Breaking News English Lesson: Queen Elizabeth II

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Soccer star waits in line for 13 hours to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth (19th September, 2022)

The Reading / Listening - Queen Elizabeth II - Level 6

David Beckham, the former captain of England's national football team, waited in line for over 13 hours on Friday to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II. While other celebrities jumped the queue with VIP passes, soccer legend Beckham wanted to share the experience with "ordinary" people. TV footage shows him appearing to wipe away tears as he filed past the coffin at Westminster Hall. Queen Elizabeth II died on September the 8th at the age of 96. Her body is currently lying in state for four-and-a-half days so that mourners can pay their respects. Many people were delighted that Beckham was in the queue with them. The football star told reporters: "It's a day for us to remember the incredible legacy that she's left."

Mr Beckham met the Queen several times during her reign. She presented him with an honour at Buckingham Palace in 2003 for his services to football. Beckham joined the seven-kilometer-long queue at 2am on Friday. He said: "I thought 2am was going to be a little bit quieter. I was wrong." He described himself as a royalist and a "huge fan" of the royal family. After the Queen passed away, he wrote on Instagram: "How devastated we all feel today shows what she meant to people in this country.…How much she inspired us with her leadership. How she comforted us when times were tough." Around 750,000 people are expected to file past the Queen's coffin before her funeral on Monday.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Queen Elizabeth II - Level 4 or Queen Elizabeth II - Level 5

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/62932806
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a41245610/david-beckham-queue-queen-elizabeth-lie-in-state/
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/former-england-soccer-captain-beckham-queues-see-queen-elizabeths-coffin-2022-09-16/

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. QUEEN ELIZABETH: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Queen Elizabeth. 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?
captain / national / football / team / pay respects / celebrity / tears / coffin / legacy /
honour / Buckingham Palace / queue / royalist / royal family / leadership / funeral
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. MONARCHY: Students A strongly believe a monarchy is a good thing; Students B strongly believe it isn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. QUEUING: How important are these things to you? How long would you queue for them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	How Important	How Long You Would Queue
Paying respects
A sports final
A new iPhone
A store's sale
To meet your love
A free gift

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

A monarch
A teacher
A soldier
A police officer
Your best friend
A nurse
A voluntary worker
A business leader

Vocabulary

Paragraph 1

1.	queue	a.	A long, narrow box, usually made of wood, in which a dead body is buried or cremated.
2.	footage	b.	The public display of someone important who died so people can pay their respects.
3.	filed	c.	A line of people or vehicles waiting their turn to get something or move forward.
4.	coffin	d.	Something people leave behind for society after they pass away or leave a position.
5.	lying in state	e.	Part of a cinema or television film recording a particular event.
6.	mourner	f.	Walked behind other people in a line, usually in an orderly and formal way.
7.	legacy	g.	A person who attends a funeral or expresses sadness publicly because of a death.

Paragraph 2

8.	reign	h.	A ceremony or service held shortly after a person's death, usually including the person's burial or cremation.
9.	royalist	i.	Hold royal office; rule as monarch.
10.	devastated	j.	A person who supports the idea of a monarchy.
11.	inspired	k.	Lessened the grief or sadness of.
12.	comforted	l.	Filled someone with the desire or ability to do or feel something, especially something creative.
13.	tough	m.	Destroyed or ruined.
14.	funeral	n.	Difficult and requiring determination or effort.

