Breaking News English Lesson on Sri Lanka Blasts

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At least 207 die in Sri Lanka blasts (23rd April, 2019)

The Reading / Listening - Sri Lanka Blasts - Level 3

At least 207 people have been killed and 450 hurt in separate explosions in Sri Lanka. The government said suicide bombers were responsible for the bombings. The blasts took place in churches and hotels across the country on Sunday. Three churches were attacked as people were attending religious services for Easter, one of the most important occasions in the Christian calendar. Three luxury hotels were also targeted. Sri Lanka's government has imposed a curfew on the country. It asked people to be alert and report anything suspicious. The government has also blocked social media websites to prevent the spread of misinformation. The government said police have arrested seven suspects.

World leaders have condemned the attacks. Pope Francis said: "I pray for the injured and all those who are suffering as a result of this dramatic event." The leader of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka told the BBC: "It's a very difficult and a very sad situation for all of us because we never expected such a thing to happen, especially on Easter Sunday." US President Donald Trump tweeted: "The United States offers heartfelt condolences to the great people of Sri Lanka. We stand ready to help." The president of Turkey called the blasts "an assault on all of humanity". Sri Lanka's president said he is worried that the violence could create more instability in his country and in its economy.

Note: At the time of uploading, the death toll was 310.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Sri Lanka Blasts - Level 0, Sri Lanka Blasts - Level 1 or Sri Lanka Blasts - Level 2

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48001720
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/sri-lanka-bombings-explosions-easter-sunday-colombo-churches-hotels-2019-04-21-live-updates/
https://www.dw.com/en/easter-sunday-blasts-belie-sri-lankas-calm-facade/a-48422430

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. TERRORISM: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about terrorism. 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?
hurt / explosions / suicide bombers / religious services / Christian / calendar / suspect
world leader / dramatic / sad / Easter / condolences / president / humanity / economy
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. VIOLENT: Students A strongly believe the world is becoming a more violent place; Students B strongly believe the world is becoming less violent. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. REDUCING TERRORISM: What can these people / things do to reduce levels of terrorism? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	What they can do	How effective that would be
Governments
Police
Social media sites
Religious leaders
The UN
Normal people

MY e-BOOK

See a sample

5. RELIGIOUS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "religious". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. STOPPING TERRORISM: Rank these with your partner. Put the best ways to stop terrorism at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

education

new leaders

multiculturalism

stronger borders

money

prayer

technology

more police

Vocabulary

Paragraph 1

1.	at least	a.	Different.
2.	separate	b.	Be present at an event, meeting, or function.
3.	explosion	c.	A person thought to be guilty of a crime or offense.
4.	attend	d.	A violent and damaging blowing apart of something, often caused by a bomb.
5.	occasion	e.	A rule requiring people to stay indoors between specified hours, usually at night.
6.	curfew	f.	Not less than.
7.	suspect	g.	A special event or celebration.

Paragraph 2

8.	condemn	h.	Talk to God.
9.	pray	i.	Full of terrible, exciting or great events.
10.	dramatic	j.	Likely to change a lot suddenly.
11.	expected	k.	Kind words given to people when someone dies.
12.	condolences	l.	Thought something would happen.
13.	violence	m.	Attack someone or something as being bad.
14.	instability	n.	Behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.

Before reading / listening

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

The government said it does not know who is responsible for the blasts. T / F
There is currently a curfew in Sri Lanka. T / F
Sri Lanka's government blocked social media sites. T / F
The article said the police have arrested seven suspects. T / F
The article said world leaders condoned the attacks. T / F
Sri Lanka's Catholic Church was expecting such an attack. T / F
The article said the UN boss called the blasts an assault on humanity. T / F
Sri Lanka's president is worried the attacks will affect the economy. T / F

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

hurt
attending
alert
spread
prevent
condemned
sad
expected
condolences
worried

believed
watchful
stop
criticized
concerned
growth
sympathy
injured
sorrowful
going to

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

The government said suicide
attending religious
Sri Lanka's government has imposed
prevent the spread
police have arrested
World leaders have condemned
suffering as
we never expected such
The United States offers heartfelt
the violence could create more

of misinformation
instability in his country
the attacks
a result
bombers were responsible
a thing to happen
services
condolences
seven suspects
a curfew

