The Reading / Listening - Level 3

A father in Mexico got a surprise after he posted an invitation to his daughter's 15th birthday party on Facebook. He thought the invite was just going to his family, friends and neighbours. Instead, the post went viral and 1.2 million people have said they would attend the party. Crescencio Ibarra said he would not turn away anyone who came to the party for his daughter Rubi. He said everyone was invited. Mr Ibarra said in a TV interview that he had no idea why his post became so popular and why more than a million people accepted his invitation. He said: "We wanted to invite the people from the area, that's all." So many people might attend the party that the local police will be out in force.

A 15th birthday is an important occasion in a girl's life in Mexico. It is seen as the time when she comes of age. The girl has a special party called a quinceañera. This is a traditional event across much of Latin America. The party usually has lots of guests and the girl wears a beautiful dress, a tiara and make-up. At Rubi's party, there will be three different bands to play music and a horse race in which the winner will get $490. There are many memes (joke pictures) of Mr Ibarra's post on social media. He said Rubi's favourite meme shows Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto agreeing to allow undocumented Mexican migrants in the USA to return to Mexico for Rubi's party.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Level 0,  Level 1   or  Level 2

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-38235093
  • http://q13fox.com/2016/12/06/more-than-1m-guests-rsvp-to-girls-quinceanera-after-dads-invite-goes-viral/
  • http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/world/article119262218.html


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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. BIRTHDAY PARTIES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about birthday parties. 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?

       surprise / birthday / party / invite / attend / interview / popular / area / local / police
       important / occasion / special / traditional / horse race / joke / meme / migrants

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

3. YOUNG PEOPLE: Students A strongly believe birthdays are only for young people; Students B strongly believe disagree.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

4. BIRTHDAY PARTY: What would make the best party for people of these ages? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

Age

Food

Presents

Music

Activities

Presents

Advice

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

13

 

 

 

 

 

 

20

 

 

 

 

 

 

40

 

 

 

 

 

 

100

 

 

 

 

 

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

6. EVENTS: Rank these with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • religious holidays
  • sports finals
  • wedding anniversaries
  • newborn baby celebrations
  • birthday parties
  • graduations
  • weddings
  • national days

Before reading / listening

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

  1. A father sent one million birthday party invitations.     T / F
  2. The father did not want his neighbours at the birthday party.     T / F
  3. The father said he would turn some people away from the party.     T / F
  4. There will be a lot of police officers at the party.     T / F
  5. The fifteenth birthday is important for a girl in Mexico.     T / F
  6. The father said there would be three bands and a race horse at the party.  T / F
  7. Social media was full of jokes about the father's party invitation.     T / F
  8. Donald Trump said migrants in the USA could go to the birthday party.    T / F

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

  1. thought
  2. attend
  3. accepted
  4. turn away
  5. in force
  6. occasion
  7. traditional
  8. make-up
  9. allow
  10. return
  1. cosmetics
  2. refuse
  3. event
  4. said yes to
  5. go back
  6. believed
  7. let
  8. customary
  9. be at
  10. in great numbers

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

  1. He thought the invite was just
  2. he would not turn
  3. he had no idea
  4. We wanted to invite the
  5. the local police will be
  6. an important occasion
  7. It is seen as the time when she
  8. a traditional event across
  9. a tiara
  10. migrants
  1. away anyone who came
  2. and make-up
  3. out in force
  4. much of Latin America
  5. going to his family
  6. in the USA
  7. people from the area
  8. comes of age
  9. why
  10. in a girl's life

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
away
interview
invitation
area
neighbours
popular
force
viral

A father in Mexico got a surprise after he posted an (1) ____________ to his daughter's 15th birthday party on Facebook. He thought the invite was just going to his family, friends and (2) ____________. Instead, the post went (3) ____________ and 1.2 million people have said they would attend the party. Crescencio Ibarra said he would not turn (4) ____________ anyone who came to the party for his daughter Rubi. He said everyone was invited. Mr Ibarra said in a TV (5) ____________ that he had no idea why his post became so (6) ____________ and why more than a million people accepted his invitation. He said: "We wanted to invite the people from the (7) ____________, that's all." So many people might attend the party that the local police will be out in (8) ____________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
age
winner
agreeing
occasion
guests
migrants
social
traditional

