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Date: Aug 6, 2005
Level: Harder (Try the easier lesson.) Downloads: Word Doc | PDF Doc | Listening Audio: (2:08 - 250.3 KB - 16kbps)
THE ARTICLEJapan marks the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima today. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and other world dignitaries will attend a memorial service in Hiroshima’s Peace Park, close to the bomb’s epicenter. The 70-minute-long ceremony will include a water-blessing ritual dedicated to those who died begging and dying of thirst after the bomb fell. Survivors and descendants of those who died will also attend the service. Strangely, August 6 is not a holiday in Hiroshima. Neither will Hiroshima’s people stop their activities at 8.15 AM, the time of the detonation, to reflect on the occasion. The bomb was the first use of nuclear weapons on civilians. The blast and its aftermath wiped out half of Hiroshima’s inhabitants in a scorching flash and completely flattened 90 per cent of the city’s buildings and infrastructure. An estimated 140,000 people died instantly or in the following days. Three days later, a second bomb annihilated a further 80,000 in Nagasaki. There are 40,000 survivors of the bomb alive today, with an average age of 71. Many commentators believe the attacks were essential to bring an early end to World War II and avoid greater numbers being killed in a land invasion of Japan. Others consider them to be mankind’s most evil acts of barbarity. WARM-UPS1. NUCLEAR WEAPONS: In pairs / groups, talk about nuclear weapons. What lessons have we learned or should we have learned? Use the words below to help your conversations:
2. HIROSHIMA: What do you want to know about Hiroshima and the bombing? Write down three questions. After you have finished, ask your questions to your classmates. Change partners and talk about your findings. 3. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.
Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently. 4. ATOM BOMB: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “atom bomb”. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories. 5. OPINIONS: In pairs / groups, talk about how far you agree with the following opinions on Hiroshima and nuclear weapons:
6. QUICK DEBATE: Students A think the world will be nuclear weapons free one day. Students B think the world will never be nuclear weapons free. Change partners often. BEFORE READING / LISTENING1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):
WHILE READING / LISTENINGGAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the correct spaces. 60th anniversary of Hiroshima bombing
AFTER READING / LISTENING1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘peace’ and ‘park’.
2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.
3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the gap fill. 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. STUDENT “HIROSHIMA” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about Hiroshima and nuclear weapons today.
6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:
DISCUSSIONSTUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.
SPEAKINGHIROSHIMA LEGACY: You are part of the Nuclear Weapons Elimination Council. Your project is called “Hiroshima Legacy”. You must persuade all countries that have or want nuclear weapons to destroy them or forget about them. Write down the reasons why you think these countries have / want nuclear weapons and why they do not need them:
After you have finished, change partners and share and compare what you talked about. Discuss whether the reasons for having or wanting nuclear weapons are legitimate for each country. Speculate on what the leaders of each country might say about your reasons why they do not need nuclear weapons. LISTENINGListen and fill in the spaces. 60th anniversary of Hiroshima bombingJapan marks the 60th anniversary of the ______ ________ of Hiroshima today. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and other world ________ will attend a memorial service in Hiroshima’s Peace Park, close to the bomb’s ________. The 70-minute-long ceremony will include a water-blessing ________ dedicated to those who died ________ and dying of thirst after the bomb fell. Survivors and descendants of those who died will also attend the service. Strangely, August 6 is not a holiday in Hiroshima. Neither will Hiroshima’s people stop their activities at 8.15 AM, the time of the ____________, to reflect on the occasion. The bomb was the first use of nuclear weapons on _________. The blast and its aftermath wiped out half of Hiroshima’s _________ in a scorching flash and completely _________ 90 per cent of the city’s buildings and infrastructure. An estimated 140,000 people died instantly or in the following days. Three days later, a second bomb _________ a further 80,000 in Nagasaki. There are 40,000 survivors of the bomb alive today, with an average age of 71. Many commentators believe the attacks were essential to _________ the end of World War II and avoid greater numbers being killed in a land _________ of Japan. Others consider them to be mankind’s most evil acts of _________. HOMEWORK1. 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 more information on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson. 3. NUCLEAR FREE CHARTER: Make a charter that outlines why all nuclear weapons should be scrapped. Include the promises all countries must make to ensure a peaceful world in the future. Show your charters to your classmates in your next lesson. Did you all include similar things? 4. LETTER: Write a letter to a survivor of the atom bombs. Write your thoughts on the bombings and ask some questions about the survivor’s experiences. Read your letter to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all write about and ask similar things? Discuss what you think the answers to your questions might be. ANSWERSTRUE / FALSE:
SYNONYM MATCH:
PHRASE MATCH:
GAP FILL: 60th anniversary of Hiroshima bombingJapan marks the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima today. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and other world dignitaries will attend a memorial service in Hiroshima’s Peace Park, close to the bomb’s epicenter. The 70-minute long ceremony will include a water-blessing ritual dedicated to those who died begging and dying of thirst after the bomb fell. Survivors and descendants of those who died will also attend the service. Strangely, August 6 is not a holiday in Hiroshima. Neither will Hiroshima’s people stop their activities at 8.15 AM, the time of the detonation, to reflect on the occasion. The bomb was the first use of nuclear weapons on civilians. The blast and its aftermath wiped out half of Hiroshima’s inhabitants in a scorching flash and completely flattened 90 per cent of the city’s buildings and infrastructure. An estimated 140,000 people died instantly or in the following days. Three days later, a second bomb annihilated a further 80,000 in Nagasaki. There are 40,000 survivors of the bomb alive today, with an average age of 71. Many commentators believe the attacks were essential to expedite the end of World War II and avoid greater numbers being killed in a land invasion of Japan. Others consider them to be mankind’s most evil acts of barbarity.
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