The Reading / Listening - Giving Birth - Level 3

Is there an age at which it is too old to have a baby? A 73-year-old woman in India has given birth to twins. The woman said that becoming a mother for the first time was "the happiest time" of her life. The mother needed a caesarean section operation to deliver the twins. The mother and her two twin girls are all in good health and the mother is recovering well after the surgery. The woman thought she would never be able to have children. She and her husband first tried to have a child fifty years ago. All their attempts were unsuccessful. The woman thought she would be childless forever after her menopause started 25 years ago. She said not having children caused her pain as people called her "the childless lady".

The woman was able to give birth because of the method of IVF. A healthy egg was taken from a younger woman and was fertilized with her husband's sperm. The woman then carried the fertilized egg and she became pregnant. She said that when she found out she was having twins, she could not describe her happiness. She said: "This is the happiest time of my life." The new mother's doctors are also happy with their patient. One doctor said: "During the IVF treatment, we had three groups of doctors. One took care of her general health, one took care of her nutritional status and one took care of her pregnancy." The doctor said she was always in very good hands.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Giving Birth - Level 0 Giving Birth - Level 1   or  Giving Birth - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/06/indian-woman-73-gives-birth-twin-girls-mangayamma-yaramati-andhra-pradesh
  • http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/71028629.cms
  • https://timesofoman.com/article/1885357/World/India/73-year-old-Indian-gives-birth-to-healthy-twins-girls


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. GIVING BIRTH: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about giving birth. 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?
       age / giving birth / baby / twins / operation / husband / unsuccessful / forever / pain /
       method / IVF / pregnant / egg / happiness / treatment / doctor / health / in good hands
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. AGE LIMIT: Students A strongly believe there should be an age limit on parents; Students B strongly believe otherwise.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. AGE 73: What can and can't a 73-year-old do? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Things They Can Do

Things They Can't Do

Parenthood

 

 

Teacher

 

 

President

 

 

Soldier

 

 

Car driver

 

 

Surgeon

 

 

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. TWINS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "twins". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. HAPPIEST TIMES: Rank these with your partner. Put the happiest times of your life at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • 100th birthday
  • Buying a house
  • Retirement day
  • Family reunion
  • Birth of a child
  • Wedding day
  • Graduation day
  • Passing driving license

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. twins a. An operation for delivering a child by cutting through the wall of the mother's stomach.
      2. caesarean b. Returning to a normal state of health, mind, or strength.
      3. deliver c. Two children born at the same time to the same mother.
      4. recovering d. Try.
      5. surgery e. Helping the body to recover by cutting into it and fixing things.
      6. attempt f. The time in a woman's life (usually between 45 and 50 years of age) when she can no longer produce eggs and become pregnant naturally.
      7. menopause g. Give birth to.

    Paragraph 2

      8. method h. Protected by good people from harm or damage.
      9. fertilized i. Talk about something in detail.
      10. pregnant j. A person receiving or registered to receive medical treatment.
      11. describe k. A particular way of doing something, especially a systematic or established one.
      12. patient l. Caused (an egg, female animal, or plant) to start developing a new baby or plant.
      13. status m. The relative social, professional, or other standing of someone or something.
      14. in good hands n. A woman or female animal having a child or young developing inside her.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. It is the third time the woman has had children.     T / F
  2. The woman gave birth without needing surgery.     T / F
  3. The woman always knew she would have a child one day.     T / F
  4. The woman was hurt by being called a childless lady.     T / F
  5. The woman had a treatment called IFV.     T / F
  6. The woman's doctors are happy with her.     T / F
  7. The woman had three different groups of doctors.     T / F
  8. A doctor said the woman was in very good hands.     T / F

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

  1. operation
  2. recovering
  3. attempts
  4. forever
  5. pain
  6. method
  7. describe
  8. during
  9. took care of
  10. status
  1. condition
  2. for all time
  3. procedure
  4. looked after
  5. getting better
  6. throughout
  7. suffering
  8. tell of
  9. tries
  10. surgery

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

  1. The mother needed a caesarean section
  2. the mother is recovering
  3. All their attempts were
  4. The woman thought she would be
  5. She said not having children
  6. The woman was able to give birth because
  7. the fertilized
  8. she could not describe
  9. one took
  10. The doctor said she was always
  1. unsuccessful
  2. childless forever
  3. care of her pregnancy
  4. of the method of IVF
  5. her happiness
  6. well
  7. in very good hands
  8. operation
  9. caused her pain
  10. egg

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
time
ago
recovering
childless
age
attempts
deliver
first

Is there an (1) ____________ at which it is too old to have a baby? A 73-year-old woman in India has given birth to twins. The woman said that becoming a mother for the first time was "the happiest (2) ____________" of her life. The mother needed a caesarean section operation to (3) ____________ the twins. The mother and her two twin girls are all in good health and the mother is (4) ____________ well after the surgery. The woman thought she would never be able to have children. She and her husband (5) ____________ tried to have a child fifty years ago. All their (6) ____________ were unsuccessful. The woman thought she would be childless forever after her menopause started 25 years (7) ____________. She said not having children caused her pain as people called her "the (8) ____________ lady".

