The Reading / Listening - Ainu - Level 6

The Japanese government has introduced a bill to recognize the country's ethnic Ainu minority group as an "indigenous" people. It is the first time for Japan's government to do this. It comes after decades of lobbying and campaigning by Ainu people to be recognized. The Ainu are an indigenous people of Japan originating in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, north-eastern Honshu, and islands between Japan and Russia. Their official number today is around 25,000, but many observers estimate a more accurate figure to be around 200,000. Many Ainu have been completely assimilated into Japanese society and have no knowledge of their ancestry or historical roots, traditions and culture.

The Japan Today website wrote about the hardships the Ainu have faced. It said: "The Ainu people...have long suffered the effects of a policy of forced assimilation, and while discrimination has receded gradually, income and education gaps with the rest of Japan persist." Japan's government spoke about the importance of passing the new legislation. It said: "It is important to protect the honor and dignity of the Ainu people and to hand those down to the next generation to realize a vibrant society with diverse values." Ainu spokesman Tadashi Kato said: "It feels like we woke up now from a truly deep sleep....It will lead to building a society where we cohabit together. We think this is the first step."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Ainu - Level 4  or  Ainu - Level 5

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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. AINU PEOPLE: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Ainu people. 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?
       government / bill / ethnic / lobbying / island / observers / accurate / ancestry / roots
       hardships / suffered / discrimination / education / legislation / dignity / diverse / sleep
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. LAND: Students A strongly believe indigenous people should get their land back; Students B strongly believe they shouldn't.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. INDIGENOUS PEOPLE: What do you know about these people? What do you want to know? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What You Know About Them

What You Want To Know

Ainu

 

 

Inuit

 

 

Yazidi

 

 

Tuareg

 

 

Maori

 

 

Shaman

 

 

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. ETHNIC: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "ethnic". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. BUILD A SOCIETY: Rank these with your partner. Put the best ways to build a society at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • jobs
  • patriotism
  • tolerance
  • low taxes
  • education
  • strong police
  • equality
  • healthcare

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. bill a. The smaller number or part, especially a number that is less than half the whole number.
      2. recognize b. Seeking to influence a politician or public official on an issue.
      3. ethnic c. A draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.
      4. minority d. The origin or background of a person, family or people.
      5. lobbying e. Acknowledge the existence, validity, or legality of something or someone.
      6. accurate f. Relating to national and cultural origins.
      7. ancestry g. Correct in all details; exact.

    Paragraph 2

      8. assimilation h. Live together.
      9. receded i. The absorption integration of people, ideas, or culture into a wider society or culture.
      10. persist j. Went or moved back or further away from a previous position.
      11. dignity k. Full of energy and enthusiasm.
      12. vibrant l. The state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.
      13. diverse m. Continue firmly  in an opinion or a course of action in spite of difficulty.
      14. cohabit n. Showing a great deal of variety; very different.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The Japanese government has passed a bill to recognize the Ainu.     T / F
  2. The Ainu have campaigned for centuries to be recognized.     T / F
  3. There are officially around 25,000 Ainu in Japan today.     T / F
  4. Most Ainu are experts on their ancestry and history.     T / F
  5. A website wrote about the hardships the Ainu faced.     T / F
  6. There are still income gaps between the Ainu and Japanese.     T / F
  7. Japan's government said it wanted to realize a vibrant society.     T / F
  8. An Ainu spokesman said he now wanted to sleep deeply.     T / F

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

  1. bill
  2. ethnic
  3. campaigning
  4. originating
  5. accurate
  6. hardship
  7. receded
  8. dignity
  9. vibrant
  10. truly
  1. went back
  2. fighting
  3. honestly
  4. misery
  5. self-respect
  6. draft law
  7. precise
  8. lively
  9. cultural
  10. starting

