The Reading / Listening - Mass Wedding - Level 6

Six thousand couples decided not to let the coronavirus deter them from celebrating their happy day. The multiple brides and grooms attended a mass wedding ceremony in South Korea's Unification Church on Friday, in spite of the health scare from the coronavirus in neighbouring China. The couples jetted in from sixty countries around the world to attend their wedding. The newlyweds were joined by 24,000 guests; some renewing their marriage vows and others watching friends and family tie the knot. The church seemed well prepared for such a large-scale event as staff handed out hand sanitizer and surgical masks to all attendees. They also checked the temperature of the couples.

The Unification Church is famous for holding the mass weddings. It was founded in 1954 by self-declared messiah Sun Myung Moon. The communal weddings started in 1961 and have seen hundreds of thousands of couples walk down the aisle. In many cases, the bride and groom had been matched and met for the first time at the ceremony. One newlywed spoke about marrying amid the global spread of the coronavirus. He told the Reuters news agency: "I'm very happy to attend this deeply blessed joint wedding. Since coronavirus is going around these days, I wore a mask to be on the safe side." A 23-year-old bride from Benin said: "I didn't put on a mask because I wanted to be beautiful for my husband."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Mass Wedding - Level 4  or  Mass Wedding - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-southkorea-masswedding-idUSKBN2010TJ
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/03/moonies-mass-wedding-south-korea-unification-church-hak-ja-han-sun-myung-moon
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51414560


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. WEDDINGS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about weddings. 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?
       couples / happy day / bride / groom / health scare / wedding / marriage vows / masks
       famous / messiah / walk down the aisle / tie the knot / blessed / coronavirus / safe
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. MARRIAGE: Students A strongly believe marriage is for life; Students B strongly believe it isn't.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. WEDDING VOWS: What vows should couples make to each other on their wedding day? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Vows

Why?

Money

 

 

Housework

 

 

Social life

 

 

Family

 

 

Smartphone

 

 

Old age

 

 
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. HAPPY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "happy". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. BRIDE AND GROOM: Rank these with your partner. Put the best things about being the bride or groom at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Clothes
  • Flowers
  • Presents
  • Vows
  • Photos
  • Cake
  • The kiss
  • Family

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. deter a. A large number of people or objects crowded together.
      2. multiple b. Discourage someone from doing something through doubt or fear of the consequences.
      3. mass c. Cause great fear or nervousness in; frighten.
      4. scare d. Arrived by airplane.
      5. jetted in e. Numerous and often varied.
      6. vows f. A liquid or cloth to make things clean and hygienic.
      7. sanitizer g. A set of promises made when getting married, joining a religious order or following a course of action.

    Paragraph 2

      8. messiah h. The space between rows of seats in a building such as a church or theater, an airplane, or a train.
      9. aisle i. Made holy.
      10. newlywed j. A leader or savior of a particular group or cause.
      11. amid k. A recently married person.
      12. blessed l. Shared, held, or made by two or more people, parties, or organizations together.
      13. joint m. Surrounded by; in the middle of.
      14. the safe side n. The option that has security against risks.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. Six thousand couples got married at a mass wedding.     T / F
  2. The wedding took place in the capital city of North Korea.     T / F
  3. Couples from sixteen different countries were married at the ceremony.   T / F
  4. The church ran out of surgical masks to give the guests.     T / F
  5. The mass weddings have been taking place since the early 1960s.     T / F
  6. Sometimes, the bride and groom meet for the first time at the wedding.  T / F
  7. A groom said he wore a mask to be on the safe side.     T / F
  8. A bride did not wear a mask so her new husband could kiss her.     T / F

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

  1. deter
  2. attended
  3. mass
  4. vows
  5. sanitizer
  6. holding
  7. communal
  8. walk down the aisle
  9. blessed
  10. on the safe side
  1. conducting
  2. out of harm's way
  3. promises
  4. joint
  5. large-scale
  6. get married
  7. discourage
  8. fortunate
  9. sterilizer
  10. were present at

