Breaking News English Lesson: Women in Power

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Women hold most government positions in Spain (9th June, 2018)

The Reading / Listening - Women in Power - Level 6

Women are on the rise in Spanish politics. Spain's newly-formed government consists of eleven women and six men. The newly-elected socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has put women in some of the biggest positions in his cabinet, including head of defence, economy, education and finance. Spain now has the highest proportion of women in top government positions than anywhere else in Europe. In a televised statement, Mr Sanchez said his new government consisted of people who wanted to move Spain forward. He said: "All are highly qualified and bring a vocation for public service and reflect the best of Spain. [They are]...open to the world but anchored in the European Union."

Mr Sanchez seems an unlikely leader. His Socialist party holds just 84 of the 350 seats in Spain's parliament. He took office on Friday, replacing the unpopular conservative leader Mariano Rajoy. Ex-prime minister Rajoy was the focus of a corruption scandal and had become unpopular because of his austerity measures. Sanchez promised to bring change to Spain. However, he has to work quickly to turn Spain's economy around. He has promised to call elections in less than two years, which may not be enough time to amend the outgoing government's budget for 2018. One of his biggest challenges will be rebuilding relations with the northeastern region of Catalonia.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Women in Power - Level 4 or Women in Power - Level 5

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44382051
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-politics/spains-new-prime-minister-names-cabinet-with-women-in-majority-idUSKCN1J22EI
https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/06/06/inenglish/1528285458_728200.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. WOMEN IN POWER: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about women in power. 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?
politics / government / socialist / cabinet / education / statement / public service /
leader / parliament / unpopular / conservative / corruption / scandal / challenges
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. 50:50: Students A strongly believe all government should consist of an equal split between men and women; Students B strongly believe this is silly. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. CABINET: What would you do if you help these posts in your country's government? Complete this table. Change partners often and share what you wrote with your partner(s).

	Problems now	What you would do
Health
Defence
Economy
Education
Finance
Foreign Affairs

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

Foreign Affairs
Transport
Sport
Education
Defence
Economy
Culture
Health

Vocabulary

Paragraph 1

1.	consists	a.	Chosen to hold public office or some other position by people voting.
2.	elected	b.	A part, share, or number considered in comparative relation to a whole.
3.	cabinet	c.	Is made up of.
4.	proportion	d.	A strong feeling of suitability for a particular career or job.
5.	statement	e.	A definite or clear expression of something in speech or writing.
6.	vocation	f.	Heavily attached to something.
7.	anchored	g.	A committee of the senior ministers responsible for controlling government policy.

Paragraph 2

8.	parliament	h.	An estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time.
9.	corruption	i.	A plan or course of action taken to achieve a particular purpose.
10.	austerity	j.	Make minor changes in (a text) in order to make it fairer, more accurate, or more up-to-date.
11.	measures	k.	The highest committee in a country. It makes all the decisions for running the country.
12.	amend	l.	Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, usually involving taking money illegally.
13.	outgoing	m.	Leaving an office or position, especially after an election defeat or completed term of office.
14.	budget	n.	Difficult economic conditions created by government measures to reduce a budget deficit, especially by reducing public expenditure.

Before reading / listening

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

There are twice as many women as men in Spain's new government. T / F
The women in Spain's government are in more junior roles. T / F
No EU country has a higher ratio of women in top government roles. T / F
Spain's leader said his government wants a vacation for public service. T / F
Spain's leader's party holds less than 50% of seats in parliament. T / F
Spain's previous leader is caught up in a corruption scandal. T / F
Spain's new leader said the next election would be in 2022. T / F
Spain's new leader may have insufficient time to change the budget. T / F

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

rise
formed
positions
proportion
reflect
unlikely
corruption
promised
amend
region

vowed
ratio
improbable
created
revise
show
up-and-up
district
dishonesty
posts

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

Women are on the
Spain's newly-
the highest proportion
In a televised
All are highly
Sanchez seems an unlikely
He took
the focus of a corruption
He has promised to call
amend the outgoing government's

budget
of women
qualified
office on Friday
leader
elections
rise in Spanish politics
statement
scandal
formed government

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

consists
qualified
proportion
anchored
rise
cabinet
reflect
televised

Women are on the (1) ____________ in Spanish politics. Spain's newly-formed government (2) ____________ of eleven women and six men. The newly-elected socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has put women in some of the biggest positions in his (3) ____________, including head of defence, economy, education and finance. Spain now has the highest (4) ____________ of women in top government positions than anywhere else in Europe. In a (5) ____________ statement, Mr Sanchez said his new government consisted of people who wanted to move Spain forward. He said: "All are highly (6) ____________ and bring a vocation for public service and (7) ____________ the best of Spain. [They are]...open to the world but (8) ____________ in the European Union."

