The Reading / Listening - Myanmar Coup - Level 6

The Tatmadaw, the military junta that overthrew Myanmar's government on February the 1st, has blocked access to Facebook. The Ministry of Communications issued a statement saying Facebook would be halted in order to maintain "stability". The social media giant is used by a majority of the population and the Tatmadaw sees it as a threat to its rule. In the days after the coup, a civil disobedience page that emerged on Facebook attracted over 200,000 followers. Human Rights Watch Asia said: "The Tatmadaw sees Facebook as its Internet nemesis because it's the dominant communication channel in the country and has been hostile to the military." A Twitter user said it was, "a ban on the Internet".

The Tatmadaw seized power from Myanmar's democratically elected civilian government. It immediately declared a yearlong state of emergency. The coup took place after days of tension between the military and the government. The Tatmadaw refused to accept the results of November's national election, alleging massive voter fraud. It has arrested former Minister of Foreign Affairs Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now being held in detention at an undisclosed location. Authorities filed charges against her for allegedly illegally importing six unregistered walkie-talkie radios. The military also arrested former president Win Myint. He is being charged with violating coronavirus containment measures during the election.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Myanmar Coup - Level 4  or  Myanmar Coup - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-politics-facebook-focus/facebook-faces-a-reckoning-in-myanmar-after-blocked-by-military-idUSKBN2A42RY
  • https://techcrunch.com/2021/02/03/myanmar-orders-telecom-networks-to-temporarily-block-facebook/
  • https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/myanmar-military-blocks-access-facebook-resistance-coup-grows


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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. MYANMAR'S COUP: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Myanmar's coup. 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?
       military / junta / communications / statement / stability / social media / ban / Internet
       power / government / emergency / election / fraud / location / walkie-talkies / radios
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. U.N.: Students A strongly believe the United Nations should reinstate the democratically-elected government in Myanmar; Students B strongly believe it shouldn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE: What are the pros and cons of these forms of civil disobedience? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Pros

Cons

Facebook campaigns

 

 

Street protests

 

 

Online petitions

 

 

Marches

 

 

Boycotts

 

 

Labor strikes

 

 
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. MILITARY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "military". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. SOCIAL STABILITY: Rank these with your partner. Put the most important for social stability at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Free Internet
  • Wealth
  • Equal opportunities
  • Family
  • Democracy
  • Religion
  • Strong courts
  • Strong military

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. junta a. Unfriendly.
      2. overthrew b. Brought to a sudden stop.
      3. halted c. Failure or refusal to obey rules or someone in authority.
      4. threat d. A military or political group that rules a country after taking power by force.
      5. disobedience e. A long-standing rival; an enemy.
      6. nemesis f. Removed forcibly from power.
      7. hostile g. A person or thing likely to cause damage or danger.

    Paragraph 2

      8. civilian h. Wrongful or criminal acts intended to result in financial or personal gain.
      9. declared i. The action of detaining someone or the state of being detained in official custody, especially as a political prisoner.
      10. alleging j. The action of keeping something harmful under control or within limits.
      11. fraud k. Openly or formally announced.
      12. detention l. Breaking or failing to comply with a rule or formal agreement.
      13. violating m. Claiming or asserting that someone has done something illegal or wrong, usually without proof that this is true.
      14. containment n. Of or relating to a person not belonging to the armed services or police.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. A coup took place in Myanmar at the end of January.     T / F
  2. The Ministry of Communications wants to maintain stability.     T / F
  3. Less than half of people in Myanmar use Facebook.     T / F
  4. A human rights group said Facebook was a nemesis to Myanmar's junta. T / F
  5. The junta has instilled a month-long state of emergency.     T / F
  6. The junta refused to accept the results of a national election.     T / F
  7. Aung San Suu Kyi is being held at the Junta's headquarters.     T / F
  8. The former president is accused of violating coronavirus measures.     T / F

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

  1. overthrew
  2. halted
  3. threat
  4. emerged
  5. hostile
  6. civilian
  7. tension
  8. fraud
  9. allegedly
  10. violating
  1. non-military
  2. appeared
  3. breaching
  4. stopped
  5. chicanery
  6. unfriendly
  7. reportedly
  8. toppled
  9. friction
  10. danger

