The Reading / Listening - Tigray - Level 6

The United Nations has warned that people in Ethiopia's Tigray region are on the brink of a famine. Tigray is the northernmost state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama peoples. In addition to facing the possibility of starvation, people in Tigray have had to endure the hardships that come with being involved in a military conflict. In November 2020, fighting broke out between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia's army. The TPLF wants to overthrow Ethiopia's government. Neighbouring Eritrea has waded in on the side of Ethiopia. This has escalated into the Tigray War, causing instability in the region and increasing suffering for the people.

The U.N. warned that: "Several areas in Tigray are on the brink of famine. The situation will only keep getting worse unless needed funding is increased and humanitarian access is improved." It added: "People need to wake up. There is now the risk of a loss of life running into the hundreds of thousands or worse. Businesses have been destroyed, the economy has been destroyed, crops have been destroyed, and farms have been destroyed." A farmer in Tigray told the BBC: "We are eating small remains of crops that we have managed to hide, but now we don't have anything. Nobody has given us any aid. Almost everyone is on the verge of death....Death is knocking on our door."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Tigray - Level 4  or  Tigray - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57397901
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tigray-ethiopia-war-un-warns-famine-could-kill-hundreds-of-thousands/
  • https://www.africanews.com/2021/05/26/over-1-7-million-people-displaced-due-to-conflict-need-urgent-assistance-in-northern-ethiopia-iom/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. WAR: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about war. 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?
       region / brink / state / homeland / starvation / hardships / conflict / army / instability
       famine / situation / humanitarian / economy / farmer / remains / crops / hide / death
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. FAMINE: Students A strongly believe the world will act one day so famines become a thing of the past; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. SOLVABLE PROBLEMS: How difficult are these issues and problems to solve? What are your solutions? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Difficulty

Solutions

Famine

 

 

War

 

 

Cybercrime

 

 

Global warming

 

 

Poverty

 

 

Discrimination

 

 
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. HOMELAND: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "homeland". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. POORER PEOPLE: Rank these with your partner. Put the biggest obstacles for poorer people at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Famine
  • War
  • Drought
  • Lack of wifi
  • Bad leaders
  • Poor education
  • Corruption
  • Drug trade

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. brink a. Suffering or death caused by hunger.
      2. famine b. A point at which something, typically something unwelcome, is about to happen.
      3. starvation c. Suffer something painful or difficult patiently.
      4. endure d. Remove forcibly from power.
      5. overthrow e. An extreme lack of food.
      6. escalated f. A lack of being safe and secure.
      7. instability g. Became or caused to become more intense or serious.

    Paragraph 2

      8. funding h. Concerned with or seeking to promote human welfare.
      9. humanitarian i. The parts left over after other parts have been removed, used, or destroyed.
      10. access j. Money provided for a particular purpose.
      11. crops k. The right or opportunity to use or benefit from something.
      12. remains l. Financial or material help given to a country or area in need.
      13. aid m. Plants grown as food, especially a grain, fruit, or vegetable.
      14. verge n. An extreme limit beyond which something specified will happen.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. Tigray is in the centre of Ethiopia.     T / F
  2. People in Tigray are facing starvation and the hardships of war.     T / F
  3. The Tigray War broke out two years ago.     T / F
  4. Neighbouring Eritrea is in support of the Tigray People's Liberation Front. T / F
  5. The U.N. warned that several areas of Tigray are on the brink of famine.  T / F
  6. The U.N. warned that hundreds of thousands of people could die.     T / F
  7. A farmer said he had been hiding small amounts of crops to eat.     T / F
  8. The farmer said death is knocking on his door.     T / F

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

  1. warned
  2. brink
  3. starvation
  4. conflict
  5. escalated
  6. situation
  7. risk
  8. destroyed
  9. hide
  10. aid
  1. wrecked
  2. war
  3. circumstances
  4. edge
  5. possibility
  6. conceal
  7. cautioned
  8. assistance
  9. extreme hunger
  10. increased rapidly

