The Reading / Listening - Queen's Platinum Jubilee - Level 6

The UK's Queen Elizabeth II marked her platinum jubilee on Saturday by holding a reception for members of her local village. The Queen, 95, ascended to the British throne on February the 6th 1952 following the death of her father King George VI. The Queen will mark her 70-year anniversary as the UK monarch at her country estate. One attendee at Saturday's reception said the Queen was in "sparkling" form. She added: "Seventy years on the throne shows the Queen has been a moving example to absolutely everyone in all walks of life. She has been constant, compassionate and stoic … everything that makes a perfect human being. She has great strength of character and has overcome so many things."

The Queen was on safari in Kenya 70 years ago when she received news of the death of her father. The then 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was immediately elevated to being the sovereign. She is Britain's longest serving monarch. The previous record-holder, Queen Victoria, was Queen for 63 years. She died in 1901. Queen Elizabeth has been an ever-present part of UK life for almost a century. She has seen 14 Prime Ministers and 14 US presidents come and go. She has also owned more than 30 corgis (her favourite dog) during her reign. Fox News wrote that the Queen has had, "an unprecedented reign that has made her a symbol of stability as the United Kingdom navigated an age of uncertainty".

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Queen's Platinum Jubilee - Level 4  or  Queen's Platinum Jubilee - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.royal.uk/platinumjubilee
  • https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/queen-elizabeth-marks-70-years-throne
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10462325/Everything-need-know-Queen-Elizabeth-IIs-Platinum-Jubilee.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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. THE U.K. QUEEN: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about the U.K. Queen. 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?
       Queen / platinum / jubilee / local / village / anniversary / compassionate / stoic /
       safari / news / sovereign / monarch / record / century / presidents / corgi / stability
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. MONARCHY: Students A strongly believe every country should have a monarchy; Students B strongly believe no country should have one. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS: What should the UK do to celebrate the Queen's platinum jubilee? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What?

Why?

Holiday

 

 

Music

 

 

Parties

 

 

Food

 

 

TV

 

 

Coins

 

 
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. PLATINUM: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "platinum". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. ROYALTY: Rank these with your partner. Put the best things about royalty at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Jewellery
  • Palaces
  • Servants
  • Service
  • Cars
  • Food
  • Holidays
  • Parties

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. marked a. Acknowledged or celebrated an important event with a particular action.
      2. reception b. Feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others.
      3. ascended c. A formal social occasion held to welcome someone or to celebrate an event.
      4. monarch d. A very large area of land in the countryside, usually with a large house, owned by one person, family, or organization.
      5. estate e. Moved up to a higher social or professional rank.
      6. compassionate f. A king, queen, emperor, sheikh or sultan.
      7. stoic g. A person who can take pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining.

    Paragraph 2

      8. elevated h. The state of being stable.
      9. ever-present i. Never done or known before.
      10. reign j. Raised or lifted something or someone to a higher position.
      11. unprecedented k. Found a way through a difficult period of time.
      12. stability l. Existing or occurring at all times; always there.
      13. navigated m. A period of history.
      14. age n. Hold royal office; rule as a king, queen, emperor, sheikh or sultan.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. The UK Queen held a reception for soldiers and sailors.     T / F
  2. The Queen's father was King George VI.     T / F
  3. A reception attendee said the Queen's jewellery was sparkling.     T / F
  4. The reception attendee said the Queen has stoicism and compassion.     T / F
  5. The Queen was on safari when she heard the news she would be Queen. T / F
  6. The second-longest serving British monarch reigned for 63 years.     T / F
  7. There have been 14 US presidents while the Queen has been Queen.     T / F
  8. Fox News said the Queen has reigned throughout an age of certainty.     T / F

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

  1. marked
  2. reception
  3. monarch
  4. sparkling
  5. stoic
  6. death
  7. serving
  8. reign
  9. unprecedented
  10. age
  1. without equal
  2. uncomplaining
  3. rule
  4. sovereign
  5. passing
  6. party
  7. era
  8. glittering
  9. working
  10. celebrated