A 15th birthday is an important (9) ____________ in a girl's life in Mexico. It is seen as the time when she comes of (10) ____________. The girl has a special party called a quinceañera. This is a (11) ____________ event across much of Latin America. The party usually has lots of (12) ____________ and the girl wears a beautiful dress, a tiara and make-up. At Rubi's party, there will be three different bands to play music and a horse race in which the (13) ____________ will get $490. There are many memes (joke pictures) of Mr Ibarra's post on (14) ____________ media. He said Rubi's favourite meme shows Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto (15) ____________ to allow undocumented Mexican (16) ____________ in the USA to return to Mexico for Rubi's party.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  A father in Mexico got a surprise after he ______
     a.  posted in invitation
     b.  posting in invitation
     c.  post in an invitation
     d.  posted an invitation

2)  just going to his family, friends and neighbours. Instead, the ______
     a.  post went viral
     b.  post went vital
     c.  post went rival
     d.  post went barrel

3)  Mr Ibarra said in a TV interview that he had no idea why his post ______
     a.  became so popularity
     b.  became so popularise
     c.  became so polar
     d.  became so popular

4)  He said: "We wanted to invite the people ______"
     a.  from the areas
     b.  from the area
     c.  from an area
     d.  from this area

5)  So many people might attend the party that the local police will ______
     a.  be out on force
     b.  be out un-force
     c.  be out enforce
     d.  be out in force

6)  It is seen as the time when she ______
     a.  come of age
     b.  comes of ages
     c.  comes of age
     d.  come of ages

7)  the girl wears a beautiful dress, a tiara ______
     a.  and makes-up
     b.  and make-ups
     c.  and making up
     d.  and make-up

8)  there will be three different bands to play music ______
     a.  and a hoarse race
     b.  and a horse races
     c.  and a horse race
     d.  and a horse races

9)  There are many memes (joke pictures) of Mr Ibarra's post ______
     a.  in social media
     b.  at social media
     c.  to social media
     d.  on social media

10)  agreeing to allow undocumented Mexican migrants in the USA ______
     a.  to return too Mexico
     b.  to return two Mexico
     c.  to return to Mexico
     d.  to return through Mexico

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A father in Mexico got a surprise (1) ___________________ invitation to his daughter's 15th birthday party on Facebook. He thought the invite was just going to his family, friends and neighbours. Instead, (2) ___________________ and 1.2 million people have said they would attend the party. Crescencio Ibarra said he would (3) ___________________ anyone who came to the party for his daughter Rubi. He said everyone was invited. Mr Ibarra said in a TV interview that (4) ___________________ why his post became so popular and why more than a million people accepted his invitation. He said: "We wanted to invite the people (5) ___________________, that's all." So many people might attend the party that the local police will (6) ___________________.

A 15th birthday is an important occasion (7) ___________________ Mexico. It is seen as the time when (8) ___________________. The girl has a special party called a quinceañera. This is a traditional event across much of Latin America. The party usually (9) ___________________ guests and the girl wears a beautiful dress, a tiara and make-up. At Rubi's party, there will be three different (10) ___________________ music and a horse race in which the winner will get $490. There are many memes (joke pictures) of Mr Ibarra's (11) ___________________. He said Rubi's favourite meme shows Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto agreeing to allow undocumented Mexican (12) ___________________ USA to return to Mexico for Rubi's party.

Comprehension questions

  1. Where did the father post the birthday party invitation?
  2. Who did the father say he would turn away?
  3. On what medium did the father give an interview?
  4. From which location did the father want to invite people to the party?
  5. Who will be out in force at the birthday party?
  6. What birthday is an important one for a girl in Mexico?
  7. What does the girl usually wear on her head?
  8. How many bands will play at the party?
  9. How much money will the winner of a horse race get?
  10. Who did a meme say might be able to return to Mexico for the party?

Multiple choice quiz

1) Where did the father post the birthday party invitation?
a) Facebook
b) in a mail box
c) his local post office
d) the North Pole

2) Who did the father say he would turn away?
a) boys
b) children
c) no one
d) those over 20

3) On what medium did the father give an interview?
a) radio
b) TV
c) the Internet
d) newspaper

4) From which location did the father want to invite people to the party?
a) Latin America
b) the whole world
c) southern Mexico
d) his local area

5) Who will be out in force at the birthday party?
a) the police
b) teenagers
c) parents
d) teachers

6) What birthday is an important one for a girl in Mexico?
a) 18
b) 17
c) 16
d) 15

7) What does the girl usually wear on her head?
a) a hairband
b) a tiara
c) flowers
d) a crown

8) How many bands will play at the party?
a) 6
b) 5
c) 4
d) 3

9) How much money will the winner of a horse race get?
a) $904
b) $409
c) $490
d) $940

10) Who did a meme say might be able to return to Mexico for the party?
a) Rubi's sister
b) Mexican migrants
c) Mexico's president
d) Donald Trump

Role play

Role A — Birthday Parties

You think birthday parties are the best events. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their events aren't as good. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): weddings, sports finals or graduations.

