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Putin says Prince Charles comment 'unroyal' (25th May, 2014)

The Reading / Listening - Level 6

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Britain's Prince Charles’ comments about him were "not royal". The British heir to the throne has been the subject of a lot of controversy over comments he reportedly made in comparing Mr Putin's actions in Crimea to those of the Nazis in the run-up to World War II. The prince was talking to a former Polish war refugee and likened Putin's recent annexing of Crimea to the actions of Hitler. Mr Putin told reporters on Saturday that he had not heard the exact words Prince Charles supposedly used. He said: "This is definitely unacceptable if this is true." He added: "I know him and members of the royal family personally and this was not royal behaviour."

Mr Putin said the fuss caused by Prince Charles' alleged comments would not damage relations between Britain and Russia. He told the media: "I think that if our partners in Great Britain, just as I am, are guided by national interests rather than some other considerations, then all this will pass quite quickly and we'll continue to co-operate as we have done before". Mr Putin and Prince Charles are both due to attend a D-Day anniversary in France next month. It has the potential to be an awkward meeting, although it is likely diplomatic etiquette will ensure things go smoothly. British Prime Minister David Cameron said the prince was free to express his opinions.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 4 or Level 5

Sources

http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/733147
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_05_24/Prince-Charles-drawing-parallel-with-Hitler-an-act-of-non-royal-behavior-Putin-2702/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27558825

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The 40 Lesson Activities on the PDF Handout

WARM-UPS

1. VLADIMIR PUTIN: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Vladimir Putin. Change partners often 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.

royal / throne / controversy / World War II / refugee / reporters / unacceptable / true / fuss / relations / media / national interests / co-operate / diplomatic / etiquette

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

3. ROYALS: How should royalty behave? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

Situation	Do's	Don'ts
Opinions on politics
At the beach
Weddings
With world leaders
On royal tours
With each other

4. ROYALTY: Students A strongly believe royalty should never express their political opinions; Students B strongly believe this is stupid. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. VIP: Rank these with your partner. Put the people you most want to meet at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• royalty

• rock star

• world leader

• religious leader

• sports star

• gaming champion

• comedian

• fashion designer

6. COMMENT: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "comment". 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.	Britain's Prince Charles compared Vladimir Putin's to the Nazis.	T / F
b.	The Prince made the comments to a Russian refugee.	T / F
c.	Mr Putin said he knows exactly what Prince Charles said.	T / F
d.	Mr Putin personally knows members of Britain's royal family.	T / F
e.	Mr Putin said Prince Charles' comments could damage relations.	T / F
f.	Mr Putin said the whole issue would pass fairly quickly.	T / F
g.	Prince Charles and Vladimir Putin are due to meet each other soon.	T / F
h.	Britain's prime minister said Prince Charles should keep quiet.	T / F

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

1.	comments	a.	taking over
2.	subject	b.	factors
3.	former	c.	theme
4.	annexing	d.	commotion
5.	definitely	e.	remarks
6.	fuss	f.	communicate
7.	damage	g.	capacity
8.	considerations	h.	harm
9.	potential	i.	ex-
10.	express	j.	certainly

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

1.	The British heir	a.	smoothly
2.	a former Polish	b.	personally
3.	he had not heard	c.	meeting
4.	This is definitely unacceptable	d.	to the throne
5.	I know him and members of the royal family	e.	caused by Prince Charles
6.	the fuss	f.	if this is true
7.	national	g.	his opinions
8.	the potential to be an awkward	h.	war refugee
9.	ensure things go	i.	the exact words
10.	free to express	j.	interests

GAP FILL

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Britain's Prince Charles' (1) ____________ about him were "not royal". The British heir to the throne has been the (2) ____________ of a lot of controversy over comments he reportedly made in comparing Mr Putin's actions in Crimea to those of the Nazis in the (3) ____________ to World War II. The prince was talking to a former Polish war refugee and likened Putin's (4) ____________ annexing of Crimea to the actions of Hitler. Mr Putin told reporters on Saturday that he had not heard the (5) ____________ words Prince Charles supposedly used. He said: "This is (6) ____________ unacceptable if this is (7) ____________." He added: "I know him and members of the royal family (8) ____________ and this was not royal behaviour."

recent
personally
subject
definitely
comments
true
run-up
exact

Mr Putin said the (9) ____________ caused by Prince Charles' alleged comments would not damage relations between Britain and Russia. He told the (10) ____________: "I think that if our partners in Great Britain, just as I am, are guided by (11) ____________ interests rather than some other considerations, then all this will (12) ____________ quite quickly and we'll continue to co-operate as we have done before". Mr Putin and Prince Charles are both (13) ____________ to attend a D-Day anniversary in France next month. It has the (14) ____________ to be an awkward meeting, although it is likely diplomatic (15) ____________ will ensure things go smoothly. British Prime Minister David Cameron said the prince was free to express his (16) ____________.