Before reading / listening

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

David Beckham is the captain of England's national soccer team. T / F
David Beckham used his VIP pass to get ahead in the queue. T / F
Pictures appeared to show Mr Beckham with tears in his eyes. T / F
Beckham said the Queen left an incredible legacy. T / F
Mr Beckham had never met the Queen. T / F
Beckham joined the queue after lunchtime on Tuesday. T / F
Beckham said the people perspired because of the Queen's leadership. T / F
Three-quarters of a million people are expected to see the coffin. T / F

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

former
waited in line
jumped
filed
incredible
reign
fan
devastated
inspired
expected

amazing
walked
forecast
devotee
queued
shocked
skipped
energized
ex-
rule

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

waited in line
other celebrities jumped
TV footage shows him appearing
Her body is currently
remember the incredible
She presented
a royalist and a "huge fan"
she inspired us
she comforted us when
file past the Queen's coffin

lying in state
of the royal family
legacy that she's left
times were tough
before her funeral
with her leadership
the queue
for over 13 hours
him with an honour
to wipe away tears

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

jumped
filed
legacy
mourners
former
queue
ordinary
state

David Beckham, the (1) _____________________ captain of England's national football team, waited in line for over 13 hours on Friday to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II. While other celebrities (2) _____________________ the queue with VIP passes, soccer legend Beckham wanted to share the experience with "(3) _____________________" people. TV footage shows him appearing to wipe away tears as he (4) _____________________ past the coffin at Westminster Hall. Queen Elizabeth II died on September the 8th at the age of 96. Her body is currently lying in (5) _____________________ for four-and-a-half days so that (6) _____________________ can pay their respects. Many people were delighted that Beckham was in the (7) _____________________ with them. The football star told reporters: "It's a day for us to remember the incredible (8) _____________________ that she's left."

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

fan
meant
services
funeral
devastated
comforted
bit
reign

Mr Beckham met the Queen several times during her (9) _____________________. She presented him with an honour at Buckingham Palace in 2003 for his (10) _____________________ to football. Beckham joined the seven-kilometer-long queue at 2am on Friday. He said: "I thought 2am was going to be a little (11) _____________________ quieter. I was wrong." He described himself as a royalist and a "huge (12) _____________________" of the royal family. After the Queen passed away, he wrote on Instagram: "How (13) _____________________ we all feel today shows what she (14) _____________________ to people in this country....How much she inspired us with her leadership. How she (15) _____________________ us when times were tough." Around 750,000 people are expected to file past the Queen's coffin before her (16) _____________________ on Monday.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) waited in line for over 13 hours on Friday to ______
     a. pry his respects
     b. pay this respects
     c. pay his respect
     d. pay his respects
2) While other celebrities jumped the queue ______
     a. with VIP passes
     b. with VIP pass is
     c. with VIP parses
     d. with VIP pass says
3) TV footage shows him appearing to wipe away tears as he filed ______
     a. past the coughing
     b. passed the coffin
     c. past the coffin
     d. parsed the coughing
4) Many people were delighted that Beckham was in the ______
     a. cue with them
     b. clue with them
     c. queue with them
     d. key with them
5) It's a day for us to remember ______
     a. the incredibly legacy
     b. the incredible legacy
     c. the incredible legalities
     d. the incredible legends

6) Mr Beckham met the Queen several times ______
     a. during her reign
     b. during her rain
     c. during her rein
     d. during her region
7) I thought 2am was going to be a ______
     a. little bite quieter
     b. little byte quieter
     c. little bitten quieter
     d. little bit quieter
8) He described himself as a royalist and ______
     a. a Huguenot fan
     b. a hugely fan
     c. a huge fan
     d. a hug fan
9) How devastated we all feel today shows what she ______
     a. meant too people
     b. meant to people
     c. meant two peoples
     d. meant to peoples
10) Around 750,000 people are expected ______
     a. to fly past
     b. to filial past
     c. to file past
     d. to fill past

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

David Beckham, the (1) ____________________ England's national football team, waited in line for over 13 hours on Friday to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II. While other celebrities (2) ____________________ with VIP passes, soccer legend Beckham wanted to share the experience with "ordinary" people. TV (3) ____________________ appearing to wipe away tears as he filed past the coffin at Westminster Hall. Queen Elizabeth II died on September the 8th at the age of 96. Her (4) ____________________ lying in state for four-and-a-half days so (5) ____________________ pay their respects. Many people were delighted that Beckham was in the queue with them. The football star told reporters: "It's a day for us to remember (6) ____________________ that she's left."

