The Reading / Listening - Platinum Wedding Anniversary - Level 6

The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 70th wedding anniversary on Monday with her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen walked down the aisle as a 21-year-old princess on November 20, 1947. She is the first British monarch ever to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary. She is also the UK's longest-ever reigning monarch. The couple celebrated their special day with close family and friends at a small private party at one of their royal homes - Windsor Castle, west of London. They marked the occasion with the release of a set of official portraits. Britain's post office has also celebrated the historic landmark with a special set of commemorative postage stamps.

The royal couple first met as teenagers during World War II. Prince Philip was the son of a Greek prince. He gave up his title to become a British citizen to marry the then Princess Elizabeth. Reports say that prior to the wedding, he told his future mother-in-law that he had, "fallen in love completely and unreservedly" with her daughter. He once stated that: "My job first, second and last, is never to let the Queen down." The Queen has always relied on her husband, whom she described as her "rock". Jennie Bond, a former BBC royal correspondent, explained that humor helped their longevity. She said: "A big part of what has kept them going over so many years is the fact they can share a joke together."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    November - Level 4  or  November - Level 5

Sources
  • http://metro.co.uk/2017/11/20/happy-anniversary-your-majesty-queen-releases-official-portraits-to-mark-70th-7092189/
  • http://gulfnews.com/news/europe/uk/elizabeth-ii-prince-philip-mark-70th-wedding-anniversary-1.2127229
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-pictures-queen-elizabeth-prince-philip-70th-wedding-anniversary/


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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about wedding anniversaries. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

       70th / wedding anniversary / aisle / monarch / couple / special day / historic / stamps
       royal / son / prince / citizen / fallen in love / husband / rock / longevity / joke

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

3. FOREVER: Students A strongly believe marriage is forever; Students B strongly believe it doesn't have to be forever.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

4. CELEBRATIONS: What are the best ways to celebrate these landmarks? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

How to celebrate

Would you do this?

Becoming an adult

 

 

Passing a driving test

 

 

Getting married

 

 

Birth of a child

 

 

70th wedding anniversary

 

 

Your 100th birthday

 

 

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. QUEEN: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "queen". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. MARRIAGE: Rank these with your partner. Put the best things for a happy marriage at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • separate social life
  • same bank account
  • always say thank you
  • no secrets
  • same sense of humor
  • same interests
  • shared housework
  • having children

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. celebrated a. Acknowledged, honored, or celebrated an important event or occasion with a particular action.
      2. aisle b. A passage or walkway between rows of seats in a building such as a church or theater, an airplane, or a train.
      3. monarch c. A silvery-white metal, sometimes called "white gold"; used to signify the anniversary of 70 years of marriage.
      4. platinum d. Did something special on a special day or to recognize a special day.
      5. reigning e. A painting, drawing, or photograph of a person, especially one showing only the face or head and shoulders.
      6. marked f. A royal head of state, such as a king, queen, etc.
      7. portraits g. Having power as king, queen, sheik, sheikha, emperor, empress, etc.

    Paragraph 2

      8. landmark h. Totally and completely.
      9. title i. Before a particular time or event.
      10. prior to j. A person employed to report for a newspaper or broadcasting organization, usually on a special topic or from a particular country.
      11. unreservedly k. An event, discovery, or change marking an important stage or turning point in something.
      12. relied l. A name that describes someone's position or job.
      13. correspondent m. Long life.
      14. longevity n. Depended on with full trust or confidence.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. Queen Elizabeth was 21 when she got married.     T / F
  2. Queen Elizabeth is the second British queen to be married for 70 years.   T / F
  3. The Queen celebrated with a big party at Windsor Castle.     T / F
  4. Buckingham Palace issued a set of commemorative postage stamps.     T / F
  5. Elizabeth and Philip met during World War II.     T / F
  6. Philip told Elizabeth's mother that he completely loved her.     T / F
  7. Prince Philip calls the Queen his "rock".     T / F
  8. A journalist said humor was key in the success of the Queen's marriage.  T / F