potential
national
opinions
fuss
due
media
etiquette
pass

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	The British heir to the throne has been the subject of a ______
	a. lot of controversial b. lot of controversies c. lot of contra version d. lot of controversy
2)	The prince was talking to a former Polish ______
	a. war refugees b. war refuge c. war refugee d. war refuses
3)	he had not heard the exact words Prince Charles ______
	a. supposed uses b. supposedly used c. supposedly uses d. supposed he used
4)	This is definitely unacceptable ______
	a. if this isn't true b. if this is so true c. if this is true d. if this is untrue
5)	I know him and members of the royal ______
	a. family personally b. family personal and he c. family personalise d. family person ally
6)	the fuss caused by Prince Charles' alleged comments would ______
	a. not damage relation b. not damages relations c. not damages relation d. not damage relations
7)	guided by national interests rather than some ______
	a. other considerations b. other consider rations c. other considerable d. other considerations
8)	Mr Putin and Prince Charles are both due to attend ______
	a. a D-Day anniversary b. a D-Day anniversaries c. a B-Day anniversary d. a B-Day anniversaries
9)	It has the potential to be an ______
	a. awkwardly meeting b. awkward meet in c. awkward meeting d. awkwardly meet in
10)	David Cameron said the prince was free to ______
	a. expresses his opinions b. express his opinions c. express his opinion d. expresses his opinion

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Britain's Prince Charles' comments about him were "not royal". The British (1) ___________________ has been the subject of a lot of controversy over comments he reportedly (2) ___________________ Mr Putin's actions in Crimea to those of the Nazis (3) ___________________ World War II. The prince was (4) ___________________ Polish war refugee and likened Putin's recent annexing of Crimea to the actions of Hitler. Mr Putin told reporters on Saturday that he had not (5) ___________________ Prince Charles supposedly used. He said: "This is definitely unacceptable if this is true." He added: "I know him and members of the (6) ___________________ and this was not royal behaviour."

Mr Putin said (7) ___________________ Prince Charles' alleged comments would not (8) ___________________ Britain and Russia. He told the media: "I think that if our partners in Great Britain, just as I am, are guided by national (9) ___________________ some other considerations, then all this will pass quite quickly and we'll continue to co-operate as we have done before". Mr Putin and Prince Charles are (10) ___________________ a D-Day anniversary in France next month. It has the (11) ___________________ awkward meeting, although it is likely diplomatic etiquette will ensure things go smoothly. British Prime Minister David Cameron said the prince was free to (12) ___________________.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	What is Prince Charles heir to?
2.	What region did Prince Charles refer to?
3.	What was the nationality of the refugee Prince Charles spoke to?
4.	What is it that Mr Putin did not hear?
5.	Who did Mr Putin say he had personally met?
6.	What did Mr Putin say would not be damaged?
7.	What did Mr Putin say Russia and Britain are guided by?
8.	What did Mt Putting say will continue as before?
9.	Where will Prince Charles and Mr Putin next meet?
10.	What did Britain's leader say Prince Charles was free to do?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	What is Prince Charles heir to?	6.	What did Mr Putin say would not be damaged?
	a) Crimea b) Poland c) the British throne d) London		a) his car b) UK-Russian relations c) trade links d) an oil pipe line
2.	What region did Prince Charles refer to?	7.	What did Mr Putin say Russia and Britain are guided by?
	a) Crimea b) Russia c) the U.K. d) all regions		a) money b) satellite navigation systems c) corporate leaders d) national interests
3.	What was the nationality of the refugee Prince Charles spoke to?	8.	What did Mt Putin say would continue as before?
	a) Russian b) Polish c) British d) French		a) time b) co-operation c) family ties d) anniversaries
4.	What is it that Mr Putin did not hear?	9.	Where will Prince Charles and Mr Putin next meet?
	a) reporters b) the news c) an apology d) Prince Charles' exact words		a) Russia b) France c) England d) Italy
5.	Who did Mr Putin say he had personally met?	10.	What did Britain's leader say Prince Charles was free to do?
	a) members of the British royal family b) a refugee c) Charles d) everyone		a) express his opinions b) travel c) talk to Vladimir Putin d) anything

ROLE PLAY

Role A – Power

You think the power would be the best thing about being a royal. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that aren't so good about their things. Also, tell the others which is the least desirable of these (and why): the palaces, the fame or the job.

