Breaking News English ESL Lesson on Kenya Violence

Kenya violence “spiraling out of control”

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has warned the world that his country is in danger of destroying itself. He pleaded for the violence that has broken out across the country since the presidential elections on December 27 to end. Odinga said: Unless we ourselves resolve to act quickly to save our nation, there might be no nation left to save….The national fabric has been broken….Violence is spiraling out of control.” President Mwai Kibaki also addressed his nation, saying in a televised speech: “I feel deeply saddened to know Kenyans are confronting one another violently.” Violence broke out along ethnic lines after Mr Kibaki claimed victory in an election that his opponents say was stolen from them. It has resulted in Kenya’s worst crisis since its independence in 1963.

The turmoil over the validity of the election results has caused once peaceful neighbours to turn on each other. Mr Odinga’s supporters claim that President Kibaki's victory was largely due to vote-rigging. What started as peaceful political protests for an election re-run soon gave way to tit-for-tat killings along ethnic lines. This developed into an orgy of massacres as long-running tribal feuds among rival communities turned into localized forms of ethnic cleansing, something Mr Odinga says is “tearing Kenya apart.” Over 900 people have been brutally slaughtered in the streets, often being hacked to death by their neighbours. Rape, looting and the torching of property has also become commonplace. Mediation by former UN General Secretary Kofi Annan has so far failed to quell the violence.

WARM-UPS

1. KENYA: Walk around the class and talk to other students about Kenya. 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.

opposition leaders / self-destruction / elections / national fabric / violence / crises / turmoil / neighbours / protests / tit-for-tat / rivalries / ethnic cleansing / looting

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

3. NATIONAL FABRIC: Talk with your partner(s) about what makes up the national fabric of your country. Use the points below to help you. Rank them in order of which creates the biggest tensions. Share your ideas with others.

a. _____ ethnic background

b. _____ religion

c. _____ language

d. _____ caste / class

e. _____ wealth

f. _____ colour

g. _____ sports team

h. _____ family name

4. NEIGHBOURS: Talk with your partner(s) about the problems neighbours have. Do you have any of the problems below? How would you like your culture to change its attitudes toward these things? Change partners and share your findings.

noise
rubbish/trash/garbage
children
cars

garden
nosiness
personality clashes
other ____________________

5. VIOLENCE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘violence’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. QUICK ROLE PLAY: Student A strongly believes that no election is fair and international observers should check the fairness of all elections around the world; Student B strongly believes all elections are fair and there’s no need for outside help. Change partners again and talk about your roles and conversations.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

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

a.	Violence in Kenya is threatening to destroy the country.	T / F
b.	The violence started because the president said no to elections.	T / F
c.	An opposition leader said there was no fabric for sale in Kenya.	T / F
d.	Kenya gained independence over four decades ago.	T / F
e.	Neighbours in Kenya are killing each other.	T / F
f.	Ethnic tensions have lead to what people call “Kit-Kat killings”.	T / F
g.	Over nineteen hundred people have dies in the violence.	T / F
h.	Ex-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is mediating to end the chaos.	T / F

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

1.	pleaded	a.	end
2	resolve	b.	foundations
3.	fabric	c.	chaos
4.	confronting	d.	emergency
5.	crisis	e.	sort out
6.	turmoil	f.	conflicts
7.	tit-for-tat	g.	negotiation
8.	feuds	h.	challenging
9.	mediation	i.	revenge
10.	quell	j.	begged

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

1.	his country is in danger	a.	save our nation
2	resolve to act quickly to	b.	of destroying itself
3.	The national fabric has	c.	ethnic lines
4.	Violence broke out	d.	been broken
5.	Kenya’s worst crisis since its	e.	of the election results
6.	The turmoil over the validity	f.	along ethnic lines
7.	Kibaki's victory was largely due	g.	among rival communities
8.	tit-for-tat killings along	h.	independence in 1963
9.	long-running tribal feuds	i.	property
10.	the torching of	j.	to vote-rigging

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has __________ the world that his country is in danger of destroying itself. He __________ for the violence that has broken out across the country since the presidential elections on December 27 to end. Odinga said: Unless we ourselves __________ to act quickly to save our nation, there might be no nation left to save….The __________ fabric has been broken….Violence is spiraling out of control.” President Mwai Kibaki also __________ his nation, saying in a televised speech: “I feel __________ saddened to know Kenyans are confronting one another violently.” Violence broke out along ethnic __________ after Mr Kibaki claimed victory in an election that his opponents say was stolen from them. It has resulted in Kenya’s worst __________ since its independence in 1963.

