Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson has died aged 50 after having a heart attack at his Los Angeles home. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors spent over an hour trying to save him. His brother Germaine told reporters: "The family request that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time." Jackson was perhaps the greatest singer and dancer the world has ever seen. He transformed the music industry forever. The pop icon greatly influenced generations of singers with his unrivalled professionalism. Michael was known as the king of pop and there is perhaps no one close to challenging his legendary status. He will be remembered forever for his talent, his unforgettable songs, and his Moonwalk dance.

Tributes to Michael Jackson have poured in from all over the world. Pop star Madonna said: "The world has lost one of its greats, but his music will live on forever." Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said she was “so sad and confused”. She added: "This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me." Pop star Justin Timberlake wrote online: "We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music." Jackson began his career as a child in his family group The Jackson 5. He went on to become globally famous as a solo artist with smash hits such as Billie Jean and Bad. His album Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of all time. It has sold 65 million copies worldwide.

WARM-UPS

1. MICHAEL JACKSON: Walk around the class and talk to other students about Michael Jackson. Change partners often. With your first partner(s), 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.

heart attacks / rushed to hospital / respecting privacy / tough times / pop icon / talent / tributes / being sad and confused / massive loss / genius / solo artists / albums

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

3. LEGEND: What do you remember about Michael Jackson? Complete this table. Talk about what you wrote to your partner. Change partners and share what you heard.

	My memories
His songs
Thriller
His clothes
His dancing
His face
His private life

4. THE KING: Students A strongly believe Michael Jackson is the greatest ever singer; Students B strongly believe Michael Jackson isn’t the greatest. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. ICONS: Who are the world’s biggest icons? With your partner, decide on the biggest icons in each category. Change partners and share what you talked about.

pop star (male)
pop star (female)
sports star
cartoon character

fashion model
politician
world leader (alive or dead)
actor

6. BAD: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘bad’. 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.	Michael Jackson died after suffering a cardiac arrest.	T / F
b.	Michael Jackson’s brother asked reporters to stay away from his family.	T / F
c.	Michael Jackson’s nickname was the Prince of Pop.	T / F
d.	People will remember his forgettable songs and dances.	T / F
e.	Many people from across the globe said nice things about Jackson.	T / F
f.	Michael’s ex-wife could not say what she wanted about his death.	T / F
g.	Michael performed solo throughout his musical career.	T / F
h.	Jackson’s album Thriller is the second-biggest seller ever.	T / F

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

1.	heart attack	a.	huge
2	trying	b.	changed
3.	tough	c.	record
4.	transformed	d.	attempting
5.	influenced	e.	brilliance
6.	tributes	f.	legends
7.	greats	g.	cardiac arrest
8.	massive	h.	praise
9.	genius	i.	difficult
10.	album	j.	affected

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

1.	died aged 50 after having	a.	this tough time
2	He was rushed	b.	and a true ambassador
3.	respect our privacy during	c.	songs
4.	influenced generations	d.	in from all over the world
5.	his unforgettable	e.	fail me
6.	Tributes to Jackson have poured	f.	a heart attack
7.	his music will live	g.	of singers
8.	words	h.	a solo artist
9.	We have lost a genius	i.	to hospital
10.	globally famous as	j.	on forever

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

Michael Jackson has died aged 50 after having a heart __________ at his Los Angeles home. He was __________ to hospital, where doctors spent over an hour trying to __________ him. His brother Germaine told reporters: "The family request that the media please respect our privacy during this __________ time." Jackson was perhaps the greatest singer and dancer the world has ever seen. He transformed the music industry forever. The pop __________ greatly influenced generations of singers with his unrivalled professionalism. Michael was __________ as the king of pop and there is perhaps no one close to challenging his legendary __________. He will be remembered forever for his __________, his unforgettable songs, and his Moonwalk dance.

save
status
attack
talent
rushed
tough
known
icon

Tributes to Michael Jackson have __________ in from all over the world. Pop star Madonna said: "The world has lost one of its __________, but his music will live on forever." Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said she was “so sad and __________”. She added: "This is such a __________ loss on so many levels, words fail me." Pop star Justin Timberlake wrote online: "We have lost a __________ and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music." Jackson began his __________ as a child in his family group The Jackson 5. He went on to become globally famous as a solo artist with __________ hits such as Billie Jean and Bad. His album Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling __________ of all time. It has sold 65 million copies worldwide.

confused
smash
greats
album
poured
genius
career
massive

LISTENING: Listen and fill in the gaps.

Michael Jackson ____________________ after having a heart attack at his Los Angeles home. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors spent over an hour ____________________. His brother Germaine told reporters: "The family request that the media please respect our ____________________." Jackson was perhaps the greatest singer and dancer the world has ever seen. He transformed the music industry forever. ____________________ influenced generations of singers with his unrivalled professionalism. Michael was known as the king of pop and there is perhaps no one close to challenging ____________________. He will be remembered forever for his talent, ____________________, and his Moonwalk dance.

Tributes to Michael Jackson have ____________________ over the world. Pop star Madonna said: "The world has lost one of its greats, but his music ____________________." Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said she was “so sad and confused”. She added: "This is such a massive loss on so many levels, ____________________." Pop star Justin Timberlake wrote online: "We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music." Jackson began his ____________________ in his family group The Jackson 5. He went on to become globally _____________________ with smash hits such as Billie Jean and Bad. His album Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling ____________________. It has sold 65 million copies worldwide.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

pop

icon

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:

heart
rushed
media
icon
king
status

poured
greats
fail
genius
solo
album

STUDENT MICHAEL JACKSON SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Michael Jackson 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.