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

  1. in spite of the health scare
  2. some renewing their marriage
  3. The church seemed well prepared for such
  4. hand sanitizer and
  5. They also checked the temperature
  6. famous for holding
  7. couples walk down
  8. the bride and
  9. marrying amid the global
  10. I wore a mask to be on
  1. vows
  2. spread of the coronavirus
  3. the mass weddings
  4. from the coronavirus
  5. the aisle
  6. surgical masks
  7. groom
  8. of the couples
  9. the safe side
  10. a large-scale event

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
spite
temperature
vows
deter
sanitizer
jetted
multiple
knot

Six thousand couples decided not to let the coronavirus (1) ____________ them from celebrating their happy day. The (2) ____________ brides and grooms attended a mass wedding ceremony in South Korea's Unification Church on Friday, in (3) ____________ of the health scare from the coronavirus in neighbouring China. The couples (4) ____________ in from sixty countries around the world to attend their wedding. The newlyweds were joined by 24,000 guests; some renewing their marriage (5) ____________ and others watching friends and family tie the (6) ____________. The church seemed well prepared for such a large-scale event as staff handed out hand (7) ____________ and surgical masks to all attendees. They also checked the (8) ____________ of the couples.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
groom
amid
messiah
side
holding
ceremony
aisle
blessed

The Unification Church is famous for (9) ____________ the mass weddings. It was founded in 1954 by self-declared (10) ____________ Sun Myung Moon. The communal weddings started in 1961 and have seen hundreds of thousands of couples walk down the (11) ____________. In many cases, the bride and (12) ____________ had been matched and met for the first time at the (13) ____________. One newlywed spoke about marrying (14) ____________ the global spread of the coronavirus. He told the Reuters news agency: "I'm very happy to attend this deeply (15) ____________ joint wedding. Since coronavirus is going around these days, I wore a mask to be on the safe (16) ____________." A 23-year-old bride from Benin said: "I didn't put on a mask because I wanted to be beautiful for my husband."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  Six thousand couples decided not to let the coronavirus ______
     a.  defer them
     b.  deter them
     c.  ditto them
     d.  dater them
2)  The multiple brides and grooms attended a mass ______
     a.  wedding ceremony
     b.  wed in ceremony
     c.  wed din ceremony
     d.  weeding ceremony
3)  The couples jetted in from sixty countries around the world ______ wedding
     a.  tour tend their
     b.  to attend their
     c.  tier tend their
     d.  two attend their
4)  renewing their marriage vows and others watching friends and family ______
     a.  try the clot
     b.  time the not
     c.  tie the knot
     d.  tier the gnat
5)  prepared for such a large-scale event as staff handed out hand sanitizer and ______
     a.  surgical masks
     b.  surgically masks
     c.  surgery masks
     d.  sugary masks

6)  The Unification Church is famous for holding the ______
     a.  mast weddings
     b.  massive weddings
     c.  masses weddings
     d.  mass weddings
7)  started in 1961 and have seen hundreds of thousands of couples walk ______
     a.  down the I'll
     b.  down the aisle
     c.  down the all
     d.  down the ail
8)  I'm very happy to attend this deeply ______ wedding
     a.  blessed joints
     b.  blessed jointly
     c.  blessed joint
     d.  blessed jointed
9)  Since coronavirus is going around these days, I wore a mask to be on ______
     a.  the safely side
     b.  the safe side
     c.  the strafe side
     d.  the suave side
10)  A 23-year-old bride from Benin said: "I didn't put ______"
     a.  on a masked
     b.  on a marks
     c.  on a max
     d.  on a mask

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Six thousand couples decided not to let the coronavirus (1) ___________________ celebrating their happy day. The multiple brides and grooms (2) ___________________ wedding ceremony in South Korea's Unification Church on Friday, in spite of the (3) ___________________ the coronavirus in neighbouring China. The couples jetted in from sixty countries around the world to attend their wedding. The (4) ___________________ by 24,000 guests; some renewing their marriage vows and others watching friends and family (5) ___________________. The church seemed well prepared for such a large-scale event as staff handed (6) ___________________ and surgical masks to all attendees. They also checked the temperature of the couples.