Mr Beckham met the Queen several times (7) ____________________. She presented him with (8) ____________________ Buckingham Palace in 2003 for his services to football. Beckham joined the seven-kilometer-long queue at 2am on Friday. He said: "I thought 2am was going to be a little bit quieter. I was wrong." He described himself (9) ____________________ and a "huge fan" of the royal family. After the Queen passed away, he wrote on Instagram: "How (10) ____________________ feel today shows what she meant to people in this country....How much (11) ____________________ with her leadership. How she comforted us when times were tough." Around 750,000 people are expected to file past the Queen's coffin (12) ____________________ on Monday.

Comprehension questions

What was David Beckham captain of?
What did celebrities use to jump the queue?
What did TV footage appear to show Mr Beckham wiping away?
How did people feel about Beckham being in the queue?
What incredible thing did Mr Beckham say the Queen had left?
How many times did the Queen and David Beckham meet?
At what time did Mr Beckham join the queue?
What did Mr Beckham describe himself as being?
What did Mr Beckham say the Queen inspired people with?
How many people are expected to walk past the Queen's coffin?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What was David Beckham captain of?
a) the Buckingham Palace soccer club
b) his school cricket team
c) an army regiment
d) England's national football team
2) What did celebrities use to jump the queue?
a) money
b) a VIP pass
c) their fame
d) signed autographs
3) What did TV footage appear to show Mr Beckham wiping away?
a) dust
b) moths
c) tears
d) dirt
4) How did people feel about Beckham being in the queue?
a) delighted
b) shocked
c) angry
d) ecstatic
5) What incredible thing did Mr Beckham say the Queen had left?
a) a crown
b) a Netflix series
c) a legacy
d) many diamonds

6) How many times did the Queen and David Beckham meet?
a) eight times
b) several times
c) seven times
d) a few times
7) At what time did Mr Beckham join the queue?
a) 12pm
b) 12am
c) 2pm
d) 2am
8) What did Mr Beckham describe himself as being?
a) a royalist
b) a captain
c) regal
d) a mourner
9) What did Mr Beckham say the Queen inspired people with?
a) her stoicism
b) her lovely smile
c) her leadership
d) her sense of duty
10) How many people are expected to walk past the Queen's coffin?
a) more than 750,000
b) around 750,000
c) slightly fewer than 750,000
d) exactly 750,000

Role play

Role A – A Monarch
You think a monarch is the person who deserves the most respect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their people do not deserve as much respect. Also, tell the others which is the least deserving of these (and why): a teacher, a soldier or your best friend.

Role B – A Teacher
You think a teacher is the person who deserves the most respect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their people do not deserve as much respect. Also, tell the others which is the least deserving of these (and why): a monarch, a soldier or your best friend.

Role C – A Soldier
You think a soldier is the person who deserves the most respect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their people do not deserve as much respect. Also, tell the others which is the least deserving of these (and why): a teacher, a monarch or your best friend.

Role D – Your Best Friend
You think your best friend is the person who deserves the most respect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their people do not deserve as much respect. Also, tell the others which is the least deserving of these (and why): a teacher, a soldier or a monarch.

After reading / listening

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

'queen'

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

and 'respect'.
________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

• 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:

captain

jumped

TV

state

delighted

left

several

2003

bit

huge

feel

coffin

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 - Queen Elizabeth II

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 'queen'?
What do you think about Queen Elizabeth II?
What have you seen on the news about Queen Elizabeth's death?
What would you wait in line for 13 hours for?
What's the best way to pay respects to the recently deceased?
What do you think of your nation's head of state?
What happens in your country at times of national mourning?
What do you think of the UK's royal family?
What advice do you have for the UK's new king, Charles III?

