Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on World AIDS Day

U2 singer Bono joined Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in a special ceremony in Sydney to highlight World AIDS Day. Part of the event saw the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge lit up in red lights. He announced his new project of creating an AIDS-free generation from 2015. He called on people around the world to pressure their government to do more in the fight against AIDS, especially during the global recession. The rock star told the Reuters news agency: "Times are hard in the Western world…In recessionary times, people have to tell their politicians this is important to them. Some people think that the pandemic is on its way out…It is really not so." Bono is a keen activist and has helped fight the AIDS epidemic for over a decade.

Ms Gillard described AIDS as “a catastrophe and a crisis”. She also said people around the world were becoming complacent and AIDS was being left behind. She told a large crowd: "Since the 1990s, we've had combination drug therapies that can slow and sometimes even halt the progress of AIDS, saving lives and enhancing the quality of life…Those drugs belong in the hands of everyone living with HIV no matter who they are or where they live. HIV/AIDS has no boundaries nor should our response." The Aussie leader explained the significance of turning the Sydney landmarks red. She said: “With this red lighting we proclaim a day of mourning for our brothers and sisters who have been lost…Each of them is loved and each of them is remembered.”

WARM-UPS

1. AIDS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about AIDS. 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.

singers / prime ministers / ceremonies / new projects / pressure / recession / keen / catastrophe / being complacent / therapies / boundaries / landmarks / mourning

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

3. WORLD AIDS DAY: What can we do? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

Event using…	What kind of event?	Why would this work?
world landmarks
sports stars
world leaders
sufferers
movies
doctors

4. CURE: Students A strongly believe a cure for AIDS will be found soon; Students B strongly believe governments aren’t doing enough to fund research so a cure won’t be found. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. ACTIVISM: What do you feel most strongly about? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the one you feel most strongly about at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

AIDS
War
Corruption
Global warming

Your government
Prices
Racism
Education

6. ICONIC: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘iconic’. 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.	Rock singer Bono painted parts of Sydney red.	T / F
b.	The singer will start a new AIDS campaign in 2015.	T / F
c.	Bono asked people all over the world to get their leaders to do more.	T / F
d.	Bono believes everyone knows AIDS is still a huge global problem.	T / F
e.	Australia’s prime minister said the world was forgetting about AIDS.	T / F
f.	The PM told people anti-AIDS drugs have been around for a decade.	T / F
g.	She said only people in poor countries should have access to drugs.	T / F
h.	She told crowds World AIDS Day is to remember ever single victim.	T / F

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

1.	highlight	a.	enthusiastic
2	generation	b.	state
3.	pressure	c.	cures
4.	pandemic	d.	age group
5.	keen	e.	regardless of
6.	catastrophe	f.	draw attention to
7.	complacent	g.	epidemic
8.	therapies	h.	force
9.	no matter	i.	unworried
10.	proclaim	j.	disaster

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

1.	a special ceremony in Sydney to	a.	therapies
2	creating an AIDS-free	b.	times
3.	pressure their government to	c.	for over a decade
4.	In recessionary	d.	becoming complacent
5.	helped fight the AIDS epidemic	e.	our brothers and sisters
6.	people around the world were	f.	highlight World AIDS Day
7.	combination drug	g.	who they are
8.	no matter	h.	the significance
9.	The Aussie leader explained	i.	generation from 2015
10.	a day of mourning for	j.	do more

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

U2 singer Bono ____________ Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in a special ceremony in Sydney to highlight World AIDS Day. Part of the event saw the ____________ Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge lit up in red lights. He announced his new project of creating an AIDS-____________ generation from 2015. He called on people around the world to ____________ their government to do more in the fight against AIDS, especially during the global ____________. The rock star told the Reuters news agency: "Times are hard in the Western world…In recessionary times, people have to tell their ____________ this is important to them. Some people think that the ____________ is on its way out…It is really not so." Bono is a keen activist and has helped fight the AIDS epidemic for over a ____________.