Role B — Weddings

You think weddings are the best events. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their events aren't as good. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): birthday parties, sports finals or graduations.

Role C — Sports Finals

You think sports finals are the best events. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their events aren't as good. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): weddings, birthday parties or graduations.

Role D —Graduations

You think graduations are the best events. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their events aren't as good. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why):  weddings, sports finals or birthday parties.

After reading / listening

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

'birthday'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'party'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • 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:

    • life
    • special
    • event
    • three
    • race
    • allow
    • after
    • just
    • away
    • TV
    • idea
    • local

    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 - 1.2 million people accept birthday party invitation

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What springs to mind when you hear the word 'party'?
    3. What kind of parties do you like?
    4. What was the best birthday party you ever had?
    5. What do you think about what you read?
    6. What would a million people do at a party?
    7. What could go wrong at the party?
    8. What would Rubi do with a million presents?
    9. What's the maximum number of people that should attend a party?
    10. What kind of birthday party would you really like?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. Which birthday is the most important, and why?
    3. Is it OK for old people to have birthday parties?
    4. What's the best birthday present for a 15-year-old girl?
    5. Are there any bad things about birthday parties?
    6. What activities are good for a birthday party?
    7. Is a birthday party better at home or in the city?
    8. Who would you like to invite to your next party?
    9. What do you think of the meme mentioned in the article?
    10. What questions would you like to ask Mr Ibarra?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    A father in Mexico got a surprise after he (1) ____ an invitation to his daughter's 15th birthday party on Facebook. He thought the invite was (2) ____ going to his family, friends and neighbours. Instead, the post (3) ____ viral and 1.2 million people have said they would attend the party. Crescencio Ibarra said he would not turn (4) ____ anyone who came to the party for his daughter Rubi. He said everyone was invited. Mr Ibarra said in a TV interview that he had (5) ____ idea why his post became so popular and why more than a million people accepted his invitation. He said: "We wanted to invite the people from the area, that's all." So many people might attend the party that the local police will be out (6) ____ force.

    A 15th birthday is an important occasion in a girl's life in Mexico. It is (7) ____ as the time when she comes (8) ____ age. The girl has a special party called a quinceañera. This is a traditional event across (9) ____ of Latin America. The party usually has lots of guests and the girl wears a beautiful dress, a tiara and make-up. At Rubi's party, there will be three different bands to play music and a horse race in which the (10) ____ will get $490. There are many memes (joke pictures) of Mr Ibarra's post on social media. He said Rubi's favourite meme shows Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto (11) ____ to allow undocumented Mexican migrants in the USA to return to Mexico (12) ____ Rubi's party.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     posed     (b)     posted     (c)     piste     (d)     pasted    
    2. (a)     honest     (b)     fair     (c)     simple     (d)     just    
    3. (a)     went     (b)     been     (c)     gone     (d)     going    
    4. (a)     on     (b)     off     (c)     away     (d)     up    
    5. (a)     not     (b)     no     (c)     non     (d)     none    
    6. (a)     in     (b)     on     (c)     to     (d)     as    
    7. (a)     sawn     (b)     sewn     (c)     seen     (d)     soon    
    8. (a)     of     (b)     at     (c)     on     (d)     by    
    9. (a)     much     (b)     many     (c)     must     (d)     mast    
    10. (a)     wins     (b)     winning     (c)     winnings     (d)     winner    
    11. (a)     agreeing     (b)     agrees     (c)     agree     (d)     agreeable    
    12. (a)     on     (b)     by     (c)     for     (d)     at

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. A father in Mexico got a preissur
    2. family, friends and gnohrebuis (UK)  /  rsbonheig (USA)
    3. his post became so oaruplp
    4. a million people captcdee
    5. many people might atetdn the party
    6. police will be out in rceof

    Paragraph 2

    1. an important sooccnia
    2. a aliinotadtr event
    3. many eemsm (joke pictures)
    4. alcois media
    5. President Enrique Pena Nieto aggeienr
    6. gintmsar in the USA

    Put the text back together

    (    )     age. The girl has a special party called a quinceañera. This is a traditional event across much of Latin

    (    )     viral and 1.2 million people have said they would attend the party. Crescencio Ibarra said he would not turn

    (    )     America. The party usually has lots of guests and the girl wears a beautiful dress, a tiara and

    (    )     million people accepted his invitation. He said: "We wanted to invite the people from the

    (    )     will get $490. There are many memes (joke pictures) of Mr Ibarra's post on social

    (    )     A 15th birthday is an important occasion in a girl's life in Mexico. It is seen as the time when she comes of

    (    )     away anyone who came to the party for his daughter Rubi. He said everyone was invited. Mr Ibarra said in a TV

    (    )     on Facebook. He thought the invite was just going to his family, friends and neighbours. Instead, the post went

    (    )     area, that's all." So many people might attend the party that the local police will be out in force.

