The Reading / Listening - Racism - Level 4

A report on racism has been criticised. The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities was set up in the UK last year after the death of George Floyd. The commission said racism remains a "real force," but said the UK is no longer "deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities". It said people use racism as a "catch-all explanation" for not getting ahead. It added things like geography, culture and religion have a bigger impact on success in life.

Critics of the report called it "a truly historic denial of the scale of race inequality". A UK politician was deeply critical of the report. He accused the government of "gaslighting" the British public. He tweeted: "For my own mental well-being I am not doing media interviews on the race commission today. Like so many in Britain's Black community, I'm tired of the endless debate about whether structural racism exists with little desire to actually address it."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Racism - Level 5 or  Racism - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.npr.org/2021/04/01/983499592/u-k-government-report-draws-criticism-over-historic-denial-of-race-issues
  • https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/02/sewell-report-racial-disparity-progress-division-racism
  • https://www.thedailybeast.com/samuel-kasumu-quits-after-gaslighting-study-that-denied-institutional-racism-exists


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A report on racism has been
  2. set up in
  3. after the death
  4. racism remains a real
  5. deliberately rigged against
  6. a "catch-all explanation" for
  7. things like geography, culture
  8. have a bigger impact
  1. not getting ahead
  2. of George Floyd
  3. on success in life
  4. the UK last year
  5. force
  6. ethnic minorities
  7. criticised
  8. and religion

Paragraph 2

  1. a truly historic denial
  2. A UK politician was deeply
  3. gaslighting the British
  4. For my own mental
  5. Like so many in Britain's
  6. I'm tired of the endless
  7. whether structural
  8. little desire to actually
  1. critical of the report
  2. racism exists
  3. well-being
  4. Black community
  5. address it
  6. public
  7. debate
  8. of the scale

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A report on racism (1) ___________________. The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities was (2) ___________________ the UK last year after (3) ___________________ George Floyd. The commission said racism remains (4) ___________________ but said the UK is no longer "deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities". It said people use racism as a "catch-all explanation" for (5) ___________________. It added things like geography, culture and religion have a (6) ___________________ success in life.

Critics of the report called it "a (7) ___________________ of the scale of race inequality". A UK politician (8) ___________________ of the report. He accused the government of "gaslighting" (9) ___________________. He tweeted: "For my own mental well-being I am not (10) ___________________ on the race commission today. Like so many in Britain's Black community, I'm tired of (11) ___________________ about whether structural racism exists with little desire to (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Areportonracismhasbeencriticised.TheCommissiononRaceandEthni
cDisparitieswassetupintheUKlastyearafterthedeathofGeorgeFloyd.
Thecommissionsaidracismremainsa"realforce,"butsaidtheUKisnolo
nger"deliberatelyriggedagainstethnicminorities".Itsaidpeopleusera
cismasa"catch-allexplanation"fornotgettingahead.Itaddedthingsl
ikegeography,cultureandreligionhaveabiggerimpactonsuccessinlife
.Criticsofthereportcalledit"atrulyhistoricdenialofthescaleofraceineq
uality".AUKpoliticianwasdeeplycriticalofthereport.Heaccusedthego
vernmentof"gaslighting"theBritishpublic.Hetweeted:"Formyownme
ntalwell-beingIamnotdoingmediainterviewsontheracecommission
today.LikesomanyinBritain'sBlackcommunity,I'mtiredoftheendless
debateaboutwhetherstructuralracismexistswithlittledesiretoactuall
yaddressit."

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 — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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