Breaking News English

Date: Feb 25, 2007
Downloads: Word Doc | PDF Doc | Listening
Audio: 2:00 - 234.5 KB - 16kbps

1,000 IDEAS FOR ESL CLASSES: Breaking News English.com's e-Book

WARM-UPS

1. DEPLOYED: Imagine you have just received a letter from your government saying you must serve your country in Iraq. Walk around the class and talk to the other students (who have also received similar letters). Change partners and share what feelings exist about your deployment.

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

defence departments / Iraq / royals / troops / being over the moon / tanks / career / public duty / comrades / terrorist targets / praise / bravery / marijuana

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

3. CLOSE SOLDIERS: With your partner(s), talk about how you would feel if these people went to war:

• your mother
• your grandfather
• your best friend
• your English teacher
• your partner
• your son/daughter
• your brother
• your sister

4. PUBLIC SERVICE: Look at the jobs that serve the public in the table. With your partner(s), talk about which ones you would do. Rate them: 10 is “I would love to do this one”, 1 is “I’d rather be unemployed”.

a soldier a firefighter a police officer a nurse

a prime minister / president a teacher a spy a civil servant

5. QUICK DEBATE: Students A believe members of a royal family should fight on the front line. Students B believe wars are too dangerous for members of royal families to fight in. Debate this with your partners. Change partners often.

6. PRINCE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “prince”. 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.	Buckingham Palace announced Prince Harry would go to Iraq.	T / F
b.	Harry will join an additional 1,600 British troops being sent to Iraq.	T / F
c.	Harry said he would rather go to the moon than Iraq.	T / F
d.	Harry is the heir to the British throne.	T / F
e.	Harry strongly felt he wanted to fight with his fellow soldiers.	T / F
f.	The young prince could be off to Iraq within the next two weeks.	T / F
g.	Britain’s Tony Blair said Harry had an average soldier’s character.	T / F
h.	Harry smoked marijuana and drank alcohol when he was a teen.	T / F

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

a.	announced	on cloud nine (or “in seventh heaven”)
b.	late	fortunate
c.	over the moon	consent
d.	approval	posted
e.	assigned	location
f.	intentions	made public
g.	duty	purposeful
h.	whereabouts	aims
i.	determined	dead
j.	privileged	obligation

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

a.	The announcement was made on the	on his whereabouts
b.	he was over the	line to the throne
c.	go to a war zone and see	image of the underage drinker
d.	Harry is third in	on his part
e.	the young royal will be assigned	front line action
f.	He reportedly threatened	very same day
g.	fight alongside	to high-risk areas
h.	banned from reporting	to quit
i.	that shows a very special character	moon at the news
j.	alter his teenage	his comrades

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

Britain’s Prince Harry to serve in Iraq
 

Britain’s Ministry of Defence ________ on Thursday that 22-year-old Prince Harry would be going to serve in Iraq. The announcement was made on the ________ same day the British government declared it would reduce the number of its troops serving in Iraq by 1,600. Prince Harry, youngest son of the ________ Diana, Princess of Wales, said he was "over the moon" at the news of his ________. His grandmother, the British Queen, gave her ________ to his deployment. The Prince will become the first British royal to go to a war zone and see ________ line action since Prince Andrew, Harry’s uncle, fought in the Falklands War in 1982. Harry is third in ________ to the throne. He will be a tank commander and lead a troop of 12 men for six months. However, it is not expected the young royal will be ________ to high-risk areas.		line late approval announced assigned front very posting
Prince Harry has always made his intentions ________ that he wanted to be a ________ soldier and would go wherever his regiment went. He reportedly threatened to quit the British Army if he were not allowed to do his public duty and ________ and fight alongside his comrades. His wish has now come true and he could be ________ to Iraq within two months. The media will be banned from reporting on his whereabouts to reduce the chances of the prince becoming a terrorist target. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was ________ of praise for Harry. “He's a very brave young man and he's a very ________ young man who wants to be part of the Army,” Blair told the BBC. He added: “I think that shows a very special character on his ________.” Harry’s Iraq duty will certainly alter his teenage image of the underage drinker and marijuana-smoking, ________ prince.		full stand part heading clear privileged career determined

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Britain’s Prince Harry to serve in Iraq

Britain’s Ministry of Defence _____________ on Thursday that 22-year-old Prince Harry would be going _____________ Iraq. The announcement was made on the very same day the British government declared it would reduce the number _____________ serving in Iraq by 1,600. Prince Harry, youngest son of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, said he was "_____________" at the news of his posting. His grandmother, the British Queen, gave her approval _____________. The Prince will become the first British royal to go to a war zone and __________________ since Prince Andrew, Harry’s uncle, fought in the Falklands War in 1982. Harry is third in line to the throne. He will be a tank commander and _____________ 12 men for six months. However, it is not expected the young royal will _____________ high-risk areas.

