The Reading / Listening - Women, Life, Freedom - Level 4

Protests by women and girls are growing in Iran. They began after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September. She was killed for removing her headscarf in public. Her death started protests around Iran. Hundreds of thousands of women in the streets, on buses and in schools are copying Mahsa's actions. They are sending a message to Iran's leaders. Many burnt their scarves and cut their hair. They march chanting "women, life, freedom".

The protests are because of decades of pent-up fury. Women are tired of having to cover their hair. They are punished with fines and imprisonment. The death of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami last week fuelled the protests further. An Iranian professor said hair coverings were the tip of the iceberg. She said: "The demand is freedom. The current protests… are engaging students… who are ready to live life freely. They're done with death and grief and mourning."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Women, Life, Freedom - Level 5 or  Women, Life, Freedom - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/07/iran-protests-angry-trauma-uprising-struggle-freedom
  • https://abcnews.go.com/International/iranian-teenage-protesters-death-sparks-global-outcry-alleged/story
  • https://time.com/6220554/students-iran-protests/


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. Protests
  2. removing her
  3. Her death started protests
  4. Hundreds of
  5. copying
  6. sending a message
  7. Many burnt their scarves and
  8. They march chanting
  1. thousands of women
  2. cut their hair
  3. Mahsa's actions
  4. "women, life, freedom"
  5. around Iran
  6. by women and girls
  7. headscarf in public
  8. to Iran's leaders

Paragraph 2

  1. decades of pent-
  2. tired of having to
  3. fines and
  4. fuelled the protests
  5. the tip of
  6. The current protests are
  7. ready to live life
  8. grief and
  1. imprisonment
  2. freely
  3. the iceberg
  4. mourning
  5. cover their hair
  6. further
  7. up fury
  8. engaging students

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Protests by women and girls (1) ___________________ Iran. They began after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September. She was killed for removing her (2) ___________________. Her death started protests around Iran. Hundreds of thousands of women (3) ___________________, on buses and in (4) ___________________ Mahsa's actions. They are (5) ___________________ to Iran's leaders. Many burnt their scarves and cut their hair. (6) ___________________ "women, life, freedom".

The protests are because (7) ___________________ pent-up fury. Women are (8) ___________________ to cover their hair. They are punished with fines and imprisonment. The death of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami last week (9) ___________________ further. An Iranian professor said hair coverings (10) ___________________ of the iceberg. She said: "The demand is freedom. The (11) ___________________ engaging students… who are ready to live life freely. They're done with death and (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ProtestsbywomenandgirlsaregrowinginIran.Theybeganafterthedea
thof22-year-oldMahsaAminiinSeptember.Shewaskilledforremovin
gherheadscarfinpublic.HerdeathstartedprotestsaroundIran.Hundre
dsofthousandsofwomeninthestreets,onbusesandinschoolsarecopyi
ngMahsa'sactions.TheyaresendingamessagetoIran'sleaders.Manyb
urnttheirscarvesandcuttheirhair.Theymarchchanting"women,life,fr
eedom".Theprotestsarebecauseofdecadesofpent-upfury.Womena
retiredofhavingtocovertheirhair.Theyarepunishedwithfinesandimpr
isonment.Thedeathof16-year-oldNikaShakaramilastweekfuelledth
eprotestsfurther.AnIranianprofessorsaidhaircoveringswerethetipof
theiceberg.Shesaid:"Thedemandisfreedom.Thecurrentprotests…ar
eengagingstudents…whoarereadytolivelifefreely.They'redonewithd
eathandgriefandmourning."

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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