Breaking News English

        

1. PRISONERS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about prisoners. 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.

first phase / swap / lopsided / immense joy / negotiations / flown by helicopter / victory / united / complex missions / alive and well / pay the price / celebrations

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

3. PEACE: Could these things bring it to Israel and Palestine? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

	Will it bring peace?	Why / not?
Prisoner exchanges
War
Trilateral talks with U.S.
Israeli-Palestinian talks
Arab Spring
The next generation

4. MIDDLE EAST: Students A strongly believe peace will arrive there one day; Students B strongly believe it won’t.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. PRISON: What would you hate most about it? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the worst at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

being in a cell other prisoners missing family fear

prison food prison guards losing x years of your life boredom

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

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Israel swapped over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for one Israeli one.	T / F
b.	More than half of the prisoners have yet to be released.	T / F
c.	The Israeli prisoner was held captive for over 10 years.	T / F
d.	Gilad Shalit said he missed his mother’s cooking most.	T / F
e.	Leaders on both sides said the exchange was a victory for them.	T / F
f.	Israel’s leader has worked on the release for the past five years.	T / F
g.	Taghrid Faisha is happy at finally being released from captivity.	T / F
h.	Taghrid said being burned was less painful than missing her son.	T / F

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

1.	phase	a.	happiness
2	historic	b.	win
3.	swapped	c.	important
4.	intense	d.	imprisonment
5.	captivity	e.	complicated
6.	victory	f.	stage
7.	united	g.	energetic
8.	joy	h.	toughest
9.	complex	i.	exchanged
10.	hardest	j.	joined

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	the first phase of a historic	a.	and negotiations
2	The swap seems a	b.	joy
3.	scenes of immense	c.	celebrations
4.	the subject of intense efforts	d.	joy and pain
5.	he received a hero’s	e.	prisoner exchange
6.	Meshaal claimed the prisoner	f.	in my life
7.	we are all united in both	g.	swap as a victory
8.	alive	h.	little lopsided
9.	we will hold	i.	welcome
10.	the hardest years	j.	and well

 

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

Israel and Palestine completed the first (1) ____________ of a historic prisoner exchange on Tuesday. The (2) ____________ seems a little lopsided, with one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, being swapped for 1,027 Palestinians. The first 477 were                    (3) ____________ on Tuesday and the rest will follow in December. The release of Mr Shalit was (4) ____________ with scenes of immense joy in Israel. Shalit, 25, was captured by Hamas in 2006. He has since been the subject of intense           (5) ____________ and negotiations by the Israelis to               (6) ____________ his release. He was reunited with his family after five years on Tuesday evening. He was flown by helicopter to the northern Israeli village of Mitzpe Hila, where he received a hero’s (7) ____________. He told journalists that he missed his family most while in (8) ____________.		efforts swap met captivity phase secure released welcome
Both Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal (9) ____________ the prisoner swap as a victory. Mr Netanyahu said: "On this day, we are all (10) ____________ in both joy and pain. Two-and-a-half years ago…one of the most important, (11) ____________ missions I found on my desk was to return Gilad Shalit home alive and (12) ____________. Today that mission has been accomplished." Mr Meshaal said: "Negotiation based on power (13) ____________ the enemy to pay the price. We have (14) ____________ the Israelis.” Palestinian Taghrid Faisha, whose son was released by Israel, said: "It is a big day for the family and we will (15) ____________ celebrations.…These have been the hardest years in my life. They were (16) ____________ more painful than the feeling of burning my body."		hold united defeated well claimed even complex forces

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

Israel and Palestine completed ______________________ historic prisoner exchange on Tuesday. The swap seems ______________________ one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, being swapped for 1,027 Palestinians. The first 477 were released on Tuesday and ______________________ in December. The release of Mr Shalit was met with scenes of immense joy in Israel. Shalit, 25, was captured by Hamas in 2006. He has since been the ______________________ and negotiations by the Israelis to secure his release. He was reunited with his family after five years on Tuesday evening. He ______________________ to the northern Israeli village of Mitzpe Hila, where he received a hero’s welcome. He told journalists that he missed his family ______________________.

Both Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal ______________________ swap as a victory. Mr Netanyahu said: "On this day, we are all united in ______________________. Two-and-a-half years ago…one of the most important, ______________________ I found on my desk was to return Gilad Shalit home alive and well. Today that mission has been accomplished." Mr Meshaal said: "Negotiation based on power forces the enemy ______________________. We have defeated the Israelis.” Palestinian Taghrid Faisha, whose son was released by Israel, said: "It is a big day for the family and we ______________________.…These have been the hardest years in my life. They were even more painful than the feeling of ______________________."

 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

prisoner

swap

• 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:

first 477 scenes 2006 evening while

claimed united desk forces hold feeling

STUDENT PRISONERS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about prisoners 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.

PRISONERS 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 ‘prisoner’?
c)	What do you think of the prisoner exchange?
d)	Why do you think the Israelis freed over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one Israeli?
e)	How historic is this news?
f)	Why do you think the prisoners are being released in two phases?
g)	Why do you think it took five years to secure the release of Gilad Shalit?
h)	How do you think his ordeal has changed him?
i)	Mr Shalit asked for both sides to continue negotiating a peace deal. Do you think he should be a negotiator?
j)	What would you miss most about being in captivity?

