The Reading / Listening - Winter Olympics - Level 3

South and North Korea have agreed to use the same flag at next month's Winter Olympics. The Olympics will take place between the 9th and 25th of February in the South Korean city of PyeongChang. Many people were worried about what might happen when the North Korean team attended the games. Tensions between the two countries have been very high recently because North Korea has tested many missiles. However, there have been high-level talks between the North and the South. Both sides have decided to use a "unified Korea" flag at the games. In addition, they agreed to enter a joint ice hockey team. This cooperation could mean that relations between the two countries could be improving.

The thaw in relations between the two countries could open the door for more peace talks. The Korean peninsular has been divided since the 1950-53 Korean War. In the past few decades, there have been many attempts at improving ties between the two. The Winter Olympics could help this. The games mean the cross-border road will open for the first time in two years. However, not all Koreans are happy with this news. Tens of thousands of people have signed online petitions asking President Moon Jae-in to forget about the plan. South Korea's hockey coach is not happy because he said a united hockey team could damage South Korea's chances of winning a medal.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Winter Olympics - Level 0,  Winter Olympics - Level 1   or  Winter Olympics - Level 2

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42721417
  • http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2018/01/356_242637.html
  • http://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/16/opinions/olympics-diplomacy-north-korea-lemmon-opinion/index.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. WINTER OLYMPICS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Winter Olympics. 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?
       South Korea / North Korea / Winter Olympics / tensions / high-level talks / ice hockey
       thaw / relations / peninsular / online petition / hockey / damage / chances / medal
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. PEACE: Students A strongly believe the Winter Olympics can bring peace between North and South Korea; Students B strongly believe the opposite.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. IMPROVED RELATIONS: How can North and South Korea improve their relations? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What to do

How much it would help

Sport

 

 

Music

 

 

Open border

 

 

Trade

 

 

Presidential talks

 

 

Cultural exchanges

 

 
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. MEDAL: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "medal". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. OLYMPICS EVENTS: Rank these with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • speed skating
  • figure skating
  • ice hockey
  • bobsleigh
  • curling
  • cross-country skiing
  • slalom skiing
  • ski jumping

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. agreed a. A weapon that flies through the air to hit buildings or cities.
      2. attended b. Make or become united or whole.
      3. recently c. Had the same opinion as someone else about doing something.
      4. missiles d. The way in which two or more things or people are joined or connected.
      5. unified e. Went to an event, meeting or function.
      6. cooperation f. At a time in the past that was not long ago.
      7. relations g. The process of working together for the same reason.

    Paragraph 2

      8. thaw h. A written request signed by many people to ask the government to change or stop something.
      9. peninsular i. Make something friendlier and less angry.
      10. divided j. An area of land almost surrounded by water or sticking out into an ocean, sea or lake.
      11. decades k. Making or becoming better.
      12. improving l. A period of ten years.
      13. border m. Split or separated into two or more parts.
      14. petitions n. The line between two countries, cities, towns, etc.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The Koreas agreed to share the same flag at the 2022 Winter Olympics.  T / F
  2. The next Olympics will be held in a city in South Korea.     T / F
  3. Relations have been strained recently due to North Korean missile tests.  T / F
  4. There will be a joint Korean ice hockey team at the Winter Olympics.     T / F
  5. The article says there has been a thaw in relations between the Koreas.   T / F
  6. The Koreas became divided before a war that started in 1950.     T / F
  7. The cross-border road between the Koreas will stay closed this year.     T / F
  8. S. Korea's ice hockey coach is happy about his team's medal chances.     T / F

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

  1. agreed to
  2. take place
  3. worried
  4. talks
  5. improving
  6. thaw
  7. divided
  8. attempts
  9. united
  10. chances
  1. concerned
  2. joint
  3. discussions
  4. melt
  5. tries
  6. decided on
  7. opportunities
  8. getting better
  9. happen
  10. split