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
pregnant
happiest
hands
carried
health
happiness
method
patient

The woman was able to give birth because of the (9) ____________ of IVF. A healthy egg was taken from a younger woman and was fertilized with her husband's sperm. The woman then (10) ____________ the fertilized egg and she became (11) ____________. She said that when she found out she was having twins, she could not describe her (12) ____________. She said: "This is the (13) ____________ time of my life." The new mother's doctors are also happy with their (14) ____________. One doctor said: "During the IVF treatment, we had three groups of doctors. One took care of her general (15) ____________, one took care of her nutritional status and one took care of her pregnancy." The doctor said she was always in very good (16) ____________.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  becoming a mother for the first time was "the happiest time" ______
     a.  off her life
     b.  of their life
     c.  of her life
     d.  of her live
2)  The mother and her two twin girls are all in good health and the mother ______
     a.  is recover in well
     b.  is recovering good
     c.  is re-cover in well
     d.  is recovering well
3)  tried to have a child fifty years ago. All their ______ unsuccessful
     a.  attempts were
     b.  attempts was
     c.  attempt were
     d.  attempt was
4)  The woman thought she would be ______
     a.  childless four ever
     b.  childless fore ever
     c.  childless for ever
     d.  childless forever
5)  She said not having children ______
     a.  cause her pain
     b.  caused her pain
     c.  caused the pain
     d.  caused their pain

6)  The woman was able to give birth because of the ______
     a.  method of IVF
     b.  method of IFV
     c.  method of IBF
     d.  method of IFB
7)  The woman then carried the fertilized egg and she ______
     a.  became pregnancy
     b.  became pregnancies
     c.  became pregnant
     d.  becomes pregnant
8)  The new mother's doctors are also happy ______
     a.  with their patience
     b.  with their patient
     c.  with their patients
     d.  with their patiently
9)  One took care of her general health, one took care of her ______
     a.  nutritional stay truss
     b.  nutritional straight us
     c.  nutritional state us
     d.  nutritional status
10)  The doctor said she was always in ______
     a.  very good hand
     b.  very good hands
     c.  very good handy
     d.  very good handed

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Is there (1) ___________________ which it is too old to have a baby? A 73-year-old woman in India has given (2) ___________________. The woman said that becoming a mother for the first time was "the happiest time" of her life. The mother needed a caesarean section (3) ___________________ the twins. The mother and her two twin girls are all in good health and the mother is recovering well (4) ___________________. The woman thought she would never be able to have children. She and her husband first tried to have a child fifty years ago. All their attempts were unsuccessful. The woman thought she would (5) ___________________ after her menopause started 25 years ago. She said not having children (6) ___________________ as people called her "the childless lady".

The woman was able to give birth because of (7) ___________________ IVF. A healthy egg was taken from a younger woman and was fertilized with her husband's sperm. The woman then carried (8) ___________________ and she became pregnant. She said that when she found out she was having twins, she could not (9) ___________________. She said: "This is the happiest time of my life." The new mother's doctors are also happy (10) ___________________. One doctor said: "During the IVF treatment, we had three groups of doctors. One took care of (11) ___________________, one took care of her nutritional status and one took care of her pregnancy." The doctor said she was always in (12) ___________________.

Comprehension questions

  1. What was the happiest moment of the woman's life?
  2. What kind of operation did the woman need?
  3. What kind of health are the twin girls in?
  4. When did the woman first try to have children?
  5. What painful name did people call the woman in the story?
  6. What method helped the woman have a baby?
  7. Where did the woman get the egg that started her pregnancy?
  8. What was the woman unable to describe?
  9. How many groups of doctors looked after the woman?
  10. What did the doctor say the woman was in?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What was the happiest moment of the woman's life?
a) going to New York
b) getting married
c) buying a house
d) giving birth
2) What kind of operation did the woman need?
a) stitches
b) a caesarean
c) a heart replacement
d) cataracts
3) What kind of health are the twin girls in?
a) in improving health
b) in fair health
c) in excellent health
d) in good health
4) When did the woman first try to have children?
a) 40 years ago
b) 45 years ago
c) 50 years ago
d) 55 years ago
5) What painful name did people call the woman in the story?
a) the silly lady
b) the old lady
c) grandma
d) the childless lady

