My 1,000
Ideas
e-Book

Breaking News English

HOME  |  HELP MY SITE  |  000s MORE FREE LESSONS
 
 
 

February 7, 2010

PRINT:  13-Page Class Handout
LISTEN: MP3 (1:59 - 958KB)
PLAY:    Online Quiz

Follow this site and my other sites on Facebook.


 

Tempers Over Super Bowl Abortion Ad

America’s CBS television network has caused tempers to flare in this year’s Super Bowl. Its decision to broadcast a 30-second anti-abortion advertisement during the football game has attracted nearly as much attention as the game itself. CBS will air an advert paid for by an anti-abortion Christian group called Focus On The Family. The ad‘s title is ‘Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life’. It features the story of Tim Tebow, a champion quarterback, who is alive today because his mother ignored medical advice to have an abortion. She had complications during her pregnancy in 1987. Tim’s story and the anti-abortion message will reach around 100 million people. The Super Bowl is the most watched event on US television.

A spokesman for Focus On The Family, Gary Schneeberger, explained his group’s reason for the ad: He said: "We're not trying to sell the American people a car or a soft drink. We're celebrating families." He added his organization hoped to influence couples having problems with their marriage. The ad has its opponents. Women’s groups are putting pressure on CBS to drop the ad. They argue it is not the job of television channels to "dictate morality." Others are accusing CBS of double standards. The network is airing the anti-abortion ad but reject an ad for a gay dating service called Man Crunch. By the way, blink and you’ll miss the ad - the Super Bowl is between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.

WARM-UPS

1. FAMILY: Walk around the class and talk to other students about family. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

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

 

television networks / tempers / advertisements / family / quarterbacks / pregnancy / reasons / soft drinks / marriage problems / morality / double standards / blinking

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. FAMILY: Is it OK today? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change again and share what you heard.

 

Families in my country

The perfect family

Eating together

 

 

Domestic violence

 

 

Parental role models

 

 

Parents being at home

 

 

Religion

 

 

Money

 

 

4. ADS: Students A strongly believe abortion ads should not be on television; Students B strongly believe the opposite.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. RIGHT FOR TV?: Are ads on these subjects OK for TV? Rate these and share your ratings with your partner: 10 = absolutely no way; 1 = absolutely no problem. Change partners and share your ratings again.

  • abortion
  • death
  • AIDS
  • gay dating services
  • domestic violence
  • drugs
  • teenage pregnancy
  • religion

6. FAMILY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘family’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.

The CBS TV network will air an anti-abortion ad during Super Bowl.

T / F

b.

The ad has received more attention than the Super Bowl game.

T / F

c.

The ad tells the story of a quarterback whose mother rejected abortion.

T / F

d.

Only one other event is watched on TV by more Americans.

T / F

e.

A spokesman said there were too many ads that sell soft drinks.

T / F

f.

The spokesperson said the ad was a celebration of the family.

T / F

g.

There will also be a Super Bowl ad for a gay dating service.

T / F

h.

The New Orleans Colts will play the Indianapolis Saints

T / F

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

1.

flare

a.

persuade

2

attention

b.

burn

3.

features

c.

order

4.

ignored

d.

interest

5.

complications

e.

commercial

6.

spokesman

f.

difficulties

7.

influence

g.

challengers

8.

opponents

h.

disregarded

9.

dictate

i.

shows

10.

ad

j.

representative

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.

caused tempers

a.

double standards

2

broadcast a 30-second anti-

b.

medical advice

3.

CBS will air

c.

with their marriage

4.

his mother ignored

d.

miss the ad

5.

reach around

e.

abortion advertisement

6.

his group’s reason

f.

to drop the ad

7.

influence couples having problems

g.

to flare

8.

putting pressure on CBS

h.

100 million people

9.

accusing CBS of

i.

an advert

10.

blink and you’ll

j.

for the ad

 

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

America’s CBS television network has ____________ tempers to flare in this year’s Super Bowl. Its decision to ____________ a 30-second anti-abortion advertisement during the football game has attracted nearly as much ____________ as the game itself. CBS will air an advert paid for by an anti-abortion Christian group called Focus On The Family. The ad‘s title is ‘Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life’. It ____________ the story of Tim Tebow, a champion quarterback, who is alive today because his mother ____________ medical advice to have an abortion. She had complications ____________ her pregnancy in 1987. Tim’s story and the anti-abortion message will ____________ around 100 million people. The Super Bowl is the most watched ____________ on US television.