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

  1. South and North Korea have agreed to
  2. Tensions between the two countries
  3. there have been high-
  4. they agreed to enter a joint
  5. relations between the two countries could
  6. The thaw
  7. open the door
  8. the cross-
  9. thousands of people have signed
  10. damage South Korea's chances
  1. in relations
  2. for more peace talks
  3. ice hockey team
  4. online petitions
  5. use the same flag
  6. level talks
  7. border road will open
  8. be improving
  9. of winning a medal
  10. have been very high

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
place
missiles
improving
agreed
attended
joint
worried
talks

South and North Korea have (1) ____________ to use the same flag at next month's Winter Olympics. The Olympics will take (2) ____________ between the 9th and 25th of February in the South Korean city of PyeongChang. Many people were (3) ____________ about what might happen when the North Korean team (4) ____________ the games. Tensions between the two countries have been very high recently because North Korea has tested many (5) ____________. However, there have been high-level (6) ____________ between the North and the South. Both sides have decided to use a "unified Korea" flag at the games. In addition, they agreed to enter a (7) ____________ ice hockey team. This cooperation could mean that relations between the two countries could be (8) ____________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
decades
plan
thaw
border
chances
peninsular
petitions
attempts

The (9) ____________ in relations between the two countries could open the door for more peace talks. The Korean (10) ____________ has been divided since the 1950-53 Korean War. In the past few (11) ____________, there have been many (12) ____________ at improving ties between the two. The Winter Olympics could help this. The games mean the cross-(13) ____________ road will open for the first time in two years. However, not all Koreans are happy with this news. Tens of thousands of people have signed online (14) ____________ asking President Moon Jae-in to forget about the (15) ____________. South Korea's hockey coach is not happy because he said a united hockey team could damage South Korea's (16) ____________ of winning a medal.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) agreed to use the same flag ______ Winter Olympics
     a.  at next month's
     b.  to next month's
     c.  on next month's
     d.  by next month's
2) worried about what might happen when the North Korean team ______
     a.  at tend did the games
     b.  attend did the games
     c.  a ten did the games
     d.  attended the games
3)  very high recently because North Korea has tested ______
     a.  many missile
     b.  many missiles
     c.  many misses
     d.  many miss styles
4)  Both sides have decided to use a "unified Korea" ______ games
     a.  flag at a
     b.  flagged at the
     c.  flags at a
     d.  flag at the
5) cooperation could mean that relations between the two countries ______
     a.  could been improving
     b.  could be improving
     c.  could be improve in
     d.  could being improving

6)  The thaw in relations between the two countries could open the door for ______
     a.  more piece talks
     b.  more peace talks
     c.  more peas talks
     d.  more peers talks
7)  In the past few decades, there have been many attempts at ______
     a.  improve in ties
     b.  improving tries
     c.  imp roving tries
     d.  improving ties
8)  The games mean the cross-border road will open for the first time ______
     a.  into years
     b.  in to years
     c.  in two years
     d.  in too years
9)  Tens of thousands of people have signed ______
     a.  online petition
     b.  on line petitions
     c.  online petitions
     d.  on lined petitions
10)  he said a united hockey team could damage South Korea's ______ a medal
     a.  chance is of winning
     b.  chances of winning
     c.  chances off winning
     d.  chance it's off winning

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

South and North Korea (1) ___________________ use the same flag at next month's Winter Olympics. The Olympics will take place between the 9th and 25th of February in the South Korean city of PyeongChang. Many people were worried about (2) ___________________ when the North Korean team attended the games. Tensions between the two countries have been very high recently because North Korea has (3) ___________________. However, there have been (4) ___________________ between the North and the South. Both sides have (5) ___________________ a "unified Korea" flag at the games. In addition, they agreed to enter a joint ice hockey team. This cooperation could mean that relations between the two countries (6) ___________________.

The (7) ___________________ between the two countries could open the door for more peace talks. The Korean peninsular has (8) ___________________ the 1950-53 Korean War. In the past few decades, there have been many attempts (9) ___________________ between the two. The Winter Olympics could help this. The games mean the cross-border road will open for (10) ___________________ in two years. However, not all Koreans are happy with this news. Tens of thousands of people have signed (11) ___________________ asking President Moon Jae-in to forget about the plan. South Korea's hockey coach is not happy because he said a united hockey team could damage South Korea's (12) ___________________ a medal.

