The Reading / Listening - Level 3

Last year was the worst year on record for the number of people who became refugees. The United Nations (U.N.) said that in 2015, over 65.3 million people were forced to leave their home or country. This is an increase of over five million from 59.5 million over the previous year. The 2015 figure is a 50 per cent increase from five years ago. It also means that one in every 113 people on the planet is now a refugee, an asylum seeker or someone displaced in their own country. The U.N. reported that: "Twenty-four people are displaced every minute." It added that two-thirds of the forcibly displaced are refugees in their own country. The figures come from the "Global Trends" report marking World Refugee Day on June the 20th.

The U.N. said the biggest reason for the record number of refugees in 2015 is war. Fighting in Syria, Afghanistan, Burundi and South Sudan has created the largest number of refugees. Half of them are children. The U.N. said more than 98,000 asylum requests in 2015 were made by unaccompanied children. This is the highest number ever seen. The U.N. added that: "Ninety percent of the forcibly displaced are [from] poor or middle income countries." Many of them are escaping from wars only to face big problems at borders. These include walls and fences in Europe, tougher laws against immigration and xenophobia. The U.N. said the only way to overcome the problem is, "political action to stop conflicts".

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Level 0 Level 1   or  Level 2

Sources
  • http://www.voanews.com/content/global-forced-displacements-reach-record-breaking-levels/3383451.html
  • http://www.reuters.com/article/us-refugees-un-idUSKCN0Z60BN
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/20/1-in-every-113-human-beings-right-now-is-forcibly-displaced-from-their-home/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. REFUGEES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about refugees. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

       last year / refugees / increase / planet / asylum seeker / United Nations / country /
       record / number / fighting / half / poor / middle income / big problems / borders

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

3. OPEN BORDERS: Students A strongly believe all the world's borders should be open; Students B strongly believe this would be a disaster.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

4. HELP: How can the following help refugees? Talk about this with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

  • Leaders of countries at war
  • Neighbouring countries
  • The United Nations
  • Rich people
  • Big companies
  • Religions
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5. WAR: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "war". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. REFUGEE CAMPS: Rank these with your partner. Put the things that would help those in refugee camps most at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • contact with embassy staff
  • community centres
  • medicine
  • blankets
  • Internet access
  • advice
  • language lessons
  • clothes

Before reading / listening

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

  1. Over 100 million people became refugees in 2015.     T / F
  2. One in 113 people on Earth is a refugee, asylum seeker or is displaced.   T / F
  3. Twenty-four people are forcibly displaced every minute.     T / F
  4. World Refugee Day was on the 20th of June.     T / F
  5. The biggest reason for the record number of refugees is famine.     T / F
  6. Over 198,000 unaccompanied children applied for asylum in 2015.     T / F
  7. Ninety per cent of the forcibly displaced were very poor.     T / F
  8. Refugees had the problem of people fearing or disliking them.     T / F

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

  1. forced
  2. increase
  3. previous
  4. asylum
  5. marking
  6. war
  7. largest
  8. unaccompanied
  9. escaping
  10. overcome
  1. biggest
  2. remembering
  3. control
  4. conflict
  5. rise
  6. lone
  7. made
  8. fleeing
  9. earlier
  10. refuge

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

  1. Last year was the worst
  2. forced to
  3. one in every
  4. two-
  5. The figures come from the
  6. This is the highest number
  7. poor or middle
  8. Many of them are escaping
  9. tougher laws against
  10. political action
  1. 113 people
  2. immigration
  3. "Global Trends" report
  4. to stop conflicts
  5. income countries
  6. year on record
  7. leave their home
  8. ever seen
  9. thirds
  10. from wars

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
previous
minute
forced
figures
one
record
thirds
asylum

