The Reading / Listening - Ainu - Level 4

Japan will recognize the country's ethnic Ainu group as an "indigenous" people for the first time. Ainu people campaigned for decades for this. The Ainu are an indigenous people from the northern island of Hokkaido and islands between Japan and Russia. Their official number is around 25,000, but people say there are around 200,000. Many Ainu have been completely absorbed into Japanese society. They have little knowledge of their history.

Japan Today wrote about the Ainu's hardships. It said they, "have long suffered the effects of a policy of forced assimilation, and while discrimination has [lessened] gradually, income and education gaps with the rest of Japan persist". Japan said it wants to, "protect the honor and dignity of the Ainu...to realize a vibrant society". An Ainu spokesman said: "It feels like we woke up...from a truly deep sleep...We think this is the first step."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Ainu - Level 5 or  Ainu - Level 6

Sources
  • https://japantoday.com/category/politics/japan-to-recognise-indigenous-ainu-people-for-first-time
  • https://qz.com/1551496/who-are-the-indigenous-ainu-people-of-japan/
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japan-prepares-law-to-finally-recognize-and-protect-its-indigenous-ainu-people/2019/02/15/2c85a0d8-3113-11e9-ac6c-14eea99d5e24_story.html


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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. recognize the country's ethnic
  2. Ainu people campaigned
  3. The Ainu are an
  4. from the northern island
  5. Their official
  6. people say there are
  7. completely absorbed into
  8. They have little knowledge
  1. Japanese society
  2. number
  3. of Hokkaido
  4. of their history
  5. for decades
  6. Ainu group
  7. indigenous people
  8. around 200,000

Paragraph 2

  1. they have long suffered
  2. discrimination has
  3. education gaps with the rest
  4. protect the honor and dignity
  5. realize a vibrant
  6. It feels
  7. a truly deep
  8. We think this is the first
  1. of Japan persist
  2. sleep
  3. society
  4. step
  5. lessened
  6. the effects
  7. of the Ainu
  8. like we woke up

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Japan will recognize (1) ___________________ Ainu group as an "indigenous" people (2) ___________________ time. Ainu people campaigned for (3) ___________________. The Ainu are an indigenous people from the northern island of Hokkaido and islands between Japan and Russia. Their (4) ___________________ around 25,000, but people say there are around 200,000. Many Ainu (5) ___________________ absorbed into Japanese society. They (6) ___________________ of their history.

Japan Today (7) ___________________ Ainu's hardships. It said they, "have long suffered the (8) ___________________ policy of forced assimilation, and while discrimination (9) ___________________, income and education gaps with the rest of Japan persist". Japan said it wants to, "(10) ___________________ and dignity of the Ainu...to realize a vibrant society". An Ainu spokesman said: "It (11) ___________________ woke up...from a truly deep sleep...We think (12) ___________________ first step."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Japanwillrecognizethecountry'sethnicAinugroupasan"indigenous"p
eopleforthefirsttime.Ainupeoplecampaignedfordecadesforthis.The
AinuareanindigenouspeoplefromthenorthernislandofHokkaidoandis
landsbetweenJapanandRussia.Theirofficialnumberisaround25,000,
butpeoplesaytherearearound200,000.ManyAinuhavebeencomplete
lyabsorbedintoJapanesesociety.Theyhavelittleknowledgeoftheirhist
ory.JapanTodaywroteabouttheAinu'shardships.Itsaidthey,"havelon
gsufferedtheeffectsofapolicyofforcedassimilation,andwhilediscrimi
nationhas[lessened]gradually,incomeandeducationgapswiththeres
tofJapanpersist".Japansaiditwantsto,"protectthehonoranddignityof
theAinu...torealizeavibrantsociety".AnAinuspokesmansaid:"Itfeelsl
ikewewokeup...fromatrulydeepsleep...Wethinkthisisthefirststep."

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 — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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