The Unification Church is (7) ___________________ the mass weddings. It was founded in 1954 by self-declared messiah Sun Myung Moon. (8) ___________________ started in 1961 and have seen hundreds of thousands of couples walk (9) ___________________. In many cases, the bride and groom had been matched and met for the first time at the ceremony. One newlywed spoke about marrying (10) ___________________ spread of the coronavirus. He told the Reuters news agency: "I'm very happy to attend (11) ___________________ joint wedding. Since coronavirus is going around these days, I wore a mask to be on the safe side." A 23-year-old bride from Benin said: "I didn't put on a mask because I wanted to (12) ___________________ my husband."

Comprehension questions

  1. How many people got married?
  2. How many different countries were the guests from?
  3. How many guests attended the mass wedding?
  4. What did the church hand out besides surgical masks?
  5. What did the church check about the couples?
  6. When was the Unification Church founded?
  7. What started in 1961?
  8. Where did the article say hundreds of thousands of couples had walked?
  9. Why did a groom wear a mask?
  10. Who did one woman want to be beautiful for?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How many people got married?
a) 60,000
b) 6,000
c) 12,000
d) 32,000
2) How many different countries were the guests from?
a) 60
b) 50
c) 40
d) 30
3) How many guests attended the mass wedding?
a) 24,000
b) 42,000
c) 32,000
d) 23,000
4) What did the church hand out besides surgical masks?
a) Bibles
b) hand sanitizers
c) crosses
d) garlic

5) What did the church check about the couples?
a) their wedding vows
b) their passports
c) their age
d) their temperature

6) When was the Unification Church founded?
a) 1902
b) 1954
c) 1980
d) 1930
7) What started in 1961?
a) mass weddings
b) the church's TV channel
c) the Korean Olympics
d) the use of English in Korean churches
8) Where did the article say hundreds of thousands of couples had walked?
a) to the other side
b) to heaven
c) down the aisle
d) up a mountain
9) Why did a groom wear a mask?
a) to go off the rails
b) to walk the line
c) to live life on the edge
d) to be on the safe side
10) Who did one woman want to be beautiful for?
a) her husband
b) herself
c) her mother
d) everyone

Role play

Role  A – Clothes
You think clothes are the best thing about being the bride or groom. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as great. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): flowers, cake or presents.

Role  B – Flowers
You think flowers are the best thing about being the bride or groom. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as great. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): clothes, cake or presents.

Role  C – Cake
You think cake is the best thing about being the bride or groom. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as great. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): flowers, clothes or presents.

Role  D – Presents
You think presents are the best thing about being the bride or groom. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as great. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): flowers, cake or clothes.

After reading / listening

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

'mass'

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

    • and 'wedding'.

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

    • • 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:

    • decided
    • multiple
    • scare
    • vows
    • tie
    • hand
    • famous
    • 1954
    • aisle
    • amid
    • deeply
    • husband

    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 - Mass Wedding

    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 'bride'?
    3. What do you think about mass weddings?
    4. What kind of wedding is best?
    5. What is the meaning of marriage?
    6. Is getting married the happiest day of your life?
    7. Should the wedding have taken place amid the coronavirus threat?
    8. How worried are you about the coronavirus?
    9. Why is marriage called 'tying the knot' in English?
    10. What precautions are you taking against coronavirus?

    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 'groom'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Are mass weddings better than single weddings?
    5. How does it feel to walk down the aisle?
    6. What would it be like to marry someone you have just met?
    7. What kind of wedding would you really like?
    8. What wedding vows should people make?
    9. Should public events be cancelled because of coronavirus?
    10. What questions would you like to ask one of the newlyweds?