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

  1. Tigray is the northernmost
  2. people in Tigray have had to
  3. Neighbouring Eritrea has waded in
  4. This has escalated into
  5. increasing suffering
  6. The situation will only keep
  7. There is now the risk of a loss of
  8. running into the
  9. Almost everyone is on the verge
  10. Death is knocking
  1. on the side of Ethiopia
  2. getting worse
  3. on our door
  4. hundreds of thousands
  5. the Tigray War
  6. of death
  7. state in Ethiopia
  8. life
  9. for the people
  10. endure the hardships

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
facing
overthrow
instability
homeland
conflict
region
waded
hardships

The United Nations has warned that people in Ethiopia's Tigray (1) _____________________ are on the brink of a famine. Tigray is the northernmost state in Ethiopia and the (2) _____________________ of the Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama peoples. In addition to (3) _____________________ the possibility of starvation, people in Tigray have had to endure the (4) _____________________ that come with being involved in a military (5) _____________________. In November 2020, fighting broke out between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia's army. The TPLF wants to (6) _____________________ Ethiopia's government. Neighbouring Eritrea has (7) _____________________ in on the side of Ethiopia. This has escalated into the Tigray War, causing (8) _____________________ in the region and increasing suffering for the people.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
access
hide
knocking
loss
remains
verge
situation
economy

The U.N. warned that: "Several areas in Tigray are on the brink of famine. The (9) _____________________ will only keep getting worse unless needed funding is increased and humanitarian (10) _____________________ is improved." It added: "People need to wake up. There is now the risk of a (11) _____________________ of life running into the hundreds of thousands or worse. Businesses have been destroyed, the (12) _____________________ has been destroyed, crops have been destroyed, and farms have been destroyed." A farmer in Tigray told the BBC: "We are eating small (13) _____________________ of crops that we have managed to (14) _____________________, but now we don't have anything. Nobody has given us any aid. Almost everyone is on the (15) _____________________ of death....Death is (16) _____________________ on our door."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) northernmost state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob ______
     a.  end Kunama peoples
     b.  and Kunama peopled
     c.  end Kunama people is
     d.  and Kunama peoples
2)  In addition to facing the ______
     a.  possibility of star ration
     b.  possibility of starve ration
     c.  possibility of starvation
     d.  possibility of starve nation
3)  Tigray have had to endure the hardships that come with being involved in ______
     a.  a militarily convict
     b.  a military conflict
     c.  a military conflicts
     d.  a military convict
4)  The TPLF wants to overthrow Ethiopia's government. Neighbouring Eritrea ______
     a.  has waded in
     b.  has way did in
     c.  has weigh did in
     d.  has why did in
5)  This has escalated into the Tigray War, ______
     a.  causing instability
     b.  cause in instability
     c.  cause sin instability
     d.  cause sing instability

6)  getting worse unless needed funding is increased and humanitarian ______
     a.  assess is improved
     b.  recess is improved
     c.  excess is improved
     d.  access is improved
7)  the risk of a loss of life running into the hundreds of ______
     a.  thousands nor worse
     b.  thousands sore worse
     c.  thousands or worse
     d.  thousands saw worse
8)  We are eating small remains of crops that we have ______
     a.  managed to hides
     b.  manage too hide
     c.  managed to hide
     d.  manage two hide
9)  ...but now we don't have anything. Nobody has given ______
     a.  us many aid
     b.  us sunny aid
     c.  us any aid
     d.  user any aid
10)  Almost everyone is on the verge of death....Death is knocking ______
     a.  on hour door
     b.  on our door
     c.  on your door
     d.  on nor door

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The United Nations has (1) ____________________ in Ethiopia's Tigray region are on the brink of a famine. Tigray is the (2) ____________________ Ethiopia and the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama peoples. In addition to facing the (3) ____________________, people in Tigray have had to endure the hardships that come with being involved in a military conflict. In November 2020, (4) ____________________ between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia's army. The TPLF wants to overthrow Ethiopia's government. Neighbouring Eritrea has (5) ____________________ the side of Ethiopia. This has escalated into the Tigray War, causing instability in the region (6) ____________________ for the people.