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

focus
amend
austerity
region
unlikely
challenges
office
promised

Mr Sanchez seems an (9) ____________ leader. His Socialist party holds just 84 of the 350 seats in Spain's parliament. He took (10) ____________ on Friday, replacing the unpopular conservative leader Mariano Rajoy. Ex-prime minister Rajoy was the (11) ____________ of a corruption scandal and had become unpopular because of his (12) ____________ measures. Sanchez promised to bring change to Spain. However, he has to work quickly to turn Spain's economy around. He has (13) ____________ to call elections in less than two years, which may not be enough time to (14) ____________ the outgoing government's budget for 2018. One of his biggest (15) ____________ will be rebuilding relations with the northeastern (16) ____________ of Catalonia.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) Women are on the rise in Spanish politics. Spain's newly-formed ______ eleven women
     a. government consists of
     b. government constitutes of
     c. government consistency of
     d. government consist of
2) Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has put women in some of the biggest positions ______
     a. on his cabinet
     b. in his cabinet
     c. in this cabinet
     d. in his cabaret
3) Mr Sanchez said his new government consisted of people who wanted to ______
     a. advance Spain forwarded
     b. push Spain forwarding
     c. move Spain forward
     d. shove Spain forward
4) He said: "All are highly qualified and bring a vocation ______
     a. from public service"
     b. for public service"
     c. of public service"
     d. far public service"
5) reflect the best of Spain. They are open to the world but ______ European Union
     a. anchored on the
     b. anchored in the
     c. anchored at the
     d. anchored of the

6) His Socialist party holds just 84 of the 350 seats in ______
     a. Spain's parliamentary
     b. Spain's parliamentarian
    c. Spain's parliamentarians
     d. Spain's parliament
7) Ex-prime minister Rajoy was the focus of a ______
     a. corrosion scandal
     b. corruption scandal
     c. contraption scandal
     d. corrupting scandal
8) and had become unpopular because of his ______
     a. austerity measured
     b. austerity measurements
     c. austerity measuring
     d. austerity measures
9) However, he has to work quickly to turn Spain's ______
     a. economy abound
     b. economy around
     c. economy aground
     d. economy astound
10) One of his biggest challenges will be ______
     a. rebuild in relations
     b. rebuilding relation
     c. rebuilding relations
     d. rebuild in relation

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Women are (1) ___________________ in Spanish politics. Spain's newly-formed government consists of eleven women and six men. The newly-elected socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has put women (2) ___________________ the biggest positions in his cabinet, including head of defence, economy, education and finance. Spain now has the (3) ___________________ women in top government positions than anywhere else in Europe. In a televised statement, Mr Sanchez said his new government (4) ___________________ who wanted to move Spain forward. He said: "All are highly qualified and (5) ___________________ for public service and reflect the best of Spain. [They are]...open to the world but (6) ___________________ European Union."

Mr Sanchez (7) ___________________ leader. His Socialist party holds just 84 of the 350 seats in Spain's parliament. He (8) ___________________ Friday, replacing the unpopular conservative leader Mariano Rajoy. Ex-prime minister Rajoy was (9) ___________________ a corruption scandal and had become unpopular because (10) ___________________ measures. Sanchez promised to bring change to Spain. However, he has to work quickly to turn Spain's economy around. He has promised to call elections in less than two years, which may not (11) ___________________ to amend the outgoing government's budget for 2018. One of his biggest challenges will be rebuilding relations with the (12) ___________________ Catalonia.