    (    )     to allow undocumented Mexican migrants in the USA to return to Mexico for Rubi's party.

    (    )     interview that he had no idea why his post became so popular and why more than a

    (  1  )     A father in Mexico got a surprise after he posted an invitation to his daughter's 15th birthday party

    (    )     media. He said Rubi's favourite meme shows Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto agreeing

    (    )     make-up. At Rubi's party, there will be three different bands to play music and a horse race in which the winner

    Put the words in the right order

    1. invitation  an  posted  he   after  surprise  a   got  Mexico  in  father  A  .
    2. He   invite   going   family   the   just   his   thought   was   to   .
    3. to   the   party   He   would   not   turn   away   anyone   who   came   .
    4. no   his   so   had   why   became   He   idea   post   popular   .
    5. to   the   invite   area   the   We   people   wanted   from   .
    6. important   occasion   in   a   girl's   life   A   15th   birthday   is   an   .
    7. as   the   time   when   she   comes   of   age   It   is   seen   .
    8. This   traditional   much   America   a   across   Latin   is   event   of   .
    9. race   in   which   the   winner   will   get   $490   A   horse   .
    10. to   migrants   return   in   Allow   the  undocumented  USA   Mexican   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    A father in Mexico got / get a surprise after he posted an invitation to his daughter's 15th birthday party in / on Facebook. He thought the invite was just going / gone to his family, friends and neighbours. Instead, the post went / gone viral and 1.2 million people have said they would intend / attend the party. Crescencio Ibarra said he would not turn up / away anyone who came to the party for his daughter Rubi. He said everyone was invitation / invited. Mr Ibarra said in a TV interview that he had no / none idea why his post became so popular / popularity and why more than a million people accepted his invitation. He said: "We wanted to invite the people from the area, that's all." So many people might attend the party that the local police will be out in farce / force.

    A 15th birthday is an important / importance occasion in a girl's life in Mexico. It is seen as the time when she coming / comes of age. The girl has a special party called a quinceañera. This is a traditional / traditionally event across much / many of Latin America. The party usually / usual has lots of guests and the girl wears a beautiful dress, a tiara and make-up. At Rubi's party, there will be three different bands for / to play music and a horse race in / on which the winner will get $490. There are much / many memes (joke pictures) of Mr Ibarra's post on / in social media. He said Rubi's favourite meme shows Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto agreeing to / by allow undocumented Mexican migrants in the USA to return to Mexico for Rubi's party.

    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)

    _ f_th_r _n M_x_c_ g_t _ s_rpr_s_ _ft_r h_ p_st_d _n _nv_t_t__n t_ h_s d__ght_r's 15th b_rthd_y p_rty _n F_c_b__k. H_ th__ght th_ _nv_t_ w_s j_st g__ng t_ h_s f_m_ly, fr__nds _nd n__ghb__rs. _nst__d, th_ p_st w_nt v_r_l _nd 1.2 m_ll__n p__pl_ h_v_ s__d th_y w__ld _tt_nd th_ p_rty. Cr_sc_nc__ _b_rr_ s__d h_ w__ld n_t t_rn _w_y _ny_n_ wh_ c_m_ t_ th_ p_rty f_r h_s d__ght_r R_b_. H_ s__d _v_ry_n_ w_s _nv_t_d. Mr _b_rr_ s__d _n _ TV _nt_rv__w th_t h_ h_d n_ _d__ why h_s p_st b_c_m_ s_ p_p_l_r _nd why m_r_ th_n _ m_ll__n p__pl_ _cc_pt_d h_s _nv_t_t__n. H_ s__d: "W_ w_nt_d t_ _nv_t_ th_ p__pl_ fr_m th_ _r__, th_t's _ll." S_ m_ny p__pl_ m_ght _tt_nd th_ p_rty th_t th_ l_c_l p_l_c_ w_ll b_ __t _n f_rc_.

