The Reading / Listening - Opera - Level 3

Saudi Arabia will soon have its very first national orchestra and opera. France will help Saudi to set up the musical groups. The two countries signed a series of agreements on Monday to boost cultural ties, and cooperation through the arts. France's Culture Minister said: "Today, an agreement was signed with the Paris Opera to help Saudi Arabia set up a national orchestra and an opera." The world-famous Paris Opera will help Saudi Arabia produce its own classical music performances and operas. Plans are already under way for the country's first opera house to be built in the kingdom's second largest city, Jeddah. Saudi Arabia will invest $64 billion in developing its entertainment industry over the next decade.

The agreement is part of a plan created by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, called Vision 2030. He wants to modernize many areas of Saudi life. There were other projects included in the cultural agreements between France and Saudi Arabia. French archaeologists will work on developing Saudi Arabia's Al-Ula region in the northwest of the country. The area is rich in ancient archaeological sites. French experts will help to preserve the area. Another key part of the agreement is the translation of literature. France's Culture Minister stressed, "the importance of translating books in both directions, from Arabic into French and French into Arabic".

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Opera - Level 0,  Opera - Level 1   or  Opera - Level 2

Sources
  • http://www.arabnews.com/node/1281546/saudi-arabia
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43703236
  • http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/04/09/Saudi-French-agreement-to-launch-opera-house-and-orchestra.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. OPERA: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about opera. 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?
       Saudi Arabia / orchestra / agreement / opera / classical music / entertainment / decade
       France / vision / modernize / archaeologists / key / literature / translation / books
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. CLASSICAL MUSIC: Students A strongly believe classical music is the best kind og music; Students B strongly believe it isn't.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. THE ARTS: What do you know about the arts in your country? What do you like and dislike about them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Your country

Like?

Dislike?

Opera

 

 

 

Music

 

 

 

Theatre

 

 

 

Painting

 

 

 

Dance

 

 

 

Sculpture

 

 

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

  • hip-hop
  • electro
  • country
  • pop
  • opera
  • folk
  • rock
  • jazz

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. national a. A number of things, events, or people of a similar kind coming one after another.
      2. orchestra b. About a whole country.
      3. series c. Make better or stronger.
      4. boost d. Things that join people or countries; links.
      5. ties e. A group of people who play violins, flutes, clarinets, trumpets, drums, etc., usually for classical music.
      6. invest f. A period of ten years.
      7. decade g. Put money into a project, house, financial plan, etc. to make that money grow for the future.

    Paragraph 2

      8. agreement h. Bring up to date.
      9. modernize i. People who know everything about a topic or area.
      10. archaeologists j. Something decided between people, companies, countries, etc. that they must follow.
      11. ancient k. People who study human history by digging at old sites to look for old things or buildings.
      12. experts l. Very, very important.
      13. key m. Very, very, very old.
      14. translation n. The action of changing words, sentences, paragraphs, books, etc. from one language to another.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. Saudi Arabia already has a classical orchestra but has no opera.     T / F
  2. Saudi Arabia signed agreements to boost business ties between them.     T / F
  3. Saudi's first opera house will be built in the capital city of Riyadh.     T / F
  4. Saudi will spend $64bn on its entertainment industry in the next 10 years. T / F
  5. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has a plan called Vision 2030.     T / F
  6. The Crown Prince wants to make Saudi a more modern country.     T / F
  7. French architects will help to preserve ancient Saudi sites.     T / F
  8. Books will be translated from Arabic into French.     T / F

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

  1. set up
  2. series
  3. boost
  4. ties
  5. decade
  6. created
  7. modernize
  8. ancient
  9. literature
  10. directions
  1. ten years
  2. written works
  3. set
  4. made
  5. help
  6. very old
  7. start
  8. ways
  9. update
  10. links

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

  1. signed a series
  2. Plans are already under
  3. the kingdom's second largest
  4. invest
  5. over the next
  6. modernize many areas
  7. cultural
  8. the northwest
  9. rich in ancient archaeological
  10. translating books in both
  1. of Saudi life
  2. directions
  3. decade
  4. of the country
  5. way
  6. sites
  7. of agreements
  8. $64 billion
  9. agreements
  10. city

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
signed
way
set
decade
ties
second
very
own

Saudi Arabia will soon have its (1) ____________ first national orchestra and opera. France will help Saudi to (2) ____________ up the musical groups. The two countries signed a series of agreements on Monday to boost cultural (3) ____________, and cooperation through the arts. France's Culture Minister said: "Today, an agreement was (4) ____________ with the Paris Opera to help Saudi Arabia set up a national orchestra and an opera." The world-famous Paris Opera will help Saudi Arabia produce its (5) ____________ classical music performances and operas. Plans are already under (6) ____________ for the country's first opera house to be built in the kingdom's (7) ____________ largest city, Jeddah. Saudi Arabia will invest $64 billion in developing its entertainment industry over the next (8) ____________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
region
plan
key
cultural
directions
areas
literature
experts