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

  1. The Japanese government has
  2. the country's ethnic Ainu
  3. It comes after decades
  4. observers estimate a more
  5. have no knowledge of their ancestry
  6. the hardships the Ainu
  7. discrimination has receded
  8. protect the honor and dignity
  9. a vibrant
  10. a truly deep
  1. society
  2. accurate figure
  3. or historical roots
  4. of lobbying
  5. introduced a bill
  6. sleep
  7. of the Ainu people
  8. minority group
  9. have faced
  10. gradually

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
number
minority
ancestry
originating
assimilated
bill
lobbying
accurate

The Japanese government has introduced a (1) ____________ to recognize the country's ethnic Ainu (2) ____________ group as an "indigenous" people. It is the first time for Japan's government to do this. It comes after decades of (3) ____________ and campaigning by Ainu people to be recognized. The Ainu are an indigenous people of Japan (4) ____________ in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, north-eastern Honshu, and islands between Japan and Russia. Their official (5) ____________ today is around 25,000, but many observers estimate a more (6) ____________ figure to be around 200,000. Many Ainu have been completely (7) ____________ into Japanese society and have no knowledge of their (8) ____________ or historical roots, traditions and culture.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
long
dignity
step
hardships
truly
passing
gradually
vibrant

The Japan Today website wrote about the (9) ____________ the Ainu have faced. It said: "The Ainu people...have (10) ____________ suffered the effects of a policy of forced assimilation, and while discrimination has receded (11) ____________, income and education gaps with the rest of Japan persist." Japan's government spoke about the importance of (12) ____________ the new legislation. It said: "It is important to protect the honor and (13) ____________ of the Ainu people and to hand those down to the next generation to realize a (14) ____________ society with diverse values." Ainu spokesman Tadashi Kato said: "It feels like we woke up now from a (15) ____________ deep sleep....It will lead to building a society where we cohabit together. We think this is the first (16) ____________."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  introduced a bill to recognize the country's ethnic Ainu ______
     a.  minority groups
     b.  minority grouped
     c.  minority grouping
     d.  minority group
2)  It comes after decades of ______ campaigning
     a.  lobby in and
     b.  lobbing in and
     c.  lob binning and
     d.  lobbying and
3)  The Ainu are an indigenous people of Japan ______ Japan's northern island
     a.  originating in
     b.  originate in in
     c.  origin mating in
     d.  original thing in
4) number today is around 25,000, but many observers estimate a more ______
     a.  accurately figure
     b.  accurate figure
     c.  accurate figures
     d.  accurately figured
5) have no knowledge of their ancestry or historical roots, ______
     a.  tradition and cultures
     b.  traditions and cultures
     c.  traditions and culture
     d.  tradition and culture

6)  The Japan Today website wrote about the hardships the Ainu ______
     a.  have faced
     b.  have paced
     c.  have raced
     d.  have laced
7)  The Ainu people...have long suffered the effects of a policy of ______
     a.  forced as similar nation
     b.  forced a similar nation
     c.  forced assimilation
     d.  forced as immolation
8)  gradually, income and education gaps with the rest of ______
     a.  Japan persistently
     b.  Japan persisted
     c.  Japan persists
     d.  Japan persist
9)  hand those down to the next generation to realize a vibrant society with ______
     a.  reverse valued
     b.  converse values
     c.  inverse valued
     d.  diverse values
10)  It will lead to building a society where we ______
     a.  cohabited together
     b.  cohabit together
     c.  cohabits together
     d.  cohabiting together

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The Japanese government has introduced a (1) ___________________ the country's ethnic Ainu minority group as an "indigenous" people. It is the first time for Japan's government to do this. It (2) ___________________ of lobbying (3) ___________________ Ainu people to be recognized. The Ainu are an indigenous people of Japan originating in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, north-eastern Honshu, and islands between Japan and Russia. Their (4) ___________________ is around 25,000, but many observers estimate a more (5) ___________________ be around 200,000. Many Ainu have been completely assimilated into Japanese society and have no knowledge of their ancestry (6) ___________________, traditions and culture.