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

attacked
curfew
responsible
prevent
calendar
suspects
separate
anything

At least 207 people have been killed and 450 hurt in (1) ____________ explosions in Sri Lanka. The government said suicide bombers were (2) ____________ for the bombings. The blasts took place in churches and hotels across the country on Sunday. Three churches were (3) ____________ as people were attending religious services for Easter, one of the most important occasions in the Christian (4) ____________. Three luxury hotels were also targeted. Sri Lanka's government has imposed a (5) ____________ on the country. It asked people to be alert and report (6) ____________ suspicious. The government has also blocked social media websites to (7) ____________ the spread of misinformation. The government said police have arrested seven (8) ____________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

offers
dramatic
assault
injured
stand
instability
such
situation

World leaders have condemned the attacks. Pope Francis said: "I pray for the (9) ____________ and all those who are suffering as a result of this (10) ____________ event." The leader of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka told the BBC: "It's a very difficult and a very sad (11) ____________ for all of us because we never expected (12) ____________ a thing to happen, especially on Easter Sunday." US President Donald Trump tweeted: "The United States (13) ____________ heartfelt condolences to the great people of Sri Lanka. We (14) ____________ ready to help." The president of Turkey called the blasts "an (15) ____________ on all of humanity". Sri Lanka's president said he is worried that the violence could create more (16) ____________ in his country and in its economy.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) At least 207 people have been killed and 450 hurt in ______
     a. separated explosion
     b. separate explodes in
     c. separated explosions
     d. separate explosions
2) The government said suicide bombers were responsible ______
     a. for them bombings
     b. for the bombing
     c. for the bombings
     d. four the bombing
3) Three churches were attacked as people were attending ______
     a. religious service
     b. religious services
     c. religiously services
     d. religions service is
4) Sri Lanka's government has imposed ______
     a. ache a few
     b. acre few
     c. occur few
     d. a curfew
5) The government said police have arrested ______
     a. seven suspects
     b. seven suspect
     c. sevens suspects
     d. sevens suspect

6) I pray for the injured and all those who are suffering as a result of this ______
     a. drama tick event
     b. dramatic even
     c. dramatically event
     d. dramatic event
7) It's a very difficult and a very sad situation ______
     a. free all off us
     b. for all of us
     c. from all of us
     d. for all off us
8) offers heartfelt condolences to the great people of Sri Lanka. We stand ______
     a. readily to help
     b. red to help
     c. read to help
     d. ready to help
9) The president of Turkey called the blasts "an assault on ______"
     a. all of humanity
     b. all off humanity
     c. wall of humanity
     d. call of humanity
10) Sri Lanka's president said he is worried that the violence could create ______
     a. more instable
     b. more in stable
     c. more instability
     d. more in stab ability

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

At least 207 people have been killed and 450 (1) ___________________ explosions in Sri Lanka. The government said suicide bombers were (2) ___________________ bombings. The blasts took place in churches and hotels across the country on Sunday. Three churches (3) ___________________ people were attending religious services for Easter, one of the most important occasions in the Christian calendar. Three luxury hotels (4) ___________________. Sri Lanka's government has imposed a curfew on the country. It asked people to be (5) ___________________ anything suspicious. The government has also blocked social media websites to prevent the spread of misinformation. The government said police have (6) ___________________.

World (7) ___________________ the attacks. Pope Francis said: "I pray for the injured and all those (8) ___________________ as a result of this dramatic event." The leader of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka told the BBC: "It's a very difficult and a (9) ___________________ for all of us because we never expected such a (10) ___________________, especially on Easter Sunday." US President Donald Trump tweeted: "The United States offers heartfelt condolences to the great people of Sri Lanka. We stand ready to help." The president of Turkey called the (11) ___________________ on all of humanity". Sri Lanka's president said he is worried that the violence could create (12) ___________________ his country and in its economy.

