get for Scotland now?
	a) Deputy First Minister b) President c) Supreme Commander d) Education Minister		a) a new flag b) more power c) a better football team d) sunshine

ROLE PLAY

Role A – Strong economy

You think a strong economy is the most important thing for a newly-independent country. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them which is the least important of these (and why): a strong army, having plenty of natural resources or having nice neighbours.

Role B – Strong Army

You think a strong army is the most important thing for a newly-independent country. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them which is the least important of these (and why): a strong economy, having plenty of natural resources or having nice neighbours.

Role C – Plenty of natural resources

You think having plenty of natural resources is the most important thing for a newly-independent country. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them which is the least important of these (and why): a strong army, a strong economy or having nice neighbours.

Role D – Having nice neighbours

You think having nice neighbours is the most important thing for a newly-independent country. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them which is the least important of these (and why): a strong army, having plenty of natural resources or a strong economy.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'clear' and 'victory'.

clear

victory

Share your findings with your partners.

Make questions using the words you found.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

after
since
before
clear
two
deep

ever
away
claimed
interests
get
anyone

INDEPENDENCE SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about independence in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the country 'Scotland'?
c)	What do you know about the shared history of Scotland and England?
d)	Are you happy with the result?
e)	How important is it to vote?
f)	Do you think Scotland will be independent one day?
g)	What do you think of British democracy?
h)	What would have changed in the world if people voted 'yes'?
i)	Do you like watching election results as they come in?
j)	Which regions of the world do you think should get independence?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	What do you know about Scotland?
c)	What's the difference between the UK and GB?
d)	Do you think the U.K is better with Scotland in it?
e)	Around 84% of people voted. What do you think of this?
f)	What do you know of the rivalry between Scotland and England?
g)	What are the differences between England and Scotland?
h)	Have you ever been disappointed with the result of a vote?
i)	What advice would you give to pro-independence supporters?
j)	What questions would you like to ask a person from Scotland?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE

Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom (1) ____ rejecting independence in a historic vote on Thursday. Scottish people (2) ____ their ballots on whether or not to be an independent country for the first time since 1707, when it joined the United Kingdom. Several (3) ____ in the weeks before the vote showed a small lead for the pro-independence campaigners. However, on the day, there was a clear victory for those (4) ____ to stay part of the UK, with 55% voting 'No' and 45% voting 'Yes'. The referendum was the (5) ____ of two years of intense campaigning by the 'Yes' and 'No' teams. Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC the result was "a (6) ____ personal and political disappointment".

The referendum was one of the most historic votes ever to take place in the U.K. The United Kingdom (7) ____ of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It would have been a dramatic (8) ____ had Scotland broken away. Pro-independence campaigners claimed Scottish people would have been better (9) ____ as an independent nation. The "Better Together" campaigners, (10) ____ the U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, said Scottish independence would have been detrimental (11) ____ Scottish interests. Despite the 'no' vote, Scotland will get more powers from the British government. Ms Sturgeon said she would work with "anyone in any way" to (12) ____ more powers for Scotland.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	before	(b)	then	(c)	after	(d)	from
2.	(a)	cast	(b)	past	(c)	mast	(d)	last
3.	(a)	polls	(b)	trolls	(c)	tolls	(d)	molls
4.	(a)	wishing	(b)	wished	(c)	wish	(d)	wishes
5.	(a)	capitulation	(b)	remonstration	(c)	trepidation	(d)	culmination
6.	(a)	depths	(b)	downer	(c)	shallow	(d)	deep
7.	(a)	consists	(b)	contrasts	(c)	contests	(d)	creates
8.	(a)	history	(b)	eventful	(c)	happen	(d)	moment
9.	(a)	off	(b)	under	(c)	on	(d)	over
10.	(a)	includes	(b)	including	(c)	inclusive	(d)	inclusion
11.	(a)	as	(b)	to	(c)	at	(d)	by
12.	(a)	secure	(b)	secrete	(c)	sector	(d)	sect

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	people cast their altlsob
2.	svleare polls in the weeks before the vote
3.	pro-independence cirpsagenma
4.	The referendum was the ounlicmitan
5.	esennit campaigning
6.	deep personal and political apemptisnoidnt
Paragraph 2
7.	one of the most ohctiirs votes
8.	a trcmaaid moment
9.	an independent anntio
10.	nuinldcig the U.K. Prime Minister
11.	lernmtatdie to Scottish interests
12.	srecue more powers