The U.N. warned that: "Several areas in Tigray are on the brink of famine. The situation will only keep getting (7) ____________________ funding is increased and humanitarian access is improved." It added: "People need to wake up. There is now the risk of a (8) ____________________ running into the hundreds of thousands or worse. Businesses have been destroyed, (9) ____________________ been destroyed, crops have been destroyed, and farms have been destroyed." A farmer in Tigray told the BBC: "We are eating small (10) ____________________ that we have managed to hide, but now we don't have anything. Nobody has given us any aid. Almost everyone is (11) ____________________ of death.... (12) ____________________ on our door."

Comprehension questions

  1. Where in Ethiopia is the region of Tigray?
  2. What are those in Tigray facing besides the hardships of military conflict?
  3. When did fighting break out in Tigray?
  4. What does the Tigray People's Liberation Front want?
  5. Which country has joined in the conflict?
  6. What does the U.N. say needs to be increased?
  7. What does the U.N. say people need to do?
  8. How many people does the U.N. say might die?
  9. What did a farmer manage to hide?
  10. What did the farmer say is knocking on his door?

Multiple choice quiz

1)  Where in Ethiopia is the region of Tigray?
a) the centre
b) the north
c) the west
d) the south
2) What are those in Tigray facing besides the hardships of military conflict?
a) displacement
b) loss of jobs
c) drought
d) starvation
3) When did fighting break out in Tigray?
a) December, 2020
b) October, 2020
c) November, 2020
d) September, 2020
4) What does the Tigray People's Liberation Front want?
a) to overthrow Ethiopia's government
b) to break away
c) to join the African Union
d) peace talks
5) Which country has joined in the conflict?
a) Djibouti
b) Eritrea
c) Sudan
d) Somalia

6) What does the U.N. say needs to be increased?
a) funding
b) the number of talks
c) vaccines
d) acceptance
7) What does the U.N. say people need to do?
a) donate
b) act
c) wake up
d) stop fighting
8) How many people does the U.N. say might die?
a) hundreds of thousands
b) tens of thousands
c) millions
d) countless numbers
9) What did a farmer manage to hide?
a) family members
b) guns
c) rebels
d) remains of crops
10) What did the farmer say is knocking on his door?
a) UNICEF
b) the government
c) death
d) the WHO

Role play

Role  A – Famine
You think famine is the biggest obstacle for poor people. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which of these is the least likely to hold poor people back (and why): war, no Internet or the drugs trade.

Role  B – War
You think war is the biggest obstacle for poor people. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which of these is the least likely to hold poor people back (and why): famine, no Internet or the drugs trade.

Role  C – No Internet
You think no Internet is the biggest obstacle for poor people. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which of these is the least likely to hold poor people back (and why): war, famine or the drugs trade.

Role  D – The Drugs Trade
You think the drugs trade is the biggest obstacle for poor people. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which of these is the least likely to hold poor people back (and why): war, no Internet or famine.

After reading / listening

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

'war'

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

    • and 'famine'.

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

    • • 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:

    • warned
    • state
    • facing
    • fighting
    • waded
    • suffering
    • situation
    • funding
    • risk
    • crops
    • hide
    • door

    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 - Tigray

    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 'war'?
    3. Why do people still go to war?
    4. What can the world do to stop the war in Tigray?
    5. What do you know about Ethiopia?
    6. How is it possible people can face starvation in 2021?
    7. What hardships come with being involved in military conflict?
    8. Did you support the last conflict your country took part in?
    9. How can we help the people in Tigray?
    10. What can we do to stop all future wars?

    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 'famine'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What would you do if your country was on the brink of famine?
    5. How much do you think the world cares about the Tigray war?
    6. Do you think the world's billionaires should feed the people in Tigray
    7. Why have Tigrayans' farms and businesses been destroyed?
    8. What aid should the world give Tigray?
    9. What three adjectives best describe this story?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the generals?