Last year was the worst year on (1) ____________ for the number of people who became refugees. The United Nations (U.N.) said that in 2015, over 65.3 million people were (2) ____________ to leave their home or country. This is an increase of over five million from 59.5 million over the (3) ____________ year. The 2015 figure is a 50 per cent increase from five years ago. It also means that (4) ____________ in every 113 people on the planet is now a refugee, an (5) ____________ seeker or someone displaced in their own country. The U.N. reported that: "Twenty-four people are displaced every (6) ____________." It added that two-(7) ____________ of the forcibly displaced are refugees in their own country." The (8) ____________ come from the "Global Trends" report marking World Refugee Day on June the 20th.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
requests
borders
reason
action
ever
fences
largest
poor

The U.N. said the biggest (9) ____________ for the record number of refugees in 2015 is war. Fighting in Syria, Afghanistan, Burundi and South Sudan has created the (10) ____________ number of refugees. Half of them are children. The U.N. said more than 98,000 asylum (11) ____________ in 2015 were made by unaccompanied children. This is the highest number (12) ____________ seen. The U.N. added that: "Ninety per cent of the forcibly displaced are [from] (13) ____________ or middle income countries." Many of them are escaping from wars only to face big problems at (14) ____________. These include walls and (15) ____________ in Europe, tougher laws against immigration and xenophobia. The U.N. said the only way to overcome the problem is, "political (16) ____________ to stop conflicts".

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  Last year was the worst year on record for the number of people ______
     a.  whose became refugees
     b.  whom became refugees
     c.  who became refugees
     d.  who's became refugees

2)  This is an increase of over five million from 59.5 million over ______
     a.  the previously year
     b.  the previous year
     c.  the previews year
     d.  the plea virus year

3) one in every 113 people on the planet is now a refugee, asylum ______
     a.  seeker or someone
     b.  seeker nor someone
     c.  seek her or someone
     d.  seeks her or someone

4)  It added that two-thirds of the forcibly displaced are refugees ______
     a.  in their owner country
     b.  in their Rome country
     c.  in their roam country
     d.  in their own country

5)  The figures come from the "Global Trends" report ______ Refugee Day
     a.  making World
     b.  marking World
     c.  mark in World
     d.  marking in World

6)  The U.N. said the biggest reason for the record number of refugees ______
     a.  in 2015 is wars
     b.  in 2015 is war
     c.  in 2015 is a war
     d.  in 2015 is the war

7)  more than 98,000 asylum requests in 2015 were made by ______
     a.  unaccompanied children
     b.  one a company children
     c.  in a companied children
     d.  one a camping children

8)  Many of them are escaping from wars only to face big ______
     a.  problems sat borders
     b.  problems at border
     c.  problem at border
     d.  problems at borders

9)  These include walls and fences in Europe, tougher laws against immigration ______
     a.  and technophobia
     b.  and aquaphobia
     c.  and acrophobia
     d.  and xenophobia

10)  The U.N. said the only way to overcome the problem is political action ______
     a.  to stop conflict
     b.  to stop conflicted
     c.  to stop conflicts
     d.  to stop conflicting

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Last year was the (1) ___________________ record for the number of people who became refugees. The United Nations (U.N.) said that in 2015, over 65.3 million people were (2) ___________________ their home or country. This is an (3) ___________________ five million from 59.5 million over the previous year. The 2015 figure is a 50 per cent increase from five years ago. It also means (4) ___________________ 113 people on the planet is now a refugee, an asylum seeker or someone displaced in their own country. The U.N. reported that: "Twenty-four people are displaced every minute." It added that (5) ___________________ the forcibly displaced are refugees in their own country." The figures come from the "Global Trends" (6) ___________________ World Refugee Day on June the 20th.

The U.N. said the (7) ___________________ the record number of refugees in 2015 is war. Fighting in Syria, Afghanistan, Burundi and South Sudan has (8) ___________________ number of refugees. Half of them are children. The U.N. said more than 98,000 (9) ___________________ in 2015 were made by unaccompanied children. This is the highest number ever seen. The U.N. added that: "(10) ___________________ the forcibly displaced are [from] poor or middle income countries." Many of them are escaping from wars only to face big problems at borders. These include (11) ___________________ Europe, tougher laws against immigration and xenophobia. The U.N. said the only way to overcome the problem is, "political action (12) ___________________".