recession
free
pandemic
joined
politicians
decade
iconic
pressure

Ms Gillard described AIDS as “a catastrophe and a ____________”. She also said people around the world were becoming complacent and AIDS was being ____________ behind. She told a large crowd: "Since the 1990s, we've had combination drug ____________ that can slow and sometimes even ____________ the progress of AIDS, saving lives and enhancing the quality of life…Those drugs belong in the ____________ of everyone living with HIV no matter who they are or where they live. HIV/AIDS has no boundaries nor should our ____________." The Aussie leader explained the significance of turning the Sydney landmarks red. She said: “With this red lighting we ____________ a day of mourning for our brothers and sisters who have been ____________ …Each of them is loved and each of them is remembered.”

hands
therapies
lost
crisis
proclaim
halt
left
response

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

U2 singer Bono joined Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in a special ceremony in Sydney to highlight World AIDS Day. ___________________ the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge ___________________. He announced his new project of creating an AIDS-free generation from 2015. He called on people around the ___________________ government to do more in the fight against AIDS, especially during the global recession. The rock star told the Reuters news agency: "___________________ the Western world…In recessionary times, people have to tell their politicians this is important to them. Some people think that the pandemic ___________________ …It is really not so." Bono is a keen activist and has helped fight the AIDS __________________________.

Ms Gillard described AIDS as “a ______________________”. She also said people around the world were ___________________ and AIDS was being left behind. She told a large crowd: "Since the 1990s, we've had combination drug therapies that can slow and sometimes ___________________ of AIDS, saving lives and enhancing the quality of life…Those drugs _____________________ everyone living with HIV no matter who they are or where they live. HIV/AIDS has no boundaries nor should our response." The Aussie leader explained the _____________________ the Sydney landmarks red. She said: “With this red lighting we proclaim _____________________ our brothers and sisters who have been lost…Each of them is loved and each of them is remembered.”

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

special

ceremony

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:

highlight
lit
pressure
hard
way out
keen

crisis
behind
halt
belong
matter
lost

STUDENT WORLD AIDS DAY SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about World AIDS Day 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.

WORLD AIDS DAY 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 ‘AIDS’?
c)	When was the first time you heard about AIDS?
d)	What is the situation regarding AIDS in your country?
e)	Do you think events like the one in Sydney help?
f)	What do you think of Bono’s plan to create an AIDS-free generation by 2015?
g)	What can you do to pressure your government? Would it do any good?
h)	Governments have enough money to find a cure for AIDS. Why don’t they spend it?
i)	Why do people think the AIDS pandemic is on its way out?
j)	Should more rock stars be activists?

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

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

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	Do you agree with Ms Gillard that people have become complacent about AIDS?
c)	Should drugs for AIDS be free for everyone?
d)	When do you think we will find a cure for AIDS?
e)	How can we best remember AIDS victims?
f)	Should schools teach children more about AIDS?
g)	What World AIDS Day events do you know of?
h)	Why don’t rich countries do more to help people with AIDS in poor countries?
i)	What do you know about AIDS?
j)	What questions would you like to ask Bono?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

U2 singer Bono (1) ____ Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in a special ceremony in Sydney to highlight World AIDS Day. Part of the event saw the (2) ____ Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge lit up in red lights. He announced his new project of (3) ____ an AIDS-free generation from 2015. He called on people around the world to pressure their government to do more in the fight against AIDS, especially (4) ____ the global recession. The rock star told the Reuters news agency: "Times are hard in the Western world…In recessionary (5) ____, people have to tell their politicians this is important to them. Some people think that the pandemic is on its way out…It is really not so." Bono is a (6) ____ activist and has helped fight the AIDS epidemic for over a decade.

Ms Gillard described AIDS (7) ____ “a catastrophe and a crisis”. She also said people around the world were becoming complacent and AIDS was being left behind. She told a large crowd: "Since the 1990s, we've had combination drug therapies that can slow and sometimes even (8) ____ the progress of AIDS, saving lives and enhancing the quality of life…Those drugs belong in the (9) ____ of everyone living with HIV (10) ____ matter who they are or where they live. HIV/AIDS has no boundaries nor should our response." The Aussie leader explained the (11) ____ of turning the Sydney landmarks red. She said: “With this red lighting we proclaim a day of (12) ____ for our brothers and sisters who have been lost…Each of them is loved and each of them is remembered.”

