The Reading / Listening - Magna Carta - Level 4

Climate protestors tried to damage a world-famous document – the Magna Carta. Two women in their 80s went to the British Library to attack the document. They damaged the document's case using a hammer and a chisel. Police charged them with criminal damage. Security officers stopped them from doing further damage. The Magna Carta stayed safe. The women are from the Just Stop Oil group. They accused the UK of breaking climate laws.

The Magna Carta is a royal charter from 1215. It states that everyone is equal under the law. It guarantees everyone a fair trial, with a jury. Historians say the document influenced the development of Western democracy, and the U.S. Constitution. The two protestors said the Magna Carta was important for our freedoms. They added that: "There will be no freedom, no lawfulness, no rights, if we allow climate breakdown."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Magna Carta - Level 5 or  Magna Carta - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/may/11/two-women-charged-magna-carta-protest-in-london
  • https://www.foxnews.com/world/climate-activists-attack-case-holding-original-magna-carta-london
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta


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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. climate
  2. a world-famous
  3. Two women in
  4. a hammer
  5. Police charged them with
  6. The Magna Carta stayed
  7. from the Just Stop Oil
  8. They accused the UK of breaking
  1. safe
  2. group
  3. document
  4. climate laws
  5. and a chisel
  6. protestors
  7. criminal damage
  8. their 80s

Paragraph 2

  1. The Magna Carta is a royal
  2. everyone is equal
  3. It guarantees everyone
  4. the development of Western
  5. the U.S.
  6. Magna Carta was important
  7. There will
  8. if we allow climate
  1. Constitution
  2. a fair trial
  3. breakdown
  4. under the law
  5. for our freedoms
  6. charter
  7. democracy
  8. be no freedom

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Climate protestors (1) ___________________ a world-famous document – the Magna Carta. Two women (2) ___________________ went to the British Library to (3) ___________________. They damaged the document's case using a hammer (4) ___________________. Police charged them with criminal damage. Security officers stopped them from (5) ___________________. The Magna Carta stayed safe. The women are from the Just Stop Oil group. (6) ___________________ UK of breaking climate laws.

The Magna Carta is (7) ___________________ from 1215. It states that everyone is (8) ___________________ law. It guarantees everyone a fair trial, with a jury. Historians say the (9) ___________________ development of Western democracy, and the U.S. Constitution. The (10) ___________________ the Magna Carta was important for our freedoms. They added that: "There will (11) ___________________, no lawfulness, no rights, if we (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Climateprotestorstriedtodamageaworld-famousdocument–theMa
gnaCarta.Twowomenintheir80swenttotheBritishLibrarytoattackthe
document.Theydamagedthedocument'scaseusingahammerandachi
sel.Policechargedthemwithcriminaldamage.Securityofficersstoppe
dthemfromdoingfurtherdamage.TheMagnaCartastayedsafe.Thewo
menarefromtheJustStopOilgroup.TheyaccusedtheUKofbreakingcli
matelaws.TheMagnaCartaisaroyalcharterfrom1215.Itstatesthateve
ryoneisequalunderthelaw.Itguaranteeseveryoneafairtrial,withajury
.HistorianssaythedocumentinfluencedthedevelopmentofWesternde
mocracy,andtheU.S.Constitution.ThetwoprotestorssaidtheMagnaC
artawasimportantforourfreedoms.Theyaddedthat:"Therewillbenofr
eedom,nolawfulness,norights,ifweallowclimatebreakdown."

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 — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

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

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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