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Date: Oct 13, 2005
Level: Easier (Try the harder lesson.) Downloads: Word Doc | PDF Doc | Listening Audio: (1:35 - 187.1 KB - 16kbps)
THE ARTICLEHomosexuals in Croatia have taken a big step to make their country accept them. Despite great intolerance in Croatian society towards homosexuality, about 1,200 of the nation’s gay men and lesbians have made a nationwide appeal. They published their names in an advertisement that was placed in leading newspapers and magazines. Next to each name was the letter “G” or “L”, which described whether they are gay or lesbian. A message next to the list read: “I don’t want to hide any more. Little divides us and a lot unites us. Reconsider your prejudice.” Homosexuals face a lot of discrimination in Croatia. About 90 percent of people are Catholics and the Church says homosexuality is a sin. Many gays and lesbians have been the target of hate crimes. The prejudice in Croatia is so strong that the signatories did not risk putting their surnames in the newspapers. Dorino Manzin, head of a leading Croatian gay group, told the BBC News: “Even though it's just a symbolic coming out, without full names, this is a good reflection that gays in Croatia are gathering courage to fully expose themselves and that society is growing more tolerant.” WARM-UPS1. SEX CHANGE: Is it better to be a man or a woman? Imagine you are now a member of the opposite sex. Ask your “changed sex” partner(s) what it is like to be different. Ask them questions about life as a man or woman (favorite perfume, hobbies, what kind of dates they like, etc.). 2. HOMOPHOBIA: Are you homophobic? In pairs / groups, talk about how you would feel if the following people were gay:
3. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.
Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently. 4. GAY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “gay”. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories. 5. OPINIONS: In pairs / groups, talk about what you think of these opinions towards homosexuality:
6. WORDS: Talk with your partner(s) about the meaning of the following words:
BEFORE READING / LISTENING1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):
AFTER READING / LISTENINGGAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the gaps in the text. Croatian homosexuals make a stand
AFTER READING / LISTENING1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘gay’ and ‘group’.
2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.
3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the gap fill. 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. STUDENT “GAY” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about homosexuality.
6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:
DISCUSSIONSTUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.
SPEAKINGHOMOPHOBIC ROLE PLAY: Should homophobia be a crime? Introduce yourself to the other role players.
Change roles and repeat the role play. Comment in groups about the differences between the two role plays. Decide what can be done to increase society’s tolerance for and acceptance of homosexuality. LISTENINGListen and fill in the spaces. Croatian homosexuals make a standHomosexuals in Croatia have taken a ____ ______ to make their country accept them. Despite great intolerance in Croatian society __________ homosexuality, about 1,200 of the nation’s gay men and lesbians have made a nationwide __________. They published their names in an advertisement that was placed in __________ newspapers and magazines. Next to each name was the letter “G” or “L”, which described __________ they are gay or lesbian. A message next to the list read: “I don’t want to hide any more. Little __________ us and a lot __________ us. Reconsider your prejudice.” Homosexuals __________ a lot of discrimination in Croatia. About 90 percent of people are Catholics and the Church says homosexuality is a ____. Many gays and lesbians have been the target of hate crimes. The prejudice in Croatia is ___ _________ that the signatories did not ______ putting their surnames in the newspapers. Dorino Manzin, head of a __________ Croatian gay group, told the BBC News: “Even though it's just a symbolic coming out, without full names, this is a good ____________ that gays in Croatia are gathering courage to fully expose themselves and that society is growing more ____________.” HOMEWORK1. 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 more information on gay rights. Visit the Human Rights Campaign site (http://www.hrc.org/), which works for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equal rights. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson. 3. TAKING A STAND: Have you ever stood up for your rights or stood up to someone who was trying to take away your rights. Write a story about a time this happened. Read your stories to your classmates in your next lesson. Did you all have similar experiences? 4. LETTER: Write a letter to the organizer of the group that put the advertisements in the Croatian newspapers. Tell him / her what you think of the brave actions of people having the courage to stand up for themselves. Give them suggestions of other things they can do to make society more accepting. Show your letters to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all write about similar things? ANSWERSTRUE / FALSE:
SYNONYM MATCH:
PHRASE MATCH:
GAP FILL: Croatian homosexuals make a standHomosexuals in Croatia have taken a big step to make their country accept them. Despite great intolerance in Croatian society towards homosexuality, about 1,200 of the nation’s gay men and lesbians have made a nationwide appeal. They published their names in an advertisement that was placed in leading newspapers and magazines. Next to each name was the letter “G” or “L”, which described whether they are gay or lesbian. A message next to the list read: “I don’t want to hide any more. Little divides us and a lot unites us. Reconsider your prejudice.” Homosexuals face a lot of discrimination in Croatia. About 90 percent of people are Catholics and the Church says homosexuality is a sin. Many gays and lesbians have been the target of hate crimes. The prejudice in Croatia is so strong that the signatories did not risk putting their surnames in the newspapers. Dorino Manzin, head of a leading Croatian gay group, told the BBC News: “Even though it's just a symbolic coming out, without full names, this is a good reflection that gays in Croatia are gathering courage to fully expose themselves and that society is growing more tolerant.”
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