Comprehension questions

  1. How many people had to leave their home in 2015?
  2. How many more people had to leave their home in 2015 than in 2014?
  3. What is the 2015 figure 50% higher than?
  4. How many people are displaced every minute?
  5. When is World Refugee Day?
  6. What is the biggest reason for the record number of refugees?
  7. How many unaccompanied children made asylum requests in 2015?
  8. How many of the forcibly displaced are from poor or middle income nations?
  9. Where do refugees face problems after they escape from wars?
  10. What did the UN say was the only way to get over the problem?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How many people had to leave their home in 2015?
a) 65.3 million people
b) 56.3 million
c) 63.5 million
d) 53.6 million

2) How many more people had to leave their home in 2015 than in 2014?
a) around 500,000
b) exactly 15 million
c) over 5,000,000
d) more than 50 million

3) What is the 2015 figure 50% higher than?
a) the number of soldiers in the world
b) the figure for 5 years ago
c) the population of Syria
d) estimates for 2017

4) How many people are displaced every minute?
a) 24,000
b) 2,400
c) 240
d) 24

5) When is World Refugee Day?
a) June 20
b) June 21
c) June 19
d) June 22

6) What is the biggest reason for the record number of refugees?
a) religion
b) idiotic leaders
c) famine
d) war

7) How many unaccompanied children made asylum requests in 2015?
a) exactly 98,000
b) over 98,000
c) around 89,000
d) exactly 89,000

8) How many of the forcibly displaced are from poor or middle income nations?
a) 87%
b) 88%
c) 89%
d) 90%

9) Where do refugees face problems after they escape from wars?
a) in immigration centres
b) on trains
c) at borders
d) in camps

10) What did the UN say was the only way to get over the problem?
a) hold talks
b) political action
c) more armies
d) money

Role play

Role A — Internet access

You think Internet access is what refugees in camps need most. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as necessary. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): language lessons, contact with embassy staff or blankets.

Role B — Language lessons

You think language lessons are You think Internet access is what refugees in camps need most. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as necessary. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): Internet access, contact with embassy staff or blankets.

Role C — Contact with embassy staff

You think contact with embassy staff is You think Internet access is what refugees in camps need most. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as necessary. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): language lessons, Internet access or blankets.

Role D — Blankets

You think blankets are You think Internet access is what refugees in camps need most. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as necessary. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): language lessons, contact with embassy staff or Internet access.

After reading / listening

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

'refugee'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'asylum'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • 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:

    • war
    • half
    • 90 per cent
    • borders
    • laws
    • overcome
    • worst
    • five million
    • 50
    • 113
    • 24
    • 20th

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic 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.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - U.N. says refugee numbers at record level

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What springs to mind when you hear the word 'refugee'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Why are there so many refugees today?
    5. What do you know about refugees?
    6. What was the last story about refugees you read about?
    7. What do you think of the rise in refugee numbers?
    8. What does your country do to help refugees?
    9. What advice do you have for refugees?
    10. What should we do on World Refugee Day?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. Why are there so many wars today?
    3. What will create more refugees in the future?
    4. What do you think it's like to be a refugee?
    5. What should happen to leaders who created the refugee crisis?
    6. How can we help refugee children?
    7. How would you feel if you were forced to leave your home?
    8. How can we end xenophobia?
    9. Should all countries have to accept and help refugees?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the head of the UN?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    Last year was the (1) ____ year on record for the number of people who became refugees. The United Nations (U.N.) said that in 2015, over 65.3 million people were (2) ____ to leave their home or country. This is an increase of over five million from 59.5 million (3) ____ the previous year. The 2015 figure is a 50 per cent increase from five years ago. It also means that one (4) ____ every 113 people on the planet is now a refugee, an asylum seeker or someone displaced in their own country. The U.N. reported that: "Twenty-four people are displaced every minute." It added that two-(5) ____ of the forcibly displaced are refugees in their own country." The figures (6) ____ from the "Global Trends" report marking World Refugee Day on June the 20th.

