Breaking News English

Date: Feb 7, 2007
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The agreement is not yet part of the laws of any of the 58 countries. However, it is an important step forward. France’s Foreign Minister said the document was more than just "good words." He insisted, "it is a text that will have great political value". A UNICEF spokesman stressed it is important that governments and not only NGOs are acting. The speaker who made the biggest impact in Paris was Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier in Sierra Leone. He picked up a gun when he was just 13, after his parents and brothers were killed in his country’s civil war. He is now 26 and lives in New York. He said: "Taking a gun and shooting someone was as easy as drinking a glass of water." He reminded the world that: "No one is born violent. No child in Africa, Latin America or Asia wants to be part of war."

WARM-UPS

1. CHILDREN AT WAR: You are a child soldier. You are thirteen years old. Walk around the classroom and talk to other “child soldiers” about your life, fighting and why you joined an armed group. Talk also about the future.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

Armies / Sudan / Uganda / Congo / Burma / child soldiers / conflicts / spies / steps forward / good words / UNICEF / NGOs / guns / civil wars / violence

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

3. BEING THIRTEEN: With your partner(s), write down a list of things every 13-year-old in the world must have. Did you have these things when you were 13? Do all of the world’s 13-year-olds have these things?

4. FIGHTING CHILDREN: With your partner(s), talk about where in the world children might fight the bulleted points below. Are the fights normal? Do the fights happen in your country? Should the fights be stopped?

in civil wars and other armed conflicts in playgrounds against parents with brothers and sisters

to escape poverty in the streets to get an education disease

5. SENTENCE STARTERS: Finish these sentences. Show them to your partners. Talk about what you wrote.

1. Child soldiers are ________________________________________________
2. UNICEF is _____________________________________________________
3. Being 13 is ____________________________________________________
4. Guns are ______________________________________________________
5. Civil wars are ___________________________________________________
6. Burma (Myanmar) is _____________________________________________
7. Violence is _____________________________________________________

6. CHILD SOLDIERS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with child soldiers. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	Every country has promised to end the use of child soldiers.	T / F
b.	Different nations signed a document in Uganda.	T / F
c.	A U.N. estimate believes 5 million children are fighting in conflicts.	T / F
d.	Forty percent of child soldiers in many armed groups are girls.	T / F
e.	The agreement is now law in 58 different countries.	T / F
f.	A UNICEF spokesperson was happy that governments were acting.	T / F
g.	An ex-child soldier gave a speech at the international meeting.	T / F
h.	The child soldier said it was easier to find a gun than find water.	T / F

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

a.	pledged	ex-
b.	commitments	put a stop to
c.	rehabilitate	wars
d.	prevent	historic
e.	conflicts	doing something
f.	important	promises
g.	insisted	promised
h.	acting	brutal
i.	former	stressed
j.	violent	reintegrate

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	Nearly 60 nations have pledged not	their weight to the promise
b.	These countries still hit	laws of any of the 58 countries
c.	nations of the European Union added	40 percent of some armed groups
d.	youngsters are involved in over a	not only NGOs are acting
e.	Girls make up nearly	drinking a glass of water
f.	The agreement is not yet part of the	to use children in their armies
g.	the document was more than	dozen conflicts worldwide
h.	important that governments and	"No one is born violent”
i.	shooting someone was as easy as	the headlines for having child soldiers
j.	He reminded the world that	just "good words."

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

Nations pledge to end use of child soldiers
 

Nearly 60 nations have ________ not to use children in their armies. A document, called the Paris Commitments, was signed in France by 58 countries, including Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries still ________ the headlines for having child soldiers. Two states that the United Nations says uses child soldiers - Burma and the Philippines - did not attend the Paris meeting. All 27 nations of the European Union added their ________ to the promise to help disarm and rehabilitate ________ soldiers, and prevent their ________. The U.N. estimates a quarter of a million youngsters are involved in over a dozen ________ worldwide. As well as fighting, the kids serve as spies and sexual ________. Girls make up nearly 40 percent of some armed groups. Their families often ________ them when they return home.		recruitment weight hit conflicts reject pledged slaves underage
The agreement is not yet part of the laws of any of the 58 countries. However, it is an important step ________. France’s Foreign Minister said the document was more than just "good words." He insisted, "it is a ________ that will have great political ________ ". A UNICEF spokesman stressed it is important that governments and not only NGOs are acting. The speaker who made the biggest ________ in Paris was Ishmael Beah, a ________ child soldier in Sierra Leone. He picked up a gun when he was just 13, after his parents and brothers were killed in his country’s ________ war. He is now 26 and lives in New York. He said: "Taking a gun and shooting someone was as easy as drinking a glass of water." He ________ the world that: "No one is born ________. No child in Africa, Latin America or Asia wants to be part of war."		civil text reminded value former forward violent impact