Comprehension questions

  1. When will the 2018 Winter Olympics begin?
  2. In which country will the 2018 Winter Olympics take place?
  3. What has North Korea been testing recently?
  4. What kind of talks did the article say the Koreas had?
  5. In what sport will the Koreas have a joint team for?
  6. What could the thaw in relations open?
  7. When was the Korean War?
  8. What will open for the first time in two years?
  9. What have people been signing?
  10. Who did the say article say was not happy?

Multiple choice quiz

1) When will the 2018 Winter Olympics begin?
a) February 12
b) February 9
c) February 15
d) February 25
2) In which country will the 2018 Winter Olympics take place?
a) North Korea
b) USA
c) Japan
d) South Korea
3) What has North Korea been testing recently?
a) missiles
b) Donald Trump
c) a new exam system
d) driverless cars
4) What kind of talks did the article say the Koreas had?
a) exploratory talks
b) angry talks
c) high-level talks
d) initial talks
5) In what sport will the Koreas have a joint team for?
a) curling
b) ice hockey
c) bobsleigh
d) skiing

6) What could the thaw in relations open?
a) doors for peace
b) stores
c) the Winter Olympics
d) glaciers
7) When was the Korean War?
a) 1940-43
b) 1970-73
c) 1950-53
d) 1960-63
8) What will open for the first time in two years?
a) a cross-border road
b) a store on the border
c) an embassy
d) reunification talks
9) What have people been signing?
a) an online petition
b) a giant birthday card
c) a good luck message
d) autographs
10) Who did the say article say was not happy?
a) North Korea's leader
b) the leader of the Olympics
c) South Korea's leader
d) an ice hockey coach

Role play

Role  A – Curling
You think curling is the best Winter Olympics sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): figure skating, ice hockey or bobsleigh.

Role  B – Figure Skating
You think figure skating is the best Winter Olympics sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): curling, ice hockey or bobsleigh.

Role  C – Ice Hockey
You think ice hockey is the best Winter Olympics sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): figure skating, curling or bobsleigh.

Role  D – Bobsleigh
You think bobsleigh is the best Winter Olympics sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why):  figure skating, ice hockey or curling.

After reading / listening

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

'winter'

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

    • and 'Olympics'.

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

    • • 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:

    • door
    • since
    • few
    • border
    • online
    • medal
    • agreed
    • city
    • high
    • decided
    • addition
    • mean

    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 - Two Koreas to share flag for Winter Olympics

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'winter'?
    3. What do you think of the Winter Olympics?
    4. What do you know about South Korea?
    5. Are the Winter Olympics better than the Summer Olympics?
    6. What do you think of North Korea attending the games in the south?
    7. Why have there been tensions between the Koreas?
    8. What do you think of North Korea's missile tests?
    9. What do you think of the Koreas sharing a "unified" flag?
    10. How might the Winter Olympics help relations between the Koreas?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'Olympics'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you know about North Korea?
    5. What advice do you have for people in Korea?
    6. What is your favourite Winter Olympics sport and why?
    7. Why might Koreans not be happy about the joint hockey team?
    8. Does winning a medal matter if the teams are cooperating?
    9. Have you ever signed a petition?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the two presidents?

    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)

    South and North Korea have (1) ____ to use the same flag at next month's Winter Olympics. The Olympics will (2) ____ place between the 9th and 25th of February in the South Korean city of PyeongChang. Many people were worried about what might happen when the North Korean team (3) ____ the games. Tensions between the two countries have been very (4) ____ recently because North Korea has tested many missiles. However, there have been high-(5) ____ talks between the North and the South. Both sides have decided to use a "unified Korea" flag at the games. In addition, they agreed to enter a (6) ____ ice hockey team. This cooperation could mean that relations between the two countries could be improving.