Role B – Palaces

You think the palaces would be the best thing about being a royal. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that aren't so good about their things. Also, tell the others which is the least desirable of these (and why): the power, the fame or the job.

Role C – Fame

You think the fame would be the best thing about being a royal. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that aren't so good about their things. Also, tell the others which is the least desirable of these (and why): the power, the palaces or the job.

Role D – Job

You think the job would be the best thing about being a royal. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that aren't so good about their things. Also, tell the others which is the least desirable of these (and why): the power, the fame or the palaces.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'national' and 'interests'.

national

interests

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:

heir
lot
former
heard
true
family

fuss
media
rather
before
likely
free

VLADIMIR PUTIN SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Vladimir Putin 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.

VLADIMIR PUTIN 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 'royal'?
c)	What do you think about what you read?
d)	Do you think such comments are "un-royal"?
e)	Should monarchs and heirs stay out of politics?
f)	How much damage do you think the comments have done?
g)	What do you think of Britain's Prince Charles?
h)	Should Prince Charles tell the press exactly what he said?
i)	If the comments were actually used, are they unacceptable?

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

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

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	Why did Mr Putin say such comments would not damage relations?
c)	What do you think of Mr Putin's actions after the comments?
d)	Is the press making a mountain out of a mole hill out of this?
e)	How do you think the meeting between the two men will go?
f)	What is diplomatic etiquette?
g)	What is royal behaviour?
h)	Is the British leader right about Charles being free to express his opinions?
i)	What questions would you like to ask Prince Charles?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

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

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Britain's Prince Charles' (1) ____ about him were "not royal". The British (2) ____ to the throne has been the subject of a lot of controversy over comments he (3) ____ made in comparing Mr Putin's actions in Crimea to those of the Nazis in the run-up to World War II. The prince was talking to a former Polish war refugee and (4) ____ Putin's recent annexing of Crimea to the actions of Hitler. Mr Putin told reporters on Saturday that he had not heard the (5) ____ words Prince Charles supposedly used. He said: "This is definitely unacceptable if this is (6) ____." He added: "I know him and members of the royal family personally and this was not royal behaviour."

Mr Putin said the (7) ____ caused by Prince Charles' alleged comments would not damage relations between Britain and Russia. He told the media: "I think that if our partners in Great Britain, just as I am, are guided (8) ____ national interests rather than some other considerations, then all this will pass quite quickly and we'll continue to co-operate (9) ____ we have done before". Mr Putin and Prince Charles are both due to attend a D-Day anniversary in France next month. It has the potential to be an (10) ____ meeting, although it is likely diplomatic (11) ____ will ensure things go smoothly. British Prime Minister David Cameron said the prince was free to (12) ____ his opinions.

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

1.	(a)	comments	(b)	commented	(c)	commenting	(d)	commentary
2.	(a)	air	(b)	hair	(c)	heir	(d)	here
3.	(a)	repeated	(b)	reported	(c)	reportedly	(d)	reporting
4.	(a)	likes	(b)	liking	(c)	likely	(d)	likened
5.	(a)	exacted	(b)	exactly	(c)	exact	(d)	exacts
6.	(a)	truly	(b)	true	(c)	truism	(d)	truth
7.	(a)	abyss	(b)	fuss	(c)	truss	(d)	mass
8.	(a)	on	(b)	by	(c)	at	(d)	with
9.	(a)	was	(b)	is	(c)	as	(d)	has
10.	(a)	ancient	(b)	alarmed	(c)	advantage	(d)	awkward
11.	(a)	enquiry	(b)	entreaty	(c)	entrance	(d)	etiquette
12.	(a)	out	(b)	enhance	(c)	speed	(d)	express

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	The British heir to the neotrh
2.	a lot of yoescrvrotn
3.	a former Polish war eegeruf
4.	recent xngienan of Crimea
5.	This is dietfieyln unacceptable
6.	not royal oeurbvhai (UK) iraobhev (USA)
Paragraph 2
7.	Prince Charles' edlagel comments
8.	other ecoinrssotadin
9.	continue to oc-rpoaete as we have done before
10.	a D-Day raeniarvnys in France
11.	an rwakwad meeting
12.	diplomatic tuiteetqe