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

  1. celebrated
  2. aisle
  3. monarch
  4. reigning
  5. portraits
  6. gave up
  7. marry
  8. prior to
  9. relied
  10. correspondent
  1. before
  2. ruling
  3. renounced
  4. reporter
  5. walkway
  6. depended
  7. pictures
  8. commemorated
  9. wed
  10. ruler

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

  1. The Queen walked down
  2. the UK's longest-ever
  3. the release of a set
  4. celebrated the historic
  5. a special set of commemorative
  6. The royal couple first
  7. He gave up
  8. fallen in love completely
  9. The Queen has always relied
  10. A big part of what has
  1. on her husband
  2. landmark
  3. met as teenagers
  4. reigning monarch
  5. his title
  6. of official portraits
  7. kept them going
  8. postage stamps
  9. and unreservedly
  10. the aisle

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
marked
aisle
reigning
landmark
celebrated
portraits
close
monarch

The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II (1) ____________ her 70th wedding anniversary on Monday with her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen walked down the (2) ____________ as a 21-year-old princess on November 20, 1947. She is the first British (3) ____________ ever to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary. She is also the UK's longest-ever (4) ____________ monarch. The couple celebrated their special day with (5) ____________ family and friends at a small private party at one of their royal homes - Windsor Castle, west of London. They (6) ____________ the occasion with the release of a set of official (7) ____________. Britain's post office has also celebrated the historic (8) ____________ with a special set of commemorative postage stamps.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
down
prior
longevity
couple
relied
title
former
unreservedly

The royal (9) ____________ first met as teenagers during World War II. Prince Philip was the son of a Greek prince. He gave up his (10) ____________ to become a British citizen to marry the then Princess Elizabeth. Reports say that (11) ____________ to the wedding, he told his future mother-in-law that he had, "fallen in love completely and (12) ____________ " with her daughter. He once stated that: "My job first, second and last, is never to let the Queen (13) ____________." The Queen has always (14) ____________ on her husband, whom she described as her "rock". Jennie Bond, a (15) ____________ BBC royal correspondent, explained that humor helped their (16) ____________. She said: "A big part of what has kept them going over so many years is the fact they can share a joke together."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  The Queen walked down the ______ 21-year-old
     a.  aisle as a
     b.  I'll as a
     c.  ail as a
     d.  isle as a

2)  She is the first British monarch ______
     a.  every to celebrate
     b.  even to celebrate
     c.  event to celebrate
     d.  ever to celebrate

3)  The couple celebrated their special day with ______ and friends
     a.  closes family
     b.  closed family
     c.  close family
     d.  closet family

4)  They marked the occasion with the release of a set of ______
     a.  officially portraits
     b.  official portraits
     c.  officials portraits
     d.  officialdom portraits

5)  celebrated the historic landmark with a special set of commemorative ______
     a.  post-age stamps
     b.  post-it stamps
     c.  postage stamps
     d.  posted stamps

6)  He gave up his title to become a British citizen to ______ Princess Elizabeth
     a.  marry the them
     b.  marry the then
     c.  marry the there
     d.  marry the turn

7)  he told his future mother-in-law that he had fallen in ______
     a.  loves completely
     b.  loved completely
     c.  lovey completely
     d.  love completely

8)  My job first, second and last, is never to let ______
     a.  the Queen down
     b.  the Queen up
     c.  the Queen over
     d.  the Queen along

9)  The Queen has always relied on her husband, ______ as her "rock"
     a.  who she described
     b.  whose she described
     c.  whom she described
     d.  who's she described

10)  A big part of what has kept them going ______ years
     a.  overt so many
     b.  overly so many
     c.  overs so many
     d.  over so many

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II (1) ___________________ wedding anniversary on Monday with her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen walked (2) ___________________ as a 21-year-old princess on November 20, 1947. She is the first British monarch (3) ___________________ a platinum wedding anniversary. She is also the UK's longest-ever reigning monarch. The (4) ___________________ their special day with close family and friends at a small private party at one of their royal homes - Windsor Castle, west of London. They marked the occasion with the release of a set (5) ___________________. Britain's post office has also celebrated the (6) ___________________ a special set of commemorative postage stamps.