6) What method helped the woman have a baby?
a) IFV
b) FIV
c) IVF
d) VIF
7) Where did the woman get the egg that started her pregnancy?
a) from a younger woman
b) her younger sister
c) her niece
d) a neighbour
8) What was the woman unable to describe?
a) the pain
b) childbirth
c) her happiness
d) the hospital room
9) How many groups of doctors looked after the woman?
a) four
b) three
c) two
d) five
10) What did the doctor say the woman was in?
a) in good hands
b) a hospital
c) a sedated state
d) a special bed

Role play

Role  A – Birth of a Child
You think the birth of a child is the happiest time. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their times. Also, tell the others which is the least happy of these (and why): your wedding day, your graduation day or your 100th birthday.

Role  B – Wedding Day
You think your wedding day is the happiest time. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their times. Also, tell the others which is the least happy of these (and why): the birth of a child, your graduation day or your 100th birthday.

Role  C – Graduation Day
You think your graduation day is the happiest time. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their times. Also, tell the others which is the least happy of these (and why): your wedding day, the birth of a child or your 100th birthday.

Role  D – 100th Birthday
You think your 100th birthday is the happiest time. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their times. Also, tell the others which is the least happy of these (and why): your wedding day, your graduation day or the birth of a child.

After reading / listening

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

'twin'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'baby'.

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

    • method
    • carried
    • found
    • during
    • status
    • hands
    • age
    • needed
    • health
    • able
    • 25
    • pain

    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 - 73-year-old woman gives birth to twins

    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 'baby'?
    3. Is 73 too old to have a baby?
    4. What do you know about caesarean section operations?
    5. How dangerous is childbirth?
    6. How many children would you like?
    7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of giving birth at 73?
    8. How important is it to have children?
    9. Should people have fewer children to help the planet?
    10. What advice do you have for the mother?

    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 'twins'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Should there be an age limit for people becoming parents?
    5. What is the best age to have a baby?
    6. Would you like to have twins?
    7. Which is better - having twins or triplets?
    8. What do you know about IVF?
    9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having twins?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the mother?

    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)

    Is there an (1) ____ at which it is too old to have a baby? A 73-year-old woman in India has (2) ____ birth to twins. The woman said that becoming a mother for the first time was "the happiest time" of her life. The mother needed a caesarean section operation to (3) ____ the twins. The mother and her two twin girls are all in good health and the mother is recovering (4) ____ after the surgery. The woman thought she would never be able to have children. She and her husband first tried to have a child fifty years ago. All their attempts were unsuccessful. The woman thought she would be (5) ____ forever after her menopause started 25 years ago. She said not having children caused her (6) ____ as people called her "the childless lady".

    The woman was able to give birth because of the method of IVF. A healthy egg was (7) ____ from a younger woman and was fertilized with her husband's sperm. The woman then carried the fertilized egg and she became (8) ____. She said that when she found out she was having twins, she could not describe her (9) ____. She said: "This is the happiest time of my life." The new mother's doctors are also happy with their (10) ____. One doctor said: "During the IVF treatment, we had three groups of doctors. One took care of her (11) ____ health, one took care of her nutritional status and one took care of her pregnancy." The doctor said she was always in very good (12) ____.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     old     (b)     age     (c)     birth     (d)     aging    
    2. (a)     gives     (b)     given     (c)     give     (d)     gave    
    3. (a)     carry     (b)     bring     (c)     give     (d)     deliver    
    4. (a)     nice     (b)     well     (c)     good     (d)     healthy    
    5. (a)     childlike     (b)     childless     (c)     childish     (d)     children    
    6. (a)     fever     (b)     numb     (c)     pain     (d)     sore    
    7. (a)     takes     (b)     taking     (c)     taken     (d)     took    
    8. (a)     pregnancy     (b)     charged     (c)     pregnant     (d)     carrying    
    9. (a)     happily     (b)     happiest     (c)     happy     (d)     happiness    
    10. (a)     patient     (b)     patiently     (c)     patience     (d)     patients    
    11. (a)     general     (b)     generous     (c)     gene     (d)     generic    
    12. (a)     arms     (b)     feet     (c)     hands     (d)     brains

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. a caesarean section opirntoea
    2. dlveeri the twins
    3. recovering well after the uegsrry
    4. She and her auhbdns
    5. All their maetptts were unsuccessful
    6. the cihsedsll lady