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

  1. the military junta that overthrew
  2. halted in order to
  3. used by a majority
  4. civil
  5. it's the dominant communication
  6. Myanmar's democratically elected
  7. The coup took place after days
  8. refused to accept
  9. held in detention at
  10. violating coronavirus containment
  1. civilian government
  2. of the population
  3. the results
  4. channel
  5. measures
  6. Myanmar's government
  7. an undisclosed location
  8. maintain "stability"
  9. of tension
  10. disobedience

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
halted
ban
emerged
blocked
dominant
junta
nemesis
threat

The Tatmadaw, the military (1) _____________________ that overthrew Myanmar's government on February the 1st, has (2) _____________________ access to Facebook. The Ministry of Communications issued a statement saying Facebook would be (3) _____________________ in order to maintain "stability". The social media giant is used by a majority of the population and the Tatmadaw sees it as a (4) _____________________ to its rule. In the days after the coup, a civil disobedience page that (5) _____________________ on Facebook attracted over 200,000 followers. Human Rights Watch Asia said: "The Tatmadaw sees Facebook as its Internet (6) _____________________ because it's the (7) _____________________ communication channel in the country and has been hostile to the military." A Twitter user said it was, "a (8) _____________________ on the Internet".

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
tension
fraud
declared
measures
results
illegally
seized
detention

The Tatmadaw (9) _____________________ power from Myanmar's democratically elected civilian government. It immediately (10) _____________________ a yearlong state of emergency. The coup took place after days of (11) _____________________ between the military and the government. The Tatmadaw refused to accept the (12) _____________________ of November's national election, alleging massive voter (13) _____________________. It has arrested former Minister of Foreign Affairs Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now being held in (14) _____________________ at an undisclosed location. Authorities filed charges against her for allegedly (15) _____________________ importing six unregistered walkie-talkie radios. The military also arrested former president Win Myint. He is being charged with violating coronavirus containment (16) _____________________ during the election.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  issued a statement saying Facebook would be halted in order ______
     a.  to maintains stability
     b.  to maintenance stability
     c.  to maintain stability
     d.  to main train stability
2)  used by a majority of the population and the Tatmadaw sees it as a threat ______
     a.  two its rule
     b.  too its rule
     c.  to its rule
     d.  to that's rule
3)  a civil disobedience page that emerged on Facebook attracted ______
     a.  over 2,000,000 followers
     b.  over 20,000 followers
     c.  over 200,000,000 followers
     d.  over 200,000 followers
4)  Human Rights Watch Asia said: "The Tatmadaw sees Facebook as ______"
     a.  its Internet names is
     b.  its Internet name ease
     c.  its Internet nemesis
     d.  its Internet meme assist
5)  the dominant communication channel in the country and has been hostile ______
     a.  to the militarily
     b.  to the militia tree
     c.  to the military
     d.  to the mill a tree

6)  The Tatmadaw seized power from Myanmar's democratically ______
     a.  elected civilian governmental
     b.  elected civilization government
     c.  elected civilian government
     d.  elected civil and government
7)  It immediately declared a yearlong ______
     a.  states of emergency
     b.  state of emergency
     c.  stated of emergency
     d.  straight of emergency
8) accept the results of November's national election, alleging ______
     a.  massively voter fraud
     b.  massive votes afraid
     c.  massive voter fraud
     d.  massive voter fraudulent
9)  former Minister of Foreign Affairs Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now being ______
     a.  hold in detention
     b.  held in detention
     c.  heeled in detention
     d.  heeled in detention
10)  He is being charged with violating coronavirus ______
     a.  contentment measures
     b.  containment measures
     c.  contain mint measures
     d.  contain meant measures

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The Tatmadaw, the military (1) ____________________ Myanmar's government on February the 1st, has (2) ____________________ Facebook. The Ministry of Communications issued a statement saying Facebook would be halted in order to maintain "stability". The social media giant is used by a (3) ____________________ population and the Tatmadaw sees it as a threat to its rule. In the days after the coup, a civil disobedience page (4) ____________________ Facebook attracted over 200,000 followers. Human Rights Watch Asia said: "The Tatmadaw sees Facebook as its Internet nemesis because it's the dominant communication (5) ____________________ country and has been hostile to the military." A Twitter user said it (6) ____________________ on the Internet".