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	work with "anyone in any way" to secure more powers for Scotland.
( )	showed a small lead for the pro-independence campaigners. However, on the day, there was a clear
( )	'Yes'. The referendum was the culmination of two years of intense campaigning by the 'Yes' and 'No' teams. Scotland's Deputy
( )	The referendum was one of the most historic votes ever to take place in the U.K. The United Kingdom consists
( )	away. Pro-independence campaigners claimed Scottish people would have been better off as
( )	an independent nation. The "Better Together" campaigners, including the U.K. Prime
( )	Minister David Cameron, said Scottish independence would have been detrimental to Scottish
( )	victory for those wishing to stay part of the UK, with 55% voting 'No' and 45% voting
( 1 )	Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom after rejecting independence in a historic
( )	vote on Thursday. Scottish people cast their ballots on whether or not to be an independent country for the first
( )	First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC the result was "a deep personal and political disappointment".
( )	of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It would have been a dramatic moment had Scotland broken
( )	time since 1707, when it joined the United Kingdom. Several polls in the weeks before the vote
( )	interests. Despite the 'no' vote, Scotland will get more powers from the British government. Ms Sturgeon said she would

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	be Whether an or independent not country to.
2.	before polls the in vote the weeks Several.
3.	wishing victory of to for A the stay those clear UK part.
4.	intense of campaigning two years The of culmination.
5.	deep and disappointment A personal political.
6.	ever to take place One of the most historic votes.
7.	moment dramatic a been have would It.
8.	would people Scottish off better been have.
9.	Scottish would been independence have detrimental.
10.	would any work way with anyone She in.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom after rejection / rejecting independence in a historic / histrionic vote on Thursday. Scottish people cast / caste their ballots on whether or not to be an independence / independent country for the first time since / from 1707, when it joined the United Kingdom. Several polls in the weeks before the vote showed a small leader / lead for the pro-independence campaigners. However, on the hour / day, there was a clear victory for those wishing to stay part of the UK, with 55% voting 'No' and 45% voting / voted 'Yes'. The referendum was the culmination for / of two years of intense campaigning by the 'Yes' and 'No' teams. Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC the result was "a deep personal and politics / political disappointment".

The referendum was one of the most historic votes ever to took / take place in the U.K. The United Kingdom consists / contrasts of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It would have been a dramatics / dramatic moment had Scotland broken / breaking away. Pro-independence campaigners claimed / clammed Scottish people would have been better off / on as an independent nation. The "Better Together" campaigners, including / inclusive the U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, said Scottish independence would have been detrimental of / to Scottish interests. Despite / Spite the 'no' vote, Scotland will get more powers from the British government. Ms Sturgeon said she would work with "anyone in the / any way" to secure more powers for Scotland.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

Sc_tl_nd h_s v_t_d t_ st_y _n th_ _n_t_d K_ngd_m _ft_r r_j_ct_ng _nd_p_nd_nc_ _n _ h_st_r_c v_t_ _n Th_rsd_y. Sc_tt_sh p__pl_ c_st th__r b_ll_ts _n wh_th_r _r n_t t_ b_ _n _nd_p_nd_nt c__ntry f_r th_ f_rst t_m_ s_nc_ 1707, wh_n _t j__n_d th_ _n_t_d K_ngd_m. S_v_r_l p_lls _n th_ w__ks b_f_r_ th_ v_t_ sh_w_d _ sm_ll l__d f_r th_ pr_-_nd_p_nd_nc_ c_mp__gn_rs. H_w_v_r, _n th_ d_y, th_r_ w_s _ cl__r v_ct_ry f_r th_s_ w_sh_ng t_ st_y p_rt _f th_ _K, w_th 55% v_t_ng 'N_' _nd 45% v_t_ng 'Y_s'. Th_ r_f_r_nd_m w_s th_ c_lm_n_t__n _f tw_ y__rs _f _nt_ns_ c_mp__gn_ng by th_ "'Y_s' _nd 'N_' t__ms. Sc_tl_nd's D_p_ty F_rst M_n_st_r N_c_l_ St_rg__n t_ld th_ BBC th_ r_s_lt w_s "_ d__p p_rs_n_l _nd p_l_t_c_l d_s_pp__ntm_nt".