    Paragraph 2

    1. the oehdtm of IVF
    2. carried the eiritfldze egg
    3. she became nnaegprt
    4. she could not dbceiers her happiness
    5. During the IVF nmeertatt
    6. took care of her nutritional utasst

    Put the text back together

    (...)  care of her general health, one took care of her nutritional status and one took
    (...)  menopause started 25 years ago. She said not having children caused her pain as people called her "the childless lady".
    (...)  care of her pregnancy." The doctor said she was always in very good hands.
    (...)  fifty years ago. All their attempts were unsuccessful. The woman thought she would be childless forever after her
    1  ) Is there an age at which it is too old to have a baby? A 73-year-old woman in India has
    (...)  twin girls are all in good health and the mother is recovering well after the surgery. The woman thought she would
    (...)  given birth to twins. The woman said that becoming a mother for the first time was "the happiest
    (...)  egg and she became pregnant. She said that when she found out she was having twins, she could not describe her
    (...)  woman and was fertilized with her husband's sperm. The woman then carried the fertilized
    (...)  The woman was able to give birth because of the method of IVF. A healthy egg was taken from a younger
    (...)  doctor said: "During the IVF treatment, we had three groups of doctors. One took
    (...)  time" of her life. The mother needed a caesarean section operation to deliver the twins. The mother and her two
    (...)  never be able to have children. She and her husband first tried to have a child
    (...)  happiness. She said: "This is the happiest time of my life." The new mother's doctors are also happy with their patient. One

    Put the words in the right order

    1. the   for   a   first   time   .   mother   Becoming
    2. needed   operation   .   The   mother   section   a   caesarean
    3. after   well   The   recovering   surgery   .   mother   the   is
    4. woman   The   be   would   childless   forever   .   she   thought
    5. said   pain   .   caused   her   having   She   not   children
    6. from   a   younger   taken   eggs   Healthy   were   woman
    7. was   When   out   she   twins   .   she   found   having
    8. also   The   mother's   doctors   new   are   happy   .
    9. of   took   One   her   care   health   .   general
    10. good   She   was   always   very   hands   .   in

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Is there an age at which it is too age / old to have a baby? A 73-year-old woman in India has given birth to twins. The woman said that become / becoming a mother for the first time was "the happiest time" of her live / life. The mother needed a caesarean section operation to delivery / deliver the twins. The mother and her two twin girls are all in well / good health and the mother is recovering well after the surgery / sugary. The woman thought she would never be able / ability to have children. She and her husband first tried to have a child fifty years ago. All their attempt / attempts were unsuccessful. The woman thought she would be childless / childlike forever after her menopause started 25 years ago. She said not having children caused her pain / sore as people called her "the childless lady".

    The woman was able to give born / birth because of the method of IVF. A healthy egg was took / taken from a younger woman and was fertilized with her husband's sperm / spam. The woman then carried the fertilized egg and she became pregnancy / pregnant. She said that when she found out she was having twins, she could not describe she / her happiness. She said: "This is the happiest time of my life." The new mother's doctors are also happy with their patience / patient. One doctor said: "During the IVF treatment, we had there / three groups of doctors. One took care / careful of her general health, one took care of her nutritional statues / status and one took care of her pregnancy." The doctor said she was always in very good feet / hands.

    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)

    I s t h_r_ _n _g_ _t w h_c h _t _s t__ _l d t_ h_v_ _ b_b y ? A 7 3 - y__ r -_l d w_m_n _n I n d__ h_s g_v_n b_r t h t_ t w_n s . T h_ w_m_n s__ d t h_t b_c_m_n g _ m_t h_r f_r t h_ f_r s t t_m_ w_s " t h_ h_p p__ s t t_m_" _f h_r l_f_. T h_ m_t h_r n__ d_d _ c__ s_r__ n s_c t__ n _p_r_t__ n t_ d_l_v_r t h_ t w_n s . T h_ m_t h_r _n d h_r t w_ t w_n g_r l s _r_ _l l _n g__ d h__ l t h _n d t h_ m_t h_r _s r_c_v_r_n g w_l l _f t_r t h_ s_r g_r y . T h_ w_m_n t h__ g h t s h_ w__ l d n_v_r b_ _b l_ t_ h_v_ c h_l d r_n . S h_ _n d h_r h_s b_n d f_r s t t r__ d t_ h_v_ _ c h_l d f_f t y y__ r s _g_. A l l t h__ r _t t_m p t s w_r_ _n s_c c_s s f_l . T h_ w_m_n t h__ g h t s h_ w__ l d b_ c h_l d l_s s f_r_v_r _f t_r h_r m_n_p__ s_ s t_r t_d 2 5 y__ r s _g_. S h_ s__ d n_t h_v_n g c h_l d r_n c__ s_d h_r p__ n _s p__ p l_ c_l l_d h_r " t h_ c h_l d l_s s l_d y " .