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

  1. marked her platinum jubilee on Saturday
  2. ascended to the
  3. mark her 70-year anniversary as
  4. absolutely everyone in all
  5. overcome so
  6. The Queen was on
  7. She is Britain's longest
  8. an ever-present part
  9. the Queen has had an unprecedented
  10. an age of
  1. the UK monarch
  2. reign
  3. many things
  4. serving monarch
  5. British throne
  6. uncertainty
  7. walks of life
  8. by holding a reception
  9. of UK life
  10. safari in Kenya

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
monarch
ascended
stoic
sparkling
marked
overcome
following
moving

The UK's Queen Elizabeth II (1) _____________________ her platinum jubilee on Saturday by holding a reception for members of her local village. The Queen, 95, (2) _____________________ to the British throne on February the 6th 1952 (3) _____________________ the death of her father King George VI. The Queen will mark her 70-year anniversary as the UK (4) _____________________ at her country estate. One attendee at Saturday's reception said the Queen was in "(5) _____________________" form. She added: "Seventy years on the throne shows the Queen has been a (6) _____________________ example to absolutely everyone in all walks of life. She has been constant, compassionate and (7) _____________________ - everything that makes a perfect human being. She has great strength of character and has (8) _____________________ so many things."

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
present
age
elevated
reign
safari
symbol
owned
monarch

The Queen was on (9) _____________________ in Kenya 70 years ago when she received news of the death of her father. The then 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was immediately (10) _____________________ to being the sovereign. She is Britain's longest serving (11) _____________________. The previous record-holder, Queen Victoria, was Queen for 63 years. She died in 1901. Queen Elizabeth has been an ever-(12) _____________________ part of UK life for almost a century. She has seen 14 Prime Ministers and 14 US presidents come and go. She has also (13) _____________________ more than 30 corgis (her favourite dog) during her (14) _____________________. Fox News wrote that the Queen has had, "an unprecedented reign that has made her a (15) _____________________ of stability as the United Kingdom navigated an (16) _____________________ of uncertainty".

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  Queen Elizabeth II marked her platinum jubilee on Saturday by ______
     a.  hold in a reception
     b.  holding a reception
     c.  hold din a reception
     d.  hold ding a reception
2)  The Queen will mark her 70-year anniversary as the UK monarch at ______
     a.  her country estate
     b.  her counter is state
     c.  her country's state
     d.  her countries state
3)  the Queen has been a moving example to absolutely everyone in all ______
     a.  walk soft life
     b.  walks off life
     c.  walks of life
     d.  wars scoff life
4)  She has been constant, ______
     a.  compassionate and stock
     b.  compassionate and stoic
     c.  compassionate and stocking
     d.  compassionate and stow wick
5)  She has great strength of character and has ______ things
     a.  sober come as many
     b.  sober come so many
     c.  over comes oh so many
     d.  overcome so many

6)  Princess Elizabeth was immediately elevated to ______
     a.  been the sovereign
     b.  bing the sovereign
     c.  be in the sovereign
     d.  being the sovereign
7)  Queen Elizabeth has been an ever-present part of UK life for ______
     a.  almost a century
     b.  almost the century
     c.  all mow star century
     d.  rail must a cent cherry
8)  She has also owned more than 30 corgis (her favourite dog) ______
     a.  during her rain
     b.  during her realm
     c.  during her Rhine
     d.  during her reign
9)  the Queen has had, "an unprecedented reign that has made her a ______
     a.  symbol off stability
     b.  symbol of stability
     c.  symbol oft stability
     d.  symbol if stability
10)  as the United Kingdom navigated an ______
     a.  age of fun sir tainted
     b.  age of uncertainty
     c.  age of an certainty
     d.  age of non certainty

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The UK's Queen Elizabeth II (1) ____________________ jubilee on Saturday by holding a reception for members of her local village. The Queen, 95, ascended to the (2) ____________________ February the 6th 1952 following the death of her father King George VI. The Queen will mark her 70-year anniversary as the UK (3) ____________________ country estate. One attendee at Saturday's reception said the Queen was (4) ____________________. She added: "Seventy years on the throne shows the Queen has been a moving example to absolutely everyone in (5) ____________________ life. She has been constant, compassionate and stoic - everything that makes a perfect human being. She has great strength of character and has (6) ____________________ things."