    The (7) ____ in relations between the two countries could open the door for more peace talks. The Korean peninsular has been (8) ____ since the 1950-53 Korean War. In the past few decades, there have been many attempts at improving (9) ____ between the two. The Winter Olympics could help this. The games mean the cross-(10) ____ road will open for the first time in two years. However, not all Koreans are happy with this news. Tens of thousands of people have (11) ____ online petitions asking President Moon Jae-in to forget about the plan. South Korea's hockey coach is not happy because he said a united hockey team could damage South Korea's (12) ____ of winning a medal.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     agreed     (b)     agrees     (c)     agreement     (d)     agreeing    
    2. (a)     have     (b)     do     (c)     take     (d)     give    
    3. (a)     attention     (b)     attestation     (c)     attended     (d)     attribute    
    4. (a)     many     (b)     much     (c)     big     (d)     high    
    5. (a)     level     (b)     limit     (c)     loving     (d)     lever    
    6. (a)     jointed     (b)     joint     (c)     jaunt     (d)     janitor    
    7. (a)     thorn     (b)     Thor     (c)     saw     (d)     thaw    
    8. (a)     added     (b)     divided     (c)     multiplied     (d)     subtracted    
    9. (a)     cords     (b)     ropes     (c)     ties     (d)     cravats    
    10. (a)     boulder     (b)     border     (c)     bolder     (d)     boarder    
    11. (a)     sung     (b)     sang     (c)     singed     (d)     signed    
    12. (a)     changes     (b)     chances     (c)     chants     (d)     chandeliers

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. South and North Korea have grdaee
    2. setsonni between the two countries
    3. tested many lesmissi
    4. high-lleve talks
    5. decided to use a "nueifdi Korea" flag
    6. could be gmprviino

    Paragraph 2

    1. The Korean lennasipur has been divided
    2. In the past few eddesca
    3. there have been many etstmatp
    4. people have signed online eisntptio
    5. emgaad South Korea's chances
    6. chances of winning a madel

    Put the text back together

    (   )  forget about the plan. South Korea's hockey coach is not happy because he said a united
    (   )  level talks between the North and the South. Both sides have decided to use a "unified Korea"
    (   )  about what might happen when the North Korean team attended the games. Tensions
    (  1  ) South and North Korea have agreed to use the same flag at next month's Winter Olympics. The Olympics will take
    (   )  flag at the games. In addition, they agreed to enter a joint ice hockey team. This cooperation
    (   )  hockey team could damage South Korea's chances of winning a medal.
    (   )  peninsular has been divided since the 1950-53 Korean War. In the past few decades, there have been many
    (   )  happy with this news. Tens of thousands of people have signed online petitions asking President Moon Jae-in to
    (   )  border road will open for the first time in two years. However, not all Koreans are
    (   )  attempts at improving ties between the two. The Winter Olympics could help this. The games mean the cross-
    (   )  The thaw in relations between the two countries could open the door for more peace talks. The Korean
    (   )  between the two countries have been very high recently because North Korea has tested many missiles. However, there have been high-
    (   )  place between the 9th and 25th of February in the South Korean city of PyeongChang. Many people were worried
    (   )  could mean that relations between the two countries could be improving.

    Put the words in the right order

    1. use   to   have   Koreas   same   The   the   flag   .   agreed
    2. worried   people   Many   might   what   were   about   happen   .
    3. the   between   high-level   been   have   There   talks   two   .
    4. team   .   agreed   They   ice   joint   enter   hockey   to   a
    5. be   Relations   between   countries   the   could   two   improving   .
    6. countries   .   thaw   in   The   two   the   between   relations
    7. the   Open   more   peace   for   talks   .   door
    8. ties   two   .   improving   the   between   Attempts   at
    9. people   petitions   .   of   have   Thousands   signed   online
    10. of   a   medal   .   winning   Damage   chances   Korea's   South

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    South and North Korea have agreed / agreeing to use the same flag at next month's Winter Olympics. The Olympics will take / give place between the 9th and 25th of February in the South Korean country / city of PyeongChang. Many people were worried about what might happen when the North Korean team attended / attending the games. Tensions between the two countries have been very high recent / recently because North Korea has tested many missiles. However, there have been high-level talked / talks between the North and the South. Both sides have decision / decided to use a "unified Korea" flag at the games. In addition / added, they agreed to enter a joint ice / iced hockey team. This cooperation could mean that relations between the two countries could be improving / improve.