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

1.	(a)	joined	(b)	jointed	(c)	joint	(d)	joining
2.	(a)	icon	(b)	iconic	(c)	iron	(d)	ironic
3.	(a)	creation	(b)	creative	(c)	creating	(d)	creates
4.	(a)	while	(b)	during	(c)	when	(d)	between
5.	(a)	time	(b)	timing	(c)	timed	(d)	times
6.	(a)	keep	(b)	keel	(c)	keen	(d)	knee
7.	(a)	as	(b)	was	(c)	has	(d)	is
8.	(a)	hilt	(b)	halt	(c)	fault	(d)	bolt
9.	(a)	feet	(b)	minds	(c)	hands	(d)	brains
10.	(a)	no	(b)	not	(c)	none	(d)	non
11.	(a)	significant	(b)	signify	(c)	signified	(d)	significance
12.	(a)	morning	(b)	mourning	(c)	moaning	(d)	meaning

WRITING

Write about World AIDS Day 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 World AIDS Day. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

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

4. CURE: Write a magazine article about World AIDS Day. Include imaginary interviews with doctors and government leaders.

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 the organizer of World AIDS Day. Ask him/her three questions about the day. Give him/her three ideas for next year. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	highlight	a.	draw attention to
2	generation	b.	age group
3.	pressure	c.	force
4.	pandemic	d.	epidemic
5.	keen	e.	enthusiastic
6.	catastrophe	f.	disaster
7.	complacent	g.	unworried
8.	therapies	h.	cures
9.	no matter	i.	regardless of
10.	proclaim	j.	state

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	a special ceremony in Sydney to	a.	highlight World AIDS Day
2	creating an AIDS-free	b.	generation from 2015
3.	pressure their government to	c.	do more
4.	In recessionary	d.	times
5.	helped fight the AIDS epidemic	e.	for over a decade
6.	people around the world were	f.	becoming complacent
7.	combination drug	g.	therapies
8.	no matter	h.	who they are
9.	The Aussie leader explained	i.	the significance
10.	a day of mourning for	j.	our brothers and sisters

GAP FILL:

Sydney turns red for World AIDS Day

U2 singer Bono joined Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in a special ceremony in Sydney to highlight World AIDS Day. Part of the event saw the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge lit up in red lights. He announced his new project of creating an AIDS-free generation from 2015. He called on people around the world to pressure their government to do more in the fight against AIDS, especially during the global recession. The rock star told the Reuters news agency: "Times are hard in the Western world…In recessionary times, people have to tell their politicians this is important to them. Some people think that the pandemic is on its way out…It is really not so." Bono is a keen activist and has helped fight the AIDS epidemic for over a decade.

Ms Gillard described AIDS as “a catastrophe and a crisis”. She also said people around the world were becoming complacent and AIDS was being left behind. She told a large crowd: "Since the 1990s, we've had combination drug therapies that can slow and sometimes even halt the progress of AIDS, saving lives and enhancing the quality of life…Those drugs belong in the hands of everyone living with HIV no matter who they are or where they live. HIV/AIDS has no boundaries nor should our response." The Aussie leader explained the significance of turning the Sydney landmarks red. She said: “With this red lighting we proclaim a day of mourning for our brothers and sisters who have been lost…Each of them is loved and each of them is remembered.”

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - a

2 - b

3 - c

4 - d

5 - d

6 - c

7 - a

8 - b

9 - c

10 - a

11 - d

12 - b

Breaking News English

PRINT

13-Page PDF
Handout - with
all-skills activities

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MP3 (2:00 - 1,000KB)

Sydney Turns Red for World AIDS Day (1st December, 2010)

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT WORLD AIDS DAY SURVEY

WORLD AIDS DAY DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

WRITING

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

Sydney turns red for World AIDS Day

Help Support This Web Site

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You

My 1,000 Ideas e-Book	Breaking News English HOME \| HELP MY SITE \| 000s MORE FREE LESSONS	My 1,000 Ideas e-Book

Breaking News English

PRINT

13-Page PDF Handout - with all-skills activities

LISTEN

MP3 (2:00 - 1,000KB)

Sydney Turns Red for World AIDS Day (1st December, 2010)

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT WORLD AIDS DAY SURVEY

WORLD AIDS DAY DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

WRITING

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

Sydney turns red for World AIDS Day

Help Support This Web Site

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You

13-Page PDF
Handout - with
all-skills activities