The Japan Today website wrote (7) ___________________ the Ainu have faced. It said: "The Ainu people...have long suffered (8) ___________________ a policy of forced assimilation, and while discrimination has receded gradually, income and education gaps with the rest (9) ___________________." Japan's government spoke about the importance of passing the new legislation. It said: "It is important to protect the (10) ___________________ of the Ainu people and to hand those down to the next generation to realize a vibrant society (11) ___________________." Ainu spokesman Tadashi Kato said: "It feels like we woke up now from a truly deep sleep....It will lead to building a society where we cohabit together. We think (12) ___________________ first step."

Comprehension questions

  1. What has the Japanese government introduced?
  2. For how long have the Ainu been lobbying the Japanese government?
  3. What is the official number of Ainu in Japan?
  4. How many Ainu do many observers say there are (unofficially)?
  5. What did the article say the Ainu have no knowledge of?
  6. What did the Japan Today website write about?
  7. What kinds of gaps between the Ainu and other Japanese persist?
  8. What did the government say it is important to protect?
  9. Who is Tadashi Kato?
  10. What did Tadashi Kato say the Ainu had woken up from?

Multiple choice quiz

1)  What has the Japanese government introduced?
a) a new law
b) a bill
c) a fine
d) a scheme
2)  For how long have the Ainu been lobbying the Japanese government?
a) 37 years
b) centuries
c) generations
d) decades
3) What is the official number of Ainu in Japan?
a) around 25,000
b) exactly 25,000
c) just fewer than 25,000
d) just over 25,000
4) How many Ainu do many observers say there are (unofficially)?
a) exactly 200,000
b) just fewer than 200,000
c) around 200,000
d) just over 200,000
5) What did the article say the Ainu have no knowledge of?
a) hardship
b) their ancestry
c) Hokkaido
d) government bills

6) What did the Japan Today website write about?
a) the Ainu's hardship
b) Hokkaido
c) the Japanese population
d) the history of the Ainu
7) What kinds of gaps between the Ainu and other Japanese persist?
a) gaps in height
b) age gaps
c) income and education gaps
d) hardship gaps
8) What did the government say it is important to protect?
a) the honor and dignity of the Ainu
b) Hokkaido
c) Ainu songs
d) laws
9) Who is Tadashi Kato?
a) an Ainu spokesman
b) Japan's Ainu minister
c) a journalist
d) a historian
10) What did Tadashi Kato say the Ainu had woken up from?
a) a horrible nightmare
b) a wonderful dream
c) winter
d) a truly deep sleep

Role play

Role  A – Education
You think education is the best way to build a society. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): strong police force, patriotism or low tax.

Role  B – A Strong Police Force
You think a strong police force is the best way to build a society. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): education, patriotism or low tax.

Role  C – Patriotism
You think patriotism is the best way to build a society. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): strong police force, education or low tax.

Role  D – Low Tax
You think low tax is the best way to build a society. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their ways. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): strong police force, patriotism or education.

After reading / listening

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

'ethnic'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'minority'.

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

    • faced
    • effects
    • rest
    • important
    • values
    • together
    • introduced
    • decades
    • originating
    • official
    • accurate
    • roots

    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 - Ainu

    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 'ethnic'?
    3. What is the ethnic make-up of your country?
    4. What do you think of your country's minorities?
    5. What do you know about the Ainu?
    6. How can we help indigenous people?
    7. What do you know about indigenous people around the world?
    8. How proud are you of your roots?
    9. How proud are you of your country's culture?
    10. What are the best things about Japanese culture?

    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 'indigenous'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What hardships do you think the Ainu faced?
    5. What do you think of forced assimilation?
    6. How important is it for a country to be vibrant and diverse?
    7. What will you hand down to the next generation?
    8. What is the most important thing in building a society?
    9. What are the next steps for the Ainu?
    10. What questions would you like to ask an Ainu person?