Comprehension questions

How many women were appointed to top government posts in Spain?
Which European country has the highest ratio of women in top posts?
What medium did Pedro Sanchez use to make his statement?
What did Pedro Sanchez say his government brings to public service?
What did Pedro Sanchez say his government was anchored in?
How many parliamentary seats does Pedro Sanchez's party hold?
What kind of scandal is Spain's ex-prime minister involved in?
What did Pedro Sanchez promise to bring to Spain?
When did Pedro Sanchez say he would call the next elections?
What does Pedro Sanchez have to build relations with?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How many women were appointed to top government posts in Spain?
a) 5
b) 11
c) 13
d) 8
2) Which European country has the highest ratio of women in top posts?
a) Holland
b) Finland
c) France
d) Spain
3) What medium did Pedro Sanchez use to make his statement?
a) television
b) radio
c) Internet
d) newspapers
4) What did Pedro Sanchez say his government brings to public service?
a) a vacuum
b) a vacation
c) a vocation
d) a vacancy
5) What did Pedro Sanchez say his government was anchored in?
a) the mire
b) the European Union
c) mud
d) the sea

6) How many parliamentary seats does Pedro Sanchez's party hold?
a) 82
b) 83
c) 84
d) 85
7) What kind of scandal is Spain's ex-prime minister involved in?
a) a raunchy scandal
b) a secret scandal
c) a shares scandal
d) a corruption scandal
8) What did Pedro Sanchez promise to bring to Spain?
a) change
b) dollars
c) people
d) hope
9) When did Pedro Sanchez say he would call the next elections?
a) within two years
b) next years
c) after four years
d) he will decide
10) What does Pedro Sanchez have to build relations with?
a) the UK
b) Catalonia
c) the USA
d) the EU

Role play

Role A – Defence
You think defence is the most important area of government. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their areas aren't as important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): economy, health or education.

Role B – Economy
You think economy is the most important area of government. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their areas aren't as important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): defence, health or education.

Role C – Health
You think health is the most important area of government. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their areas aren't as important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): economy, defence or education.

Role D – Education
You think education is the most important area of government. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their areas aren't as important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): economy, health or defence.

After reading / listening

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

'women'

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

and 'power'.
________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

• 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:

seems

350

focus

bring

call

region

rise

elected

head

else

move

open

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 - Women hold most government positions in Spain

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

What did you think when you read the headline?
What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'politics'?
What do you think of the politics in your country?
Are there many women politicians in your country?
Should all governments be a healthy mix of men and women?
How do men and women lead differently?
Who is the greatest male leader of all time?
How would you like to move your country forward?
Would you be good working for the public service?
What kind of global view do you have?

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

Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
What do you think of when you hear the word 'government'?
What do you think about what you read?
Would you be a good politician?
What do you think of corruption scandals
What do you think of austerity measures?
Who is the greatest female leader ever?
What advice do you have for Spain's prime minister?
What are the biggest challenges your government has?
What questions would you like to ask Spain's prime minister?

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)

Women are on the (1) ____ in Spanish politics. Spain's newly-formed government consists of eleven women and six men. The newly-elected socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has put women in some of the biggest positions in his (2) ____, including head of defence, economy, education and finance. Spain now has the highest (3) ____ of women in top government positions than anywhere (4) ____ in Europe. In a televised statement, Mr Sanchez said his new government consisted of people who wanted to move Spain forward. He said: "All are highly qualified and bring a (5) ____ for public service and (6) ____ the best of Spain. [They are]...open to the world but anchored in the European Union."

Mr Sanchez seems an (7) ____ leader. His Socialist party holds just 84 of the 350 seats in Spain's parliament. He (8) ____ office on Friday, replacing the unpopular conservative leader Mariano Rajoy. Ex-prime minister Rajoy was the focus of a corruption scandal and had become unpopular because of his (9) ____ measures. Sanchez promised to bring change to Spain. However, he has to work quickly to turn Spain's economy around. He has promised to (10) ____ elections in less than two years, which may not be enough time to (11) ____ the outgoing government's budget for 2018. One of his biggest challenges will be rebuilding relations with the northeastern region (12) ____ Catalonia.

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a) arise (b) raise (c) rise (d) rising
(a) cabinet (b) closet (c) chest (d) drawers
(a) proportion (b) proponent (c) portion (d) potion
(a) else (b) there (c) where (d) more
(a) vocal (b) vocation (c) vacuum (d) vacation
(a) reframe (b) refer (c) reform (d) reflect
(a) likeable (b) eulogy (c) unlikely (d) allegory
(a) gave (b) did (c) been (d) took
(a) austerity (b) posterity (c) rarity (d) clarity
(a) call (b) voice (c) speak (d) shout
(a) amen (b) amend (c) ament (d) amenable
(a) to (b) as (c) of (d) via

Spelling

Paragraph 1

on the rise in Spanish soliipct
The newly-elected isciltsao Prime Minister
education and nfciean
All are highly qefldiiau
a acvnoito for public service
rteefcl the best of Spain