The Tatmadaw (7) ____________________ Myanmar's democratically elected civilian government. It immediately (8) ____________________ state of emergency. The coup took place after days of tension between the military and the government. The Tatmadaw (9) ____________________ the results of November's national election, alleging massive voter fraud. It has arrested former Minister of Foreign Affairs Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now being held (10) ____________________ an undisclosed location. Authorities filed charges against her for allegedly illegally importing six unregistered walkie-talkie radios. The (11) ____________________ former president Win Myint. He is being (12) ____________________ coronavirus containment measures during the election.

Comprehension questions

  1. When did the junta overthrow Myanmar's government?
  2. What did the junta say it wanted to maintain?
  3. What does the junta see Facebook as a threat to?
  4. How many followers does a civil disobedience page have on Facebook?
  5. What did a human rights group say the junta views Facebook as?
  6. How long is the state of emergency the junta declared?
  7. What was there between the junta and government before the coup?
  8. What did the junta say happened in November's election?
  9. What is Aung San Suu Kyi accused of illegally importing?
  10. Who is being charged with violating coronavirus measures?

Multiple choice quiz

1) When did the junta overthrow Myanmar's government?
a) February the 5th
b) January the 31st
c) February the 1st
d) January the 30th
2) What did the junta say it wanted to maintain?
a) stability
b) power
c) control
d) standards
3) What does the junta see Facebook as a threat to?
a) society
b) its rule
c) safety
d) the Internet
4) How many followers does a civil disobedience page have on Facebook?
a) exactly 200,000
b) just fewer than 200,000
c) around 200,000
d) over 200,000
5) What did a human rights group say the junta views Facebook as?
a) an annoyance
b) a danger
c) its Internet nemesis
d) insignificant

6) How long is the state of emergency the junta declared?
a) a month
b) a year
c) a week
d) 10 weeks
7) What was there between the junta and government before the coup?
a) talks
b) cooperation
c) infighting
d) tension
8) What did the junta say happened in November's election?
a) riots
b) massive voter fraud
c) corruption
d) propaganda
9) What is Aung San Suu Kyi accused of illegally importing?
a) cars
b) walkie-talkie radios
c) fur coats
d) computers
10) Who is being charged with violating coronavirus measures?
a) former president Win Myint
b) Aung San Suu Kyi
c) the head of Facebook in Myanmar
d) the people in the capital

Role play

Role  A – Strong Military
You think a strong military is most important for social stability. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): democracy, family or wealth.

Role  B – Democracy
You think democracy is most important for social stability. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): a strong military, family or wealth.

Role  C – Family
You think family is most important for social stability. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): democracy, a strong military or wealth.

Role  D – Wealth
You think wealth is most important for social stability. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): democracy, family or a strong military.

After reading / listening

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

'military'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'coup'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • 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:

    • junta
    • issued
    • giant
    • days
    • page
    • hostile
    • immediately
    • took
    • accept
    • location
    • filed
    • violating

    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 - Myanmar Coup

    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 'military'?
    3. What do you know about Myanmar?
    4. What do you know about military coups?
    5. How stable is the government in your country?
    6. Why might Facebook be a threat?
    7. What do you think of civil disobedience?
    8. Would you take part in civil disobedience?
    9. Why do you think the military think they can govern a country?
    10. Can the Internet be banned?

    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 'coup'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you want to know about Myanmar?
    5. What happens in a state of emergency?
    6. How would you feel if there was a coup in your country?
    7. What do you know about Aung San Suu Kyi?
    8. What advice do you have for Aung San Suu Kyi?
    9. Where do you think this story will be in two months from now?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the military government?

