The Reading / Listening - Birth Certificates - Level 1

There is a victory for women's rights in Afghanistan. The names of mothers can be put on children's birth certificates. For hundreds of years, only the father's name was allowed. Afghanistan has said a new law means the mother's name can be put on certificates. Campaigners started a social media campaign in 2017 to fight for this. In Afghanistan, a woman's name is often not included on wedding invitations.

Afghanistan called the law, "a big step forward for women's rights". A campaigner said: "By printing her name, we give the mother power...to be a mother who can, without the presence of a man...enroll her children in school and travel." Another campaigner said: "My...happiness may seem ridiculous for women in other countries, but when we live in a society where women are...excluded, achieving such basic rights is a big...task."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Birth Certificates - Level 0 Birth Certificates - Level 2   or  Birth Certificates - Level 3

Sources
  • https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/mothers-in-afghanistan-can-now-have-their-names-included-on-their-childrens-birth-certificates/
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-18/afghan-government-passes-law-mother-name-birth-certificate/12634162
  • https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/afghan-president-approves-inclusion-of-mother-s-name-on-id-cards/30845572.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. There is a victory for
  2. put on children's
  3. For hundreds
  4. only the father's name
  5. started a social media
  6. fight
  7. a woman's name is often
  8. wedding
  1. for this
  2. was allowed
  3. invitations
  4. women's rights
  5. not included
  6. of years
  7. campaign
  8. birth certificates

Paragraph 2

  1. a big step
  2. without the presence
  3. enroll her children
  4. women in other
  5. when we live in
  6. women are
  7. basic
  8. a big
  1. in school
  2. rights
  3. a society
  4. task
  5. countries
  6. forward
  7. of a man
  8. excluded

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

There is (1) ___________________ women's rights in Afghanistan. The names of mothers can (2) __________________ children's birth certificates. For (3) ___________________, only the father's name was allowed. Afghanistan has said a (4) ___________________ the mother's name can be put on certificates. Campaigners (5) ___________________ media campaign in 2017 to fight for this. In Afghanistan, a woman's name is often not included (6) ___________________.

Afghanistan called the law, "a (7) ___________________ for women's rights". A campaigner said: "By (8) ___________________, we give the mother power...to be a mother who can, without (9) ___________________ a man...enroll her children in school and travel." Another campaigner said: "My...happiness may (10) ___________________ women in other countries, but when we live (11) ___________________ where women are...excluded, achieving (12) ___________________ is a big...task."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thereisavictoryforwomen'srightsinAfghanistan.Thenamesofmother
scanbeputonchildren'sbirthcertificates.Forhundredsofyears,onlythe
father'snamewasallowed.Afghanistanhassaidanewlawmeansthemo
ther'snamecanbeputoncertificates.Campaignersstartedasocialmedi
acampaignin2017tofightforthis.InAfghanistan,awoman'snameisoft
ennotincludedonweddinginvitations.Afghanistancalledthelaw,"abig
stepforwardforwomen'srights".Acampaignersaid:"Byprintingherna
me,wegivethemotherpower...tobeamotherwhocan,withoutthepres
enceofaman...enrollherchildreninschoolandtravel."Anothercampai
gnersaid:"My...happinessmayseemridiculousforwomeninothercoun
tries,butwhenweliveinasocietywherewomenare...excluded,achievin
gsuchbasicrightsisabig...task."

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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