Paragraph 2

Spain's lamparinte
the focus of a rtrcuopion scandal
because of his tteuayrsi measures
He has promised to call linscoete
the outgoing government's begdtu
rebuilding selairont

Put the text back together

(...) statement, Mr Sanchez said his new government consisted of people who wanted to move Spain
(...) be rebuilding relations with the northeastern region of Catalonia.
(...) time to amend the outgoing government's budget for 2018. One of his biggest challenges will
(...) promised to call elections in less than two years, which may not be enough
(...) Mr Sanchez seems an unlikely leader. His Socialist party holds just 84 of the 350 seats in Spain's
(...) parliament. He took office on Friday, replacing the unpopular conservative leader Mariano Rajoy. Ex-prime minister Rajoy was the
(...) of women in top government positions than anywhere else in Europe. In a televised
(...) forward. He said: "All are highly qualified and bring a vocation for public service and reflect
( 1 ) Women are on the rise in Spanish politics. Spain's newly-formed government consists of eleven women
(...) in his cabinet, including head of defence, economy, education and finance. Spain now has the highest proportion
(...) the best of Spain. [They are]...open to the world but anchored in the European Union."
(...) change to Spain. However, he has to work quickly to turn Spain's economy around. He has
(...) and six men. The newly-elected socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has put women in some of the biggest positions
(...) focus of a corruption scandal and had become unpopular because of his austerity measures. Sanchez promised to bring

Put the words in the right order

rise politics . Spanish are in Women the on
in biggest Put women some the positions . of
of now highest has the women . Spain proportion
move who wanted People forward . to Spain
anchored the EU . world Open in to but the
party the 350 His just holds seats . of 84
his because become of austerity measures . unpopular He
quickly Spain's Work to economy turn around .
elections years . in two Call than less
challenges be One of will biggest rebuilding . his

Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

Women are on the raise / rise in Spanish politics. Spain's newly-formed government consists / contrasts of eleven women and six men. The newly-elected socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has put women in / on some of the biggest positions in his cabinet, including head off / of defence, economy, education and finance. Spain now has the highest proposition / proportion of women in top government positions than anywhere or / else in Europe. In / On a televised statement, Mr Sanchez said his new government consisted of people who wanted to move Spain forwarding / forward. He said: "All are highly qualified and bring a vocation / vacation for public service and reflect the best of Spain. [They are]...open to the world but anchored / rankled in the European Union."

Mr Sanchez seems an unlikely / likely leader. His Socialist party holds just 84 of / off the 350 seats in Spain's parliament. He gave / took office on Friday, replacing the unpopular conservative leader Mariano Rajoy. Ex-prime minister Rajoy was the fracas / focus of a corruption scandal and had become unpopular because of his austerity measured / measures. Sanchez promised to bring change / charge to Spain. However, he has to work quickly to turn / revolve Spain's economy around. He has promised to call / voice elections in less than two years, which may not be enough time to attend / amend the outgoing government's budget for 2018. One of his biggest challenges will been / be rebuilding relations with the northeastern region of Catalonia.

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)

W_m_n _r_ _n t h_ r_s_ _n S p_n_s h p_l_t_c s . S p__ n ' s n_w l y - f_r m_d g_v_r n m_n t c_n s_s t s _f _l_v_n w_m_n _n d s_x m_n . T h_ n_w l y -_l_c t_d s_c__ l_s t P r_m_ M_n_s t_r P_d r_ S_n c h_z h_s p_t w_m_n _n s_m_ _f t h_ b_g g_s t p_s_t__ n s _n h_s c_b_n_t , _n c l_d_n g h__ d _f d_f_n c_, _c_n_m y , _d_c_t__ n _n d f_n_n c_. S p__ n n_w h_s t h_ h_g h_s t p r_p_r t__ n _f w_m_n _n t_p g_v_r n m_n t p_s_t__ n s t h_n _n y w h_r_ _l s_ _n E_r_p_. I n _ t_l_v_s_d s t_t_m_n t , M r S_n c h_z s__ d h_s n_w g_v_r n m_n t c_n s_s t_d _f p__ p l_ w h_ w_n t_d t_ m_v_ S p__ n f_r w_r d . H_ s__ d : " A l l _r_ h_g h l y q__ l_f__ d _n d b r_n g _ v_c_t__ n f_r p_b l_c s_r v_c_ _n d r_f l_c t t h_ b_s t _f S p__ n . [ T h_y _r_] . . ._p_n t_ t h_ w_r l d b_t _n c h_r_d _n t h_ E_r_p__ n U n__ n . "

