Breaking News English ESL Lesson on Armenian Massacre

Turkey upset by US ‘genocide’ vote

Turkey has condemned a bill passed by US lawmakers that describes mass killings of Armenians during WWI as genocide. The Turkish public and media are up in arms over the decision as they claim there was no such widescale killing. The Foreign Affairs Committee passed the bill by a vote of 27-21 despite intense lobbying by Turkish diplomats. President Bush had also warned that it could harm US-Turkish relations, and thus US efforts in Iraq. He said there was already tension between the two nations over accusations that the USA is unwilling to help Turkey crack down on Kurdish rebels based in Iraq. The US is keen to keep the north of Iraq stable, which means it needs the help of the Kurds. Turkish officials say Kurdish terrorist groups inside Iraq carry out frequent attacks inside Turkey.

The controversial bill is a victory for Armenian-Americans who wanted the killing of 1.5 million Armenians during WWI recognized as genocide. They claim the deaths were at the hands of Ottoman Turks and was the first genocide of the twentieth century. Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul was furious with the decision, saying: "Unfortunately, some politicians in the US have once again sacrificed important matters to petty domestic politics, despite all calls to common sense." Turkey’s media also strongly condemned the bill. The “Vatan” newspaper described those who voted for the bill as "27 foolish Americans," while the “Hurriyet” called the resolution a "bill of hatred." The US Embassy in Turkey has urged Americans to be prepared for the possibility of a violent backlash.

WARM-UPS

1. GENOCIDE: Walk around the class and talk to other students about genocide. Change partners often. After you finish, sit with your original partner(s) and share what you found out.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

lawmakers / the media / being up in arms / lobbying / tension / rebels / controversial bills / important matters / petty issues / fools / violent backlashes

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. TENSIONS: Make a list of the tensions the USA has with these countries. Discuss with your partner(s) how these tensions should be resolved. Do the same for your country and the tensions it has with other countries.

Countries

How to resolve them

Cuba

Russia

Iran

Colombia

North Korea

China

4. LOBBYING: Do you think governments listen to lobbyists and do what they ask? What might these interested parties ask of the US government? Discuss with your partner(s).

farmers
the Christian Right
car makers
tobacco companies

weapons manufacturers
Jewish groups
Mexican-Americans
the National Rifle Association

5. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with international relations. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. QUICK DEBATE: Students A think the USA was totally wrong to pass the bill that recognized genocide in Armenia. Students B believe genocide should always be recognized. Debate this with your partners. Change partners often.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	US politicians recognized Turkey was guilty of genocide in WWI.	T / F
b.	Turkey’s media accept this but the public is furious.	T / F
c.	President Bush weighed in with his full support behind the bill.	T / F
d.	The USA needs Turkey to help fight Kurdish rebels inside of Iraq.	T / F
e.	The controversy is over the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians.	T / F
f.	Turkey’s presidents accused US lawmakers of triviality.	T / F
g.	Turkey’s press described those who voted in the bill as foolish.	T / F
h.	Americans in Turkey may have to prepare for retaliation.	T / F

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

1.	condemned	a.	calm
2	up in arms	b.	retaliation
3.	lobbying	c.	trivial
4.	accusations	d.	furious
5.	stable	e.	abandoned
6.	controversial	f.	allegations
7.	sacrificed	g.	denounced
8.	petty	h.	called on
9.	urged	i.	pressuring
10.	backlash	j.	disputed

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

1.	Turkey has condemned a bill	a.	by Turkish diplomats
2	The Turkish public and media are up in	b.	for Armenian-Americans
3.	despite intense lobbying	c.	violent backlash
4.	tension between the two nations over	d.	passed by US lawmakers
5.	The US is keen to	e.	hands of Ottoman Turks
6.	The controversial bill is a victory	f.	keep the north of Iraq stable
7.	They claim the deaths were at the	g.	accusations that the USA…
8.	sacrificed important matters to	h.	"bill of hatred"
9.	the “Hurriyet” called the resolution a	i.	arms over the decision
10.	be prepared for the possibility of a	j.	petty domestic politics

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

Turkey upset by US ‘genocide’ vote

Turkey has condemned a bill __________ by US lawmakers that describes __________ killings of Armenians during WWI as genocide. The Turkish public and media are up in arms over the decision as they __________ there was no such widescale killing. The Foreign Affairs Committee passed the bill by a __________ of 27-21 despite intense lobbying by Turkish diplomats. President Bush had also warned that it could harm US-Turkish relations, and thus US __________ in Iraq. He said there was already tension between the two nations over accusations that the USA is __________ to help Turkey crack __________ on Kurdish rebels based in Iraq. The US is keen to keep the north of Iraq __________, which means it needs the help of the Kurds. Turkish officials say Kurdish terrorist groups inside Iraq carry out frequent attacks inside Turkey.