The Queen was (7) ____________________ Kenya 70 years ago when she received news of the death of her father. The then 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was immediately (8) ____________________ the sovereign. She is Britain's longest serving monarch. The previous record-holder, Queen Victoria, was Queen for 63 years. She died in 1901. Queen Elizabeth has been an (9) ____________________ of UK life for almost a century. She has seen 14 Prime Ministers and 14 US presidents come and go. She has also owned more than 30 corgis (her favourite dog) (10) ____________________. Fox News wrote that the Queen has had, "an unprecedented reign that has made her a (11) ____________________ as the United Kingdom (12) ____________________ of uncertainty".

Comprehension questions

  1. Who attended the Queen's reception on Saturday?
  2. Who was the Queen's father?
  3. What kind of form did someone say the Queen was in?
  4. To whom has the Queen been a moving example?
  5. What did a woman say the Queen has overcome?
  6. Where was the Queen 70 years ago?
  7. Who is Britain's second-longest serving monarch?
  8. How many U.S. presidents have there been in the past 70 years?
  9. How many corgi dogs has the Queen owned?
  10. What did Fox News say the Queen has navigated?

Multiple choice quiz

1) Who attended the Queen's reception on Saturday?
a) government ministers
b) the Army
c) children
d) local villagers
2) Who was the Queen's father?
a) King Edward VII
b) King George VI
c) King Charles I
d) King Henry VIII
3) What kind of form did someone say the Queen was in?
a) top form
b) bad form
c) the sixth form
d) sparkling form
4) To whom has the Queen been a moving example?
a) her staff
b) athletes
c) everyone in all walks of life
d) her family
5) What did a woman say the Queen has overcome?
a) a huge problem
b) stress
c) a thing or two
d) so many things

6) Where was the Queen 70 years ago?
a) Kiribati
b) Canada
c) Kenya
d) Chad
7) Who is Britain's second-longest serving monarch?
a) Queen Victoria
b) King Edward VII
c) Queen Elizabeth I
d) King Ethelred the Unready
8) How many U.S. presidents have there been in the past 70 years?
a) twenty
b) fifteen
c) fourteen
d) nine
9) How many corgi dogs has the Queen owned?
a) around 30
b) more than 30
c) exactly 30
d) fewer than 30
10) What did Fox News say the Queen has navigated?
a) an age of uncertainty
b) the seven seas
c) a problem or two
d) delicate issues

Role play

Role  A – Jewellery
You think jewellery is the best thing about being a royal. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least enjoyable of these (and why): servants, food or palaces.

Role  B – Servants
You think servants are the best thing about being a royal. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least enjoyable of these (and why): jewellery, food or palaces.

Role  C – Food
You think food is the best thing about being a royal. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least enjoyable of these (and why): servants, jewellery or palaces.

Role  D – Palaces
You think palaces are the best thing about being a royal. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least enjoyable of these (and why): servants, food or jewellery.

After reading / listening

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

'platinum'

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

    • and 'jubilee'.

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

    • • 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:

    • holding
    • following
    • estate
    • form
    • walks
    • character
    • received
    • longest
    • century
    • go
    • 30
    • age

    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 - Queen's Platinum Jubilee

    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 'platinum'?
    3. What do you know about the UK's Queen?
    4. What do you think of the Queen working at the age of 95?
    5. What do you think of the Queen ruling for 70 years?
    6. When was the last time you were in 'sparkling' form?
    7. How important is it to be compassionate and stoic?
    8. Do you have great strength of character?
    9. What do you think of your country's head of state?
    10. What advice do you have for the Queen?

    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 'jubilee'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you think of the idea of kings and queens?
    5. Why do some countries have a monarchy?
    6. Would you like to be a royal?
    7. What do you know about the Queen's family?
    8. What's your favourite dog?
    9. What uncertainty has there been during the Queen's reign?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the Queen?