    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)

    Six thousand couples decided not to let the coronavirus (1) ____ them from celebrating their happy day. The (2) ____ brides and grooms attended a mass wedding ceremony in South Korea's Unification Church on Friday, in (3) ____ of the health scare from the coronavirus in neighbouring China. The couples jetted in from sixty countries around the world to attend their wedding. The newlyweds were joined by 24,000 guests; some renewing their marriage (4) ____ and others watching friends and family tie the (5) ____. The church seemed well prepared for such a large-scale event as staff handed out hand sanitizer and (6) ____ masks to all attendees. They also checked the temperature of the couples.

    The Unification Church is famous for (7) ____ the mass weddings. It was founded in 1954 by self-declared messiah Sun Myung Moon. The communal weddings started in 1961 and have seen hundreds of thousands of couples walk down the (8) ____. In many cases, the bride and groom had been matched and met for the first time at the ceremony. One newlywed spoke about marrying (9) ____ the global spread of the coronavirus. He told the Reuters news agency: "I'm very happy to attend this deeply blessed (10) ____ wedding. Since coronavirus is going around these days, I wore a mask to be on the safe (11) ____." A 23-year-old (12) ____ from Benin said: "I didn't put on a mask because I wanted to be beautiful for my husband."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     defer     (b)     deter     (c)     detail     (d)     detain    
    2. (a)     addition     (b)     multiple     (c)     subtraction     (d)     division    
    3. (a)     spot     (b)     spat     (c)     spate     (d)     spite    
    4. (a)     rows     (b)     vows     (c)     wows     (d)     bows    
    5. (a)     string     (b)     knot     (c)     cord     (d)     tangle    
    6. (a)     surgeon     (b)     surgery     (c)     surgical     (d)     surge    
    7. (a)     folding     (b)     scolding     (c)     holding     (d)     wielding    
    8. (a)     all     (b)     ail     (c)     aisle     (d)     hail    
    9. (a)     middling     (b)     middle     (c)     mid     (d)     amid    
    10. (a)     joint     (b)     joined     (c)     joiner     (d)     joinery    
    11. (a)     side     (b)     edge     (c)     rim     (d)     border    
    12. (a)     bridesmaid     (b)     bridal     (c)     bride     (d)     bridle

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. lulieptm brides and grooms
    2. a mass wedding cermyone
    3. renewing their marriage vswo
    4. hand retiazisn
    5. calsigru masks
    6. They also checked the tmteeaeurrp

    Paragraph 2

    1. self-declared eiasmhs
    2. The mcumanol weddings
    3. couples walk down the aeils
    4. One lwndewye spoke about marrying
    5. I'm very happy to adtetn this
    6. deeply sesdbel

    Put the text back together

    (...)  in from sixty countries around the world to attend their wedding. The newlyweds were joined
    (...)  The Unification Church is famous for holding the mass weddings. It was founded
    (...)  of the coronavirus. He told the Reuters news agency: "I'm very happy to attend this deeply
    (...)  hundreds of thousands of couples walk down the aisle. In many cases, the bride and groom had been matched and met
    (...)  by 24,000 guests; some renewing their marriage vows and others watching friends and family tie the
    (...)  and surgical masks to all attendees. They also checked the temperature of the couples.
    (...)  blessed joint wedding. Since coronavirus is going around these days, I wore a mask to be on the safe
    (...)  side." A 23-year-old bride from Benin said: "I didn't put on a mask because I wanted to be beautiful for my husband."
    (...)  knot. The church seemed well prepared for such a large-scale event as staff handed out hand sanitizer
    (...)  day. The multiple brides and grooms attended a mass wedding ceremony in South Korea's Unification Church
    (...)  for the first time at the ceremony. One newlywed spoke about marrying amid the global spread
    (...)  on Friday, in spite of the health scare from the coronavirus in neighbouring China. The couples jetted
    (  1  ) Six thousand couples decided not to let the coronavirus deter them from celebrating their happy
    (...)  in 1954 by self-declared messiah Sun Myung Moon. The communal weddings started in 1961 and have seen