    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 Japanese government has introduced a (1) ____ to recognize the country's ethnic Ainu (2) ____ group as an "indigenous" people. It is the first time for Japan's government to do this. It comes after decades of (3) ____ and campaigning by Ainu people to be recognized. The Ainu are an indigenous people of Japan originating in Japan's northern island (4) ____ Hokkaido, north-eastern Honshu, and islands between Japan and Russia. Their official number today is around 25,000, but many observers estimate a more accurate (5) ____ to be around 200,000. Many Ainu have been completely assimilated into Japanese society and have no knowledge of their ancestry or historical (6) ____, traditions and culture.

    The Japan Today website wrote about the (7) ____ the Ainu have faced. It said: "The Ainu people...have long suffered the effects (8) ____ a policy of forced assimilation, and while discrimination has receded gradually, income and education gaps with the rest of Japan (9) ____." Japan's government spoke about the importance of passing the new legislation. It said: "It is important to protect the honor and dignity of the Ainu people and to (10) ____ those down to the next generation to realize a vibrant society with diverse values." Ainu spokesman Tadashi Kato said: "It feels like we woke up now from a (11) ____ deep sleep....It will lead to building a society where we cohabit together. We think this is the first (12) ____."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     bill     (b)     bell     (c)     ball     (d)     bail    
    2. (a)     minor     (b)     miner     (c)     minority     (d)     minaret    
    3. (a)     lobbing     (b)     loping     (c)     lobbying     (d)     lopping    
    4. (a)     as     (b)     to     (c)     at     (d)     of    
    5. (a)     figure     (b)     numeral     (c)     ratio     (d)     value    
    6. (a)     stems     (b)     roots     (c)     branches     (d)     leaves    
    7. (a)     hardline     (b)     hardware     (c)     hardly     (d)     hardships    
    8. (a)     as     (b)     of     (c)     at     (d)     to    
    9. (a)     pest     (b)     purist     (c)     persist     (d)     preset    
    10. (a)     face     (b)     step     (c)     head     (d)     hand    
    11. (a)     truant     (b)     truism     (c)     truth     (d)     truly    
    12. (a)     ladder     (b)     step     (c)     stair     (d)     escalator

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. the country's ethnic Ainu mntoiiry group
    2. after decades of lbnyigbo
    3. agrnongiiit in Japan's northern island
    4. a more acaeurtc figure
    5. completely aidleamssti
    6. knowledge of their tcasenyr

    Paragraph 2

    1. daihhsrsp the Ainu have faced
    2. srniitoidncami has receded gradually
    3. passing the new oelasnltigi
    4. the honor and dgntiyi of the Ainu
    5. realize a nibrtva society
    6. dieersv values

    Put the text back together

    (...)  spokesman Tadashi Kato said: "It feels like we woke up now from a truly deep sleep....It will lead to
    (...)  those down to the next generation to realize a vibrant society with diverse values." Ainu
    (...)  knowledge of their ancestry or historical roots, traditions and culture.
    (...)  and campaigning by Ainu people to be recognized. The Ainu are an indigenous people of Japan originating
    (...)  legislation. It said: "It is important to protect the honor and dignity of the Ainu people and to hand
    (...)  The Japan Today website wrote about the hardships the Ainu have faced. It said: "The Ainu people...have long suffered the
    (...)  figure to be around 200,000. Many Ainu have been completely assimilated into Japanese society and have no
    1  ) The Japanese government has introduced a bill to recognize the country's ethnic Ainu minority group as an "indigenous"
    (...)  gaps with the rest of Japan persist." Japan's government spoke about the importance of passing the new
    (...)  effects of a policy of forced assimilation, and while discrimination has receded gradually, income and education
    (...)  building a society where we cohabit together. We think this is the first step."
    (...)  in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, north-eastern Honshu, and islands between Japan and Russia. Their official
    (...)  number today is around 25,000, but many observers estimate a more accurate
    (...)  people. It is the first time for Japan's government to do this. It comes after decades of lobbying