Comprehension questions

How many people did the article say were hurt in the blasts?
How many churches did the suicide bombers attack?
How many luxury hotels did the suicide bombers attack?
What has the government imposed on the country?
How many suspects have the Sri Lankan police arrested?
Who said he would pray for the injured?
Who said he never expected such a thing to happen?
What did Donald Trump offer the people of Sri Lanka?
Who called the blasts an assault on humanity?
What is the Sri Lanka president worried the violence would create?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How many people did the article say were hurt in the blasts?
a) 504
b) 540
c) 405
d) 450
2) How many churches did the suicide bombers attack?
a) four
b) three
c) six
d) five
3) How many luxury hotels did the suicide bombers attack?
a) six
b) four
c) three
d) five
4) What has the government imposed on the country?
a) a curfew
b) an embargo
c) conditions
d) new laws
5) How many suspects have the Sri Lankan police arrested?
a) six
b) sixteen
c) seven
d) seventy

6) Who said he would pray for the injured?
a) the head of the UN
b) Pope Francis
c) Sri Lanka's president
d) the leader of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka
7) Who said he never expected such a thing to happen?
a) Pope Francis
b) Sri Lanka's president
c) the head of the UN
d) the leader of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka
8) What did Donald Trump offer the people of Sri Lanka?
a) condolences
b) money
c) hope
d) security
9) Who called the blasts an assault on humanity?
a) the leader of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka
b) Sri Lanka's president
c) Turkey's president
d) Pope Francis
10) What is the Sri Lanka president worried the violence would create?
a) a mess
b) instability
c) trouble
d) confusion

Role play

Role A – Money
You think money is the best way to stop terrorism. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why): prayer, technology or multiculturalism.

Role B – Prayer
You think prayer is the best way to stop terrorism. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why): money, technology or multiculturalism.

Role C – Technology
You think technology is the best way to stop terrorism. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why): prayer, money or multiculturalism.

Role D – Multiculturalism
You think multiculturalism is the best way to stop terrorism. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why): prayer, technology or money.

After reading / listening

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

'pray'

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

and 'bomb'.
________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

• 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:

pray

leader

difficult

happen

great

create

least

place

services

calendar

luxury

spread

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 - At least 207 die in Sri Lanka blasts

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 'terrorism'?
Why do people become suicide bombers?
What have you seen or read about this news?
How can Sri Lanka prevent further attacks?
Is there anywhere in the world that is safe from terrorism?
What can religious leaders do to stop terrorism?
What can governments do to stop terrorism?
What advice do you have for the people of Sri Lanka?
What should happen to the people who did this?

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 'bomb'?
What do you think about what you read?
What do you pray for?
Would the world change if we all prayed for peace?
What do you know about Easter?
What did your country's leader say about the attacks?
When will terrorism stop?
What is your biggest worry about terrorism?
What questions would you like to ask a terrorism expert?

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)

At least 207 people have been killed and 450 (1) ____ in separate explosions in Sri Lanka. The government said suicide bombers were responsible (2) ____ the bombings. The blasts took place in churches and hotels across the country on Sunday. Three churches were attacked (3) ____ people were attending religious services for Easter, one of the most important (4) ____ in the Christian calendar. Three luxury hotels were also targeted. Sri Lanka's government has imposed a curfew on the country. It asked people to (5) ____ alert and report anything suspicious. The government has also blocked social media websites to prevent the spread of misinformation. The government said police have arrested seven (6) ____.

World leaders have condemned the attacks. Pope Francis said: "I pray for the injured and all (7) ____ who are suffering as a result (8) ____ this dramatic event." The leader of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka told the BBC: "It's a very difficult and a very sad situation for all of us because we never (9) ____ such a thing to happen, especially on Easter Sunday." US President Donald Trump tweeted: "The United States offers heartfelt condolences to the great people of Sri Lanka. We stand (10) ____ to help." The president of Turkey called the blasts "an assault (11) ____ all of humanity". Sri Lanka's president said he is worried that the violence could create (12) ____ instability in his country and in its economy.

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a) hurt (b) hurts (c) hurting (d) hurtful
(a) of (b) at (c) for (d) by
(a) has (b) is (c) was (d) as
(a) occasioned (b) occasions (c) occasionally (d) occasional
(a) take (b) do (c) have (d) be
(a) suspicions (b) suspicious (c) suspects (d) suspect
(a) they (b) those (c) them (d) that
(a) of (b) to (c) by (d) on
(a) expected (b) prediction (c) guess (d) thinking
(a) already (b) readily (c) ready (d) readiness
(a) if (b) at (c) as (d) on
(a) many (b) more (c) plenty (d) enough

Spelling

Paragraph 1

hurt in separate solxsipnoe
ecidisu bombers
nesbsopleri for the bombings
report anything isiucuposs
tvrenpe the spread of misinformation
arrested seven esupscts

Paragraph 2

World leaders have cmendeond the attacks
a result of this daitamrc event
a very sad itaonuits
we never texcdeep such a thing
an atsausl on all of humanity
create more aistinibtyl