 

 

 

during
attention
ignored
event
caused
features
broadcast
reach

A spokesman for Focus On The Family, Gary Schneeberger, ____________ his group’s reason for the ad: He said: "We're not trying to sell the American people a car or a soft drink. We're ____________ families." He added his organization hoped to ____________ couples having problems with their marriage. The ad has its ____________. Women’s groups are putting pressure on CBS to ____________ the ad. They argue it is not the job of television channels to "dictate morality." Others are accusing CBS of ____________ standards. The network is airing the anti-abortion ad but rejected an ad for a gay dating ____________ called Man Crunch. By the way, blink and you’ll ____________ the ad - the Super Bowl is between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.

 

 

influence
service
explained
drop
miss
celebrating
opponents
double

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

America’s CBS television network has _____________________ in this year’s Super Bowl. Its decision to broadcast a 30-second anti-abortion advertisement during the football game has _____________________ attention as the game itself. CBS will air _____________________ an anti-abortion Christian group called Focus On The Family. The ad‘s title is ‘Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life’. It _____________________ Tim Tebow, a champion quarterback, who is alive today because his mother _____________________ have an abortion. She had complications during her pregnancy in 1987. Tim’s story and the anti-abortion message will reach around 100 million people. The Super Bowl is _____________________ on US television.

A spokesman for Focus On The Family, Gary Schneeberger, explained his _____________________ ad: He said: "We're not trying to sell the American people a car or a soft drink. We're celebrating families." He added his organization _____________________ couples having problems with their marriage. The ad _____________________. Women’s groups are _____________________ CBS to drop the ad. They argue it is not the job of television channels to "dictate morality." Others are accusing CBS of double standards. _____________________ the anti-abortion ad but rejected an ad for a gay dating service called Man Crunch. By the way, _____________________ the ad - the Super Bowl is between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

super

bowl

 

 

 

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

  • tempers
  • attention
  • paid
  • features
  • advice
  • event
  • reason
  • soft
  • problems
  • double
  • dating
  • blink

STUDENT ABORTION SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about abortion 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.

 

STUDENT 1

_____________

STUDENT 2

_____________

STUDENT 3

_____________

Q.1.

 

 

 

 

Q.2.

 

 

 

 

Q.3.

 

 

 

 

Q.4.

 

 

 

 

Q.5.

 

 

 

 

  • Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
  • Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

ABORTION DISCUSSION

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

a)

What did you think when you read the headline?

b)

What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘abortion’?

c)

What do you think of an anti-abortion TV ad in the middle of a sporting event?

d)

Can the topic of abortion cause your temper to flare?

e)

Is it good the topic of abortion is receiving nearly as much attention as the Super Bowl game itself?

f)

Is Tim Tebow’s story a good reason to ban abortion?

g)

Is it right that doctors encourage women to have an abortion?

h)

Should schools teach children about abortion?

i)

Many people believe abortion is the same as murder? What do you think?

j)

What do you think of people who attack doctors who perform abortions?

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

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

a)

Did you like reading this article?

b)

Do you think banning abortion will help families?

c)

What’s the best way to celebrate families?

d)

What’s the best way to help couples with their marriage?

e)

Do you agree with the women’s groups about TV channels and dictating morality?

f)

Is CBS guilty of double standards by rejecting the gay dating ad?

g)

Should topics like abortion be advertised on TV?

h)

Do you think this ad will open the way for more, similar ads on TV?

i)

Does abortion celebrate life?

j)

What questions would you like to ask Gary Schneeberger?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

America’s CBS television network has caused tempers to (1) ____ in this year’s Super Bowl. Its decision to broadcast a 30-second anti-abortion advertisement during the football game has (2) ____ nearly as much attention as the game itself. CBS will (3) ____ an advert paid for by an anti-abortion Christian group called Focus On The Family. The ad‘s title is ‘Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life’. It (4) ____ the story of Tim Tebow, a champion quarterback, who is alive today because his mother ignored medical (5) ____ to have an abortion. She had complications (6) ____ her pregnancy in 1987. Tim’s story and the anti-abortion message will reach around 100 million people. The Super Bowl is the most watched event on US television.