    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)

    The United Nations has warned that people in Ethiopia's Tigray region are on the brink of a famine. Tigray is the (1) ____ state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama peoples. In addition to (2) ____ the possibility of starvation, people in Tigray have had to (3) ____ the hardships that come with being involved in a military conflict. In November 2020, fighting broke (4) ____ between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia's army. The TPLF wants to overthrow Ethiopia's government. Neighbouring Eritrea has (5) ____ in on the side of Ethiopia. This has escalated into the Tigray War, causing instability in the region and increasing (6) ____ for the people.

    The U.N. warned that: "Several areas in Tigray are on the brink of famine. The situation will only keep getting worse unless (7) ____ funding is increased and humanitarian (8) ____ is improved." It added: "People need to wake up. There is now the risk of a (9) ____ of life running into the hundreds of thousands or worse. Businesses have been destroyed, the economy has been destroyed, (10) ____ have been destroyed, and farms have been destroyed." A farmer in Tigray told the BBC: "We are eating (11) ____ remains of crops that we have managed to hide, but now we don't have anything. Nobody has given us any aid. Almost everyone is on the (12) ____ of death....Death is knocking on our door."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     northernmost     (b)     north     (c)     northbound     (d)     northing    
    2. (a)     heading     (b)     skulling     (c)     facing     (d)     nosing    
    3. (a)     erase     (b)     assure     (c)     endure     (d)     endemic    
    4. (a)     abound     (b)     around     (c)     in     (d)     out    
    5. (a)     skinny-dipped     (b)     splashed     (c)     waded     (d)     plummeted    
    6. (a)     paining     (b)     suffering     (c)     hurting     (d)     aching    
    7. (a)     needy     (b)     needed     (c)     necessity     (d)     necessaries    
    8. (a)     excess     (b)     access     (c)     recess     (d)     assess    
    9. (a)     loser     (b)     lost     (c)     loss     (d)     losses    
    10. (a)     clips     (b)     claps     (c)     clops     (d)     crops    
    11. (a)     low     (b)     bit     (c)     few     (d)     small    
    12. (a)     dirge     (b)     scourge     (c)     purge     (d)     verge

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. facing the possibility of tsrvaoatin
    2. dneeur the hardships
    3. a ymratlii conflict
    4. This has aasecdlet into the Tigray War
    5. causing iyatibislnt in the region
    6. increasing ferfusign for the people

    Paragraph 2

    1. The aituinost will only keep getting worse
    2. needed fingndu is increased
    3. aahniinautmr access
    4. farms have been rdodseeyt
    5. small marsnei of crops
    6. on the geerv of death

    Put the text back together

    (...)  worse. Businesses have been destroyed, the economy has been destroyed, crops have been destroyed,
    (...)  waded in on the side of Ethiopia. This has escalated into the Tigray War, causing instability
    (...)  involved in a military conflict. In November 2020, fighting broke out between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF)
    (...)  and farms have been destroyed." A farmer in Tigray told the BBC: "We are eating small
    (...)  worse unless needed funding is increased and humanitarian access is improved." It added: "People need to
    (...)  remains of crops that we have managed to hide, but now we don't have anything. Nobody has given us any
    (  1  ) The United Nations has warned that people in Ethiopia's Tigray region are on the brink of a famine. Tigray is the northernmost
    (...)  in the region and increasing suffering for the people.
    (...)  wake up. There is now the risk of a loss of life running into the hundreds of thousands or
    (...)  The U.N. warned that: "Several areas in Tigray are on the brink of famine. The situation will only keep getting
    (...)  facing the possibility of starvation, people in Tigray have had to endure the hardships that come with being
    (...)  and Ethiopia's army. The TPLF wants to overthrow Ethiopia's government. Neighbouring Eritrea has
    (...)  state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama peoples. In addition to
    (...)  aid. Almost everyone is on the verge of death....Death is knocking on our door."