The agreement is part of a (9) ____________ created by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, called Vision 2030. He wants to modernize many (10) ____________ of Saudi life. There were other projects included in the (11) ____________ agreements between France and Saudi Arabia. French archaeologists will work on developing Saudi Arabia's Al-Ula (12) ____________ in the northwest of the country. The area is rich in ancient archaeological sites. French (13) ____________ will help to preserve the area. Another (14) ____________ part of the agreement is the translation of (15) ____________. France's Culture Minister stressed, "the importance of translating books in both (16) ____________, from Arabic into French and French into Arabic".

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  Saudi Arabia will soon have its very first national ______
     a.  orchestral and opera
     b.  orchestra and operatic
     c.  orchestra and opera
     d.  orchestral and operatic
2)  The two countries signed a series of agreements on Monday to ______
     a.  boast cultural ties
     b.  best cultural ties
     c.  beast cultural ties
     d.  boost cultural ties
3)  The world-famous Paris Opera will help Saudi Arabia produce ______ music
     a.  it sown classical
     b.  it's own classical
     c.  its own classical
     d.  its sown classical
4)  for the country's first opera house to be built in the kingdom's ______
     a.  second largest city
     b.  secondly largest city
     c.  seconded largest city
     d.  seconds largest city
5)  invest $64 billion in developing its entertainment industry over ______
     a.  the next decade
     b.  the next decadence
     c.  a nest decade
     d.  the nest decade

6)  He wants to modernize many areas ______
     a.  of Saudi live
     b.  of Saudi life
     c.  of Saudi lively
     d.  of Saudi lifetime
7) developing Saudi Arabia's Al-Ula region in the ______ country
     a.  northwestern of the
     b.  northwest off the
     c.  northwest of the
     d.  northwest of a
8)  French experts will help to ______
     a.  pressure the area
     b.  preserve the area
     c.  reverse the area
     d.  reserve the area
9)  Another key part of the agreement is the ______ literature
     a.  translated of
     b.  translate of
     c.  translates of
     d.  translation of
10)  stressed the importance of translating books in ______
     a.  both direction
     b.  both directions
     c.  both directional
     d.  both directed

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Saudi Arabia will soon have (1) ___________________ national orchestra and opera. France will help Saudi to (2) ___________________ musical groups. The two countries signed a series of agreements on Monday to boost cultural ties, and cooperation (3) ___________________. France's Culture Minister said: "Today, an agreement was signed with the Paris Opera to help Saudi Arabia set up a national orchestra and an opera." The world-famous Paris Opera will help Saudi Arabia (4) ___________________ classical music performances and operas. Plans are already under way for the country's first opera house to (5) ___________________ the kingdom's second largest city, Jeddah. Saudi Arabia will invest $64 billion in developing its entertainment industry (6) ___________________ decade.

The agreement is part of a (7) ___________________ Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, called Vision 2030. He wants to modernize (8) ___________________ Saudi life. There were other projects included in the cultural agreements between France and Saudi Arabia. French archaeologists (9) ___________________ developing Saudi Arabia's Al-Ula region in the northwest of the country. The (10) ___________________ in ancient archaeological sites. French experts will help to preserve the area. Another (11) ___________________ the agreement is the translation of literature. France's Culture Minister stressed, "the importance of translating books (12) ___________________, from Arabic into French and French into Arabic".

Comprehension questions

  1. What will France help set up, besides the opera?
  2. What kind of ties do the two countries want to boost?
  3. What is the name of the opera company that will help Saudi Arabia?
  4. Where will Saudi's first opera house be built?
  5. How much will Saudi spend on its entertainment industry?
  6. What is the name of the plan created by the Saudi Crown Prince?
  7. Where in Saudi Arabia is the Al-Ula region?
  8. What is the Al-Ula region rich in?
  9. What is another key part of the agreement between Saudi and France?
  10. In what direction will the translation of books happen?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What will France help set up, besides the opera?
a) a music museum
b) a dance company
c) a jazz workshop
d) a national orchestra
2) What kind of ties do the two countries want to boost?
a) away ties
b) cultural ties
c) plastic ties
d) neckties
3) What is the name of the opera company that will help Saudi Arabia?
a) France Opera
b) RNO
c) Metropolitan
d) Paris Opera
4) Where will Saudi's first opera house be built?
a) Khobar
b) Damman
c) Jeddah
d) Riyadh
5) How much will Saudi spend on its entertainment industry?
a) $60 billion
b) $46 billion
c) $60 billion
d) $64 billion