    Put the words in the right order

    1. deter   to   let   not   them   .   the   Decided   coronavirus
    2. and   grooms   ceremony   .   wedding   a   attended   Brides   mass
    3. coronavirus   the   health   spite   scare   of   the   from   In   .
    4. such   a   prepared   for   event   .   Well   large-scale
    5. also   of   the   checked   temperature   the   couples   .   They
    6. the   aisle   .   down   walk   couples   of   Thousands
    7. ceremony   .   the   time   the   for   at   first   Met
    8. the   amid   coronavirus   .   of   Marrying   global   the   spread
    9. attend   joint   this   deeply   to   wedding   .   Happy   blessed
    10. mask   safe   be   A   on   the   to   side   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Six thousand couples decided / decision not to let the coronavirus refer / deter them from celebrating their happy day. The multiply / multiple brides and grooms attended a mass wedding ceremony in South Korea's Unification Church on Friday, in spate / spite of the health scare from the coronavirus in neighbouring China. The couples jettisoned / jetted in from sixty countries around the world to attend / attentive their wedding. The newlyweds were joined by 24,000 guests; some renewing / knowing their marriage wows / vows and others watching friends and family tie the knot. The church seemed well prepared for such a large-scale event as staff handed out hand sanitizer / sanitation and surgical masks to all attendees / attendances. They also checked the temperature of the couples.

    The Unification Church is famously / famous for holding the mass weddings. It was founded in 1954 by self-declared messiah / missive Sun Myung Moon. The communal weddings started in 1961 and have been / seen hundreds of thousands of couples walk down the stall / aisle. In many cases, the bride and groomed / groom had been matched and met for the first time at the ceremony. One newlywed spoke about marrying amid / mid the global spread of the coronavirus. He told the Reuters news agency: "I'm very happy to attend this depth / deeply blessed joint wedding. Since coronavirus is going abound / around these days, I wore a mask to be on the safe side / edge." A 23-year-old bride from Benin said: "I didn't put on a mask because I wanted to be beautiful / beautification for my husband."

    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_x t h__ s_n d c__ p l_s d_c_d_d n_t t_ l_t t h_ c_r_n_v_r_s d_t_r t h_m f r_m c_l_b r_t_n g t h__ r h_p p y d_y . T h_ m_l t_p l_ b r_d_s _n d g r__ m s _t t_n d_d _ m_s s w_d d_n g c_r_m_n y _n S__ t h K_r__ ' s U n_f_c_t__ n C h_r c h _n F r_d_y , _n s p_t_ _f t h_ h__ l t h s c_r_ f r_m t h_ c_r_n_v_r_s _n n__ g h b__ r_n g C h_n_. T h_ c__ p l_s j_t t_d _n f r_m s_x t y c__ n t r__ s _r__ n d t h_ w_r l d t_ _t t_n d t h__ r w_d d_n g . T h_ n_w l y w_d s w_r_ j__ n_d b y 2 4 , 0 0 0 g__ s t s ; s_m_ r_n_w_n g t h__ r m_r r__ g_ v_w s _n d _t h_r s w_t c h_n g f r__ n d s _n d f_m_l y t__ t h_ k n_t . T h_ c h_r c h s__ m_d w_l l p r_p_r_d f_r s_c h _ l_r g_- s c_l_ _v_n t _s s t_f f h_n d_d __ t h_n d s_n_t_z_r _n d s_r g_c_l m_s k s t_ _l l _t t_n d__ s . T h_y _l s_ c h_c k_d t h_ t_m p_r_t_r_ _f t h_ c__ p l_s .

