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May 28, 2009

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Canada Leader Eats Raw Seal Heart

The British Queen’s representative in Canada has caused a scandal by eating the heart of a seal. Canada's governor-general, Michaelle Jean, helped to kill the seal to show support for seal hunters. She used a traditional Inuit knife to help cut the animal up and then ate a slice of its heart raw. Ms Jean was visiting Arctic villages in Canada’s far north. She joined hundreds of Inuit for a community feast. She asked one of her hosts: "Could I try the heart?" The governor-general told reporters from Canada TV that it was “absolutely delicious” and that it “tasted like sushi”. She added: “And it's very rich in protein.” Canada’s Inuit leaders praised Ms Jean’s gesture. They said it showed the world that their food culture was important.


The governor-general’s seal-heart snack has deeply upset animal rights groups and the European Union. An EU spokeswoman called Jean’s actions “bizarre”. The Inuit people say seal hunting is a vital part of their culture and economy. Many Arctic economies rely on hunting and the selling of seal fur. The government allows the killing of 300,000 seals a year. The EU recently voted to ban Canadian seal products because they say hunting methods are cruel. Ms Jean explained she feared many Inuit communities would die out because of the EU ban. An Inuit spokesperson Paul Kaludjak said the seal hunt was not a controversial issue among Inuit. "We don't really care about how the outside world thinks," he said.


 
 

WARM-UPS

1. HUNTING: Walk around the class and talk to other students about hunting. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

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

 

Britain’s Queen / representatives / seals / the Arctic / hosts / sushi / protein / praise / animal rights / bizarre / seal products / controversial issues / the outside world

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

3. ANIMAL RIGHTS: What rights should animals have? Complete this table with your partner(s). Talk about what you wrote to your partner. Change partners and share what you heard.

 

Right? No right?

Why?

No hunting

 

 

No fur / ivory / skin

 

 

Not used for pets

 

 

No zoos

 

 

Not used for food

 

 

Not used for sport

 

 

4. SEALING: Students A strongly believe traditional Inuit peoples should be able to continue their traditional culture of hunting seals; Students B strongly believe hunting seals is totally wrong.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. STRANGE FOOD?: What’s the strangest food you’ve eaten? Rate these and share your ratings with your partner: 10 = would love to try; 1 = absolutely no way. Change partners and share your ratings again.

  • raw seal heart
  • grilled cockroach
  • rice baked in milk
  • dog
  • pizza with pineapple
  • pig’s blood with eggs
  • sheep brains
  • spiders

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


 
 

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

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

a.

Canada’s prime minister had a meal of raw seal heart.

T / F

b.

A Canadian leader ate some seal heart because she supports hunters.

T / F

c.

The woman said the raw seal heart tasted similar to sushi.

T / F

d.

Canada’s indigenous people were happy the woman ate seal.

T / F

e.

The European Union disagreed with the woman eating seal.

T / F

f.

Canada’s government has stopped hunters killing seals.

T / F

g.

The Canadian leader said Inuit people would die if they didn’t eat seals.

T / F

h.

Inuit leaders are very concerned at what the world thinks of them.

T / F

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

1.

representative

a.

banquet

2

support

b.

permits

3.

feast

c.

essential

4.

rich in

d.

bloodthirsty

5.

praised

e.

spokesperson

6.

deeply

f.

applauded

7.

vital

g.

backing

8.

allows

h.

topic

9.

cruel

i.

greatly

10.

issue

j.

full of

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

1.

caused a scandal by

a.

methods are cruel

2

show support

b.

Ms Jean’s gesture

3.

She joined hundreds of Inuit for

c.

upset animal rights groups

4.

it was absolutely

d.

for seal hunters

5.

Canada’s Inuit leaders praised

e.

issue

6.

deeply

f.

delicious

7.

seal hunting is a vital part

g.

eating the heart of a seal

8.

they say hunting

h.

outside world thinks

9.

a controversial

i.

a community feast

10.

We don't really care about how the

j.

of their culture

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

The British Queen’s representative in Canada has ___________ a scandal by eating the heart of a seal. Canada's governor-general, Michaelle Jean, helped to kill the seal to show ___________ for seal hunters. She used a traditional Inuit knife to help cut the animal up and then ate a ___________ of its heart raw. Ms Jean was visiting Arctic villages in Canada’s ___________ north. She joined hundreds of Inuit for a community feast. She asked one of her ___________: "Could I try the heart?" The governor-general told reporters from Canada TV that it was “___________ delicious” and that it “tasted like sushi”. She added: “And it's very ___________ in protein.” Canada’s Inuit leaders praised Ms Jean’s gesture. They said it showed the world that their food ___________ was important.