    Put the words in the right order

    1. famine   .   on   is   the   of   a   brink   Tigray
    2. the   to   starvation   .   of   In   addition   facing   possibility
    3. hardships   .   had   to   have   in   People   Tigray   endure
    4. military   involved   from   Hardships   in   conflict   .   a   being
    5. waded   Eritrea   has   side   the   of   Ethiopia   .   on   in
    6. situation   worse   .   keep   The   only   will   getting
    7. and   increased   Funding   access   is   humanitarian   improved   .   is
    8. of   loss   of   a   risk   life   .   The
    9. remains   We   eating   are   of   small   crops   .   our
    10. everyone   death   .   of   on   the   is   Almost   verge

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The United Nations has warned that people in Ethiopia's Tigray region are on the brink / blink of a famine. Tigray is the northernmost stale / state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama peoples. In addition to heading / facing the possibility of starvation, people in Tigray have had to endure / ensure the hardships that come with being involved on / in a military conflict. In November 2020, fighting broke out between the Tigray People's Liberation Fount / Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia's army. The TPLF wants to underarm / overthrow Ethiopia's government. Neighbouring Eritrea has waded up / in on the side of Ethiopia. This has elevated / escalated into the Tigray War, causing instability in the region and increasing paining / suffering for the people.

    The U.N. waned / warned that: "Several areas in Tigray are on the brink of famine. The situation will only keep getting worst / worse unless needed funding is increased and pedestrian / humanitarian access is improved." It added: "People need to waken / wake up. There is now the risk of a loss / lost of life running into the hundreds of thousands or worse. Businesses have been destroyed, the economy has been destroyed, clops / crops have been destroyed, and farms have been destroyed." A farmer in Tigray told the BBC: "We are eating small / few remains of crops that we have managed to hide, but now we don't have anything. Nobody has given us any / many aid. Almost everyone is on the wedge / verge of death....Death is knocking / knocked on our door."

    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)

    Th_  _n_t_d  N_t__ns  h_s  w_rn_d  th_t  p__pl_  _n  _th__p__'s  T_gr_y  r_g__n  _r_  _n  th_  br_nk  _f  _  f_m_n_.  T_gr_y  _s  th_  n_rth_rnm_st  st_t_  _n  _th__p__  _nd  th_  h_m_l_nd  _f  th_  T_gr_y_n,  _r_b  _nd  K_n_m_  p__pl_s.  _n  _dd_t__n  t_  f_c_ng  th_  p_ss_b_l_ty  _f  st_rv_t__n,  p__pl_  _n  T_gr_y  h_v_  h_d  t_  _nd_r_  th_  h_rdsh_ps  th_t  c_m_  w_th  b__ng  _nv_lv_d  _n  _  m_l_t_ry  c_nfl_ct.  _n  N_v_mb_r  2020,  f_ght_ng  br_k_  __t  b_tw__n  th_  T_gr_y  P__pl_'s  L_b_r_t__n  Fr_nt  (TPLF)  _nd  _th__p__'s  _rmy.  Th_  TPLF  w_nts  t_  _v_rthr_w  _th__p__'s  g_v_rnm_nt.  N__ghb__r_ng  _r_tr__  h_s  w_d_d  _n  _n  th_  s_d_  _f  _th__p__.  Th_s  h_s  _sc_l_t_d  _nt_  th_  T_gr_y  W_r,  c__s_ng  _nst_b_l_ty  _n  th_  r_g__n  _nd  _ncr__s_ng  s_ff_r_ng  f_r  th_  p__pl_.