Prince Harry has always made _____________ that he wanted to be a career soldier and would go wherever his regiment went. He reportedly threatened to quit the British Army _____________ allowed to do his public duty and stand and fight alongside his comrades. His wish _____________ and he could be heading to Iraq within two months. The media will be banned from reporting _____________ to reduce the chances of the prince becoming a terrorist target. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was _____________ for Harry. “He's a very brave young man and he's a very determined young man who wants to be part of the Army,” Blair told the BBC. He added: “I think that shows a very special character _____________.” Harry’s Iraq duty will certainly _____________ image of the underage drinker and marijuana-smoking, privileged prince.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

• 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 “ARMY” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about serving in your country’s army.

• 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:

announced declared moon approval throne assigned

clear stand whereabouts full part image

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 Prince Harry should serve in Iraq?
3. What do you think of the U.K. reducing its number of troops in Iraq when the U.S.A. is increasing its presence in Iraq?
4. What would you think if a friend or relative was posted to Iraq?
5. Would you like to be a soldier?
6. Do you think members of royal families should see front line action?
7. Why do you think Harry is “over the moon” about being posted to Iraq?
8. What do you think of Britain’s queen for giving her approval for her grandson to serve in Iraq?
9. Do you think Harry should face the same risks as other British soldiers?
10. Do you think Harry will receive special protection in Iraq?

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

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. What are your thoughts on Harry wanting to be a career soldier?
4. Do you respect Harry for his desire to stand and fight alongside his comrades?
5. Do you think Harry will get rid of his marijuana-smoking image?
6. Why do you think young people join armies?
7. Would you ever fight to protect your country?
8. Do you think Harry is particularly brave or normal?
9. What question would you like to ask Prince Harry?
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

ROLE PLAY:

Team up with classmates who have been assigned the same role to develop your roles. Together, discuss your ideas and “strategies” for the role play. Introduce yourself to the other role players.

Role A – Prince Harry You believe it is the duty of British princes to serve in the Army. You want to follow history and tradition. Taxpayers’ money paid for your military training. A royal must fight for the respect of his nation. - Think of more reasons why you should serve in Iraq.

Role B – Peace activist and monarchist You are horrified Harry is going to Iraq. You think all soldiers should leave Iraq immediately. It is too dangerous for princes to fight. You believe Harry should stay in Buckingham Palace and choose another career. - Think of more reasons why Harry should stay at the Palace.

Role C – Tony Blair You think it’s very important for Harry to go to Iraq. Britain needs hero princes. Your government needs a hero prince for newspapers to stop reporting about your scandals. Harry is a hero. - Think of more reasons why Tony Blair might want Harry to fight.

Role D – Iraqi resident You are fed up with this story. Your country is in chaos. Hundreds of innocent people die every month, yet the headlines are about a 22-year-old soldier who has never seen action, except in nightclubs. You would prefer Harry to promote an anti-war message. - Think of more reasons why Harry should stay in the U.K.

Discuss your roles after the role play ends. Do you really believe what you said while you were in your role?

LANGUAGE

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

Britain’s Prince Harry to serve in Iraq

Britain’s Ministry of Defence announced on Thursday that 22-year-old Prince Harry would be going to serve in Iraq. The announcement was made on the (1) ____ same day the British government declared it would reduce the number of its troops serving in Iraq by 1,600. Prince Harry, youngest son of the (2) ____ Diana, Princess of Wales, said he was "(3) ____ the moon" at the news of his (4) ____. His grandmother, the British Queen, gave her approval to his deployment. The Prince will become the first British royal to go to a war zone and see (5) ____ line action since Prince Andrew, Harry’s uncle, fought in the Falklands War in 1982. Harry is third in (6) ____ to the throne. He will be a tank commander and lead a troop of 12 men for six months. However, it is not expected the young royal will be assigned to high-risk areas.