    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 UK's Queen Elizabeth II (1) ____ her platinum jubilee on Saturday by holding a reception for members of her local village. The Queen, 95, ascended (2) ____ the British throne on February the 6th 1952 following the death of her father King George VI. The Queen will mark her 70-year anniversary as the UK (3) ____ at her country (4) ____. One attendee at Saturday's reception said the Queen was in "sparkling" form. She added: "Seventy years on the throne shows the Queen has been a (5) ____ example to absolutely everyone in all walks of life. She has been constant, compassionate and (6) ____ - everything that makes a perfect human being. She has great strength of character and has overcome so many things."

    The Queen was (7) ____ safari in Kenya 70 years ago when she received news of the death of her father. The then 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was immediately (8) ____ to being the sovereign. She is Britain's longest serving monarch. The previous record-holder, Queen Victoria, was Queen for 63 years. She died in 1901. Queen Elizabeth has been an (9) ____-present part of UK life for almost a century. She has seen 14 Prime Ministers and 14 US presidents come and (10) ____. She has also owned more than 30 corgis (her favourite dog) during her (11) ____. Fox News wrote that the Queen has had, "an unprecedented reign that has made her a symbol of stability as the United Kingdom navigated an (12) ____ of uncertainty".

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    (a)     braked     (b)     embarked     (c)     made     (d)     marked    
    (a)     at     (b)     on     (c)     of     (d)     to    
    (a)     matriarch     (b)     monarch     (c)     patriarch     (d)     parch    
    (a)     council     (b)     housing     (c)     estate     (d)     turf    
    (a)     moved     (b)     movement     (c)     moving     (d)     moves    
    (a)     stoic     (b)     epoch     (c)     stowaway     (d)     rhetoric    
    (a)     of     (b)     on     (c)     at     (d)     in    
    (a)     elevated     (b)     upped     (c)     increased     (d)     heightened    
    (a)     every     (b)     ever     (c)     all     (d)     whole    
    (a)     gone     (b)     going     (c)     go     (d)     went    
    (a)     rain     (b)     rune     (c)     reign     (d)     run    
    (a)     endless     (b)     span     (c)     old     (d)     age

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. One tdeeetan
    2. at Saturday's eoperntci
    3. Seventy years on the tnhore
    4. a moving example to sobtelauly everyone
    5. constant, compassionate and tosci
    6. She has great strength of cterraach

    Paragraph 2

    1. immediately elevated to being the nvsrieeog
    2. Britain's longest serving ohnmcra
    3. for almost a uetnycr
    4. an unprecedented reing
    5. made her a symbol of staiylibt
    6. aivengdat an age of uncertainty

    Put the text back together

    (  1  ) The UK's Queen Elizabeth II marked her platinum jubilee on Saturday by holding a reception for members
    (...)  of life. She has been constant, compassionate and stoic -  everything that makes a perfect
    (...)  and go. She has also owned more than 30 corgis (her favourite dog) during her reign. Fox News
    (...)  25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was immediately elevated to being the sovereign. She is Britain's longest serving
    (...)  symbol of stability as the United Kingdom navigated an age of uncertainty".
    (...)  The Queen was on safari in Kenya 70 years ago when she received news of the death of her father. The then
    (...)  of her local village. The Queen, 95, ascended to the British throne on February the 6th 1952 following
    (...)  on the throne shows the Queen has been a moving example to absolutely everyone in all walks
    (...)  the death of her father King George VI. The Queen will mark her 70-year anniversary as the UK monarch at her country
    (...)  wrote that the Queen has had, "an unprecedented reign that has made her a
    (...)  been an ever-present part of UK life for almost a century. She has seen 14 Prime Ministers and 14 US presidents come
    (...)  human being. She has great strength of character and has overcome so many things."
    (...)  monarch. The previous record-holder, Queen Victoria, was Queen for 63 years. She died in 1901. Queen Elizabeth has
    (...)  estate. One attendee at Saturday's reception said the Queen was in "sparkling" form. She added: "Seventy years