    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 Tatmadaw, the (1) ____ junta that overthrew Myanmar's government on February the 1st, has blocked access to Facebook. The Ministry of Communications issued a statement saying Facebook would be halted (2) ____ order to maintain "stability". The social media giant is used by a (3) ____ of the population and the Tatmadaw sees it as a (4) ____ to its rule. In the days after the coup, a civil disobedience page that (5) ____ on Facebook attracted over 200,000 followers. Human Rights Watch Asia said: "The Tatmadaw sees Facebook as its Internet nemesis because it's the dominant communication channel in the country and has been hostile (6) ____ the military." A Twitter user said it was, "a ban on the Internet".

    The Tatmadaw (7) ____ power from Myanmar's democratically elected civilian government. It immediately declared a yearlong (8) ____ of emergency. The coup took place after days of tension between the military and the government. The Tatmadaw refused to accept the results of November's national election, alleging massive voter (9) ____. It has arrested former Minister of Foreign Affairs Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now being held in detention at an undisclosed location. Authorities (10) ____ charges against her for allegedly illegally importing six unregistered walkie-(11) ____ radios. The military also arrested former president Win Myint. He is being charged with (12) ____ coronavirus containment measures during the election.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     militia     (b)     militarily     (c)     military     (d)     militants    
    2. (a)     in     (b)     on     (c)     at     (d)     by    
    3. (a)     majority     (b)     priority     (c)     rarity     (d)     sorority    
    4. (a)     threat     (b)     throat     (c)     treat     (d)     trait    
    5. (a)     converged     (b)     emerged     (c)     assured     (d)     excised    
    6. (a)     in     (b)     as     (c)     of     (d)     to    
    7. (a)     seized     (b)     ceased     (c)     assisted     (d)     sized    
    8. (a)     territory     (b)     province     (c)     nation     (d)     state    
    9. (a)     fraud     (b)     irregular     (c)     dishonest     (d)     corrupts    
    10. (a)     sawed     (b)     filed     (c)     chiselled     (d)     rasped    
    11. (a)     walkie     (b)     talkie     (c)     bulky     (d)     sulky    
    12. (a)     violating     (b)     violation     (c)     violator     (d)     violates

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. the military tuanj
    2. maintain talitybsi
    3. civil einecobsdeid
    4. The Tatmadaw sees Facebook as its Internet eimnses
    5. the mninotda communication channel
    6. heioslt to the military

    Paragraph 2

    1. The Tatmadaw iezsde power
    2. iicanliv government
    3. after days of osnetni
    4. llineagg massive voter fraud
    5. being held in einttdoen
    6. ognlviita coronavirus containment measures

    Put the text back together

    (...)  followers. Human Rights Watch Asia said: "The Tatmadaw sees Facebook as its Internet
    (...)  nemesis because it's the dominant communication channel in the country and has been hostile to the military." A Twitter user said it was, "a ban on the Internet".
    (...)  The Tatmadaw seized power from Myanmar's democratically elected civilian government. It immediately declared
    (...)  giant is used by a majority of the population and the Tatmadaw sees it as a threat to its rule. In the days
    (...)  held in detention at an undisclosed location. Authorities filed charges against
    (...)  February the 1st, has blocked access to Facebook. The Ministry of Communications issued
    (  1  ) The Tatmadaw, the military junta that overthrew Myanmar's government on
    (...)  a statement saying Facebook would be halted in order to maintain "stability". The social media
    (...)  after the coup, a civil disobedience page that emerged on Facebook attracted over 200,000
    (...)  her for allegedly illegally importing six unregistered walkie-talkie radios. The military also arrested former
    (...)  and the government. The Tatmadaw refused to accept the results of November's national election, alleging
    (...)  a yearlong state of emergency. The coup took place after days of tension between the military
    (...)  president Win Myint. He is being charged with violating coronavirus containment measures during the election.
    (...)  massive voter fraud. It has arrested former Minister of Foreign Affairs Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now being