 

 

 

hosts
culture
support
far
caused
absolutely
slice
rich

The governor-general’s seal-heart snack has ___________ upset animal rights groups and the European Union. An EU spokeswoman called Jean’s actions “___________”. The Inuit people say seal hunting is a ___________ part of their culture and economy. Many Arctic economies ___________ on hunting and the selling of seal fur. The government allows the killing of 300,000 seals a year. The EU recently voted to ban Canadian seal products because they say hunting ___________ are cruel. Ms Jean explained she feared many Inuit communities would ___________ out because of the EU ban. An Inuit spokesperson Paul Kaludjak said the seal hunt was not a controversial ___________ among Inuit. "We don't really care about how the ___________ world thinks," he said.

 

 

die
issue
bizarre
outside
deeply
rely
vital
methods

LISTENING:  Listen and fill in the gaps.

The British Queen’s representative in Canada has caused ___________________ the heart of a seal. Canada's governor-general, Michaelle Jean, helped to kill the seal ___________________ seal hunters. She used a traditional Inuit knife to help cut the animal up and then ate a ___________________ raw. Ms Jean was visiting Arctic villages in Canada’s far north. She joined hundreds of Inuit for a community feast. She asked ___________________: "Could I try the heart?" The governor-general told reporters from Canada TV that it was “absolutely delicious” and that it “tasted like sushi”. She added: “And it's ________________.” Canada’s Inuit leaders praised Ms Jean’s gesture. They said it showed the world ___________________ was important.

The governor-general’s seal-heart snack __________________ animal rights groups and the European Union. An EU spokeswoman called Jean’s actions “bizarre”. The Inuit people say seal hunting ___________________ culture and economy. Many Arctic economies rely on hunting ___________________ seal fur. The government allows the killing of 300,000 seals a year. The EU recently voted to ban Canadian seal products because they say hunting ___________________. Ms Jean explained she feared many Inuit communities ____________________ of the EU ban. An Inuit spokesperson Paul Kaludjak said the seal hunt was not a controversial issue among Inuit. "We don't really care about ___________________ thinks," he said.


 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

raw

seal

 

 

 

  • 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:

  • caused
  • support
  • cut
  • joined
  • tasted
  • culture
  • deeply
  • vital
  • rely
  • ban
  • feared
  • care

STUDENT HUNTING SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about hunting 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.

HUNTING 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 ‘hunting’?

c)

Are you concerned about animal rights?

d)

Do you think it’s OK to hunt and kill cute, fluffy little baby seals?

e)

Would you like to try raw seal heart?

f)

What do you think of the idea of eating raw meat and fish?

g)

What do you think of Michaelle Jean’s actions?

h)

What was the last thing you ate that was “absolutely delicious”?

i)

What do you know about Canada’s Inuit people?

j)

How important is your country’s food culture to you?

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

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

a)

Did you like reading this article?

b)

What’s your favourite snack?

c)

Do you agree that animal rights groups should get angry over seal hunting?

d)

Is it OK for the Inuit or any other people to hunt animals if it’s part of their culture?

e)

What is the history of hunting in your country?

f)

Do you agree with the banning of seal products?

g)

Would you like to go hunting?

h)

How can we stop traditional cultures from dying out?

i)

Do you care what the outside world thinks of your country?

j)

What questions would you like to ask Inuit spokesperson Paul Kaludjak?

LANGUAGE

The British Queen’s representative in Canada has (1) ____ a scandal by eating the heart of a seal. Canada's governor-general, Michaelle Jean, helped to kill the seal to show (2) ____ for seal hunters. She used a traditional Inuit knife to help cut the animal (3) ____ and then ate a slice of its heart raw. Ms Jean was visiting Arctic villages in Canada’s far north. She joined hundreds of Inuit (4) ____ a community feast. She asked one of her hosts: "Could I try the heart?" The governor-general told reporters from Canada TV that it was “absolutely (5) ____” and that it “tasted like sushi”. She added: “And it's very rich in protein.” Canada’s Inuit leaders praised Ms Jean’s gesture. They said it showed the world that (6) ____ food culture was important.