    The U.N. said the biggest reason (7) ____ the record number of refugees in 2015 is war. Fighting in Syria, Afghanistan, Burundi and South Sudan has created the largest number of refugees. Half of (8) ____ are children. The U.N. said more than 98,000 asylum requests in 2015 were (9) ____ by unaccompanied children. This is the highest number ever seen. The U.N. added that: "Ninety per cent of the forcibly displaced are [from] poor or middle (10) ____ countries." Many of them are escaping from wars only to (11) ____ big problems at borders. These include walls and fences in Europe, tougher laws against immigration and (12) ____. The U.N. said the only way to overcome the problem is, "political action to stop conflicts".

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     worse     (b)     waste     (c)     wasted     (d)     worst    
    2. (a)     fierce     (b)     farce     (c)     faced     (d)     forced    
    3. (a)     above     (b)     over     (c)     up     (d)     higher    
    4. (a)     on     (b)     an     (c)     in     (d)     as    
    5. (a)     thirds     (b)     third     (c)     thirdly     (d)     third-rate    
    6. (a)     come     (b)     go     (c)     leave     (d)     arrive    
    7. (a)     to     (b)     by     (c)     of     (d)     for    
    8. (a)     them     (b)     this     (c)     they     (d)     it    
    9. (a)     make     (b)     made     (c)     making     (d)     makes    
    10. (a)     cash     (b)     money     (c)     income     (d)     salary    
    11. (a)     head     (b)     nose     (c)     face     (d)     back    
    12. (a)     acrophobia     (b)     xenophobia     (c)     aquaphobia     (d)     technophobia

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. the worst year on rordec
    2. 65.3 million people were ocerfd to leave
    3. an riseacne of over five million
    4. an ymalus seeker
    5. 24 people are displaced every inumet
    6. The igefrus come from the "Global Trends" report

    Paragraph 2

    1. the biggest eonsar
    2. the etghhis number ever seen
    3. poor or middle nceiom countries
    4. peigcsna from wars
    5. face big problems at orbdres
    6. political action to stop ncltoicsf

    Put the text back together

    (    )     The U.N. said the biggest reason for the record number of refugees in 2015 is war. Fighting in Syria,

    (    )     children. The U.N. said more than 98,000 asylum requests in 2015 were made by unaccompanied children. This

    (    )     is the highest number ever seen. The U.N. added that: "Ninety per cent of the forcibly displaced are [from] poor

    (    )     their own country. The U.N. reported that: "Twenty-four people are displaced every minute." It added that two-

    (    )     from the "Global Trends" report marking World Refugee Day on June the 20th.

    (    )     borders. These include walls and fences in Europe, tougher laws against immigration and

    (    )     or middle income countries." Many of them are escaping from wars only to face big problems at

    (    )     (U.N.) said that in 2015, over 65.3 million people were forced to leave their home or country. This is an increase

    1  )     Last year was the worst year on record for the number of people who became refugees. The United Nations

    (    )     ago. It also means that one in every 113 people on the planet is now a refugee, an asylum seeker or someone displaced in

    (    )     xenophobia. The U.N. said the only way to overcome the problem is, "political action to stop conflicts".