    Put the words in the right order

    1. halted   be   would   social   maintain   to   stability   .   Facebook
    2. It's   a   the   population   .   by   majority   of   used
    3. that   A   on   page   disobedience   emerged   civil   Facebook   .
    4. Internet   its   as   Tatmadaw   The   Facebook   nemesis   .   sees
    5. Internet   .   ban   a   on   the   It   was
    6. state   yearlong   a   of   It   emergency   .   declared   immediately
    7. tension   .   The   of   after   days   took   place   coup
    8. undisclosed   detention   in   location   .   an   held   Being   at
    9. radios   .   Authorities   against   for   filed   charges   her   importing
    10. He   containment   .   being   charged   coronavirus   violating   with   is

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The Tatmadaw, the militarily / military junta that overthrew Myanmar's government on February the 1st, has blocked excess / access to Facebook. The Ministry of Communications issued a / the statement saying Facebook would be hated / halted in order to maintain "stability". The social media giant is used by a majority of the population and the Tatmadaw sees it as a threat / treat to its rule. In the days after the coop / coup, a civil disobedience page that emerged in / on Facebook attracted over 200,000 followers. Human Rights Watch Asia said: "The Tatmadaw watches / sees Facebook as its Internet nemesis because it's the remnant / dominant communication channel in the country and has been hostile to the military." A Twitter user said it was, "a fan / ban on the Internet".

    The Tatmadaw ceased / seized power from Myanmar's democratically elected civilian government. It immediately declared a yearlong state to / of emergency. The coup took place after days of tension / tense between the military and the government. The Tatmadaw refused to accept the / a results of November's national election, alleging / allegory massive voter fraud. It has arrested farmer / former Minister of Foreign Affairs Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now being hold / held in detention at an undisclosed location. Authorities filed / flied charges against her for allegedly illegally importing six unregistered walkie-talkie radios. The military also rested / arrested former president Win Myint. He is being charged with violating coronavirus containment measures during / while the election.

    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_  T_tm_d_w,  th_  m_l_t_ry  j_nt_  th_t  _v_rthr_w  My_nm_r's  g_v_rnm_nt  _n  F_br__ry  th_  1st,  h_s  bl_ck_d  _cc_ss  t_  F_c_b__k.  Th_  M_n_stry  _f  C_mm_n_c_t__ns  _ss__d  _  st_t_m_nt  s_y_ng  F_c_b__k  w__ld  b_  h_lt_d  _n  _rd_r  t_  m__nt__n  "st_b_l_ty".  Th_  s_c__l  m_d__  g__nt  _s  _s_d  by  _  m_j_r_ty  _f  th_  p_p_l_t__n  _nd  th_  T_tm_d_w  s__s  _t  _s  _  thr__t  t_  _ts  r_l_.  _n  th_  d_ys  _ft_r  th_  c__p,  _  c_v_l  d_s_b_d__nc_  p_g_  th_t  _m_rg_d  _n  F_c_b__k  _ttr_ct_d  _v_r  200,000  f_ll_w_rs.  H_m_n  R_ghts  W_tch  _s__  s__d:  "Th_  T_tm_d_w  s__s  F_c_b__k  _s  _ts  _nt_rn_t  n_m_s_s  b_c__s_  _t's  th_  d_m_n_nt  c_mm_n_c_t__n  ch_nn_l  _n  th_  c__ntry  _nd  h_s  b__n  h_st_l_  t_  th_  m_l_t_ry."  _  Tw_tt_r  _s_r  s__d  _t  w_s,  "_  b_n  _n  th_  _nt_rn_t".