The royal couple first met as teenagers during World War II. Prince Philip was the son of a Greek prince. He gave up his (7) ___________________ a British citizen to marry the then Princess Elizabeth. Reports say (8) ___________________ the wedding, he told his future mother-in-law that he had, "fallen in love completely (9) ___________________" with her daughter. He once stated that: "My job first, second and last, is never to let the Queen down." The Queen has (10) ___________________ her husband, whom she described as her "rock". Jennie Bond, a former BBC royal correspondent, explained that humor (11) ___________________. She said: "A big part of what has kept them going over so many years is the fact they can (12) ___________________ together."

Comprehension questions

  1. How old was Queen Elizabeth when she got married?
  2. How many British monarchs have celebrated 70 years of marriage?
  3. Who was at the Queen's celebratory party at Windsor Castle?
  4. What did Elizabeth and Philip release to mark their wedding anniversary?
  5. What did the British post office release to celebrate the anniversary?
  6. How old were Elizabeth and Philip when they first met?
  7. What did Philip have to give up to marry Elizabeth?
  8. Who did Philip tell that he had fallen in love with Elizabeth?
  9. What did Elizabeth describe Philip as being?
  10. What did a reporter say Elizabeth and Philip shared together?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How old was Queen Elizabeth when she got married?
a) 22
b) 21
c) 20
d) 19

2)  How many British monarchs have now celebrated 70 years of marriage?
a) 4
b) 3
c) 2
d) 1

3) Who was at the Queen's celebratory party at Windsor Castle?
a) close friends and friends
b) European kings and queens
c) Donald Trump
d) many UK celebrities

4) What did Elizabeth and Philip release to mark their wedding anniversary?
a) political prisoners
b) doves
c) official portraits
d) a CD

5) What did the British post office do to celebrate the anniversary?
a) gave money to charity
b) released special stamps
c) held a party
d) opened a new post office

6) How old were Elizabeth and Philip when they first met?
a) in their teens
b) he was 22, she was 19
c) they were both 20
d) seven

7) What did Philip have to give up to marry Elizabeth?
a) smoking
b) meat
c) his title
d) playing football

8) Who did Philip tell that he had fallen in love with Elizabeth?
a) her mother
b) her father
c) her sister
d) her best friend

9) What did Elizabeth describe Philip as being?
a) her rock
b) her dock
c) her lock
d) her sock

10) What did a reporter say Elizabeth and Philip shared together?
a) the same star sign
b) the same birthday
c) hobbies
d) a joke

Role play

Role  A – Laughter

You think laughter is the best way to a happy marriage. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why): having no secrets, having the same hobbies or sharing the housework.

Role  B – No Secrets

You think having no secrets is the best way to a happy marriage. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why): laughter, having the same hobbies or sharing the housework.

Role  C – Same Hobbies

You think having the same hobbies is the best way to a happy marriage. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why): having no secrets, laughter or sharing the housework.

Role  D – Sharing the Housework

You think sharing the housework is the best way to a happy marriage. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why):  having no secrets, having the same hobbies or laughter.

After reading / listening

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

'wedding'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'anniversary'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • 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:

    • teenagers
    • title
    • prior
    • love
    • rock
    • joke
    • husband
    • walked
    • ever
    • close
    • west
    • set

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic 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.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - UK Queen celebrates 70th wedding anniversary