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

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	What three adjectives describe this article and why?
c)	Did both sides win with this exchange?
d)	Should Israelis be thanking Benjamin Netanyahu?
e)	What do you think of Khaled Meshaal’s comment that Hamas had defeated the Israelis?
f)	Where do you think the peace process will go from here?
g)	How do you think Israeli families feel at the release of the prisoners?
h)	Will this prisoner exchange help the peace process?
i)	What will the region look like 50 years from now?
j)	What questions would you like to ask Benjamin Netanyahu?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

Israel and Palestine completed the first (1) ____ of a historic prisoner exchange on Tuesday. The swap seems a little (2) ____, with one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, being swapped for 1,027 Palestinians. The first 477 were released on Tuesday and the rest will follow in December. The release of Mr Shalit was (3) ____ with scenes of immense joy in Israel. Shalit, 25, was captured by Hamas in 2006. He has since been the subject (4) ____ intense efforts and negotiations by the Israelis to secure his release. He was reunited (5) ____ his family after five years on Tuesday evening. He was flown by helicopter to the northern Israeli village of Mitzpe Hila, where he received a hero’s welcome. He told journalists that he missed his family most while in (6) ____.

Both Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal (7) ____ the prisoner swap as a victory. Mr Netanyahu said: "On this day, we are all united in (8) ____ joy and pain. Two-and-a-half years ago…one of the most important, complex missions I found on my desk was to return Gilad Shalit home alive and (9) ____. Today that mission has been accomplished." Mr Meshaal said: "Negotiation based on power forces the enemy to (10) ____ the price. We have defeated the Israelis.” Palestinian Taghrid Faisha, whose son was released by Israel, said: "It is a big day for the family and we will (11) ____ celebrations.…These have been the hardest years in my life. They were (12) ____ more painful than the feeling of burning my body."

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

1.	(a)	phrase	(b)	phrasal	(c)	phased	(d)	phase
2.	(a)	lopsided	(b)	sided	(c)	cornered	(d)	angled
3.	(a)	wet	(b)	met	(c)	set	(d)	let
4.	(a)	by	(b)	at	(c)	of	(d)	with
5.	(a)	to	(b)	on	(c)	with	(d)	at
6.	(a)	captivation	(b)	captivity	(c)	captive	(d)	caption
7.	(a)	claims	(b)	claiming	(c)	claimant	(d)	claimed
8.	(a)	both	(b)	all	(c)	for	(d)	so
9.	(a)	so	(b)	well	(c)	living	(d)	up
10.	(a)	sell	(b)	buy	(c)	cost	(d)	pay
11.	(a)	bold	(b)	fold	(c)	hold	(d)	gold
12.	(a)	even	(b)	uneven	(c)	eventful	(d)	ever

 
 

WRITING

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

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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 the prisoner exchange. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. PRISONERS: Make a poster about prisoners. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. EXCHANGE: Write a magazine article about the prisoner exchange. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against it.

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 one of the prisoners. Ask him/her three questions about being a prisoner. Give him/her three of your opinions on the exchange. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

 

 
 

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

T

b.

T

c.

F

d.

F

e.

T

f.

F

g.

F

h.

T

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	phase	a.	stage
2	historic	b.	important
3.	swapped	c.	exchanged
4.	intense	d.	energetic
5.	captivity	e.	imprisonment
6.	victory	f.	win
7.	united	g.	joined
8.	joy	h.	happiness
9.	complex	i.	complicated
10.	hardest	j.	toughest

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	the first phase of a historic	a.	prisoner exchange
2	The swap seems a	b.	little lopsided
3.	scenes of immense	c.	joy
4.	the subject of intense efforts	d.	and negotiations
5.	he received a hero’s	e.	welcome
6.	Meshaal claimed the prisoner	f.	swap as a victory
7.	we are all united in both	g.	joy and pain
8.	alive	h.	and well
9.	we will hold	i.	celebrations
10.	the hardest years	j.	in my life

GAP FILL:

Israel, Palestine prisoner swap in process

Israel and Palestine completed the first (1) phase of a historic prisoner exchange on Tuesday. The (2) swap seems a little lopsided, with one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, being swapped for 1,027 Palestinians. The first 477 were (3) released on Tuesday and the rest will follow in December. The release of Mr Shalit was (4) met with scenes of immense joy in Israel. Shalit, 25, was captured by Hamas in 2006. He has since been the subject of intense (5) efforts and negotiations by the Israelis to (6) secure his release. He was reunited with his family after five years on Tuesday evening. He was flown by helicopter to the northern Israeli village of Mitzpe Hila, where he received a hero’s (7) welcome. He told journalists that he missed his family most while in (8) captivity.

Both Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal (9) claimed the prisoner swap as a victory. Mr Netanyahu said: "On this day, we are all (10) united in both joy and pain. Two-and-a-half years ago…one of the most important, (11) complex missions I found on my desk was to return Gilad Shalit home alive and (12) well. Today that mission has been accomplished." Mr Meshaal said: "Negotiation based on power (13) forces the enemy to pay the price. We have (14) defeated the Israelis.” Palestinian Taghrid Faisha, whose son was released by Israel, said: "It is a big day for the family and we will (15) hold celebrations.…These have been the hardest years in my life. They were (16) even more painful than the feeling of burning my body."

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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