claim
mass
down
vote
stable
passed
unwilling
efforts

The controversial bill is a __________ for Armenian-Americans who wanted the killing of 1.5 million Armenians during WWI recognized as genocide. They claim the deaths were at the __________ of Ottoman Turks and was the first genocide of the twentieth century. Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul was __________ with the decision, saying: "Unfortunately, some politicians in the US have once again __________ important matters to petty domestic politics, despite all calls to __________ sense." Turkey’s media also strongly condemned the bill. The “Vatan” newspaper described those who voted for the bill as "27 __________ Americans," while the “Hurriyet” called the resolution a "bill of __________." The US Embassy in Turkey has urged Americans to be prepared for the possibility of a violent __________.

hatred common
furious
foolish
sacrificed
backlash
victory
hands

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Turkey upset by US ‘genocide’ vote

Turkey has _____________________ by US lawmakers that describes mass killings of Armenians during WWI as genocide. The Turkish public and media _____________________ decision as they claim there was no such widescale killing. The Foreign Affairs Committee passed the bill by a vote of 27-21 ________________________ Turkish diplomats. President Bush had also warned that it could harm US-Turkish relations, _____________________ Iraq. He said there was already tension between the two nations over accusations that the USA is unwilling _____________________ on Kurdish rebels based in Iraq. The US is keen to keep the north of Iraq stable, which means it needs the help of the Kurds. Turkish officials say Kurdish terrorist groups inside Iraq _____________________ inside Turkey.

The controversial bill is a victory for Armenian-Americans _____________________ 1.5 million Armenians during WWI recognized as genocide. They claim the deaths _____________________ Ottoman Turks and was the first genocide of the twentieth century. Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul was _____________________, saying: "Unfortunately, some politicians in the US have once again sacrificed important matters to petty domestic politics, despite ________________________." Turkey’s media also strongly condemned the bill. The “Vatan” newspaper described those who voted for the bill as "27 foolish Americans," while the “Hurriyet” called the resolution a "_____________________." The US Embassy in Turkey has urged Americans to be ________________________ of a violent backlash.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘common’ and ‘sense’.

common

sense

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 exactly how these were used in the text:

condemned
arms
intense
efforts
crack
frequent

victory
hands
furious
petty
foolish
backlash

STUDENT GENOCIDE SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about genocide 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.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

DISCUSSION

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

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	Are you surprised US lawmakers passed the genocide bill?
c)	Do you think they should have passed it when the US needs Turkey’s help in Iraq?
d)	Do you think relations between the USA and Turkey will be repaired quickly?
e)	Why do you think US politicians decided now was the time to pass the genocide bill?
f)	What do you think of the idea of conducting an international inquiry to find the exact truth surrounding the WWI killings?
g)	Seventy percent of US air traffic for the war in Iraq passes through Turkey. How damaging could Turkish retaliation be?
h)	Do you think Turkey will forget about the genocide bill after some time passes under the bridge?
i)	What do you know about the other genocides?

------------------------------------------------------------------

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

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	How do you think Armenians are feeling right now?
c)	Is it important to have the killings recognized (or not) as genocide?
d)	What “petty domestic politics” do you think President Gul means?
e)	Do you think the lawmakers who voted for the bill were “foolish”?
f)	Why do you think the Turkish press said it was a “bill of hatred”?
g)	Would you be worried if you were an American living in Turkey?
h)	What tensions does your country have with the USA?
i)	Did you like this discussion?

LANGUAGE

CORRECT WORD: Put the correct words from a–d below in the article.

Turkey upset by US ‘genocide’ vote

Turkey has condemned a bill passed by US lawmakers that describes mass killings of Armenians during WWI (1) _____ genocide. The Turkish public and media are (2) _____ in arms over the decision as they claim there was no such widescale killing. The Foreign Affairs Committee passed the bill by a vote of 27-21 despite intense (3) _____ by Turkish diplomats. President Bush had also warned that it could harm US-Turkish relations, and (4) _____ US efforts in Iraq. He said there was already tension between the two nations over accusations that the USA is unwilling to help Turkey crack (5) _____ on Kurdish rebels based in Iraq. The US is keen to keep the north of Iraq stable, which means it needs the help of the Kurds. Turkish officials say Kurdish terrorist groups inside Iraq carry (6) _____ frequent attacks inside Turkey.