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	Minister David Cameron said the prince was free to express his opinions.
( )	Britain and Russia. He told the media: "I think that if our partners in Great Britain, just as I
( )	quickly and we'll continue to co-operate as we have done before". Mr Putin and Prince Charles are both due
( )	royal". The British heir to the throne has been the subject of a lot of controversy over
( )	meeting, although it is likely diplomatic etiquette will ensure things go smoothly. British Prime
( )	words Prince Charles supposedly used. He said: "This is definitely unacceptable if this
( )	comments he reportedly made in comparing Mr Putin's actions in Crimea to those of the Nazis in the run-
( )	to attend a D-Day anniversary in France next month. It has the potential to be an awkward
( 1 )	Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Britain's Prince Charles' comments about him were "not
( )	annexing of Crimea to the actions of Hitler. Mr Putin told reporters on Saturday that he had not heard the exact
( )	up to World War II. The prince was talking to a former Polish war refugee and likened Putin's recent
( )	am, are guided by national interests rather than some other considerations, then all this will pass quite
( )	Mr Putin said the fuss caused by Prince Charles' alleged comments would not damage relations between
( )	is true." He added: "I know him and members of the royal family personally and this was not royal behaviour."

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	controversy of lot a of subject The.
2.	talking to a former Polish war refugee The prince was.
3.	exact the heard not had he that reporters told Putin words.
4.	if This this is is definitely true unacceptable.
5.	of the royal family personally I know him and members.
6.	comments caused alleged fuss Charles' The Prince by.
7.	we as operate - co to continue We'll before done have.
8.	awkward It potential an the be meeting has to.
9.	will Diplomatic go ensure etiquette smoothly things.
10.	free to The express prince his was opinions.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Britain's Prince Charles' comments / commented about him were "not royal". The British hair / heir to the throne has been the subject of a lot / lots of controversy over comments he reported / reportedly made in comparing Mr Putin's actions in Crimea to them / those of the Nazis in the run-up to World War II. The prince was talking to a farmer / former Polish war refugee and likened / liking Putin's recent annexing of Crimea to the actions of Hitler. Mr Putin told reporters on Saturday that he had not heard the exactly / exact words Prince Charles supposedly used. He said: "This is definitely / defining unacceptable if this is true." He added: "I know him and members of the royal family personally / personal and this was not royal behaviour."

Mr Putin said the fuss caused by Prince Charles' alleged / allegation comments would not damage / damaging relations between Britain and Russia. He told the medium / media: "I think that if our partners in Great Britain, just as I am, are guided / guidance by national interests rather than some other considerations, then all this will past / pass quite quickly and we'll continue to co-operate as we have done / did before". Mr Putin and Prince Charles are both due / dew to attend a D-Day anniversary in France next month. It has the potential / potentially to be an awkward meeting, although it is likely / liked diplomatic etiquette will ensure things go smoothly. British Prime Minister David Cameron said the prince was freed / free to express his opinions.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

R_ss__n Pr_s_d_nt Vl_d_m_r P_t_n h_s s__d th_t Br_t__n's Pr_nc_ Ch_rl_s' c_mm_nts _b__t h_m w_r_ "n_t r_y_l". Th_ Br_t_sh h__r t_ th_ thr_n_ h_s b__n th_ s_bj_ct _f _ l_t _f c_ntr_v_rsy _v_r c_mm_nts h_ r_p_rt_dly m_d_ _n c_mp_r_ng Mr P_t_n's _ct__ns _n Cr_m__ t_ th_s_ _f th_ N_z_s _n th_ r_n-_p t_ W_rld W_r __. Th_ pr_nc_ w_s t_lk_ng t_ _ f_rm_r P_l_sh w_r r_f_g__ _nd l_k_n_d P_t_n's r_c_nt _nn_x_ng _f Cr_m__ t_ th_ _ct__ns _f H_tl_r. Mr P_t_n t_ld r_p_rt_rs _n S_t_rd_y th_t h_ h_d n_t h__rd th_ _x_ct w_rds Pr_nc_ Ch_rl_s s_pp_s_dly _s_d. H_ s__d: "Th_s _s d_f_n_t_ly _n_cc_pt_bl_ _f th_s _s tr__." H_ _dd_d: "_ kn_w h_m _nd m_mb_rs _f th_ r_y_l f_m_ly p_rs_n_lly _nd th_s w_s n_t r_y_l b_h_v___r."