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 'respect'?
What do you think about what you read?
What do you know about David Beckham?
What do you think of Beckham not opting for a VIP pass?
Who is the most famous person you've seen or met?
What do you think Queen Elizabeth II meant to people in the UK?
What will the Queen's legacy be?
What three adjectives best describe Queen Elizabeth II?
What questions would you like to ask David Beckham?

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)

David Beckham, the (1) ____ captain of England's national football team, waited in line for over 13 hours on Friday to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II. While other celebrities (2) ____ the queue with VIP passes, soccer legend Beckham wanted to share the experience with "ordinary" people. TV (3) ____ shows him appearing to wipe away tears as he (4) ____ past the coffin at Westminster Hall. Queen Elizabeth II died on September the 8th at the age of 96. Her body is currently (5) ____ in state for four-and-a-half days so that mourners can pay their respects. Many people were delighted that Beckham was in the queue with them. The football star told reporters: "It's a day for us to remember the incredible (6) ____ that she's left."

Mr Beckham met the Queen (7) ____ times during her reign. She presented him with an honour at Buckingham Palace in 2003 for his services (8) ____ football. Beckham joined the seven-kilometer-long queue at 2am on Friday. He said: "I thought 2am was going to be a little bit (9) ____. I was wrong." He described himself as a royalist and a "(10) ____ fan" of the royal family. After the Queen passed away, he wrote on Instagram: "How (11) ____ we all feel today shows what she meant to people in this country....How much she inspired us with her leadership. How she comforted us when times were tough." Around 750,000 people are expected to file past the Queen's (12) ____ before her funeral on Monday.

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a) framer (b) farmer (c) firmer (d) former
(a) leapt (b) hopped (c) bounced (d) jumped
(a) heading (b) footage (c) backing (d) frontage
(a) shaved (b) bevelled (c) filed (d) bolted
(a) laying (b) levelling (c) lying (d) lie
(a) legacy (b) legality (c) legendary (d) legislators
(a) overall (b) several (c) digital (d) numeral
(a) to (b) on (c) at (d) by
(a) quieten (b) quieter (c) quitting (d) quitter
(a) luge (b) fugue (c) huge (d) vogue
(a) deviated (b) devoured (c) devastated (d) devoted
(a) duty (b) advance (c) order (d) coffin

Spelling

Paragraph 1

other ritcbeelsei
jumped the qeeuu with VIP passes
soccer egnled Beckham
TV eaootfg
enmrrous can pay their respects
the incredible lcegya that she's left

Paragraph 2

several times during her giner
He described himself as a rayiolst
How eadetstvad we all feel today
she srieidpn us with her leadership
expected to file past the Queen's fiocnf
before her aenfulr on Monday

Put the text back together

(...) 750,000 people are expected to file past the Queen's coffin before her funeral on Monday.
(...) his respects to Queen Elizabeth II. While other celebrities jumped the queue with VIP passes, soccer
(...) mourners can pay their respects. Many people were delighted that Beckham was in the queue
( 1 ) David Beckham, the former captain of England's national football team, waited in line for over 13 hours on Friday to pay
(...) we all feel today shows what she meant to people in this country....How much she inspired
(...) for his services to football. Beckham joined the seven-kilometer-long queue at 2am on Friday. He said: "I thought 2am was going
(...) away tears as he filed past the coffin at Westminster Hall. Queen Elizabeth II died on September the 8th at the
(...) fan" of the royal family. After the Queen passed away, he wrote on Instagram: "How devastated
(...) with them. The football star told reporters: "It's a day for us to remember the incredible legacy that she's left."
(...) Mr Beckham met the Queen several times during her reign. She presented him with an honour at Buckingham Palace in 2003
(...) to be a little bit quieter. I was wrong." He described himself as a royalist and a "huge
(...) legend Beckham wanted to share the experience with "ordinary" people. TV footage shows him appearing to wipe
(...) us with her leadership. How she comforted us when times were tough." Around
(...) age of 96. Her body is currently lying in state for four-and-a-half days so that

Put the words in the right order

England's The captain national of football former team .
queue jumped passes . the VIP with celebrities Other
him wipe away appearing tears . shows Footage to
body is state . Her currently lying in
she legacy left . Remember that incredible the has
be thought going I quieter . was to 2am
huge the royal He's of fan family . a
meant What in she country . to people this
when comforted tough . How times she us were
her Queen's coffin File the past before funeral .

Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

David Beckham, the firmer / former captain of England's national football team, waited in / on line for over 13 hours on Friday to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II. While other celebrity / celebrities jumped the queue with VIP passes / pass, soccer legend Beckham wanted to share the experience with "ordinary" people. TV footage / heading shows him appearing to wipe away tears as he filed / filled past the coffin at Westminster Hall. Queen Elizabeth II died on September the 8th at the age of 96. Her body is currently laying / lying in state for four-and-a-half days so that mourners can pay their / them respects. Many people were delightful / delighted that Beckham was in the queue with them. The football star told reporters: "It's a day for us to remember the incredible legacy / legality that she's left."

Mr Beckham met the Queen numeral / several times during her rain / reign. She presented him with an honour at Buckingham Palace in 2003 for his severances / services to football. Beckham joined the seven-kilometer-long queue at 2am on Friday. He said: "I thought 2am was going to be a little bit quieter / quitter. I was wrong." He described himself as a royalist / royalty and a "huge fan" of the royal family. After the Queen passed abbey / away, he wrote on Instagram: "How devastated / devastatingly we all feel today shows what she meant / mean to people in this country....How much she inspiring / inspired us with her leadership. How she comforted us when times were tough / toughen." Around 750,000 people are expected to file past the Queen's coffin before her funeral on Monday.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

D_v_d B_ckh_m, th_ f_rm_r c_pt__n _f _ngl_nd's n_t__n_l f__tb_ll t__m, w__t_d _n l_n_ f_r _v_r 13 h__rs _n Fr_d_y t_ p_y h_s r_sp_cts t_ Q___n _l_z_b_th __. Wh_l_ _th_r c_l_br_t__s j_mp_d th_ q____ w_th V_P p_ss_s, s_cc_r l_g_nd B_ckh_m w_nt_d t_ sh_r_ th_ _xp_r__nc_ w_th "_rd_n_ry" p__pl_. TV f__t_g_ sh_ws h_m _pp__r_ng t_ w_p_ _w_y t__rs _s h_ f_l_d p_st th_ c_ff_n _t W_stm_nst_r H_ll. Q___n _l_z_b_th __ d__d _n S_pt_mb_r th_ 8th _t th_ _g_ _f 96. H_r b_dy _s c_rr_ntly ly_ng _n st_t_ f_r f__r-_nd-_-h_lf d_ys s_ th_t m__rn_rs c_n p_y th__r r_sp_cts. M_ny p__pl_ w_r_ d_l_ght_d th_t B_ckh_m w_s _n th_ q____ w_th th_m. Th_ f__tb_ll st_r t_ld r_p_rt_rs: "_t's _ d_y f_r _s t_ r_m_mb_r th_ _ncr_d_bl_ l_g_cy th_t sh_'s l_ft."