    _ 15th b_rthd_y _s _n _mp_rt_nt _cc_s__n _n _ g_rl's l_f_ _n M_x_c_. _t _s s__n _s th_ t_m_ wh_n sh_ c_m_s _f _g_. Th_ g_rl h_s _ sp_c__l p_rty c_ll_d _ q__nc__ñ_r_. Th_s _s _ tr_d_t__n_l _v_nt _cr_ss m_ch _f L_t_n _m_r_c_. Th_ p_rty _s__lly h_s l_ts _f g__sts _nd th_ g_rl w__rs _ b___t_f_l dr_ss, _ t__r_ _nd m_k_-_p. _t R_b_'s p_rty, th_r_ w_ll b_ thr__ d_ff_r_nt b_nds t_ pl_y m_s_c _nd _ h_rs_ r_c_ _n wh_ch th_ w_nn_r w_ll g_t $490. Th_r_ _r_ m_ny m_m_s (j_k_ p_ct_r_s) _f Mr _b_rr_'s p_st _n s_c__l m_d__. H_ s__d R_b_'s f_v__r_t_ m_m_ sh_ws D_n_ld Tr_mp _nd M_x_c_n Pr_s_d_nt _nr_q__ P_n_ N__t_ _gr___ng t_ _ll_w _nd_c_m_nt_d M_x_c_n m_gr_nts _n th_ _S_ t_ r_t_rn t_ M_x_c_ f_r R_b_'s p_rty.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    a father in mexico got a surprise after he posted an invitation to his daughter's 15th birthday party on facebook he thought the invite was just going to his family friends and neighbours instead the post went viral and 12 million people have said they would attend the party crescencio ibarra said he would not turn away anyone who came to the party for his daughter rubi he said everyone was invited mr ibarra said in a tv interview that he had no idea why his post became so popular and why more than a million people accepted his invitation he said "we wanted to invite the people from the area that's all" so many people might attend the party that the local police will be out in force

    a 15th birthday is an important occasion in a girl's life in mexico it is seen as the time when she comes of age the girl has a special party called a quinceañera this is a traditional event across much of latin america the party usually has lots of guests and the girl wears a beautiful dress a tiara and make-up at rubi's party there will be three different bands to play music and a horse race in which the winner will get $490 there are many memes (joke pictures) of mr ibarra's post on social media he said rubi's favourite meme shows donald trump and mexican president enrique pena nieto agreeing to allow undocumented mexican migrants in the usa to return to mexico for rubi's party

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    AfatherinMexicogotasurpriseafterhepostedaninvitationtohisdaught
    er's15thbirthdaypartyonFacebook.Hethoughttheinvitewasjustgoin
    gtohisfamily,friendsandneighbours.Instead,thepostwentviraland1.
    2millionpeoplehavesaidtheywouldattendtheparty.CrescencioIbarra
    saidhewouldnotturnawayanyonewhocametothepartyforhisdaughte
    rRubi.Hesaideveryonewasinvited.MrIbarrasaidinaTVinterviewthath
    ehadnoideawhyhispostbecamesopopularandwhymorethanamillion
    peopleacceptedhisinvitation.Hesaid:"Wewantedtoinvitethepeoplefr
    omthearea,that'sall."Somanypeoplemightattendthepartythattheloc
    alpolicewillbeoutinforce.A15thbirthdayisanimportantoccasioninagir
    l'slifeinMexico.Itisseenasthetimewhenshecomesofage.Thegirlhasas
    pecialpartycalledaquinceañera.Thisisatraditionaleventacrossmuch
    ofLatinAmerica.Thepartyusuallyhaslotsofguestsandthegirlwearsab
    eautifuldress,atiaraandmake-up.AtRubi'sparty,therewillbethreediff
    erentbandstoplaymusicandahorseraceinwhichthewinnerwillget$49
    0.Therearemanymemes(jokepictures)ofMrIbarra'spostonsocialme
    dia.HesaidRubi'sfavouritememeshowsDonaldTrumpandMexicanPre
    sidentEnriquePenaNietoagreeingtoallowundocumentedMexicanmig
    rantsintheUSAtoreturntoMexicoforRubi'sparty.

    Free writing

    Write about birthday party for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

     

    Academic writing

    A birthday party at home is better than a party in the town/city. 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 this story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

    3. BIRTHDAY PARTIES: Make a poster about birthday parties. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

    4. GUESTS: Write a magazine article about birthday parties having a maximum of 100 guests. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.

    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 birthday parties. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on what makes a great birthday party. 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

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Back to the top

    Help Support This Web Site

    • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

    Sean Banville's Book

    Thank You