addressed
lines
resolve
crisis
warned
national
deeply
pleaded

The turmoil over the __________ of the election results has caused once peaceful neighbours to __________ on each other. Mr Odinga’s supporters claim that President Kibaki's victory was largely due to vote-__________. What started as peaceful political protests for an election re-run soon gave __________ to tit-for-tat killings along ethnic lines. This developed into an __________ of massacres as long-running tribal feuds among rival communities turned into localized forms of ethnic cleansing, something Mr Odinga says is “tearing Kenya apart.” Over 900 people have been __________ slaughtered in the streets, often being hacked to death by their neighbours. Rape, looting and the __________ of property has also become commonplace. Mediation by former UN General Secretary Kofi Annan has so far failed to __________ the violence.

torching
turn
way
brutally
rigging
quell
validity
orgy

LISTENING: Listen and fill in the spaces.

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga ______________________ that his country is in danger of destroying itself. He pleaded for the violence that has ______________________ country since the presidential elections on December 27 to end. Odinga said: Unless ______________________ to act quickly to save our nation, there might be no nation left to save….The national fabric has been broken….Violence is spiraling out of control.” President Mwai Kibaki ______________________ nation, saying in a televised speech: “I feel ______________________ Kenyans are confronting one another violently.” Violence broke out along ethnic lines after Mr Kibaki claimed victory ______________________ opponents say was stolen from them. It has resulted in Kenya’s ______________________ independence in 1963.

The turmoil over the validity of the election results ______________________ neighbours to turn on each other. Mr Odinga’s supporters claim that President Kibaki's victory __________________ vote-rigging. What started as peaceful political protests _____________________ gave way to tit-for-tat killings along ethnic lines. This developed into an orgy of massacres as long-running ______________________ communities turned into localized forms of ethnic cleansing, something Mr Odinga says is “______________________.” Over 900 people have been brutally slaughtered in the streets, often being ______________________ their neighbours. Rape, looting and the ______________________ has also become commonplace. Mediation by former UN General Secretary Kofi Annan has so far ______________________ violence.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

opposition

leader

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:

itself
pleaded
save
televised
confronting
crisis

validity
largely
re-run
orgy
tearing
quell

STUDENT NATIONAL TENSIONS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about national tensions 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)	What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘vote-rigging’?
c)	What are your feelings about the situation in Kenya?
d)	Where do you think this crisis is going?
e)	Do you think the ethnic tensions will spill over into other countries?
f)	Do you think Kenya’s people can save their nation?
g)	What national tensions are there in your country?
h)	What’s our opinion on the outcome of Kenya’s elections in December?
i)	What do you think of Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga?

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

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

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	Are people peaceful in your country?
c)	What turmoil has there been in your country?
d)	Are elections in your country totally free and fair?
e)	Have you ever done anything that was tit-for-tat?
f)	Do you think what is happening in Kenya is ethnic cleansing?
g)	Do you think you could hate your neighbours enough to turn on them?
h)	What feuds with people have you had in the past?
i)	Did you like this discussion?

LANGUAGE

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

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has warned the world that his country is (1) ____ danger of destroying itself. He pleaded for the violence that has broken (2) ____ across the country since the presidential elections on December 27 to end. Odinga said: Unless we (3) ____ resolve to act quickly to save our nation, there might be no nation left to save….The national fabric has been broken….Violence is spiraling (4) ____ of control.” President Mwai Kibaki also addressed his nation, saying in a televised speech: “I feel (5) ____ saddened to know Kenyans are confronting one another violently.” Violence broke out along ethnic lines after Mr Kibaki claimed victory in an election that his opponents say was stolen from them. It has resulted (6) ____ Kenya’s worst crisis since its independence in 1963.

The turmoil over the (7) ____ of the election results has caused once peaceful neighbours to turn on each other. Mr Odinga’s supporters claim that President Kibaki's victory was (8) ____ due to vote-rigging. What started as peaceful political protests for an election re-run soon gave (9) ____ to tit-for-tat killings along ethnic lines. This developed into an orgy of massacres as long-running tribal feuds among rival communities turned into localized (10) ____ of ethnic cleansing, something Mr Odinga says is “tearing Kenya apart.” Over 900 people have been brutally slaughtered in the streets, often (11) ____ hacked to death by their neighbours. Rape, looting and the (12) ____ of property has also become commonplace. Mediation by former UN General Secretary Kofi Annan has so far failed to quell the violence.