Prince Harry has always made his intentions (7) ____ that he wanted to be a career soldier and would go wherever his regiment went. He reportedly threatened to (8) ____ the British Army if he were not allowed to do his public duty and stand and fight alongside his comrades. His wish has now come true and he could be heading to Iraq within two months. The media will be banned from reporting on his (9) ____ to reduce the chances of the prince becoming a terrorist target. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was (10) ____ of praise for Harry. “He's a very brave young man and he's a very determined young man who wants to be part of the Army,” Blair told the BBC. He added: “I think that shows a very special character (11) ____ his part.” Harry’s Iraq duty will certainly (12) ____ his teenage image of the underage drinker and marijuana-smoking, privileged prince.

1.	(a)	really	(b)	very	(c)	highly	(d)	vary
2.	(a)	latter	(b)	late	(c)	lately	(d)	later
3.	(a)	on	(b)	under	(c)	around	(d)	over
4.	(a)	posting	(b)	postal	(c)	posts	(d)	position
5.	(a)	middle	(b)	back	(c)	front	(d)	side
6.	(a)	queue	(b)	line up	(c)	line	(d)	lines
7.	(a)	clear	(b)	clarity	(c)	clears	(d)	clearly
8.	(a)	quit	(b)	quite	(c)	quiet	(d)	quilt
9.	(a)	whereupon	(b)	whereabouts	(c)	whereby	(d)	wherewithal
10.	(a)	full up	(b)	filling	(c)	full	(d)	fill
11.	(a)	in	(b)	up	(c)	of	(d)	on
12.	(a)	alto	(b)	alert	(c)	altar	(d)	alter

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 Prince Harry. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. ROYAL POSTER: Make a poster showing some of the world’s royals. Show your poster to your class in the next lesson. Vote on the best one

4. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about the role princes should play in today’s society. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Which article was best and why?

5. LETTER: Write a letter to Prince Harry. Tell him what you think of his dream to serve in the British Army. Give him three pieces of advice. Ask him three questions. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. F

c. F

d. F

e. T

f. F

g. F

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	announced	made public
b.	late	dead
c.	over the moon	on cloud nine (or “in seventh heaven”)
d.	approval	consent
e.	assigned	posted
f.	intentions	aims
g.	duty	obligation
h.	whereabouts	location
i.	determined	purposeful
j.	privileged	fortunate

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	The announcement was made on the	very same day
b.	he was over the	moon at the news
c.	go to a war zone and see	front line action
d.	Harry is third in	line to the throne
e.	the young royal will be assigned	to high-risk areas
f.	He reportedly threatened	to quit
g.	fight alongside	his comrades
h.	banned from reporting	on his whereabouts
i.	that shows a very special character	on his part
j.	alter his teenage	image of the underage drinker

GAP FILL:

Britain’s Prince Harry to serve in Iraq

Britain’s Ministry of Defence announced on Thursday that 22-year-old Prince Harry would be going to serve in Iraq. The announcement was made on the very same day the British government declared it would reduce the number of its troops serving in Iraq by 1,600. Prince Harry, youngest son of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, said he was "over the moon" at the news of his posting. His grandmother, the British Queen, gave her approval to his deployment. The Prince will become the first British royal to go to a war zone and see front line action since Prince Andrew, Harry’s uncle, fought in the Falklands War in 1982. Harry is third in line to the throne. He will be a tank commander and lead a troop of 12 men for six months. However, it is not expected the young royal will be assigned to high-risk areas.

Prince Harry has always made his intentions clear that he wanted to be a career soldier and would go wherever his regiment went. He reportedly threatened to quit the British Army if he were not allowed to do his public duty and stand and fight alongside his comrades. His wish has now come true and he could be heading to Iraq within two months. The media will be banned from reporting on his whereabouts to reduce the chances of the prince becoming a terrorist target. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was full of praise for Harry. “He's a very brave young man and he's a very determined young man who wants to be part of the Army,” Blair told the BBC. He added: “I think that shows a very special character on his part.” Harry’s Iraq duty will certainly alter his teenage image of the underage drinker and marijuana-smoking, privileged prince.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - b

2 - b

3 - d

4 - a

5 - c

6 -c

7 - a

8 -a

9 -b

10 - c

11 -d

12 - d

 

Back to the top

Help Support This Web Site

• Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

• You can download a free sample PDF showing various parts of my book,
  "1,000 Ideas & Activities for Language Teachers".