Put the text back together

( 1 ) At least 207 people have been killed and 450 hurt in separate explosions in Sri Lanka. The government said suicide
(...) services for Easter, one of the most important occasions in the Christian calendar. Three luxury hotels were also
(...) World leaders have condemned the attacks. Pope Francis said: "I pray for the injured and all those who are
(...) the violence could create more instability in his country and in its economy.
(...) BBC: "It's a very difficult and a very sad situation for all of us because we never expected such a thing to
(...) suffering as a result of this dramatic event." The leader of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka told the
(...) alert and report anything suspicious. The government has also blocked social media websites
(...) condolences to the great people of Sri Lanka. We stand ready to help." The president of Turkey called
(...) targeted. Sri Lanka's government has imposed a curfew on the country. It asked people to be
(...) bombers were responsible for the bombings. The blasts took place in churches and hotels across
(...) to prevent the spread of misinformation. The government said police have arrested seven suspects.
(...) the blasts "an assault on all of humanity". Sri Lanka's president said he is worried that
(...) the country on Sunday. Three churches were attacked as people were attending religious
(...) happen, especially on Easter Sunday." US President Donald Trump tweeted: "The United States offers heartfelt

Put the words in the right order

in hurt 450 separate than More explosions . were
services for religious were Easter . People attending
government curfew The a country . the imposed on
websites . social blocked media has also government The
police said arrested government The suspects . seven
a suffering as those are result . All who
never thing a such expected happen . We to
to people . great the heartfelt condolences Offers
an assault . president called blasts Turkey's the
more could the instability . create Worried violence that

Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

At least 207 people have been killed and 450 injury / hurt in separate explosions in Sri Lanka. The government said suicide bombers were / be responsible for the bombings. The blasts took / happened place in churches and hotels crossed / across the country on Sunday. Three churches were attacked as / was people were attending religious services for Easter, one of the most important / importance occasions in the Christian calendar. Three luxury hotels were also target / targeted. Sri Lanka's government has imposed / composed a curfew on the country. It asked people to be alert and report anything suspicious / suspicion. The government has also blocked social media websites to prevent the spreads / spread of misinformation. The government said police have arresting / arrested seven suspects.

World leaders have condoned / condemned the attacks. Pope Francis said: "I pray for the injured and all those / them who are suffering as a result of this dramatic eventually / event." The leader of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka told the BBC: "It's a very difficult / difficulty and a very sad situation for all of us because we never expected such / this a thing to happen, especially in / on Easter Sunday." US President Donald Trump tweeted: "The United States offers / offering heartfelt condolences to the great people of Sri Lanka. We stand / stood ready to help." The president of Turkey called the blasts "an assault on all of / for humanity". Sri Lanka's president said he is worried that the violence could create more instability in his country and in its economical / economy.

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)

A t l__ s t 2 0 7 p__ p l_ h_v_ b__ n k_l l_d _n d 4 5 0 h_r t _n s_p_r_t_ _x p l_s__ n s _n S r_ L_n k_. T h_ g_v_r n m_n t s__ d s__ c_d_ b_m b_r s w_r_ r_s p_n s_b l_ f_r t h_ b_m b_n g s . T h_ b l_s t s t__ k p l_c_ _n c h_r c h_s _n d h_t_l s _c r_s s t h_ c__ n t r y _n S_n d_y . T h r__ c h_r c h_s w_r_ _t t_c k_d _s p__ p l_ w_r_ _t t_n d_n g r_l_g___s s_r v_c_s f_r E_s t_r , _n_ _f t h_ m_s t _m p_r t_n t _c c_s__ n s _n t h_ C h r_s t__ n c_l_n d_r . T h r__ l_x_r y h_t_l s w_r_ _l s_ t_r g_t_d . S r_ L_n k_' s g_v_r n m_n t h_s _m p_s_d _ c_r f_w _n t h_ c__ n t r y . I t _s k_d p__ p l_ t_ b_ _l_r t _n d r_p_r t _n y t h_n g s_s p_c___s . T h_ g_v_r n m_n t h_s _l s_ b l_c k_d s_c__ l m_d__ w_b s_t_s t_ p r_v_n t t h_ s p r__ d _f m_s_n f_r m_t__ n . T h_ g_v_r n m_n t s__ d p_l_c_ h_v_ _r r_s t_d s_v_n s_s p_c t s .