MICHAEL JACKSON 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 name ‘Michael Jackson’?
c)	Where were you when you heard about Michael’s death?
d)	What do you think caused Michael Jackson’s heart attack?
e)	How do you think Michael Jackson changed music?
f)	What do you think of the media coverage of Michael Jackson’s death?
g)	What do you think of Michael Jackson’s music and dancing?
h)	Where do you think Michael Jackson is in the list of musical greats?
i)	What is Michael Jackson’s most unforgettable song?
j)	How did Michael Jackson change American society?

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

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

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	What tribute would you pay to Michael Jackson?
c)	The rapper P Diddy said: “Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat.” What do you think of this?
d)	Was Michael Jackson a part of your life?
e)	Why do you think Michael Jackson was such a music icon?
f)	The music producer Quincy Jones said: "To this day [his] music is played in every corner of the world, and the reason is because he had it all.” What do you think of this tribute?
g)	How should the world remember Michael Jackson?
h)	What do you think about Michael Jackson’s private life?
i)	What three adjectives would you use to describe Michael? Why?
j)	What questions would you like to have asked Michael Jackson?

LANGUAGE

Michael Jackson has died aged 50 after (1) ____ a heart attack at his Los Angeles home. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors (2) ____ over an hour trying to save him. His brother Germaine told reporters: "The family request that the media please respect our (3) ____ during this tough time." Jackson was perhaps the greatest singer and dancer the world has ever seen. He transformed the music industry forever. The pop icon (4) ____ influenced generations of singers with his unrivalled professionalism. Michael was (5) ____ as the king of pop and there is perhaps no one close to challenging his legendary (6) ____. He will be remembered forever for his talent, his unforgettable songs, and his Moonwalk dance.

Tributes to Michael Jackson have (7) ____ in from all over the world. Pop star Madonna said: "The world has lost one of its greats, but his music will live on forever." Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said she was “so sad and confused”. She added: "This is such a massive (8) ____ on so many levels, words (9) ____ me." Pop star Justin Timberlake wrote online: "We have lost a (10) ____ and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music." Jackson began his career as a child in his family group The Jackson 5. He went on to become globally famous as a solo artist with (11) ____ hits such as Billie Jean and Bad. His album Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of (12) ____ time. It has sold 65 million copies worldwide.

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

1.	(a)	have	(b)	has	(c)	had	(d)	having
2.	(a)	spend	(b)	spends	(c)	spent	(d)	spending
3.	(a)	private	(b)	privacy	(c)	privately	(d)	privatise
4.	(a)	greatly	(b)	greatest	(c)	greats	(d)	great
5.	(a)	knew	(b)	knowing	(c)	known	(d)	knows
6.	(a)	statistics	(b)	statues	(c)	stats	(d)	status
7.	(a)	pouring	(b)	poured	(c)	pours	(d)	pour
8.	(a)	loss	(b)	lost	(c)	loser	(d)	losses
9.	(a)	failure	(b)	fail	(c)	failing	(d)	fails
10.	(a)	genie	(b)	geneticist	(c)	genius	(d)	general
11.	(a)	smash	(b)	punch	(c)	smack	(d)	break
12.	(a)	whole	(b)	ever	(c)	every	(d)	all

WRITING 1:

Write about Michael Jackson for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

WRITING 2:

Singer P Diddy said: “Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat. He made the music come to life!!” Write about this. Read 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 Michael Jackson. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. GENIUS: Make a poster about three different areas of Michael Jackson’s genius. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. MICHAEL JACKSON: Write a magazine article about Michael Jackson. Include imaginary interviews with two huge fans.

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 Michael Jackson. Ask him three questions about his life. Give him three reasons why you would pay tribute to him. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	heart attack	a.	cardiac arrest
2	trying	b.	attempting
3.	tough	c.	difficult
4.	transformed	d.	changed
5.	influenced	e.	affected
6.	tributes	f.	praise
7.	greats	g.	legends
8.	massive	h.	huge
9.	genius	i.	brilliance
10.	album	j.	record

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	died aged 50 after having	a.	a heart attack
2	He was rushed	b.	to hospital
3.	respect our privacy during	c.	this tough time
4.	influenced generations	d.	of singers
5.	his unforgettable	e.	songs
6.	Tributes to Jackson have poured	f.	in from all over the world
7.	his music will live	g.	on forever
8.	words	h.	fail me
9.	We have lost a genius	i.	and a true ambassador
10.	globally famous as	j.	a solo artist

GAP FILL:

Michael Jackson dies aged 50

Michael Jackson has died aged 50 after having a heart attack at his Los Angeles home. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors spent over an hour trying to save him. His brother Germaine told reporters: "The family request that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time." Jackson was perhaps the greatest singer and dancer the world has ever seen. He transformed the music industry forever. The pop icon greatly influenced generations of singers with his unrivalled professionalism. Michael was known as the king of pop and there is perhaps no one close to challenging his legendary status. He will be remembered forever for his talent, his unforgettable songs, and his Moonwalk dance.

Tributes to Michael Jackson have poured in from all over the world. Pop star Madonna said: "The world has lost one of its greats, but his music will live on forever." Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley said she was “so sad and confused”. She added: "This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me." Pop star Justin Timberlake wrote online: "We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music." Jackson began his career as a child in his family group The Jackson 5. He went on to become globally famous as a solo artist with smash hits such as Billie Jean and Bad. His album Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of all time. It has sold 65 million copies worldwide.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - c

3 - b

4 - a

5 - c

6 - d

7 - b

8 - a

9 - b

10 -c

11 - a

12 - d

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Breaking News English

June 27, 2009

Michael Jackson Dies Aged 50