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'queen'?
    3. What do you know about Queen Elizabeth II?
    4. What do you think of a couple being married for 70 years?
    5. Is a royal marriage different from the marriage of 'normal' people?
    6. Would you like to be married for 70 years?
    7. How should a couple celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary?
    8. What do you think of royal weddings?
    9. What would it be like to live in a castle?
    10. What landmarks have you had in your life?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'wedding'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. How romantic is the marriage of Elizabeth and Philip?
    5. What would life married to a royal be like?
    6. Do you think marriage is forever?
    7. Have you ever let someone down?
    8. Who is your 'rock'?
    9. How important is humor in a relationship?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the UK's Queen Elizabeth II?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 70th wedding anniversary on Monday with her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen walked down the (1) ____ as a 21-year-old princess on November 20, 1947. She is the first British (2) ____ ever to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary. She is also the UK's longest-ever (3) ____ monarch. The couple celebrated their special day with (4) ____ family and friends at a small private party at one or their royal homes - Windsor Castle, west of London. They (5) ____ the occasion with the release of a set of official portraits. Britain's post office has also celebrated the historic landmark with a special set of commemorative (6) ____ stamps.

    The royal couple first met (7) ____ teenagers during World War II. Prince Philip was the son of a Greek prince. He gave up his (8) ____ to become a British citizen to marry the then Princess Elizabeth. Reports say that (9) ____ to the wedding, he told his future mother-in-law that he had, "fallen in love completely and unreservedly" with her daughter. He once stated that: "My job first, second and last, is never to let the Queen (10) ____." The Queen has always relied on her husband, whom she described as her "rock". Jennie Bond, a former BBC royal (11) ____, explained that humor helped their longevity. She said: "A big part of what has kept them going over so many years is the (12) ____ they can share a joke together."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     aisle     (b)     I'll     (c)     isle     (d)     ill    
    2. (a)     monarchy     (b)     monarchist     (c)     monarch     (d)     monarchism    
    3. (a)     raining     (b)     ringing     (c)     reigning     (d)     reining    
    4. (a)     closing     (b)     closed     (c)     closet     (d)     close    
    5. (a)     marked     (b)     made     (c)     marred     (d)     martialed    
    6. (a)     posts     (b)     posted     (c)     posting     (d)     postage    
    7. (a)     is     (b)     has     (c)     was     (d)     as    
    8. (a)     entitle     (b)     title     (c)     titled     (d)     titling    
    9. (a)     priory     (b)     a priori     (c)     prior     (d)     priority    
    10. (a)     in     (b)     up     (c)     over     (d)     down    
    11. (a)     correspond     (b)     corresponding     (c)     correspondence     (d)     correspondent    
    12. (a)     factual     (b)     fact     (c)     facts     (d)     faction

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. The Queen walked down the liase
    2. the UK's longest-ever reigning rochnam
    3. They marked the ciaoosnc
    4. a set of official otritpars
    5. celebrated the historic mkrndlaa
    6. sgtpeao stamps

    Paragraph 2

    1. become a British eizncti
    2. rprio to the wedding
    3. completely and eveusrrndely
    4. eerdli on her husband
    5. a former BBC royal cerntenosorpd
    6. humor helped their goetyinlv

    Put the text back together

    (    )     The royal couple first met as teenagers during World War II. Prince Philip was the son of a Greek prince. He gave

    (    )     anniversary. She is also the UK's longest-ever reigning monarch. The couple celebrated their special day with close

    (    )     of London. They marked the occasion with the release of a set of official portraits. Britain's post office has also celebrated

    (    )     to the wedding, he told his future mother-in-law that he had, "fallen in love completely and

    (    )     part of what has kept them going over so many years is the fact they can share a joke together."

    (    )     up his title to become a British citizen to marry the then Princess Elizabeth. Reports say that prior

    (    )     down." The Queen has always relied on her husband, whom she described as her "rock". Jennie Bond, a former

    1  )     The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 70th wedding anniversary on Monday with her

    (    )     princess on November 20, 1947. She is the first British monarch ever to celebrate a platinum wedding

    (    )     the historic landmark with a special set of commemorative postage stamps.