    Th_  _.N.  w_rn_d  th_t:  "S_v_r_l  _r__s  _n  T_gr_y  _r_  _n  th_  br_nk  _f  f_m_n_.  Th_  s_t__t__n  w_ll  _nly  k__p  g_tt_ng  w_rs_  _nl_ss  n__d_d  f_nd_ng  _s  _ncr__s_d  _nd  h_m_n_t_r__n  _cc_ss  _s  _mpr_v_d."  _t  _dd_d:  "P__pl_  n__d  t_  w_k_  _p.  Th_r_  _s  n_w  th_  r_sk  _f  _  l_ss  _f  l_f_  r_nn_ng  _nt_  th_  h_ndr_ds  _f  th__s_nds  _r  w_rs_.  B_s_n_ss_s  h_v_  b__n  d_str_y_d,  th_  _c_n_my  h_s  b__n  d_str_y_d,  cr_ps  h_v_  b__n  d_str_y_d,  _nd  f_rms  h_v_  b__n  d_str_y_d."  _  f_rm_r  _n  T_gr_y  t_ld  th_  BBC:  "W_  _r_  __t_ng  sm_ll  r_m__ns  _f  cr_ps  th_t  w_  h_v_  m_n_g_d  t_  h_d_,  b_t  n_w  w_  d_n't  h_v_  _nyth_ng.  N_b_dy  h_s  g_v_n  _s  _ny  __d.  _lm_st  _v_ry_n_  _s  _n  th_  v_rg_  _f  d__th....D__th  _s  kn_ck_ng  _n  __r  d__r."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the united nations has warned that people in ethiopias tigray region are on the brink of a famine tigray is the northernmost state in ethiopia and the homeland of the tigrayan irob and kunama peoples in addition to facing the possibility of starvation people in tigray have had to endure the hardships that come with being involved in a military conflict in november 2020 fighting broke out between the tigray peoples liberation front tplf and ethiopias army the tplf wants to overthrow ethiopias government neighbouring eritrea has waded in on the side of ethiopia this has escalated into the tigray war causing instability in the region and increasing suffering for the people

    the un warned that several areas in tigray are on the brink of famine the situation will only keep getting worse unless needed funding is increased and humanitarian access is improved it added people need to wake up there is now the risk of a loss of life running into the hundreds of thousands or worse businesses have been destroyed the economy has been destroyed crops have been destroyed and farms have been destroyed a farmer in tigray told the bbc we are eating small remains of crops that we have managed to hide but now we dont have anything nobody has given us any aid almost everyone is on the verge of death death is knocking on our door

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    TheUnitedNationshaswarnedthatpeopleinEthiopia'sTigrayregionare
    onthebrinkofafamine.TigrayisthenorthernmoststateinEthiopiaandt
    hehomelandoftheTigrayan,IrobandKunamapeoples.Inadditiontofac
    ingthepossibilityofstarvation,peopleinTigrayhavehadtoenduretheh
    ardshipsthatcomewithbeinginvolvedinamilitaryconflict.InNovembe
    r2020,fightingbrokeoutbetweentheTigrayPeople'sLiberationFront(T
    PLF)andEthiopia'sarmy.TheTPLFwantstooverthrowEthiopia'sgovern
    ment.NeighbouringEritreahaswadedinonthesideofEthiopia.Thishas
    escalatedintotheTigrayWar,causinginstabilityintheregionandincrea
    singsufferingforthepeople.TheU.N.warnedthat:"SeveralareasinTigr
    ayareonthebrinkoffamine.Thesituationwillonlykeepgettingworseunl
    essneededfundingisincreasedandhumanitarianaccessisimproved."I
    tadded:"Peopleneedtowakeup.Thereisnowtheriskofalossofliferunni
    ngintothehundredsofthousandsorworse.Businesseshavebeendestr
    oyed,theeconomyhasbeendestroyed,cropshavebeendestroyed,and
    farmshavebeendestroyed."AfarmerinTigraytoldtheBBC:"Weareeati
    ngsmallremainsofcropsthatwehavemanagedtohide,butnowwedon't
    haveanything.Nobodyhasgivenusanyaid.Almosteveryoneisontheve
    rgeofdeath....Deathisknockingonourdoor."

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    The world's billionaires should help the people of Tigray. 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. ETHIOPIA: Make a poster about Ethiopia. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. FAMINE: Write a magazine article about governments contributing large sums of money to end famine. 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 war. Ask him/her three questions about war. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to stop wars. 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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