    Put the words in the right order

    1. reception   local   her   members   village   .   for   A   of
    2. Mark   UK   anniversary   monarch   .   as   the   her   70-year
    3. said   sparkling   She   form   .   the   was   Queen   in
    4. of   life   .   in   walks   Absolutely   everyone   all
    5. Queen   The   great   strength   has   character   .   of
    6. the   When   death   .   news   she   of   received
    7. was   Elizabeth   being   elevated   sovereign   .   immediately   the   to
    8. UK   She's   life   .   of   part   an   been   ever-present
    9. owned   30   She   corgis   .   than   also   has   more
    10. an   United   navigated   uncertainty   .   Kingdom   The   of   age

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The UK's Queen Elizabeth II marked her platinum jubilee on Saturday by holding a receptive / reception for members of her local village. The Queen, 95, ascended to / at the British throne on February the 6th 1952 following the death of her father King George VI. The Queen will park / mark her 70-year anniversary has / as the UK monarch at her country estate. One attendee / attendance at Saturday's reception said the Queen was in "sparkling" form. She added: "Seventy years in / on the throne shows the Queen has been a movement / moving example to absolutely everyone in all runs / walks of life. She has been constant, compassionate and stoicism / stoic -  everything that makes a perfect human being. She has great strength of character and has overcome / overdone so many things."

    The Queen was on / in safari in Kenya 70 years ago when she received news of the death of her father. The there / then 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was immediately elevated to being the sovereign / sovereignty. She is Britain's longest serving monarch. The impervious / previous record-holder, Queen Victoria, was Queen for 63 years. She died in 1901. Queen Elizabeth has been an ever-present part of UK life for almost the / a century. She has seen 14 Prime Ministers and 14 US presidents come and gone / go. She has also owned more than 30 corgis (her favourite dog) during / while her reign. Fox News wrote that the Queen has had, "an unprecedented / precedence reign that has made her a symbol of stable / stability as the United Kingdom navigated an age of / at uncertainty".

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    Th_  _K's  Q___n  _l_z_b_th  __  m_rk_d  h_r  pl_t_n_m  j_b_l__  _n  S_t_rd_y  by  h_ld_ng  _  r_c_pt__n  f_r  m_mb_rs  _f  h_r  l_c_l  v_ll_g_.  Th_  Q___n,  95,  _sc_nd_d  t_  th_  Br_t_sh  thr_n_  _n  F_br__ry  th_  6th  1952  f_ll_w_ng  th_  d__th  _f  h_r  f_th_r  K_ng  G__rg_  V_.  Th_  Q___n  w_ll  m_rk  h_r  70-y__r  _nn_v_rs_ry  _s  th_  _K  m_n_rch  _t  h_r  c__ntry  _st_t_.  _n_  _tt_nd__  _t  S_t_rd_y's  r_c_pt__n  s__d  th_  Q___n  w_s  _n  "sp_rkl_ng"  f_rm.  Sh_  _dd_d:  "S_v_nty  y__rs  _n  th_  thr_n_  sh_ws  th_  Q___n  h_s  b__n  _  m_v_ng  _x_mpl_  t_  _bs_l_t_ly  _v_ry_n_  _n  _ll  w_lks  _f  l_f_.  Sh_  h_s  b__n  c_nst_nt,  c_mp_ss__n_t_  _nd  st__c  -    _v_ryth_ng  th_t  m_k_s  _  p_rf_ct  h_m_n  b__ng.  Sh_  h_s  gr__t  str_ngth  _f  ch_r_ct_r  _nd  h_s  _v_rc_m_  s_  m_ny  th_ngs."