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Nations pledge to end use of child soldiers

Nearly 60 nations have ___________________ children in their armies. A document, called the Paris Commitments, was signed in France by 58 countries, including Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries ___________________ for having child soldiers. Two states that the United Nations says uses child soldiers - Burma and the Philippines - did not attend the Paris meeting. All 27 nations of the European Union ___________________ the promise to help disarm and rehabilitate underage soldiers, and prevent their recruitment. The U.N. estimates a quarter of a million youngsters are involved ___________________  conflicts worldwide. As well as fighting, the kids serve as spies and sexual slaves. Girls ___________________ 40 percent of some armed groups. Their families often reject them when they return home.

The agreement is ___________________ laws of any of the 58 countries. However, it is an important step forward. France’s Foreign Minister said the document was more than just "good words." He insisted, "___________________ have great political value". A UNICEF spokesman stressed it is important that governments and not only NGOs are acting. The speaker ___________________ in Paris was Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier in Sierra Leone. He picked up a gun when he was just 13, after his parents and brothers were killed in ___________________. He is now 26 and lives in New York. He said: "Taking a gun and shooting someone was as easy as drinking a glass of water." He reminded the world that: "No one is born violent. No child in Africa, Latin America or Asia ___________________."

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

• 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. STUDENT “CHILD SOLDIER” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about child soldiers and how to stop armies from using them.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

pledged hit attend disarm worldwide reject

laws good words NGOs former water violent

DISCUSSION

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

1. What did you think when you read the headline?
2. Do you think this is a happy story?
3. What do you know about child soldiers?
4. Do you think there will ever be wars in which children do not fight?
5. Why do you think army generals ask children to fight their wars?
6. What do you think of the “Paris Commitments” agreement?
7. Do you think Burma and the Philippines should be punished for not signing the agreement?
8. What was the most dangerous thing you did when you were 13?
9. From what age is it OK for people / children to join an army?
10. Do you think children have a good time being soldiers?

---------------------------------------------------------------------

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

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. Do you think all countries will one day sign the agreement?
4. How do you think organizations rehabilitate child soldiers?
5. Do you think the agreement is little more than “good words”?
6. Why do you think it has taken so long for countries to make an international agreement on child soldiers?
7. What do you think it’s like to pick up and use a gun from the age of 13?
8. Do you think Ishmael Beah should become a UN ambassador?
9. If no one is born violent, do you think we can ever stop being violent?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
2. Was there a question you didn’t like?
3. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
4. What did you like talking about?
5. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

CHILD SOLDIER PROFILE:

With your partner(s), create a profile of a child soldier. Use the table below to help you.

	Your ideas
Name Date of birth Country of birth
Parents and family
Early childhood
Recruitment
Army training
Battles
Fellow soldiers and friends
Hobbies
Future plans

Present your profiles to the class / other teams.

Imagine your child soldier has stopped fighting. How will you rehabilitate him/her? What plans do you have for his/her future?

LANGUAGE

CORRECT WORD: Put the correct words from a–d below in the article.

Nations pledge to end use of child soldiers

Nearly 60 nations have (1) ____ not to use children in their armies. A document, called the Paris Commitments, was signed in France by 58 countries, including Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries still (2) ____ the headlines for having child soldiers. Two states that the United Nations says uses child soldiers - Burma and the Philippines - did not attend the Paris meeting. All 27 nations of the European Union added their (3) ____ to the promise to help disarm and rehabilitate
(4) ____ soldiers, and prevent their recruitment. The U.N. estimates a quarter of a million youngsters are involved in over a dozen conflicts worldwide. As well as fighting, the kids serve as spies and sexual slaves. Girls (5) ____ nearly 40 percent of some armed groups. Their families often (6) ____ them when they return home.