    The thaw / saw in relations between the two countries could open the hole / door for more peace talks. The Korean peninsular has been multiplied / divided since the 1950-53 Korean War. In the passed / past few decades, there have been many attempts at / on improving ties between the two. The Winter Olympics could help this. The games mean the cross-border road will open for the fast / first time in two years. However, not all Koreans are happy with this news. Tens of thousands of people have singed / signed online petitions asking President Moon Jae-in to forget about the plain / plan. South Korea's hockey coach / bus is not happy because he said a united hockey team could damage South Korea's chances of winning a metal / medal.

    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)

    S _ _ t h   _ n d   N _ r t h   K _ r _ _   h _ v _   _ g r _ _ d   t _   _ s _   t h _   s _ m _   f l _ g   _ t   n _ x t   m _ n t h ' s   W _ n t _ r   O l y m p _ c s .   T h _   O l y m p _ c s   w _ l l   t _ k _   p l _ c _   b _ t w _ _ n   t h _   9 t h   _ n d   2 5 t h   _ f   F _ b r _ _ r y   _ n   t h _   S _ _ t h   K _ r _ _ n   c _ t y   _ f   P y _ _ n g C h _ n g .   M _ n y   p _ _ p l _   w _ r _   w _ r r _ _ d   _ b _ _ t   w h _ t   m _ g h t   h _ p p _ n   w h _ n   t h _   N _ r t h   K _ r _ _ n   t _ _ m   _ t t _ n d _ d   t h _   g _ m _ s .   T _ n s _ _ n s   b _ t w _ _ n   t h _   t w _   c _ _ n t r _ _ s   h _ v _   b _ _ n   v _ r y   h _ g h   r _ c _ n t l y   b _ c _ _ s _   N _ r t h   K _ r _ _   h _ s   t _ s t _ d   m _ n y   m _ s s _ l _ s .   H _ w _ v _ r ,   t h _ r _   h _ v _   b _ _ n   h _ g h - l _ v _ l   t _ l k s   b _ t w _ _ n   t h _   N _ r t h   _ n d   t h _   S _ _ t h .   B _ t h   s _ d _ s   h _ v _   d _ c _ d _ d   t _   _ s _   _   " _ n _ f _ _ d   K _ r _ _ "   f l _ g   _ t   t h _   g _ m _ s .   I n   _ d d _ t _ _ n ,   t h _ y   _ g r _ _ d   t _   _ n t _ r   _   j _ _ n t   _ c _   h _ c k _ y   t _ _ m .   T h _ s   c _ _ p _ r _ t _ _ n   c _ _ l d   m _ _ n   t h _ t   r _ l _ t _ _ n s   b _ t w _ _ n   t h _   t w _   c _ _ n t r _ _ s   c _ _ l d   b _   _ m p r _ v _ n g .