    Th_  T_tm_d_w  s__z_d  p_w_r  fr_m  My_nm_r's  d_m_cr_t_c_lly  _l_ct_d  c_v_l__n  g_v_rnm_nt.  _t  _mm_d__t_ly  d_cl_r_d  _  y__rl_ng  st_t_  _f  _m_rg_ncy.  Th_  c__p  t__k  pl_c_  _ft_r  d_ys  _f  t_ns__n  b_tw__n  th_  m_l_t_ry  _nd  th_  g_v_rnm_nt.  Th_  T_tm_d_w  r_f_s_d  t_  _cc_pt  th_  r_s_lts  _f  N_v_mb_r's  n_t__n_l  _l_ct__n,  _ll_g_ng  m_ss_v_  v_t_r  fr__d.  _t  h_s  _rr_st_d  f_rm_r  M_n_st_r  _f  F_r__gn  _ff__rs  __ng  S_n  S__  Ky_,  wh_  _s  n_w  b__ng  h_ld  _n  d_t_nt__n  _t  _n  _nd_scl_s_d  l_c_t__n.  __th_r_t__s  f_l_d  ch_rg_s  _g__nst  h_r  f_r  _ll_g_dly  _ll_g_lly  _mp_rt_ng  s_x  _nr_g_st_r_d  w_lk__-t_lk__  r_d__s.  Th_  m_l_t_ry  _ls_  _rr_st_d  f_rm_r  pr_s_d_nt  W_n  My_nt.  H_  _s  b__ng  ch_rg_d  w_th  v__l_t_ng  c_r_n_v_r_s  c_nt__nm_nt  m__s_r_s  d_r_ng  th_  _l_ct__n.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the tatmadaw the military junta that overthrew myanmars government on february the 1st has blocked access to facebook the ministry of communications issued a statement saying facebook would be halted in order to maintain stability the social media giant is used by a majority of the population and the tatmadaw sees it as a threat to its rule in the days after the coup a civil disobedience page that emerged on facebook attracted over 200000 followers human rights watch asia said the tatmadaw sees facebook as its internet nemesis because its the dominant communication channel in the country and has been hostile to the military a twitter user said it was a ban on the internet

    the tatmadaw seized power from myanmars democratically elected civilian government it immediately declared a yearlong state of emergency the coup took place after days of tension between the military and the government the tatmadaw refused to accept the results of novembers national election alleging massive voter fraud it has arrested former minister of foreign affairs aung san suu kyi who is now being held in detention at an undisclosed location authorities filed charges against her for allegedly illegally importing six unregistered walkietalkie radios the military also arrested former president win myint he is being charged with violating coronavirus containment measures during the election

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    TheTatmadaw,themilitaryjuntathatoverthrewMyanmar'sgovernme
    ntonFebruarythe1st,hasblockedaccesstoFacebook.TheMinistryofCo
    mmunicationsissuedastatementsayingFacebookwouldbehaltedinor
    dertomaintain"stability".Thesocialmediagiantisusedbyamajorityoft
    hepopulationandtheTatmadawseesitasathreattoitsrule.Inthedaysaf
    terthecoup,acivildisobediencepagethatemergedonFacebookattract
    edover200,000followers.HumanRightsWatchAsiasaid:"TheTatmad
    awseesFacebookasitsInternetnemesisbecauseit'sthedominantcom
    municationchannelinthecountryandhasbeenhostiletothemilitary."A
    Twitterusersaiditwas,"abanontheInternet".TheTatmadawseizedpo
    werfromMyanmar'sdemocraticallyelectedciviliangovernment.Itim
    mediatelydeclaredayearlongstateofemergency.Thecouptookplacea
    fterdaysoftensionbetweenthemilitaryandthegovernment.TheTatma
    dawrefusedtoaccepttheresultsofNovember'snationalelection,allegi
    ngmassivevoterfraud.IthasarrestedformerMinisterofForeignAffairs
    AungSanSuuKyi,whoisnowbeingheldindetentionatanundisclosedloc
    ation.Authoritiesfiledchargesagainstherforallegedlyillegallyimporti
    ngsixunregisteredwalkie-talkieradios.Themilitaryalsoarrestedform
    erpresidentWinMyint.Heisbeingchargedwithviolatingcoronavirusco
    ntainmentmeasuresduringtheelection.

    Free writing

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

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

     

    Academic writing

    The world should act to restore Myanmar's government. 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. MYANMAR'S COUP: Make a poster about Myanmar's coup. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. RESTORE POWER: Write a magazine article about the world restoring power to Myanmar's elected government. 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 Myanmar's coup. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your opinions on it. 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.)

    Back to the top

    Help Support This Web Site

    • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

    Sean Banville's Book

    Thank You