The controversial bill is a victory (7) _____ Armenian-Americans who wanted the killing of 1.5 million Armenians during WWI recognized as genocide. They claim the deaths were at the (8) _____ of Ottoman Turks and was the first genocide of the twentieth century. Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul was furious with the decision, saying: "Unfortunately, some politicians in the US have once again sacrificed important matters to (9) _____ domestic politics, despite all calls to (10) _____ sense." Turkey’s media also strongly condemned the bill. The “Vatan” newspaper described (11) _____ who voted for the bill as "27 foolish Americans," while the “Hurriyet” called the resolution a "bill of hatred." The US Embassy in Turkey has urged Americans to be prepared for the possibility of a violent (12) _____.

1.	(a)	to	(b)	by	(c)	as	(d)	of
2.	(a)	up	(b)	left	(c)	down	(d)	right
3.	(a)	bobbing	(b)	entrance	(c)	lobby	(d)	lobbying
4.	(a)	this	(b)	thus	(c)	these	(d)	those
5.	(a)	in	(b)	up	(c)	out	(d)	down
6.	(a)	out	(b)	for	(c)	in	(d)	on
7.	(a)	with	(b)	for	(c)	as	(d)	such
8.	(a)	toes	(b)	fingers	(c)	hands	(d)	feet
9.	(a)	putty	(b)	pity	(c)	pretty	(d)	petty
10.	(a)	community	(b)	communal	(c)	common	(d)	commons
11.	(a)	those	(b)	these	(c)	thus	(d)	them
12.	(a)	whiplash	(b)	backlash	(c)	eyelash	(d)	lashing

WRITING:

Write about global tensions for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_______________________________________________________________________

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 more information about the killing of the Armenians during WWI. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. GENOCIDES: Make a poster about the different genocides of the twentieth century. Write about what we should learn from these. Show your poster to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all include similar things?

4. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about war and genocide and whether both will continue in the future. Include imaginary interviews with an optimist and a pessimist.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down new words and expressions.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to the Turkish president. Ask him three questions about the bill passed by the US lawmakers. Give him three pieces of advice on how to improve relations with the USA. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. T

b. F

c. F

d. F

e. T

f. T

g. T

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	condemned	a.	denounced
2	up in arms	b.	furious
3.	lobbying	c.	pressuring
4.	accusations	d.	allegations
5.	stable	e.	calm
6.	controversial	f.	disputed
7.	sacrificed	g.	abandoned
8.	petty	h.	trivial
9.	urged	i.	called on
10.	backlash	j.	retaliation

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	Turkey has condemned a bill	a.	passed by US lawmakers
2	The Turkish public and media are up in	b.	arms over the decision
3.	despite intense lobbying	c.	by Turkish diplomats
4.	tension between the two nations over	d.	accusations that the USA…
5.	The US is keen to	e.	keep the north of Iraq stable
6.	The controversial bill is a victory	f.	for Armenian-Americans
7.	They claim the deaths were at the	g.	hands of Ottoman Turks
8.	sacrificed important matters to	h.	petty domestic politics
9.	the “Hurriyet” called the resolution a	i.	"bill of hatred"
10.	be prepared for the possibility of a	j.	violent backlash

GAP FILL:

Turkey upset by US ‘genocide’ vote

Turkey has condemned a bill passed by US lawmakers that describes mass killings of Armenians during WWI as genocide. The Turkish public and media are up in arms over the decision as they claim there was no such widescale killing. The Foreign Affairs Committee passed the bill by a vote of 27-21 despite intense lobbying by Turkish diplomats. President Bush had also warned that it could harm US-Turkish relations, and thus US efforts in Iraq. He said there was already tension between the two nations over accusations that the USA is unwilling to help Turkey crack down on Kurdish rebels based in Iraq. The US is keen to keep the north of Iraq stable, which means it needs the help of the Kurds. Turkish officials say Kurdish terrorist groups inside Iraq carry out frequent attacks inside Turkey.

The controversial bill is a victory for Armenian-Americans who wanted the killing of 1.5 million Armenians during WWI recognized as genocide. They claim the deaths were at the hands of Ottoman Turks and was the first genocide of the twentieth century. Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul was furious with the decision, saying: "Unfortunately, some politicians in the US have once again sacrificed important matters to petty domestic politics, despite all calls to common sense." Turkey’s media also strongly condemned the bill. The “Vatan” newspaper described those who voted for the bill as "27 foolish Americans," while the “Hurriyet” called the resolution a "bill of hatred." The US Embassy in Turkey has urged Americans to be prepared for the possibility of a violent backlash.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - c

2 -a

3 - d

4 - b

5 - d

6 - a

7 -b

8 - c

9 -d

10 - c

11 - a

12 - b

Breaking News English

THE ARTICLE

Turkey upset by US ‘genocide’ vote

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

Turkey upset by US ‘genocide’ vote

LISTENING

Turkey upset by US ‘genocide’ vote

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT GENOCIDE SURVEY

DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE

Turkey upset by US ‘genocide’ vote

WRITING:

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

Turkey upset by US ‘genocide’ vote

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