Th_ r_f_r_nd_m w_s _n_ _f th_ m_st h_st_r_c v_t_s _v_r t_ t_k_ pl_c_ _n th_ _.K. Th_ _n_t_d K_ngd_m c_ns_sts _f _ngl_nd, Sc_tl_nd, W_l_s _nd N_rth_rn _r_l_nd. _t w__ld h_v_ b__n _ dr_m_t_c m_m_nt h_d Sc_tl_nd br_k_n _w_y. Pr_-_nd_p_nd_nc_ c_mp__gn_rs cl__m_d Sc_tt_sh p__pl_ w__ld h_v_ b__n b_tt_r _ff _s _n _nd_p_nd_nt n_t__n. Th_ "B_tt_r T_g_th_r" c_mp__gn_rs, _ncl_d_ng th_ _.K. Pr_m_ M_n_st_r D_v_d C_m_r_n, s__d Sc_tt_sh _nd_p_nd_nc_ w__ld h_v_ b__n d_tr_m_nt_l t_ Sc_tt_sh _nt_r_sts. D_sp_t_ th_ 'n_' v_t_, Sc_tl_nd w_ll g_t m_r_ p_w_rs fr_m th_ Br_t_sh g_v_rnm_nt. Ms St_rg__n s__d sh_ w__ld w_rk w_th "_ny_n_ _n _ny w_y" t_ s_c_r_ m_r_ p_w_rs f_r Sc_tl_nd.

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

scotland has voted to stay in the united kingdom after rejecting independence in a historic vote on thursday scottish people cast their ballots on whether or not to be an independent country for the first time since 1707 when it joined the united kingdom several polls in the weeks before the vote showed a small lead for the pro-independence campaigners however on the day there was a clear victory for those wishing to stay part of the uk with 55% voting 'no' and 45% voting 'yes' the referendum was the culmination of two years of intense campaigning by the 'Yes' and 'no' teams scotland's deputy first minister nicola sturgeon told the bbc the result was "a deep personal and political disappointment"

the referendum was one of the most historic votes ever to take place in the uk the united kingdom consists of england scotland wales and northern ireland it would have been a dramatic moment had scotland broken away pro-independence campaigners claimed scottish people would have been better off as an independent nation the "better together" campaigners including the uk prime minister david cameron said scottish independence would have been detrimental to scottish interests despite the 'no' vote scotland will get more powers from the british government ms sturgeon said she would work with "anyone in any way" to secure more powers for scotland

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

ScotlandhasvotedtostayintheUnitedKingdomafterrejectinginde
pendenceinahistoricvoteonThursday.Scottishpeoplecasttheirba
llotsonwhetherornottobeanindependentcountryforthefirsttimes
ince1707,whenitjoinedtheUnitedKingdom.Severalpollsinthewe
eksbeforethevoteshowedasmallleadforthepro-independ
encecampaigners.However,ontheday,therewasaclearvictoryfor
thosewishingtostaypartoftheUK,with55%voting'No'and45%vot
ing'Yes'.Thereferendumwastheculminationoftwoyearsofintense
campaigningbythe"'Yes'and'No'teams.Scotland'sDeputyFirstMi
nisterNicolaSturgeontoldtheBBCtheresultwas"adeeppersonala
ndpoliticaldisappointment".Thereferendumwasoneofthemosthi
storicvotesevertotakeplaceintheU.K.TheUnitedKingdomconsist
sofEngland,Scotland,WalesandNorthernIreland.Itwouldhavebe
enadramaticmomenthadScotlandbrokenaway.Pro-independ
encecampaignersclaimedScottishpeoplewouldhavebeenbetter
offasanindependentnation.The"BetterTogether"campaigners,i
ncludingtheU.K.PrimeMinisterDavidCameron,saidScottishindep
endencewouldhavebeendetrimentaltoScottishinterests.Despite
the'no'vote,ScotlandwillgetmorepowersfromtheBritishgovernm
ent.MsSturgeonsaidshewouldworkwith"anyoneinanyway"tosec
uremorepowersforScotland.

10-MINUTE FREE WRITING

Write about independence. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

All peoples wanting independence should get it. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about the Scottish Independence referendum. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. INDEPENDENCE: Make a poster about independence. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. THE REFERNDUM: Write a magazine article about the vote in Scotland. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against it.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on independence. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her your opinions on what regions of the world should be independent, and why. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

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ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

F

b

T

c

F

d

F

e

F

f

T

g

F

h

T

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	stay	a.	remain
2.	rejecting	b.	turning down
3.	poll	c.	vote
4.	victory	d.	triumph
5.	culmination	e.	climax
6.	take place	f.	occur
7.	claimed	g.	declared
8.	detrimental	h.	harmful
9.	interests	i.	concerns
10.	secure	j.	get

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	Historic
2.	Ballots
3.	1707
4.	45%
5.	Scotland's Deputy First Minister
6.	Dramatic
7.	"Better Together"
8.	Detrimental
9.	Anyone
10.	More powers

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

a

2.

c

3.

b

4.

d

5.

a

6.

d

7.

b

8.

d

9.

c

10.

b

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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Scotland rejects independence from U.K. (20th September, 2014)

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