W_r l d l__ d_r s h_v_ c_n d_m n_d t h_ _t t_c k s . P_p_ F r_n c_s s__ d : " I p r_y f_r t h_ _n j_r_d _n d _l l t h_s_ w h_ _r_ s_f f_r_n g _s _ r_s_l t _f t h_s d r_m_t_c _v_n t . " T h_ l__ d_r _f t h_ C_t h_l_c C h_r c h _n S r_ L_n k_ t_l d t h_ B B C : " I t ' s _ v_r y d_f f_c_l t _n d _ v_r y s_d s_t__ t__ n f_r _l l _f _s b_c__ s_ w_ n_v_r _x p_c t_d s_c h _ t h_n g t_ h_p p_n , _s p_c__ l l y _n E_s t_r S_n d_y . " U S P r_s_d_n t D_n_l d T r_m p t w__ t_d : " T h_ U n_t_d S t_t_s _f f_r s h__ r t f_l t c_n d_l_n c_s t_ t h_ g r__ t p__ p l_ _f S r_ L_n k_. W_ s t_n d r__ d y t_ h_l p . " T h_ p r_s_d_n t _f T_r k_y c_l l_d t h_ b l_s t s "_n _s s__ l t _n _l l _f h_m_n_t y " . S r_ L_n k_' s p r_s_d_n t s__ d h_ _s w_r r__ d t h_t t h_ v__ l_n c_ c__ l d c r__ t_ m_r_ _n s t_b_l_t y _n h_s c__ n t r y _n d _n _t s _c_n_m y .

Punctuate the text and add capitals

at least 207 people have been killed and 450 hurt in separate explosions in sri lanka the government said suicide bombers were responsible for the bombings the blasts took place in churches and hotels across the country on sunday three churches were attacked as people were attending religious services for easter one of the most important occasions in the christian calendar three luxury hotels were also targeted sri lankas government has imposed a curfew on the country it asked people to be alert and report anything suspicious the government has also blocked social media websites to prevent the spread of misinformation the government said police have arrested seven suspects

world leaders have condemned the attacks pope francis said i pray for the injured and all those who are suffering as a result of this dramatic event the leader of the catholic church in sri lanka told the bbc its a very difficult and a very sad situation for all of us because we never expected such a thing to happen especially on easter sunday us president donald trump tweeted the united states offers heartfelt condolences to the great people of sri lanka we stand ready to help the president of turkey called the blasts an assault on all of humanity sri lankas president said he is worried that the violence could create more instability in his country and in its economy.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Atleast207peoplehavebeenkilledand450hurtinseparateexplosionsi
nSriLanka.Thegovernmentsaidsuicidebomberswereresponsiblefort
hebombings.Theblaststookplaceinchurchesandhotelsacrossthecou
ntryonSunday.Threechurcheswereattackedaspeoplewereattending
religiousservicesforEaster,oneofthemostimportantoccasionsintheC
hristiancalendar.Threeluxuryhotelswerealsotargeted.SriLanka'sgo
vernmenthasimposedacurfewonthecountry.Itaskedpeopletobealert
andreportanythingsuspicious.Thegovernmenthasalsoblockedsocial
mediawebsitestopreventthespreadofmisinformation.Thegovernme
ntsaidpolicehavearrestedsevensuspects.Worldleadershavecondem
nedtheattacks.PopeFrancissaid:"Iprayfortheinjuredandallthosewho
aresufferingasaresultofthisdramaticevent."TheleaderoftheCatholic
ChurchinSriLankatoldtheBBC:"It'saverydifficultandaverysadsituati
onforallofusbecauseweneverexpectedsuchathingtohappen,especial
lyonEasterSunday."USPresidentDonaldTrumptweeted:"TheUnited
StatesoffersheartfeltcondolencestothegreatpeopleofSriLanka.West
andreadytohelp."ThepresidentofTurkeycalledtheblasts"anassaulto
nallofhumanity".SriLanka'spresidentsaidheisworriedthattheviolenc
ecouldcreatemoreinstabilityinhiscountryandinitseconomy.

Free writing

Write about Sri Lanka blasts for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Academic writing

There will always be terrorism in the world. 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. SRI LANKA: Make a poster about Sri Lanka. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. TERRORISM: Write a magazine article about raising taxes to help stop terrorism. 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 terrorism. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to stop it. 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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