1.	(a)	out of	(b)	big	(c)	out	(d)	in
2.	(a)	out	(b)	in	(c)	in and out	(d)	in out in out
3.	(a)	us	(b)	ourselves	(c)	ours	(d)	themselves
4.	(a)	up	(b)	in	(c)	out	(d)	down
5.	(a)	deepest	(b)	deeper	(c)	deeply	(d)	in depth
6.	(a)	at	(b)	in	(c)	of	(d)	by
7.	(a)	invalid	(b)	validate	(c)	valid	(d)	validity
8.	(a)	largely	(b)	large	(c)	largest	(d)	largeness
9.	(a)	up	(b)	way	(c)	in	(d)	credit
10.	(a)	frames	(b)	firms	(c)	farms	(d)	forms
11.	(a)	be	(b)	being	(c)	been	(d)	was
12.	(a)	torching	(b)	touching	(c)	teaching	(d)	toasting

WRITING:

Write about violence 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 out about the situation in Kenya. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. NATIONAL TENSIONS: What are the biggest tensions in your country? Make a poster about them. Include your solutions to address them. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. NEIGHBOUR RIVALRIES: Write a magazine article about two neighbours who are huge rivals. Include imaginary interviews with them.

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

5. LETTER: Write a letter to Kenya’s president Mwai Kibaki. Ask him three questions about the violence in his country. Give him three suggestions on what he should do to stop it. 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. T

e. T

f. F

g. F

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	pleaded	a.	begged
2	resolve	b.	sort out
3.	fabric	c.	foundations
4.	confronting	d.	challenging
5.	crisis	e.	emergency
6.	turmoil	f.	chaos
7.	tit-for-tat	g.	negotiation
8.	feuds	h.	conflicts
9.	mediation	i.	revenge
10.	quell	j.	end

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	his country is in danger	a.	of destroying itself
2	resolve to act quickly to	b.	save our nation
3.	The national fabric has	c.	been broken
4.	Violence broke out	d.	along ethnic lines
5.	Kenya’s worst crisis since its	e.	independence in 1963
6.	The turmoil over the validity	f.	of the election results
7.	Kibaki's victory was largely due	g.	to vote-rigging
8.	tit-for-tat killings along	h.	ethnic lines
9.	long-running tribal feuds	i.	among rival communities
10.	the torching of	j.	property

GAP FILL:

Kenya violence “spiraling out of control”

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has warned the world that his country is in danger of destroying itself. He pleaded for the violence that has broken out across the country since the presidential elections on December 27 to end. Odinga said: Unless we ourselves resolve to act quickly to save our nation, there might be no nation left to save….The national fabric has been broken….Violence is spiraling out of control.” President Mwai Kibaki also addressed his nation, saying in a televised speech: “I feel deeply saddened to know Kenyans are confronting one another violently.” Violence broke out along ethnic lines after Mr Kibaki claimed victory in an election that his opponents say was stolen from them. It has resulted in Kenya’s worst crisis since its independence in 1963.

The turmoil over the validity of the election results has caused once peaceful neighbours to turn on each other. Mr Odinga’s supporters claim that President Kibaki's victory was largely due to vote-rigging. What started as peaceful political protests for an election re-run soon gave way to tit-for-tat killings along ethnic lines. This developed into an orgy of massacres as long-running tribal feuds among rival communities turned into localized forms of ethnic cleansing, something Mr Odinga says is “tearing Kenya apart.” Over 900 people have been brutally slaughtered in the streets, often being hacked to death by their neighbours. Rape, looting and the torching of property has also become commonplace. Mediation by former UN General Secretary Kofi Annan has so far failed to quell the violence.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - a

3 - b

4 - c

5 - c

6 - b

7 - d

8 - a

9 - b

10 - d

11 - c

12 - a

Breaking News English

THE ARTICLE

Kenya violence “spiraling out of control”

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING: Listen and fill in the spaces.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT NATIONAL TENSIONS SURVEY

DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE

WRITING:

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

Kenya violence “spiraling out of control”

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