6) What is the name of the plan created by the Saudi Crown Prince?
a) Vision 2080
b) Vision 2050
c) Vision 2030
d) Vision 2020
7) Where in Saudi Arabia is the Al-Ula region?
a) the northwest
b) the northeast
c) the southeast
d) the southwest
8) What is the Al-Ula region rich in?
a) musical talent
b) oil
c) ancient sites
d) minerals
9) What is another key part of the agreement between Saudi and France?
a) food
b) translation
c) fashion
d) weapons
10) In what direction will the translation of books happen?
a) both directions
b) one way
c) left        
d) up

Role play

Role  A – Opera
You think opera is the best kind of music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their kinds. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): hip-hop, jazz or folk.

Role  B – Hip-Hop
You think hip-hop is the best kind of music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their kinds. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): opera, jazz or folk.

Role  C – Jazz
You think jazz is the best kind of music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their kinds. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): hip-hop, opera or folk.

Role  D – Folk
You think folk is the best kind of music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their kinds. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why):  hip-hop, jazz or opera.

After reading / listening

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

'opera'

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

    • and 'orchestra'.

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

    • • 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:

    • plan
    • life
    • region
    • rich
    • key
    • both
    • soon
    • boost
    • arts
    • own
    • already
    • decade

    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 - France to help make Saudi Arabia's first opera house

    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 'opera'?
    3. What do you think of opera?
    4. Why do so many people prefer pop music to classical music?
    5. Why didn't Saudi Arabia have an opera house before?
    6. What arts are important in your country?
    7. What do you know about the culture of Saudi Arabia?
    8. Why is Saudi investing so much money in entertainment?
    9. Which is better, classical music or opera?
    10. What kind of performance art do you like best?

    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 'orchestra'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. How important is classical music?
    5. Is classical music better than rock music?
    6. How important are the arts?
    7. What would you do to modernize your country?
    8. What could you do on a holiday in Saudi Arabia?
    9. What is the benefit of translating French and Arabic books?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the culture ministers?

    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)

    Saudi Arabia will soon have its (1) ____ first national orchestra and opera. France will help Saudi to set up the musical groups. The two countries (2) ____ a series of agreements on Monday to (3) ____ cultural ties, and cooperation through the arts. France's Culture Minister said: "Today, an agreement was signed with the Paris Opera to help Saudi Arabia (4) ____ up a national orchestra and an opera." The world-famous Paris Opera will help Saudi Arabia produce its own classical music performances and operas. Plans are already (5) ____ way for the country's first opera house to be built in the kingdom's second largest city, Jeddah. Saudi Arabia will invest $64 billion in developing (6) ____ entertainment industry over the next decade.

    The agreement is part of a plan created (7) ____ Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, called Vision 2030. He wants to modernize many areas (8) ____ Saudi life. There were other projects included in the cultural agreements between France and Saudi Arabia. French archaeologists will work on (9) ____ Saudi Arabia's Al-Ula region in the northwest of the country. The area is rich in ancient archaeological (10) ____. French experts will help to preserve the area. Another (11) ____ part of the agreement is the translation of literature. France's Culture Minister stressed, "the importance of translating books in (12) ____ directions, from Arabic into French and French into Arabic".

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     really     (b)     very     (c)     totally     (d)     so    
    2. (a)     singer     (b)     sang     (c)     singed     (d)     signed    
    3. (a)     best     (b)     boost     (c)     beast     (d)     boast    
    4. (a)     get     (b)     let     (c)     set     (d)     wet    
    5. (a)     under     (b)     over     (c)     through     (d)     around    
    6. (a)     its     (b)     that     (c)     this     (d)     them    
    7. (a)     from     (b)     of     (c)     at     (d)     by    
    8. (a)     of     (b)     to     (c)     on     (d)     at    
    9. (a)     develops     (b)     developing     (c)     developed     (d)     development    
    10. (a)     sights     (b)     sighs     (c)     sites     (d)     styles    
    11. (a)     chain     (b)     lock     (c)     key     (d)     padlock    
    12. (a)     every     (b)     both     (c)     up     (d)     over

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. its very first national srtcoraeh and opera
    2. signed a series of gesatreemn
    3. tnoopoicear through the arts
    4. classical music enfmprraocse
    5. entertainment ytnsdiru
    6. over the next eceadd