    (    )     thirds of the forcibly displaced are refugees in their own country." The figures come

    (    )     Afghanistan, Burundi and South Sudan has created the largest number of refugees. Half of them are

    (    )     of over five million from 59.5 million over the previous year. The 2015 figure is a 50 per cent increase from five years

    Put the words in the right order

    1. the   was   year   Last   record   on   year   worst   .
    2. years  increase  50  figure  ago  from  per  is  The   five  cent  a  2015  .
    3. the   on   people   113   every  in   One   refugee  a   now   is   planet   .
    4. country  seeker  displaced   own  asylum   someone  their   An   or  in  .
    5. are   people   four   -   Twenty   minute   every   displaced   .
    6. the   The   record   biggest   number   reason   of   for   refugees   .
    7. 2015   in   Requests   children   unaccompanied   by   made   were   .
    8. income   middle   from   are   displaced   forcibly   The   countries   .
    9. face   to   only   wars   from   Escaping   problems   big   .
    10. the   political   only   overcome   is   The   to   problem   action   way   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Last year was the worst / worse year on record for the number of people who became refugees. The United Nations (U.N.) said that in 2015, over 65.3 million people were forcing / forced to leave their home or country. This is an increase / increasing of over five million from 59.5 million over the previous / previously year. The 2015 figure is a 50 per cent increase from five years ago. It also means / meaning that one in every 113 people on the planet is know / now a refugee, an asylum seeker or someone displaced in their owner / own country. The U.N. reported that: "Twenty-four people are displaced all / every minute." It added that two-thirds of the forcibly displaced are refugees in their own country." The figures go / come from the "Global Trends" report marking / making World Refugee Day on June the 20th.

    The U.N. said the biggest reason / reasons for the record number of refugees in 2015 is war. Fighting in Syria, Afghanistan, Burundi and South Sudan has / have created the largest number of / for refugees. Half of them are child / children. The U.N. said more than 98,000 asylum requests in 2015 were made / had by unaccompanied children. This is the highest number ever / never seen. The U.N. added that: "Ninety per cent of the forcibly displaced are [from] poor for / or middle income countries." Many of them are escaping from wars only to face / head big problems at borders. These include walls and fence / fences in Europe, tougher laws against immigration and xenophobia / xenophobic. The U.N. said the only way to overcome the problem is, "political action to stop conflicts".

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    L_st y__r w_s th_ w_rst y__r _n r_c_rd f_r th_ n_mb_r _f p__pl_ wh_ b_c_m_ r_f_g__s. Th_ _n_t_d N_t__ns (_.N.) s__d th_t _n 2015, _v_r 65.3 m_ll__n p__pl_ w_r_ f_rc_d t_ l__v_ th__r h_m_ _r c__ntry. Th_s _s _n _ncr__s_ _f _v_r f_v_ m_ll__n fr_m 59.5 m_ll__n _v_r th_ pr_v___s y__r. Th_ 2015 f_g_r_ _s _ 50 p_r c_nt _ncr__s_ fr_m f_v_ y__rs _g_. _t _ls_ m__ns th_t _n_ _n _v_ry 113 p__pl_ _n th_ pl_n_t _s n_w _ r_f_g__, _n _syl_m s__k_r _r s_m__n_ d_spl_c_d _n th__r _wn c__ntry. Th_ _.N. r_p_rt_d th_t: "Tw_nty-f__r p__pl_ _r_ d_spl_c_d _v_ry m_n_t_." _t _dd_d th_t tw_-th_rds _f th_ f_rc_bly d_spl_c_d _r_ r_f_g__s _n th__r _wn c__ntry." Th_ f_g_r_s c_m_ fr_m th_ "Gl_b_l Tr_nds" r_p_rt m_rk_ng W_rld R_f_g__ D_y _n J_n_ th_ 20th.