The agreement is not (7) ____ part of the laws of any of the 58 countries. However, it is an important step forward. France’s Foreign Minister said the document was more than just "good words." He insisted, "It is a text that will have (8) ____ political value". A UNICEF spokesman stressed it is important that governments and not (9) ____ NGOs are acting. The speaker who made the biggest (10) ____ in Paris was Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier in Sierra Leone. He picked up a gun when he was just 13, after his parents and brothers were killed in his country’s civil (11) ____. He is now 26 and lives in New York. He said: "Taking a gun and shooting someone was as easy as drinking a glass of water." He reminded the world that: "No one is born violent. No child in Africa, Latin America or Asia wants to be (12) ____ of war."

1.	(a)	pledges	(b)	pledging	(c)	pledged	(d)	pledge
2.	(a)	beat	(b)	punch	(c)	hit	(d)	strike
3.	(a)	weight	(b)	heaviness	(c)	volume	(d)	width
4.	(a)	underdog	(b)	underneath	(c)	underarm	(d)	underage
5.	(a)	making up	(b)	make up	(c)	make-up	(d)	cosmetics
6.	(a)	reject	(b)	deject	(c)	eject	(d)	inject
7.	(a)	yet	(b)	ago	(c)	before	(d)	still
8.	(a)	loads	(b)	lots	(c)	many	(d)	great
9.	(a)	some	(b)	only	(c)	any	(d)	lonely
10.	(a)	impact	(b)	compact	(c)	pact	(d)	pacts
11.	(a)	skirmish	(b)	war	(c)	battle	(d)	invasion
12.	(a)	bit	(b)	partner	(c)	party	(d)	part

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 more information about child soldiers and the countries they fight in. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. THE PARIS COMMITMENTS: Search the Internet and find more information about the Paris Commitments. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

4. POSTER: Make a poster asking countries to stop using child soldiers. Show your poster to your classmates in the next lesson. Vote on who made the best poster.

5. CHILD SOLDIER DIARY: Imagine you are a child soldier. Write your diary for one day in your life. In your next lesson, talk about your diary entry with your partner(s).

6. NEWSPAPER ARTICLE: Write a newspaper article about child soldiers. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Which article was best and why?

7. LETTER: You are a child soldier. Write a letter to your leaders. Tell them about your life. Ask them three questions. Make three requests. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions and comment on your requests.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. F

c. F

d. T

e. F

f. T

g. T

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	pledged	promised
b.	commitments	promises
c.	rehabilitate	reintegrate
d.	prevent	put a stop to
e.	conflicts	wars
f.	important	historic
g.	insisted	stressed
h.	acting	doing something
i.	former	ex-
j.	violent	brutal

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	Nearly 60 nations have pledged not	to use children in their armies
b.	These countries still hit	the headlines for having child soldiers
c.	nations of the European Union added	their weight to the promise
d.	youngsters are involved in over a	dozen conflicts worldwide
e.	Girls make up nearly	40 percent of some armed groups
f.	The agreement is not yet part of the	laws of any of the 58 countries
g.	the document was more than	just "good words."
h.	important that governments and	not only NGOs are acting
i.	shooting someone was as easy as	drinking a glass of water
j.	He reminded the world that	"No one is born violent”

GAP FILL:

Nations pledge to end use of child soldiers

Nearly 60 nations have pledged not to use children in their armies. A document, called the Paris Commitments, was signed in France by 58 countries, including Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These countries still hit the headlines for having child soldiers. Two states that the United Nations says uses child soldiers - Burma and the Philippines - did not attend the Paris meeting. All 27 nations of the European Union added their weight to the promise to help disarm and rehabilitate underage soldiers, and prevent their recruitment. The U.N. estimates a quarter of a million youngsters are involved in over a dozen conflicts worldwide. As well as fighting, the kids serve as spies and sexual slaves. Girls make up nearly 40 percent of some armed groups. Their families often reject them when they return home.

The agreement is not yet part of the laws of any of the 58 countries. However, it is an important step forward. France’s Foreign Minister said the document was more than just "good words." He insisted, "It is a text that will have great political value". A UNICEF spokesman stressed it is important that governments and not only NGOs are acting. The speaker who made the biggest impact in Paris was Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier in Sierra Leone. He picked up a gun when he was just 13, after his parents and brothers were killed in his country’s civil war. He is now 26 and lives in New York. He said: "Taking a gun and shooting someone was as easy as drinking a glass of water." He reminded the world that: "No one is born violent. No child in Africa, Latin America or Asia wants to be part of war."

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - c

2 - c

3 - a

4 - d

5 - b

6 - a

7 - a

8 - d

9 - b

10 - a

11 - b

12 - d

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