Mr B_ckh_m m_t th_ Q___n s_v_r_l t_m_s d_r_ng h_r r__gn. Sh_ pr_s_nt_d h_m w_th _n h_n__r _t B_ck_ngh_m P_l_c_ _n 2003 f_r h_s s_rv_c_s t_ f__tb_ll. B_ckh_m j__n_d th_ s_v_n-k_l_m_t_r-l_ng q____ _t 2_m _n Fr_d_y. H_ s__d: "_ th__ght 2_m w_s g__ng t_ b_ _ l_ttl_ b_t q___t_r. _ w_s wr_ng." H_ d_scr_b_d h_ms_lf _s _ r_y_l_st _nd _ "h_g_ f_n" _f th_ r_y_l f_m_ly. _ft_r th_ Q___n p_ss_d _w_y, h_ wr_t_ _n _nst_gr_m: "H_w d_v_st_t_d w_ _ll f__l t_d_y sh_ws wh_t sh_ m__nt t_ p__pl_ _n th_s c__ntry....H_w m_ch sh_ _nsp_r_d _s w_th h_r l__d_rsh_p. H_w sh_ c_mf_rt_d _s wh_n t_m_s w_r_ t__gh." _r__nd 750,000 p__pl_ _r_ _xp_ct_d t_ f_l_ p_st th_ Q___n's c_ff_n b_f_r_ h_r f_n_r_l _n M_nd_y.

Punctuate the text and add capitals

david beckham the former captain of englands national football team waited in line for over 13 hours on friday to pay his respects to queen elizabeth ii while other celebrities jumped the queue with vip passes soccer legend beckham wanted to share the experience with ordinary people tv footage shows him appearing to wipe away tears as he filed past the coffin at westminster hall queen elizabeth ii died on september the 8th at the age of 96 her body is currently lying in state for fourandahalf days so that mourners can pay their respects many people were delighted that beckham was in the queue with them the football star told reporters its a day for us to remember the incredible legacy that shes left

mr beckham met the queen several times during her reign she presented him with an honour at buckingham palace in 2003 for his services to football beckham joined the sevenkilometerlong queue at 2am on friday he said i thought 2am was going to be a little bit quieter i was wrong he described himself as a royalist and a huge fan of the royal family after the queen passed away he wrote on instagram how devastated we all feel today shows what she meant to people in this countryhow much she inspired us with her leadership how she comforted us when times were tough around 750000 people are expected to file past the queens coffin before her funeral on monday

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

DavidBeckham,theformercaptainofEngland'snationalfootballteam,
waitedinlineforover13hoursonFridaytopayhisrespectstoQueenEliza
bethII.WhileothercelebritiesjumpedthequeuewithVIPpasses,soccer
legendBeckhamwantedtosharetheexperiencewith"ordinary"people.
TVfootageshowshimappearingtowipeawaytearsashefiledpastthecof
finatWestminsterHall.QueenElizabethIIdiedonSeptemberthe8thatt
heageof96.Herbodyiscurrentlylyinginstateforfour-and-a-halfdayss
othatmournerscanpaytheirrespects.Manypeopleweredelightedthat
Beckhamwasinthequeuewiththem.Thefootballstartoldreporters:"It'
sadayforustoremembertheincrediblelegacythatshe'sleft."MrBeckha
mmettheQueenseveraltimesduringherreign.Shepresentedhimwith
anhonouratBuckinghamPalacein2003forhisservicestofootball.Beck
hamjoinedtheseven-kilometer-longqueueat2amonFriday.Hesai
d:"Ithought2amwasgoingtobealittlebitquieter.Iwaswrong."Hedescr
ibedhimselfasaroyalistanda"hugefan"oftheroyalfamily.AftertheQue
enpassedaway,hewroteonInstagram:"Howdevastatedweallfeeltoda
yshowswhatshemeanttopeopleinthiscountry....Howmuchsheinspire
duswithherleadership.Howshecomforteduswhentimesweretough."
Around750,000peopleareexpectedtofilepasttheQueen'scoffinbefor
eherfuneralonMonday.

Free writing

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

_____________________________________________________________________________

Academic writing

A monarchy is a great thing for a country. 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. QUEEN ELIZABETH: Make a poster about Queen Elizabeth. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. NO VIPs: Write a magazine article about ending VIP passes. 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 Queen Elizabeth. Ask him/her three questions about her. Give him/her three of your opinions on her. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

Buy my book

$US 9.99

Answers

(Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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Breaking News English Lesson: Queen Elizabeth II

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