    (    )     unreservedly" with her daughter. He once stated that: "My job first, second and last, is never to let the Queen

    (    )     BBC royal correspondent, explained that humor helped their longevity. She said: "A big

    (    )     husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen walked down the aisle as a 21-year-old

    (    )     family and friends at a small private party at one of their royal homes - Windsor Castle, west

    Put the words in the right order

    1. as   down   The   year-   a   the   Queen   21-   aisle   walked   old   .
    2. the   monarch   also   longest-   reigning   is   UK's   ever   She   .
    3. celebrated   close   their   family   special   The   day   couple   with   .
    4. of   set   a   of   release   The   portraits   official   .
    5. set   commemorative   stamps   special   of   postage   A   .
    6. teenagers   couple   during   first   WWII   met   The   as   royal   .
    7. citizen   up   to   British   gave   title   a   He   his   become   .
    8. The   husband   her   on   relied   always   has   Queen   .
    9. years   going   What   over   has   so   kept   many   them   .
    10. share   can   they   fact   The   together   joke   a   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II celebrating / celebrated her 70th wedding anniversary on Monday with her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen walked down the aisle / isle as a 21-year-old princess on November 20, 1947. She is the first British monarchy / monarch ever to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary. She is also the UK's longest-ever raining / reigning monarch. The couple celebrated their speciality / special day with close family and friends at a small privacy / private party at one of their royal / royally homes - Windsor Castle, west of London. They marked / made the occasion with the release of a set of official / officially portraits. Britain's post office has also celebrated the historic landmark with a special set of commemorative post-it / postage stamps.

    The royal / royalty couple first met as teenagers during World War II. Prince Philip was the son of a Greek prince. He gave down / up his title to become a British citizen to marry the them / then Princess Elizabeth. Reports say that priory / prior to the wedding, he told his future mother-in-law that he had, "fallen in love complete / completely and unreservedly" with her daughter. He once stated that: "My job first, second and last, is never to let the Queen up / down." The Queen has always relied / relayed on her husband, whom she described as / was her "rock". Jennie Bond, a former BBC royal correspondent, explained that humorous / humor helped their longevity. She said: "A big part of what has kept them going over so many years is the fact / factual they can share a joke together."

    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)

    Th_ _n_t_d K_ngd_m's Q___n _l_z_b_th __ c_l_br_t_d h_r 70th w_dd_ng _nn_v_rs_ry _n M_nd_y w_th h_r h_sb_nd Pr_nc_ Ph_l_p, D_k_ _f _d_nb_rgh. Th_ Q___n w_lk_d d_wn th_ __sl_ _s _ 21-y__r-_ld pr_nc_ss _n N_v_mb_r 20, 1947. Sh_ _s th_ f_rst Br_t_sh m_n_rch _v_r t_ c_l_br_t_ _ pl_t_n_m w_dd_ng _nn_v_rs_ry. Sh_ _s _ls_ th_ _K's l_ng_st-_v_r r__gn_ng m_n_rch. Th_ c__pl_ c_l_br_t_d th__r sp_c__l d_y w_th cl_s_ f_m_ly _nd fr__nds _t _ sm_ll pr_v_t_ p_rty _t _n_ _r th__r r_y_l h_m_s - W_nds_r C_stl_, w_st _f L_nd_n. Th_y m_rk_d th_ _cc_s__n w_th th_ r_l__s_ _f _ s_t _f _ff_c__l p_rtr__ts. Br_t__n's p_st _ff_c_ h_s _ls_ c_l_br_t_d th_ h_st_r_c l_ndm_rk w_th _ sp_c__l s_t _f c_mm_m_r_t_v_ p_st_g_ st_mps.

