The Reading / Listening - Level 2

An employee of Donald Trump admitted plagiarism in helping to write a speech for Melania Trump. Mrs Trump was speaking at a convention to support her husband Donald. He is the Republican nominee in the race to be the next President of the USA. Mrs Trump made a speech about how great she thought her husband was. Many journalists recognised several lines from the speech. They were the same as lines in a speech given by Michelle Obama about her husband Barack. Newspapers have been full of stories about how Mrs Trump could make a speech that was plagiarised.

Plagiarism is copying the work of other people without saying you are copying it. Students are taught that copying is stealing. Students who copy usually get an F-grade for their work. Schools often expel students for plagiarism. A university examination expert said: "Melania's speech offers us a [clear] example of plagiarism in action, from the highest levels of American politics." A writing expert said people will not trust or believe Melania Trump from now. Donald Trump said the speech was "good news" because it, "got more publicity than any [speech] in the history of politics".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 0 Level 1   or  Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36850215
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/07/19/teachers-melania-trump-would-have-gotten-an-f-or-even-expelled-if-shed-turned-in-her-speech-for-a-class/
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/20/us/politics/melania-trump-convention-speech.html?_r=0


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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. An employee
  2. helping to
  3. Mrs Trump was speaking at
  4. He is the Republican
  5. the race to be the next
  6. journalists recognised several
  7. Newspapers have
  8. make a speech that
  1. President of the USA
  2. was plagiarised
  3. nominee
  4. write a speech
  5. been full of stories
  6. of Donald Trump
  7. lines from the speech
  8. a convention

Paragraph 2

  1. Plagiarism is copying the
  2. Students are taught that copying
  3. Students who copy usually
  4. Schools often expel students
  5. the highest levels
  6. people will not trust
  7. it got more
  8. the history of
  1. or believe Melania
  2. get an F-grade
  3. of American politics
  4. politics
  5. work of other people
  6. publicity
  7. is stealing
  8. for plagiarism

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

An employee of Donald Trump (1) ___________________ in helping to write a speech for Melania Trump. Mrs Trump was speaking at a convention (2) ___________________ husband Donald. He is the Republican (3) ___________________ race to be the next President of the USA. Mrs Trump made a speech about how great she thought her husband was. Many journalists recognised (4) ___________________ the speech. They were the same as lines in a speech given by Michelle Obama about her husband Barack. Newspapers (5) ___________________ of stories about how Mrs Trump could (6) ___________________ that was plagiarised.

Plagiarism (7) ___________________ work of other people without saying you are copying it. Students are taught that (8) ___________________. Students who copy usually get an F-grade for their work. Schools (9) ___________________ students for plagiarism. A university examination expert said: "Melania's speech offers (10) ___________________ of plagiarism in action, from the highest levels of American politics." A writing expert said people will not (11) ___________________ Melania Trump from now. Donald Trump said the speech was "good news" because it, "got more publicity than any [speech] (12) ___________________ politics".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AnemployeeofDonaldTrumpadmittedplagiarisminhelpingtowriteasp
eechforMelaniaTrump.MrsTrumpwasspeakingataconventiontosupp
ortherhusbandDonald.HeistheRepublicannomineeintheracetobethe
nextPresidentoftheUSA.MrsTrumpmadeaspeechabouthowgreatshe
thoughtherhusbandwas.Manyjournalistsrecognisedseverallinesfro
mthespeech.TheywerethesameaslinesinaspeechgivenbyMichelleO
bamaaboutherhusbandBarack.Newspapershavebeenfullofstoriesab
outhowMrsTrumpcouldmakeaspeechthatwasplagiarised.Plagiarism
iscopyingtheworkofotherpeoplewithoutsayingyouarecopyingit.Stud
entsaretaughtthatcopyingisstealing.Studentswhocopyusuallygetan
F-gradefortheirwork.Schoolsoftenexpelstudentsforplagiarism.Auni
versityexaminationexpertsaid:"Melania'sspeechoffersusa[clear]ex
ampleofplagiarisminaction,fromthehighestlevelsofAmericanpolitics
."AwritingexpertsaidpeoplewillnottrustorbelieveMelaniaTrumpfrom
now.DonaldTrumpsaidthespeechwas"goodnews"becauseit,"gotmo
republicitythanany[speech]inthehistoryofpolitics".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic 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.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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