    Paragraph 2

    1. He wants to odezemrni many areas
    2. French asoslhetrcigoa
    3. developing Saudi Arabia's Al-Ula nrioeg
    4. French etepsxr
    5. help to preeervs the area
    6. the translation of uitrraelte

    Put the text back together

    (...)  famous Paris Opera will help Saudi Arabia produce its own classical music performances and operas. Plans are already under
    (  1  ) Saudi Arabia will soon have its very first national orchestra and opera. France will help Saudi to set
    (...)  up the musical groups. The two countries signed a series of agreements on Monday to boost cultural
    (...)  Vision 2030. He wants to modernize many areas of Saudi life. There were other projects included in the cultural
    (...)  translating books in both directions, from Arabic into French and French into Arabic".
    (...)  invest $64 billion in developing its entertainment industry over the next decade.
    (...)  sites. French experts will help to preserve the area. Another key part of the agreement is
    (...)  signed with the Paris Opera to help Saudi Arabia set up a national orchestra and an opera." The world-
    (...)  ties, and cooperation through the arts. France's Culture Minister said: "Today, an agreement was
    (...)  developing Saudi Arabia's Al-Ula region in the northwest of the country. The area is rich in ancient archaeological
    (...)  The agreement is part of a plan created by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, called
    (...)  way for the country's first opera house to be built in the kingdom's second largest city, Jeddah. Saudi Arabia will
    (...)  agreements between France and Saudi Arabia. French archaeologists will work on
    (...)  the translation of literature. France's Culture Minister stressed, "the importance of

    Put the words in the right order

    1. national   very   its   have   Soon   orchestra   .   first
    2. series   of   The   signed   a   two   agreements   .   countries
    3. Today,   with   opera   .   the   signed   an   agreement   was
    4. second   largest   in   city   .   the   kingdom's   Built
    5. in   its   entertainment   industry   .   Invest   billion   $64   developing
    6. modernize   to   Saudi   .   many   of   areas   wants   He
    7. the   Other   cultural   included   agreements   .   in   projects
    8. sites   .   ancient   area   archaeological   The   rich   is   in
    9. part   key   literature   .   Another   translation   is   of   the
    10. importance   of   books   The   directions   .   both   translating   in

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Saudi Arabia will soon have its really / very first national orchestra and opera. France will help Saudi to set down / up the musical groups. The two countries signed a series of agreements on Monday to boast / boost cultural ties, and cooperation / cooperate through the arts. France's Culture Minister said: "Today, an agreement was singed / signed with the Paris Opera to help Saudi Arabia set up a national orchestra and a / an opera." The world-famous Paris Opera will help Saudi Arabia produce its own / town classical music performances and operas. Plans are already under / over way for the country's first opera house to be built / build in the kingdom's second largest city, Jeddah. Saudi Arabia will invest $64 billion in developing its entertainment industry over the next / past decade.

    The agreement is part of a plan creation / created by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, called Vision 2030. He wants to modern / modernize many areas of Saudi live / life. There were other projects included in the cultural / culturally agreements between France and Saudi Arabia. French archaeologists will work on developing / develop Saudi Arabia's Al-Ula region on / in the northwest of the country. The area is rich in ancient archaeological sights / sites. French experts will help to preserve the area. Another key / lock part of the agreement is the translation of literature. France's Culture Minister stressed / worried, "the importance of translating books in both directions, from Arabic into French and French onto / into Arabic".

    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__ d_ A r_b__ w_l l s__ n h_v_ _t s v_r y f_r s t n_t__ n_l _r c h_s t r_ _n d _p_r_. F r_n c_ w_l l h_l p S__ d_ t_ s_t _p t h_ m_s_c_l g r__ p s . T h_ t w_ c__ n t r__ s s_g n_d _ s_r__ s _f _g r__ m_n t s _n M_n d_y t_ b__ s t c_l t_r_l t__ s , _n d c__ p_r_t__ n t h r__ g h t h_ _r t s . F r_n c_' s C_l t_r_ M_n_s t_r s__ d : " T_d_y , _n _g r__ m_n t w_s s_g n_d w_t h t h_ P_r_s O p_r_ t_ h_l p S__ d_ A r_b__ s_t _p _ n_t__ n_l _r c h_s t r_ _n d _n _p_r_. " T h_ w_r l d - f_m__ s P_r_s O p_r_ w_l l h_l p S__ d_ A r_b__ p r_d_c_ _t s _w n c l_s s_c_l m_s_c p_r f_r m_n c_s _n d _p_r_s . P l_n s _r_ _l r__ d y _n d_r w_y f_r t h_ c__ n t r y ' s f_r s t _p_r_ h__ s_ t_ b_ b__ l t _n t h_ k_n g d_m ' s s_c_n d l_r g_s t c_t y , J_d d_h . S__ d_ A r_b__ w_l l _n v_s t $ 6 4 b_l l__ n _n d_v_l_p_n g _t s _n t_r t__ n m_n t _n d_s t r y _v_r t h_ n_x t d_c_d_.