    T h_ U n_f_c_t__ n C h_r c h _s f_m__ s f_r h_l d_n g t h_ m_s s w_d d_n g s . I t w_s f__ n d_d _n 1 9 5 4 b y s_l f - d_c l_r_d m_s s__ h S_n M y_n g M__ n . T h_ c_m m_n_l w_d d_n g s s t_r t_d _n 1 9 6 1 _n d h_v_ s__ n h_n d r_d s _f t h__ s_n d s _f c__ p l_s w_l k d_w n t h_ __ s l_. I n m_n y c_s_s , t h_ b r_d_ _n d g r__ m h_d b__ n m_t c h_d _n d m_t f_r t h_ f_r s t t_m_ _t t h_ c_r_m_n y . O n_ n_w l y w_d s p_k_ _b__ t m_r r y_n g _m_d t h_ g l_b_l s p r__ d _f t h_ c_r_n_v_r_s . H_ t_l d t h_ R__ t_r s n_w s _g_n c y : " I ' m v_r y h_p p y t_ _t t_n d t h_s d__ p l y b l_s s_d j__ n t w_d d_n g . S_n c_ c_r_n_v_r_s _s g__ n g _r__ n d t h_s_ d_y s , I w_r_ _ m_s k t_ b_ _n t h_ s_f_ s_d_. " A 2 3 - y__ r -_l d b r_d_ f r_m B_n_n s__ d : " I d_d n ' t p_t _n _ m_s k b_c__ s_ I w_n t_d t_ b_ b___t_f_l f_r m y h_s b_n d . "

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    six thousand couples decided not to let the coronavirus deter them from celebrating their happy day the multiple brides and grooms attended a mass wedding ceremony in south koreas unification church on friday in spite of the health scare from the coronavirus in neighbouring china the couples jetted in from sixty countries around the world to attend their wedding the newlyweds were joined by 24000 guests some renewing their marriage vows and others watching friends and family tie the knot the church seemed well prepared for such a largescale event as staff handed out hand sanitizer and surgical masks to all attendees they also checked the temperature of the couples

    the unification church is famous for holding the mass weddings it was founded in 1954 by selfdeclared messiah sun myung moon the communal weddings started in 1961 and have seen hundreds of thousands of couples walk down the aisle in many cases the bride and groom had been matched and met for the first time at the ceremony one newlywed spoke about marrying amid the global spread of the coronavirus he told the reuters news agency im very happy to attend this deeply blessed joint wedding since coronavirus is going around these days i wore a mask to be on the safe side a 23yearold bride from benin said i didnt put on a mask because i wanted to be beautiful for my husband

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Sixthousandcouplesdecidednottoletthecoronavirusdeterthemfromc
    elebratingtheirhappyday.Themultiplebridesandgroomsattendedam
    assweddingceremonyinSouthKorea'sUnificationChurchonFriday,ins
    piteofthehealthscarefromthecoronavirusinneighbouringChina.Thec
    ouplesjettedinfromsixtycountriesaroundtheworldtoattendtheirwed
    ding.Thenewlywedswerejoinedby24,000guests;somerenewingthei
    rmarriagevowsandotherswatchingfriendsandfamilytietheknot.Thec
    hurchseemedwellpreparedforsuchalargescaleeventasstaffhandedo
    uthandsanitizerandsurgicalmaskstoallattendees.Theyalsocheckedt
    hetemperatureofthecouples.TheUnificationChurchisfamousforholdi
    ngthemassweddings.Itwasfoundedin1954byself-declaredmessiahS
    unMyungMoon.Thecommunalweddingsstartedin1961andhaveseen
    hundredsofthousandsofcoupleswalkdowntheaisle.Inmanycases,the
    brideandgroomhadbeenmatchedandmetforthefirsttimeatthecerem
    ony.Onenewlywedspokeaboutmarryingamidtheglobalspreadofthec
    oronavirus.HetoldtheReutersnewsagency:"I'mveryhappytoattendt
    hisdeeplyblessedjointwedding.Sincecoronavirusisgoingaroundthes
    edays,Iworeamasktobeonthesafeside."A23-year-oldbridefromBe
    ninsaid:"Ididn'tputonamaskbecauseIwantedtobebeautifulformyhus
    band."

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    All public events should be banned until the coronavirus is no longer a threat. 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. WEDDINGS: Make a poster about weddings. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. CORONAVIRUS: Write a magazine article about banning all public events until the coronavirus is no longer a threat. 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 mass weddings. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your opinions on mass weddings. 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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