    Put the words in the right order

    1. ethnic   recognize   country's   bill   the   A   Ainu   .   to
    2. government   .   It   first   time   is   for   Japan's   the
    3. recognized   .   Campaigning   Ainu   people   to   be   by
    4. more   figure   to   around   be   A   accurate   200,000   .
    5. have   society  .  Ainu   Japanese   completely   into   been   assimilated
    6. the   people   The   long   have   effects   .   suffered   Ainu
    7. of   the   with   gaps   Japan   Education   rest   persist   .
    8. importance   About   the   legislation   .   of   passing   the   new
    9. generation   .   down   next   the   Hand   those   to
    10. from   deep   We   truly   woke   up   a   sleep   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The Japanese government has introduced a bell / bill to recognize the country's ethnic / ethnicity Ainu minority group as an "indigenous" people. It is the first time for Japan's government to do / done this. It comes after decades of lobbying / lobbing and campaigning by Ainu people to be recognized / recognition. The Ainu are an indigenous people of Japan paginating / originating in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, north-eastern Honshu, and islands among / between Japan and Russia. Their official number today is around 25,000, but many observers / lookers estimate a more accurate figure / numeral to be around 200,000. Many Ainu have been completely assimilated into Japanese society and have no knowledge of their ancestry or historical stems / roots, traditions and culture.

    The Japan Today website wrote about the hardcopy / hardships the Ainu have faced. It said: "The Ainu people...have long suffered the affects / effects of a policy of forced maximization / assimilation, and while discrimination has receded gradual / gradually, income and education gaps with the rest / calm of Japan persist." Japan's government spoke about the importance of / at passing the new legislation. It said: "It is important to protect the honor / honest and dignity of the Ainu people and to hand those down to the next generation to realize a vibrant / vagrant society with diverse values." Ainu spokesman Tadashi Kato said: "It feels like we woke up now from a truth / truly deep sleep....It will lead to building a society where we cohabit together. We think this is the first step / stair."

    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)

    T h_ J_p_n_s_ g_v_r n m_n t h_s _n t r_d_c_d _ b_l l t_ r_c_g n_z_ t h_ c__ n t r y ' s _t h n_c A_n_ m_n_r_t y g r__ p _s _n "_n d_g_n__ s " p__ p l_. I t _s t h_ f_r s t t_m_ f_r J_p_n ' s g_v_r n m_n t t_ d_ t h_s . I t c_m_s _f t_r d_c_d_s _f l_b b y_n g _n d c_m p__ g n_n g b y A_n_ p__ p l_ t_ b_ r_c_g n_z_d . T h_ A_n_ _r_ _n _n d_g_n__ s p__ p l_ _f J_p_n _r_g_n_t_n g _n J_p_n ' s n_r t h_r n _s l_n d _f H_k k__ d_, n_r t h -__ s t_r n H_n s h_, _n d _s l_n d s b_t w__ n J_p_n _n d R_s s__ . T h__ r _f f_c__ l n_m b_r t_d_y _s _r__ n d 2 5 , 0 0 0 , b_t m_n y _b s_r v_r s _s t_m_t_ _ m_r_ _c c_r_t_ f_g_r_ t_ b_ _r__ n d 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 . M_n y A_n_ h_v_ b__ n c_m p l_t_l y _s s_m_l_t_d _n t_ J_p_n_s_ s_c__ t y _n d h_v_ n_ k n_w l_d g_ _f t h__ r _n c_s t r y _r h_s t_r_c_l r__ t s , t r_d_t__ n s _n d c_l t_r_.