    Th_ _.N. s__d th_ b_gg_st r__s_n f_r th_ r_c_rd n_mb_r _f r_f_g__s _n 2015 _s w_r. F_ght_ng _n Syr__, _fgh_n_st_n, B_r_nd_ _nd S__th S_d_n h_s cr__t_d th_ l_rg_st n_mb_r _f r_f_g__s. H_lf _f th_m _r_ ch_ldr_n. Th_ _.N. s__d m_r_ th_n 98,000 _syl_m r_q__sts _n 2015 w_r_ m_d_ by _n_cc_mp_n__d ch_ldr_n. Th_s _s th_ h_gh_st n_mb_r _v_r s__n. Th_ _.N. _dd_d th_t: "N_n_ty p_r c_nt _f th_ f_rc_bly d_spl_c_d _r_ [fr_m] p__r _r m_ddl_ _nc_m_ c__ntr__s." M_ny _f th_m _r_ _sc_p_ng fr_m w_rs _nly t_ f_c_ b_g pr_bl_ms _t b_rd_rs. Th_s_ _ncl_d_ w_lls _nd f_nc_s _n __r_p_, t__gh_r l_ws _g__nst _mm_gr_t__n _nd x_n_ph_b__. Th_ _.N. s__d th_ _nly w_y t_ _v_rc_m_ th_ pr_bl_m _s, "p_l_t_c_l _ct__n t_ st_p c_nfl_cts".

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    last year was the worst year on record for the number of people who became refugees the united nations (un) said that in 2015 over 653 million people were forced to leave their home or country this is an increase of over five million from 595 million over the previous year the 2015 figure is a 50 per cent increase from five years ago it also means that one in every 113 people on the planet is now a refugee an asylum seeker or someone displaced in their own country the un reported that "twenty-four people are displaced every minute" it added that two-thirds of the forcibly displaced are refugees in their own country" the figures come from the "global trends" report marking world refugee day on june the 20th

    the un said the biggest reason for the record number of refugees in 2015 is war fighting in syria afghanistan burundi and south sudan has created the largest number of refugees half of them are children the un said more than 98000 asylum requests in 2015 were made by unaccompanied children this is the highest number ever seen the un added that "ninety per cent of the forcibly displaced are [from] poor or middle income countries" many of them are escaping from wars only to face big problems at borders these include walls and fences in europe tougher laws against immigration and xenophobia the un said the only way to overcome the problem is "political action to stop conflicts"

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Lastyearwastheworstyearonrecordforthenumberofpeoplewhobeca
    merefugees.TheUnitedNations(U.N.)saidthatin2015,over65.3millio
    npeoplewereforcedtoleavetheirhomeorcountry.Thisisanincreaseofo
    verfivemillionfrom59.5millionoverthepreviousyear.The2015figurei
    sa50percentincreasefromfiveyearsago.Italsomeansthatoneinevery
    113peopleontheplanetisnowarefugee,anasylumseekerorsomeoned
    isplacedintheirowncountry."TheU.N.reportedthat:"Twenty-fourpeo
    plearedisplacedeveryminute."Itaddedthattwo-thirdsoftheforcib
    lydisplacedarerefugeesintheirowncountry.Thefigurescomefromthe
    "GlobalTrends"reportmarkingWorldRefugeeDayonJunethe20th.The
    U.N.saidthebiggestreasonfortherecordnumberofrefugeesin2015isw
    ar.FightinginSyria,Afghanistan,BurundiandSouthSudanhascreatedt
    helargestnumberofrefugees.Halfofthemarechildren.TheU.N.saidmo
    rethan98,000asylumrequestsin2015weremadebyunaccompaniedc
    hildren.Thisisthehighestnumbereverseen.TheU.N.addedthat:"Nine
    typercentoftheforciblydisplacedare[from]poorormiddleincomecoun
    tries."Manyofthemareescapingfromwarsonlytofacebigproblemsatb
    orders.TheseincludewallsandfencesinEurope,tougherlawsagainsti
    mmigrationandxenophobia.TheU.N.saidtheonlywaytoovercomethe
    problemis,"politicalactiontostopconflicts".

    Free writing

    Write about displaced people for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    No country should say no to an asylum seeker. Discuss.

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

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

    4. OPEN BORDERS: Write a magazine article about the world having open borders. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.

    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. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on refugees. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to reduce the number of refugees. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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