M r S_n c h_z s__ m s _n _n l_k_l y l__ d_r . H_s S_c__ l_s t p_r t y h_l d s j_s t 8 4 _f t h_ 3 5 0 s__ t s _n S p__ n ' s p_r l__ m_n t . H_ t__ k _f f_c_ _n F r_d_y , r_p l_c_n g t h_ _n p_p_l_r c_n s_r v_t_v_ l__ d_r M_r__ n_ R_j_y . E x - p r_m_ m_n_s t_r R_j_y w_s t h_ f_c_s _f _ c_r r_p t__ n s c_n d_l _n d h_d b_c_m_ _n p_p_l_r b_c__ s_ _f h_s __ s t_r_t y m__ s_r_s . S_n c h_z p r_m_s_d t_ b r_n g c h_n g_ t_ S p__ n . H_w_v_r , h_ h_s t_ w_r k q__ c k l y t_ t_r n S p__ n ' s _c_n_m y _r__ n d . H_ h_s p r_m_s_d t_ c_l l _l_c t__ n s _n l_s s t h_n t w_ y__ r s , w h_c h m_y n_t b_ _n__ g h t_m_ t_ _m_n d t h_ __ t g__ n g g_v_r n m_n t ' s b_d g_t f_r 2 0 1 8 . O n_ _f h_s b_g g_s t c h_l l_n g_s w_l l b_ r_b__ l d_n g r_l_t__ n s w_t h t h_ n_r t h__ s t_r n r_g__ n _f C_t_l_n__ .

Punctuate the text and add capitals

women are on the rise in spanish politics spains newly formed government consists of eleven women and six men the newly elected socialist prime minister pedro sanchez has put women in some of the biggest positions in his cabinet including head of defence economy education and finance spain now has the highest proportion of women in top government positions than anywhere else in europe in a televised statement mr sanchez said his new government consisted of people who wanted to move spain forward he said all are highly qualified and bring a vocation for public service and reflect the best of spain they areopen to the world but anchored in the european union

mr sanchez seems an unlikely leader his socialist party holds just 84 of the 350 seats in spains parliament he took office on friday replacing the unpopular conservative leader mariano rajoy exprime minister rajoy was the focus of a corruption scandal and had become unpopular because of his austerity measures sanchez promised to bring change to spain however he has to work quickly to turn spains economy around he has promised to call elections in less than two years which may not be enough time to amend the outgoing governments budget for 2018 one of his biggest challenges will be rebuilding relations with the northeastern region of catalonia.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

WomenareontheriseinSpanishpolitics.Spain'snewly-formedgover
nmentconsistsofelevenwomenandsixmen.Thenewly-electedsociali
stPrimeMinisterPedroSanchezhasputwomeninsomeofthebiggestpos
itionsinhiscabinet,includingheadofdefence,economy,educationandf
inance.Spainnowhasthehighestproportionofwomenintopgovernme
ntpositionsthananywhereelseinEurope.Inatelevisedstatement,MrS
anchezsaidhisnewgovernmentconsistedofpeoplewhowantedtomov
eSpainforward.Hesaid:"Allarehighlyqualifiedandbringavocationforp
ublicserviceandreflectthebestofSpain.[Theyare]...opentotheworldb
utanchoredintheEuropeanUnion."MrSanchezseemsanunlikelyleade
r.HisSocialistpartyholdsjust84ofthe350seatsinSpain'sparliament.H
etookofficeonFriday,replacingtheunpopularconservativeleaderMari
anoRajoy.Ex-primeministerRajoywasthefocusofacorruptionscand
alandhadbecomeunpopularbecauseofhisausteritymeasures.Sanche
zpromisedtobringchangetoSpain.However,hehastoworkquicklytotu
rnSpain'seconomyaround.Hehaspromisedtocallelectionsinlessthant
woyears,whichmaynotbeenoughtimetoamendtheoutgoinggovernm
ent'sbudgetfor2018.Oneofhisbiggestchallengeswillberebuildingrela
tionswiththenortheasternregionofCatalonia.

Free writing

Write about women in power for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Academic writing

Women in power make life better for other women. 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 news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. WOMEN IN POWER: Make a poster about women in power. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. 50:50 Write a magazine article about all governments and company boards being half men, half women. 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 women in power. Ask him/her three questions about this. Give him/her three of your opinions on why women are better leaders. 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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