Mr P_t_n s__d th_ f_ss c__s_d by Pr_nc_ Ch_rl_s' _ll_g_d c_mm_nts w__ld n_t d_m_g_ r_l_t__ns b_tw__n Br_t__n _nd R_ss__. H_ t_ld th_ m_d__: "_ th_nk th_t _f __r p_rtn_rs _n Gr__t Br_t__n, j_st _s _ _m, _r_ g__d_d by n_t__n_l _nt_r_sts r_th_r th_n s_m_ _th_r c_ns_d_r_t__ns, th_n _ll th_s w_ll p_ss q__t_ q__ckly _nd w_'ll c_nt_n__ t_ c_-_p_r_t_ _s w_ h_v_ d_n_ b_f_r_". Mr P_t_n _nd Pr_nc_ Ch_rl_s _r_ b_th d__ t_ _tt_nd _ D-D_y _nn_v_rs_ry _n Fr_nc_ n_xt m_nth. _t h_s th_ p_t_nt__l t_ b_ _n _wkw_rd m__t_ng, _lth__gh _t _s l_k_ly d_pl_m_t_c _t_q__tt_ w_ll _ns_r_ th_ngs g_ sm__thly. Br_t_sh Pr_m_ M_n_st_r D_v_d C_m_r_n s__d th_ pr_nc_ w_s fr__ t_ _xpr_ss h_s _p_n__ns.

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

russian president vladimir putin has said that britain's prince charles' comments about him were "not royal" the british heir to the throne has been the subject of a lot of controversy over comments he reportedly made in comparing mr putin's actions in crimea to those of the nazis in the run-up to world war ii the prince was talking to a former polish war refugee and likened putin's recent annexing of crimea to the actions of hitler mr putin told reporters on saturday that he had not heard the exact words prince charles supposedly used he said "this is definitely unacceptable if this is true" he added "i know him and members of the royal family personally and this was not royal behaviour"

mr putin said the fuss caused by prince charles' alleged comments would not damage relations between britain and russia he told the media "i think that if our partners in great britain just as i am are guided by national interests rather than some other considerations then all this will pass quite quickly and we'll continue to co-operate as we have done before" mr putin and prince charles are both due to attend a d-day anniversary in france next month it has the potential to be an awkward meeting although it is likely diplomatic etiquette will ensure things go smoothly british prime minister david cameron said the prince was free to express his opinions

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

RussianPresidentVladimirPutinhassaidthatBritain'sPrinceCharle
s'commentsabouthimwere"notroyal".TheBritishheirtothethron
ehasbeenthesubjectofalotofcontroversyovercommentsherepor
tedlymadeincomparingMrPutin'sactionsinCrimeatothoseoftheN
azisintherun-uptoWorldWarII.Theprincewastalkingtoaforme
rPolishwarrefugeeandlikenedPutin'srecentannexingofCrimeato
theactionsofHitler.MrPutintoldreportersonSaturdaythathehadn
otheardtheexactwordsPrinceCharlessupposedlyused.Hesaid:"T
hisisdefinitelyunacceptableifthisistrue."Headded:"Iknowhiman
dmembersoftheroyalfamilypersonallyandthiswasnotroyalbeha
viour."MrPutinsaidthefusscausedbyPrinceCharles'allegedcomm
entswouldnotdamagerelationsbetweenBritainandRussia.Hetold
themedia:"IthinkthatifourpartnersinGreatBritain,justasIam,ar
eguidedbynationalinterestsratherthansomeotherconsideration
s,thenallthiswillpassquitequicklyandwe'llcontinuetoco-opera
teaswehavedonebefore".MrPutinandPrinceCharlesarebothduet
oattendaD-DayanniversaryinFrancenextmonth.Ithasthepotenti
altobeanawkwardmeeting,althoughitislikelydiplomaticetiquette
willensurethingsgosmoothly.BritishPrimeMinisterDavidCamero
nsaidtheprincewasfreetoexpresshisopinions.

FREE WRITING

Write about Vladimir Putin for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

Monarchs should never express political opinions. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 Vladimir Putin. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

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

4. CONTROVERSY: Write a magazine article about this controversy. Include imaginary interviews with Vladimir Putin and Prince Charles.

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. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on international relations. Ask him/her three questions about Vladimir Putin. Give him/her three ideas on how to resolve this problem. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

Buy my book

$US 9.99

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

T

b

F

c

F

d

T

e

F

f

T

g

T

h

F

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	comments	a.	remarks
2.	subject	b.	theme
3.	former	c.	ex-
4.	annexing	d.	taking over
5.	definitely	e.	certainly
6.	fuss	f.	commotion
7.	damage	g.	harm
8.	considerations	h.	factors
9.	potential	i.	capacity
10.	express	j.	communicate

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	a
2.	a
3.	a
4.	a
5.	a
6.	a
7.	a
8.	a
9.	a
10.	a

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

c

2.

a

3.

b

4.

d

5.

c

6.

b

7.

d

8.

b

9.

b

10.

a

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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Putin says Prince Charles comment 'unroyal' (25th May, 2014)

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