    T h_ J_p_n T_d_y w_b s_t_ w r_t_ _b__ t t h_ h_r d s h_p s t h_ A_n_ h_v_ f_c_d . I t s__ d : " T h_ A_n_ p__ p l_. . . h_v_ l_n g s_f f_r_d t h_ _f f_c t s _f _ p_l_c y _f f_r c_d _s s_m_l_t__ n , _n d w h_l_ d_s c r_m_n_t__ n h_s r_c_d_d g r_d__ l l y , _n c_m_ _n d _d_c_t__ n g_p s w_t h t h_ r_s t _f J_p_n p_r s_s t . " J_p_n ' s g_v_r n m_n t s p_k_ _b__ t t h_ _m p_r t_n c_ _f p_s s_n g t h_ n_w l_g_s l_t__ n . I t s__ d : " I t _s _m p_r t_n t t_ p r_t_c t t h_ h_n_r _n d d_g n_t y _f t h_ A_n_ p__ p l_ _n d t_ h_n d t h_s_ d_w n t_ t h_ n_x t g_n_r_t__ n t_ r__ l_z_ _ v_b r_n t s_c__ t y w_t h d_v_r s_ v_l__ s . " A_n_ s p_k_s m_n T_d_s h_ K_t_ s__ d : " I t f__ l s l_k_ w_ w_k_ _p n_w f r_m _ t r_l y d__ p s l__ p . . . . I t w_l l l__ d t_ b__ l d_n g _ s_c__ t y w h_r_ w_ c_h_b_t t_g_t h_r . W_ t h_n k t h_s _s t h_ f_r s t s t_p . "

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the japanese government has introduced a bill to recognize the countrys ethnic ainu minority group as an indigenous people it is the first time for japans government to do this it comes after decades of lobbying and campaigning by ainu people to be recognized the ainu are an indigenous people of japan originating in japans northern island of hokkaido northeastern honshu and islands between japan and russia their official number today is around 25000 but many observers estimate a more accurate figure to be around 200000 many ainu have been completely assimilated into japanese society and have no knowledge of their ancestry or historical roots traditions and culture

    the japan today website wrote about the hardships the ainu have faced it said the ainu people have long suffered the effects of a policy of forced assimilation and while discrimination has receded gradually income and education gaps with the rest of japan persist japans government spoke about the importance of passing the new legislation it said it is important to protect the honor and dignity of the ainu people and to hand those down to the next generation to realize a vibrant society with diverse values ainu spokesman tadashi kato said it feels like we woke up now from a truly deep sleep it will lead to building a society where we cohabit together we think this is the first step"

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    TheJapanesegovernmenthasintroducedabilltorecognizethecountry'
    sethnicAinuminoritygroupasan"indigenous"people.Itisthefirsttimef
    orJapan'sgovernmenttodothis.Itcomesafterdecadesoflobbyingandc
    ampaigningbyAinupeopletoberecognized.TheAinuareanindigenous
    peopleofJapanoriginatinginJapan'snorthernislandofHokkaido,north
    -easternHonshu,andislandsbetweenJapanandRussia.Theirofficialn
    umbertodayisaround25,000,butmanyobserversestimateamoreacc
    uratefiguretobearound200,000.ManyAinuhavebeencompletelyassi
    milatedintoJapanesesocietyandhavenoknowledgeoftheirancestryor
    historicalroots,traditionsandculture.TheJapanTodaywebsitewrotea
    boutthehardshipstheAinuhavefaced.Itsaid:"TheAinupeople...havel
    ongsufferedtheeffectsofapolicyofforcedassimilation,andwhilediscri
    minationhasrecededgradually,incomeandeducationgapswiththeres
    tofJapanpersist."Japan'sgovernmentspokeabouttheimportanceofp
    assingthenewlegislation.Itsaid:"Itisimportanttoprotectthehonoran
    ddignityoftheAinupeopleandtohandthosedowntothenextgeneration
    torealizeavibrantsocietywithdiversevalues."AinuspokesmanTadash
    iKatosaid:"Itfeelslikewewokeupnowfromatrulydeepsleep....Itwillle
    adtobuildingasocietywherewecohabittogether.Wethinkthisisthefirst
    step."

    Free writing

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

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

     

    Academic writing

    All indigenous people should get more rights and land. 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 this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. AINU: Make a poster about the Ainu. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. INDIGENOUS PEOPLE: Write a magazine article about indigenous people getting their land back. 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 indigenous people. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to help indigenous people more. 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.)

    Help Support This Web Site

    • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

    Sean Banville's Book

    Thank You