    T h_ w_m_n w_s _b l_ t_ g_v_ b_r t h b_c__ s_ _f t h_ m_t h_d _f I V F . A h__ l t h y _g g w_s t_k_n f r_m _ y__ n g_r w_m_n _n d w_s f_r t_l_z_d w_t h h_r h_s b_n d ' s s p_r m . T h_ w_m_n t h_n c_r r__ d t h_ f_r t_l_z_d _g g _n d s h_ b_c_m_ p r_g n_n t . S h_ s__ d t h_t w h_n s h_ f__ n d __ t s h_ w_s h_v_n g t w_n s , s h_ c__ l d n_t d_s c r_b_ h_r h_p p_n_s s . S h_ s__ d : " T h_s _s t h_ h_p p__ s t t_m_ _f m y l_f_. " T h_ n_w m_t h_r ' s d_c t_r s _r_ _l s_ h_p p y w_t h t h__ r p_t__ n t . O n_ d_c t_r s__ d : " D_r_n g t h_ I V F t r__ t m_n t , w_ h_d t h r__ g r__ p s _f d_c t_r s . O n_ t__ k c_r_ _f h_r g_n_r_l h__ l t h , _n_ t__ k c_r_ _f h_r n_t r_t__ n_l s t_t_s _n d _n_ t__ k c_r_ _f h_r p r_g n_n c y . " T h_ d_c t_r s__ d s h_ w_s _l w_y s _n v_r y g__ d h_n d s .

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    is there an age at which it is too old to have a baby a 73yearold woman in india has given birth to twins the woman said that becoming a mother for the first time was the happiest time of her life the mother needed a caesarean section operation to deliver the twins the mother and her two twin girls are all in good health and the mother is recovering well after the surgery the woman thought she would never be able to have children she and her husband first tried to have a child fifty years ago all their attempts were unsuccessful the woman thought she would be childless forever after her menopause started 25 years ago she said not having children caused her pain as people called her the childless lady

    the woman was able to give birth because of the method of ivf a healthy egg was taken from a younger woman and was fertilized with her husbands sperm the woman then carried the fertilized egg and she became pregnant she said that when she found out she was having twins she could not describe her happiness she said this is the happiest time of my life the new mothers doctors are also happy with their patient one doctor said during the ivf treatment we had three groups of doctors one took care of her general health one took care of her nutritional status and one took care of her pregnancy the doctor said she was always in very good hands.

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Isthereanageatwhichitistoooldtohaveababy?A73-year-oldwomani
    nIndiahasgivenbirthtotwins.Thewomansaidthatbecomingamotherf
    orthefirsttimewas"thehappiesttime"ofherlife.Themotherneededaca
    esareansectionoperationtodeliverthetwins.Themotherandhertwotw
    ingirlsareallingoodhealthandthemotherisrecoveringwellafterthesur
    gery.Thewomanthoughtshewouldneverbeabletohavechildren.Shea
    ndherhusbandfirsttriedtohaveachildfiftyyearsago.Alltheirattempts
    wereunsuccessful.Thewomanthoughtshewouldbechildlessforeveraf
    terhermenopausestarted25yearsago.Shesaidnothavingchildrencau
    sedherpainaspeoplecalledher"thechildlesslady".Thewomanwasable
    togivebirthbecauseofthemethodofIVF.Ahealthyeggwastakenfroma
    youngerwomanandwasfertilizedwithherhusband'ssperm.Thewoma
    nthencarriedthefertilizedeggandshebecamepregnant.Shesaidthatw
    henshefoundoutshewashavingtwins,shecouldnotdescribeherhappin
    ess.Shesaid:"Thisisthehappiesttimeofmylife."Thenewmother'sdoct
    orsarealsohappywiththeirpatient.Onedoctorsaid:"DuringtheIVFtrea
    tment,wehadthreegroupsofdoctors.Onetookcareofhergeneralhealt
    h,onetookcareofhernutritionalstatusandonetotookcareofherpregna
    ncy."Thedoctorsaidshewasalwaysinverygoodhands.

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    There should be an age limit for people to have children. 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. GIVING BIRTH: Make a poster about giving birth. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. AGE LIMIT: Write a magazine article about an age limit for people to become parents. 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. GIVING BIRTH: Write a letter to an expert on giving birth. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your opinions on the ages at which people can become parents. 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

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    Answers

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

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