    T h _   t h _ w   _ n   r _ l _ t _ _ n s   b _ t w _ _ n   t h _   t w _   c _ _ n t r _ _ s   c _ _ l d   _ p _ n   t h _   d _ _ r   f _ r   m _ r _   p _ _ c _   t _ l k s .   T h _   K _ r _ _ n   p _ n _ n s _ l _ r   h _ s   b _ _ n   d _ v _ d _ d   s _ n c _   t h _   1 9 5 0 - 5 3   K _ r _ _ n   W _ r .   I n   t h _   p _ s t   f _ w   d _ c _ d _ s ,   t h _ r _   h _ v _   b _ _ n   m _ n y   _ t t _ m p t s   _ t   _ m p r _ v _ n g   t _ _ s   b _ t w _ _ n   t h _   t w _ .   T h _   W _ n t _ r   O l y m p _ c s   c _ _ l d   h _ l p   t h _ s .   T h _   g _ m _ s   m _ _ n   t h _   c r _ s s - b _ r d _ r   r _ _ d   w _ l l   _ p _ n   f _ r   t h _   f _ r s t   t _ m _   _ n   t w _   y _ _ r s .   H _ w _ v _ r ,   n _ t   _ l l   K _ r _ _ n s   _ r _   h _ p p y   w _ t h   t h _ s   n _ w s .   T _ n s   _ f   t h _ _ s _ n d s   _ f   p _ _ p l _   h _ v _   s _ g n _ d   _ n l _ n _   p _ t _ t _ _ n s   _ s k _ n g   P r _ s _ d _ n t   M _ _ n   J _ _ - _ n   t _   f _ r g _ t   _ b _ _ t   t h _   p l _ n .   S _ _ t h   K _ r _ _ ' s   h _ c k _ y   c _ _ c h   _ s   n _ t   h _ p p y   b _ c _ _ s _   h _   s _ _ d   _   _ n _ t _ d   h _ c k _ y   t _ _ m   c _ _ l d   d _ m _ g _   S _ _ t h   K _ r _ _ ' s   c h _ n c _ s   _ f   w _ n n _ n g   _   m _ d _ l .

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    south and north korea have agreed to use the same flag at next months winter olympics the olympics will take place between the 9th and 25th of february in the south korean city of pyeongchang many people were worried about what might happen when the north korean team attended the games tensions between the two countries have been very high recently because north korea has tested many missiles however there have been highlevel talks between the north and the south both sides have decided to use a unified korea flag at the games in addition they agreed to enter a joint ice hockey team this cooperation could mean that relations between the two countries could be improving

    the thaw in relations between the two countries could open the door for more peace talks the korean peninsular has been divided since the 195053 korean war in the past few decades there have been many attempts at improving ties between the two the winter olympics could help this the games mean the crossborder road will open for the first time in two years however not all koreans are happy with this news tens of thousands of people have signed online petitions asking president moon jaein to forget about the plan south koreas hockey coach is not happy because he said a united hockey team could damage south koreas chances of winning a medal

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    SouthandNorthKoreahaveagreedtousethesameflagatnextmonth's
    WinterOlympics.TheOlympicswilltakeplacebetweenthe9thand25tho
    fFebruaryintheSouthKoreancityofPyeongChang.Manypeoplewerew
    orriedaboutwhatmighthappenwhentheNorthKoreanteamattendedt
    hegames.Tensionsbetweenthetwocountrieshavebeenveryhighrece
    ntlybecauseNorthKoreahastestedmanymissiles.However,therehav
    ebeenhigh-leveltalksbetweentheNorthandtheSouth.Bothsideshav
    edecidedtousea"unifiedKorea"flagatthegames.Inaddition,theyagre
    edtoenterajointicehockeyteam.Thiscooperationcouldmeanthatrelat
    ionsbetweenthetwocountriescouldbeimproving.Thethawinrelations
    betweenthetwocountriescouldopenthedoorformorepeacetalks.The
    Koreanpeninsularhasbeendividedsincethe1950-53KoreanWar.Inth
    epastfewdecades,therehavebeenmanyattemptsatimprovingtiesbet
    weenthetwo.TheWinterOlympicscouldhelpthis.Thegamesmeanthec
    ross-borderroadwillopenforthefirsttimeintwoyears.However,notal
    lKoreansarehappywiththisnews.Tensofthousandsofpeoplehavesign
    edonlinepetitionsaskingPresidentMoonJae-intoforgetaboutthepla
    n.SouthKorea'shockeycoachisnothappybecausehesaidaunitedhock
    eyteamcoulddamageSouthKorea'schancesofwinningamedal.

    Free writing

    Write about Winter Olympics for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Sport is the best thing to improve relations between countries. Discuss.

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    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 news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. WINTER OLYMPICS: Make a poster about Winter Olympics. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. PEACE: Write a magazine article about sport being used to bring peace between countries. 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 Winter Olympics. Ask him/her three questions about the Winter Olympics. Give him/her three of your ideas on how sport can bring peace between countries. 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

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    Answers

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

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