    T h_ _g r__ m_n t _s p_r t _f _ p l_n c r__ t_d b y S__ d_ A r_b__ ' s C r_w n P r_n c_ M_h_m m_d b_n S_l m_n , c_l l_d V_s__ n 2 0 3 0 . H_ w_n t s t_ m_d_r n_z_ m_n y _r__ s _f S__ d_ l_f_. T h_r_ w_r_ _t h_r p r_j_c t s _n c l_d_d _n t h_ c_l t_r_l _g r__ m_n t s b_t w__ n F r_n c_ _n d S__ d_ A r_b__ . F r_n c h _r c h___l_g_s t s w_l l w_r k _n d_v_l_p_n g S__ d_ A r_b__ ' s A l - U l_ r_g__ n _n t h_ n_r t h w_s t _f t h_ c__ n t r y . T h_ _r__ _s r_c h _n _n c__ n t _r c h___l_g_c_l s_t_s . F r_n c h _x p_r t s w_l l h_l p t_ p r_s_r v_ t h_ _r__ . A n_t h_r k_y p_r t _f t h_ _g r__ m_n t _s t h_ t r_n s l_t__ n _f l_t_r_t_r_. F r_n c_' s C_l t_r_ M_n_s t_r s t r_s s_d , " t h_ _m p_r t_n c_ _f t r_n s l_t_n g b__ k s _n b_t h d_r_c t__ n s , f r_m A r_b_c _n t_ F r_n c h _n d F r_n c h _n t_ A r_b_c " .

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    saudi arabia will soon have its very first national orchestra and opera france will help saudi to set up the musical groups the two countries signed a series of agreements on monday to boost cultural ties and cooperation through the arts frances culture minister said today an agreement was signed with the paris opera to help saudi arabia set up a national orchestra and an opera the worldfamous paris opera will help saudi arabia produce its own classical music performances and operas plans are already under way for the countrys first opera house to be built in the kingdoms second largest city jeddah saudi arabia will invest 64 billion in developing its entertainment industry over the next decade

    the agreement is part of a plan created by saudi arabias crown prince mohammed bin salman called vision 2030 he wants to modernize many areas of saudi life there were other projects included in the cultural agreements between france and saudi arabia french archaeologists will work on developing saudi arabias alula region in the northwest of the country the area is rich in ancient archaeological sites french experts will help to preserve the area another key part of the agreement is the translation of literature frances culture minister stressed the importance of translating books in both directions from arabic into french and french into arabic.

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    SaudiArabiawillsoonhaveitsveryfirstnationalorchestraandopera.Fra
    ncewillhelpSauditosetupthemusicalgroups.Thetwocountriessigned
    aseriesofagreementsonMondaytoboostculturalties,andcooperationt
    hroughthearts.France'sCultureMinistersaid:"Today,anagreementw
    assignedwiththeParisOperatohelpSaudiArabiasetupanationalorche
    straandanopera."Theworld-famousParisOperawillhelpSaudiArabiap
    roduceitsownclassicalmusicperformancesandoperas.Plansarealrea
    dyunderwayforthecountry'sfirstoperahousetobebuiltinthekingdom'
    ssecondlargestcity,Jeddah.SaudiArabiawillinvest$64billionindevelo
    pingitsentertainmentindustryoverthenextdecade.Theagreementisp
    artofaplancreatedbySaudiArabia'sCrownPrinceMohammedbinSalm
    an,calledVision2030.HewantstomodernizemanyareasofSaudilife.Th
    erewereotherprojectsincludedintheculturalagreementsbetweenFra
    nceandSaudiArabia.FrencharchaeologistswillworkondevelopingSau
    diArabia'sAl-Ularegioninthenorthwestofthecountry.Theareaisrichi
    nancientarchaeologicalsites.Frenchexpertswillhelptopreservethear
    ea.Anotherkeypartoftheagreementisthetranslationofliterature.Fran
    ce'sCultureMinisterstressed,"theimportanceoftranslatingbooksinbo
    thdirections,fromArabicintoFrenchandFrenchintoArabic".

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    Opera is the best form of music and art. 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. OPERA: Make a poster about opera. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. CULTURE: Write a magazine article about more countries signing agreements with each other. 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 opera. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to make it more popular. 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.)

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