U.N. calls for help for Yarmouk

The Reading / Listening - Level 4

The U.N. wants humanitarian access to the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus. It is worried about the 18,000 Palestinian refugees in the camp. Many residents escaped after ISIS invaded last Wednesday. Jordan’s Ambassador to the UN called "for the protection of civilians" and for "life-saving assistance". Another UN spokesperson said the situation was "desperate". He said people were most concerned about "bare survival".

Yarmouk was set up in 1957 for Palestinian refugees. It became the largest Palestinian refugee community in Syria. About 160,000 people lived there. Eighteen months of bombing and a siege during Syria's civil war already made life there impossible. It now looks like a ghost town, with bombed-out buildings everywhere. ISIS now controls about 90 per cent of the camp. Syria is worried ISIS will use Yarmouk as a base to attack Damascus.

Try the same news story at these levels:

Level 5 or Level 6

Sources

http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/729421
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarmouk_Camp
http://www.dw.de/syria-offers-military-help-to-palestinians-in-yarmouk-camp/a-18366294

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 Activities

MATCHING

PARAGRAPH ONE:

1.	the besieged Yarmouk	a.	last Wednesday
2.	18,000 Palestinian	b.	escaped
3.	Many residents	c.	of civilians
4.	ISIS invaded	d.	assistance
5.	the protection	e.	survival
6.	life-saving	f.	was desperate
7.	Another UN spokesperson said the situation	g.	refugee camp
8.	bare	h.	refugees

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

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PARAGRAPH TWO:

1.	set	a.	worried
2.	the largest Palestinian refugee	b.	ghost town
3.	civil	c.	base to attack Damascus
4.	It now looks like a	d.	90 per cent of the camp
5.	bombed-out	e.	up in 1957
6.	ISIS now controls about	f.	community
7.	Syria is	g.	buildings everywhere
8.	use Yarmouk as a	h.	war

LISTEN AND FILL IN THE GAPS

The U.N. wants humanitarian (1) ___________________ Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus. It is (2) ___________________ 18,000 Palestinian (3) ___________________. Many residents escaped after ISIS invaded last Wednesday. Jordan's Ambassador (4) ___________________ "for the protection of civilians" and for "(5) ___________________". Another UN spokesperson said the situation was "desperate". He said people were most concerned (6) ___________________.

Yarmouk (7) ___________________ 1957 for Palestinian refugees. It became the largest Palestinian (8) ___________________ in Syria. About 160,000 people lived there. Eighteen months of (9) ___________________ during Syria's civil war already (10) ___________________ impossible. It now looks like a ghost town, with (11) ___________________ everywhere. ISIS now controls about 90 per cent of the camp. Syria is worried ISIS will use Yarmouk (12) ___________________ Damascus.

REFUGEES SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about refugees 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.

WRITE QUESTIONS & ASK YOUR PARTNER(S)

Student A: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)	________________________________________________________
b)	________________________________________________________
c)	________________________________________________________
d)	________________________________________________________
e)	________________________________________________________
f)	________________________________________________________
g)	________________________________________________________
h)	________________________________________________________

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

Student B: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)	________________________________________________________
b)	________________________________________________________
c)	________________________________________________________
d)	________________________________________________________
e)	________________________________________________________
f)	________________________________________________________
g)	________________________________________________________
h)	________________________________________________________

FREE WRITING

Write about refugees for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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