The governor-general’s seal-heart snack has (7) ____ upset animal rights groups and the European Union. An EU spokeswoman called Jean’s actions “bizarre”. The Inuit people say seal hunting is a (8) ____ part of their culture and economy. Many Arctic economies rely (9) ____ hunting and the selling of seal fur. The government allows the killing of 300,000 seals a year. The EU recently voted to ban Canadian seal products because they say hunting (10) ____ are cruel. Ms Jean explained she (11) ____ many Inuit communities would die out because of the EU ban. An Inuit spokesperson Paul Kaludjak said the seal hunt was not a controversial issue (12) ____ Inuit. "We don't really care about how the outside world thinks," he said.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.

(a)

causing

(b)

causes

(c)

cause

(d)

caused

2.

(a)

support

(b)

supporting

(c)

supporter

(d)

supportive

3.

(a)

in

(b)

up

(c)

out

(d)

on

4.

(a)

so

(b)

from

(c)

for

(d)

to

5.

(a)

deliciously

(b)

delicacy

(c)

delicious

(d)

deliciousness

6.

(a)

there

(b)

their

(c)

they’re

(d)

they are

7.

(a)

shortly

(b)

lengthily

(c)

shallowly

(d)

deeply

8.

(a)

vital

(b)

virtual

(c)

virtually

(d)

vitality

9.

(a)

in

(b)

on

(c)

to

(d)

of

10.

(a)

methodology

(b)

methodical

(c)

method

(d)

methods

11.

(a)

frightened

(b)

afraid

(c)

feared

(d)

fearsome

12.

(a)

among

(b)

in

(c)

between

(d)

from

WRITING: 

Write about hunting 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 more about seal hunting. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. ANIMAL RIGHTS: Make a poster about animal rights. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. SEALING: Write a magazine article about sealing. Include imaginary interviews with a seal and a hunter.

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. LETTER: Write a letter to an Inuit leader. Ask him/her three questions about sealing. Give him/her three reasons why the Inuit should (not) continue sealing. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

F

b.

T

c.

T

d.

T

e.

T

f.

F

g.

F

h.

F

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.

representative

a.

spokesperson

2

support

b.

backing

3.

feast

c.

banquet

4.

rich in

d.

full of

5.

praised

e.

applauded

6.

deeply

f.

greatly

7.

vital

g.

essential

8.

allows

h.

permits

9.

cruel

i.

bloodthirsty

10.

issue

j.

topic

PHRASE MATCH:

1.

caused a scandal by

a.

eating the heart of a seal

2

show support

b.

for seal hunters

3.

She joined hundreds of Inuit for

c.

a community feast

4.

it was absolutely

d.

delicious

5.

Canada’s Inuit leaders praised

e.

Ms Jean’s gesture

6.

deeply

f.

upset animal rights groups

7.

seal hunting is a vital part

g.

of their culture

8.

they say hunting

h.

methods are cruel

9.

a controversial

i.

issue

10.

We don't really care about how the

j.

outside world thinks

GAP FILL:

Canada leader eats raw seal heart

The British Queen’s representative in Canada has caused a scandal by eating the heart of a seal. Canada's governor-general, Michaelle Jean, helped to kill the seal to show support for seal hunters. She used a traditional Inuit knife to help cut the animal up and then ate a slice of its heart raw. Ms Jean was visiting Arctic villages in Canada’s far north. She joined hundreds of Inuit for a community feast. She asked one of her hosts: "Could I try the heart?" The governor-general told reporters from Canada TV that it was “absolutely delicious” and that it “tasted like sushi”. She added: “And it's very rich in protein.” Canada’s Inuit leaders praised Ms Jean’s gesture. They said it showed the world that their food culture was important.

The governor-general’s seal-heart snack has deeply upset animal rights groups and the European Union. An EU spokeswoman called Jean’s actions “bizarre”. The Inuit people say seal hunting is a vital part of their culture and economy. Many Arctic economies rely on hunting and the selling of seal fur. The government allows the killing of 300,000 seals a year. The EU recently voted to ban Canadian seal products because they say hunting methods are cruel. Ms Jean explained she feared many Inuit communities would die out because of the EU ban. An Inuit spokesperson Paul Kaludjak said the seal hunt was not a controversial issue among Inuit. "We don't really care about how the outside world thinks," he said.

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

 

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