    Th_  Q___n  w_s  _n  s_f_r_  _n  K_ny_  70  y__rs  _g_  wh_n  sh_  r_c__v_d  n_ws  _f  th_  d__th  _f  h_r  f_th_r.  Th_  th_n  25-y__r-_ld  Pr_nc_ss  _l_z_b_th  w_s  _mm_d__t_ly  _l_v_t_d  t_  b__ng  th_  s_v_r__gn.  Sh_  _s  Br_t__n's  l_ng_st  s_rv_ng  m_n_rch.  Th_  pr_v___s  r_c_rd-h_ld_r,  Q___n  V_ct_r__,  w_s  Q___n  f_r  63  y__rs.  Sh_  d__d  _n  1901.  Q___n  _l_z_b_th  h_s  b__n  _n  _v_r-pr_s_nt  p_rt  _f  _K  l_f_  f_r  _lm_st  _  c_nt_ry.  Sh_  h_s  s__n  14  Pr_m_  M_n_st_rs  _nd  14  _S  pr_s_d_nts  c_m_  _nd  g_.  Sh_  h_s  _ls_  _wn_d  m_r_  th_n  30  c_rg_s  (h_r  f_v__r_t_  d_g)  d_r_ng  h_r  r__gn.  F_x  N_ws  wr_t_  th_t  th_  Q___n  h_s  h_d,  "_n  _npr_c_d_nt_d  r__gn  th_t  h_s  m_d_  h_r  _  symb_l  _f  st_b_l_ty  _s  th_  _n_t_d  K_ngd_m  n_v_g_t_d  _n  _g_  _f  _nc_rt__nty".

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the uks queen elizabeth ii marked her platinum jubilee on saturday by holding a reception for members of her local village the queen 95 ascended to the british throne on february the 6th 1952 following the death of her father king george vi the queen will mark her 70year anniversary as the uk monarch at her country estate one attendee at saturdays reception said the queen was in sparkling form she added seventy years on the throne shows the queen has been a moving example to absolutely everyone in all walks of life she has been constant compassionate and stoic   everything that makes a perfect human being she has great strength of character and has overcome so many things

    the queen was on safari in kenya 70 years ago when she received news of the death of her father the then 25yearold princess elizabeth was immediately elevated to being the sovereign she is britains longest serving monarch the previous recordholder queen victoria was queen for 63 years she died in 1901 queen elizabeth has been an everpresent part of uk life for almost a century she has seen 14 prime ministers and 14 us presidents come and go she has also owned more than 30 corgis her favourite dog during her reign fox news wrote that the queen has had an unprecedented reign that has made her a symbol of stability as the united kingdom navigated an age of uncertainty

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    TheUK'sQueenElizabethIImarkedherplatinumjubileeonSaturdayby
    holdingareceptionformembersofherlocalvillage.TheQueen,95,asce
    ndedtotheBritishthroneonFebruarythe6th1952followingthedeathof
    herfatherKingGeorgeVI.TheQueenwillmarkher70-yearanniversarya
    stheUKmonarchathercountryestate.OneattendeeatSaturday'srece
    ptionsaidtheQueenwasin"sparkling"form.Sheadded:"Seventyyears
    onthethroneshowstheQueenhasbeenamovingexampletoabsolutely
    everyoneinallwalksoflife.Shehasbeenconstant,compassionateandst
    oic-everythingthatmakesaperfecthumanbeing.Shehasgreatstrengt
    hofcharacterandhasovercomesomanythings."TheQueenwasonsafa
    riinKenya70yearsagowhenshereceivednewsofthedeathofherfather.
    Thethen25-year-oldPrincessElizabethwasimmediatelyelevatedtob
    eingthesovereign.SheisBritain'slongestservingmonarch.Theprevio
    usrecord-holder,QueenVictoria,wasQueenfor63years.Shediedin19
    01.QueenElizabethhasbeenanever-presentpartofUKlifeforalmosta
    century.Shehasseen14PrimeMinistersand14USpresidentscomeand
    go.Shehasalsoownedmorethan30corgis(herfavouritedog)duringher
    reign.FoxNewswrotethattheQueenhashad,"anunprecedentedreignt
    hathasmadeherasymbolofstabilityastheUnitedKingdomnavigateda
    nageofuncertainty".

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    Every country needs a monarchy. 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. THE U.K. QUEEN: Make a poster about the U.K. Queen. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. MONARCHIES: Write a magazine article about more countries having a monarchy. 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 the U.K. Queen. Ask him/her three questions about her. Give him/her three pieces of advice for her. 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.)

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