A spokesman for Focus On The Family, Gary Schneeberger, explained his group’s reason for the ad: He said: "We're not trying to sell the American people a car or a (7) ____ drink. We're celebrating families." He added his organization hoped to   (8) ____ couples having problems with their marriage. The ad has its opponents. Women’s groups are putting pressure (9) ____ CBS to drop the ad. They argue it is not the job of television channels to "(10) ____ morality." Others are accusing CBS of double standards. The network is airing the anti-abortion ad but (11) ____ an ad for a gay dating service called Man Crunch. By the way, (12) ____ and you’ll miss the ad - the Super Bowl is between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.

(a)

tear

(b)

glare

(c)

bear

(d)

flare

2.

(a)

attraction

(b)

attracted

(c)

attract

(d)

attractive

3.

(a)

air

(b)

mist

(c)

cloud

(d)

gas

4.

(a)

futures

(b)

fractures

(c)

features

(d)

faces

5.

(a)

advisory

(b)

advise

(c)

advice

(d)

advising

6.

(a)

while

(b)

during

(c)

between

(d)

middle

7.

(a)

soft

(b)

softish

(c)

softly

(d)

softest

8.

(a)

influences

(b)

influential

(c)

influenced

(d)

influence

9.

(a)

in

(b)

on

(c)

an

(d)

inn

10.

(a)

dictation

(b)

dictator

(c)

dictated

(d)

dictate

11.

(a)

rejection

(b)

rejects

(c)

rejected

(d)

reject

12.

(a)

blink

(b)

wink

(c)

mink

(d)

sink

WRITING

Write about abortion for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 out more about the anti-abortion ad. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. SUPER BOWL: Make a poster about the Super Bowl. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. ADS: Write a magazine article about advertising on TV during sports events. Include imaginary interviews with a sports-crazy TV viewer and an advertising exec.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to a football player in the Super Bowl. Ask him three questions about football. Give him three suggestions on how to make the sport more popular worldwide . Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

T

b.

F

c.

T

d.

F

e.

F

f.

T

g.

F

h.

F

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.

flare

a.

burn

2

attention

b.

interest

3.

features

c.

shows

4.

ignored

d.

disregarded

5.

complications

e.

difficulties

6.

spokesman

f.

representative

7.

influence

g.

persuade

8.

opponents

h.

challengers

9.

dictate

i.

order

10.

ad

j.

commercial

PHRASE MATCH:

1.

caused tempers

a.

to flare

2

broadcast a 30-second anti-

b.

abortion advertisement

3.

CBS will air

c.

an advert

4.

his mother ignored

d.

medical advice

5.

reach around

e.

100 million people

6.

his group’s reason

f.

for the ad

7.

influence couples having problems

g.

with their marriage

8.

putting pressure on CBS

h.

to drop the ad

9.

accusing CBS of

i.

double standards

10.

blink and you’ll

j.

miss the ad

GAP FILL:

Tempers over Super Bowl abortion ad

America’s CBS television network has caused tempers to flare in this year’s Super Bowl. Its decision to broadcast a 30-second anti-abortion advertisement during the football game has attracted nearly as much attention as the game itself. CBS will air an advert paid for by an anti-abortion Christian group called Focus On The Family. The ad‘s title is ‘Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life’. It features the story of Tim Tebow, a champion quarterback, who is alive today because his mother ignored medical advice to have an abortion. She had complications during her pregnancy in 1987. Tim’s story and the anti-abortion message will reach around 100 million people. The Super Bowl is the most watched event on US television.

A spokesman for Focus On The Family, Gary Schneeberger, explained his group’s reason for the ad: He said: "We're not trying to sell the American people a car or a soft drink. We're celebrating families." He added his organization hoped to influence couples having problems with their marriage. The ad has its opponents. Women’s groups are putting pressure on CBS to drop the ad. They argue it is not the job of television channels to "dictate morality." Others are accusing CBS of double standards. The network is airing the anti-abortion ad but rejected an ad for a gay dating service called Man Crunch. By the way, blink and you’ll miss the ad - the Super Bowl is between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - b

3 - a

4 - c

5 - c

6 - b

7 - a

8 - d

9 - b

10 - d

11 - c

12 - a

 

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You

Copyright © 2004-2019 by Sean Banville | Links | About | Privacy Policy


 
 
SHARE THIS LESSON: E-Mail RSS