    Th_ r_y_l c__pl_ f_rst m_t _s t__n_g_rs d_r_ng W_rld W_r __. Pr_nc_ Ph_l_p w_s th_ s_n _f _ Gr__k pr_nc_. H_ g_v_ _p h_s t_tl_ t_ b_c_m_ _ Br_t_sh c_t_z_n t_ m_rry th_ th_n Pr_nc_ss _l_z_b_th. R_p_rts s_y th_t pr__r t_ th_ w_dd_ng, h_ t_ld h_s f_t_r_ m_th_r-_n-l_w th_t h_ h_d, "f_ll_n _n l_v_ c_mpl_t_ly _nd _nr_s_rv_dly" w_th h_r d__ght_r. H_ _nc_ st_t_d th_t: "My j_b f_rst, s_c_nd _nd l_st, _s n_v_r t_ l_t th_ Q___n d_wn." Th_ Q___n h_s _lw_ys r_l__d _n h_r h_sb_nd, wh_m sh_ d_scr_b_d _s h_r "r_ck". J_nn__ B_nd, _ f_rm_r BBC r_y_l c_rr_sp_nd_nt, _xpl__n_d th_t h_m_r h_lp_d th__r l_ng_v_ty. Sh_ s__d: "_ b_g p_rt _f wh_t h_s k_pt th_m g__ng _v_r s_ m_ny y__rs _s th_ f_ct th_y c_n sh_r_ _ j_k_ t_g_th_r."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the united kingdom's queen elizabeth ii celebrated her 70th wedding anniversary on monday with her husband prince philip duke of edinburgh the queen walked down the aisle as a 21-year-old princess on november 20 1947 she is the first british monarch ever to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary she is also the uk's longest-ever reigning monarch the couple celebrated their special day with close family and friends at a small private party at one of their royal homes - windsor castle west of london they marked the occasion with the release of a set of official portraits britain's post office has also celebrated the historic landmark with a special set of commemorative postage stamps

    the royal couple first met as teenagers during world war ii prince philip was the son of a greek prince he gave up his title to become a british citizen to marry the then princess elizabeth reports say that prior to the wedding he told his future mother-in-law that he had "fallen in love completely and unreservedly" with her daughter he once stated that "my job first second and last is never to let the queen down" the queen has always relied on her husband whom she described as her "rock" jennie bond a former bbc royal correspondent explained that humor helped their longevity she said "a big part of what has kept them going over so many years is the fact they can share a joke together"

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    TheUnitedKingdom'sQueenElizabethIIcelebratedher70thweddinga
    nniversaryonMondaywithherhusbandPrincePhilip,DukeofEdinburgh
    .TheQueenwalkeddowntheaisleasa21-year-oldprincessonNovemb
    er20,1947.SheisthefirstBritishmonarchevertocelebrateaplatinumw
    eddinganniversary.SheisalsotheUK'slongest-everreigningmonarc
    h.Thecouplecelebratedtheirspecialdaywithclosefamilyandfriendsat
    asmallprivatepartyatoneoftheirroyalhomes-WindsorCastle,westo
    fLondon.Theymarkedtheoccasionwiththereleaseofasetofofficialport
    raits.Britain'spostofficehasalsocelebratedthehistoriclandmarkwitha
    specialsetofcommemorativepostagestamps.Theroyalcouplefirstme
    tasteenagersduringWorldWarII.PrincePhilipwasthesonofaGreekprin
    ce.HegaveuphistitletobecomeaBritishcitizentomarrythethenPrinces
    sElizabeth.Reportssaythatpriortothewedding,hetoldhisfuturemothe
    r-in-lawthathehad,"falleninlovecompletelyandunreservedly"withhe
    rdaughter.Heoncestatedthat:"Myjobfirst,secondandlast,isnevertol
    ettheQueendown."TheQueenhasalwaysreliedonherhusband,whom
    shedescribedasher"rock".JennieBond,aformerBBCroyalcorrespond
    ent,explainedthathumorhelpedtheirlongevity.Shesaid:"Abigpartof
    whathaskeptthemgoingoversomanyyearsisthefacttheycanshareajo
    ketogether."

    Free writing

    Write about platinum anniversary for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Marriage is forever. Discuss.

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    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 this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

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

    4. MARRIAGE IS FOREVER: Write a magazine article about marriage being forever. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.

    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 wedding anniversaries. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on how a married couple can stay together. 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

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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