The Reading / Listening - Gulf of Mexico - Level 6

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. He wants the body of water, which is surrounded by the USA, Mexico, and Cuba, to be renamed the Gulf of America. Shortly after his inauguration on the 20th of January, President Trump said: "America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world." He added: "We are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America." The U.S. Department of the Interior declared that it "is proud to announce the implementation of name restorations that honor the legacy of American greatness".

The USA's Board on Geographic Names can change the name to Gulf of America on official U.S. maps. However, there is no international organization with the jurisdiction to mandate the global acceptance of place names. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has opposed the name change. She pointed out that the name "Gulf of Mexico" has existed for over four centuries. She also cited the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which stipulates that a country's sovereign territory only extends 19 kilometres from its coastline. She retorted that if there were to be name changes, the United States should be called "Mexican America," as depicted on a map of the continent from 1607.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Gulf of Mexico - Level 4  or  Gulf of Mexico - Level 5

Sources
  • https://theconversation.com/can-trump-just-order-new-names-for-denali-and-the-gulf-of-mexico-a-geographer-explains-who-decides-what-goes-on-the-map-248112
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/30/gulf-of-mexico-or-gulf-of-america-google-maps-and-contentious-geography
  • https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/trump-administration-says-gulf-america-name-change-now-official-2025-01-24/


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. MEXICO: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Mexico. 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?
       president / Gulf of Mexico / Gulf of America / inauguration / awe / proud / legacy /
       geographic names / acceptance / sovereign / coastline / the sea / maps / continent
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. NAME CHANGES: Students A strongly believe place-name changes should be governed by the United Nations; Students B strongly believe otherwise. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. DISPUTED NAMES: What are the alternate names for these places? What do you know of the history of these names? What is the correct name, and why? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Names

History

Correct Name (Why?)

Gulf of Mexico

 

 

 

Persian Gulf

 

 

 

Falkland Islands

 

 

 

Sea of Japan

 

 

 

Somalialand

 

 

 

Palestine

 

 

 
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. WATER: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "water". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. RESPECTED NATIONS: Rank these with your partner. Put the nations most worthy of respect at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • USA
  • Mexico
  • Egypt
  • Switzerland
  • UAE
  • China
  • New Zealand
  • Brazil

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. surrounded a. A special event to start something new, like when a president begins their job.
      2. inauguration b. The act of putting a plan into action.
      3. awe c. The whole thing, not just a part.
      4. entire d. A feeling of great respect and surprise.
      5. implementation e. When something is all around you (or something else).
      6. restoration f. Something important that a person leaves behind after they are gone.
      7. legacy g. Fixing something to make it like new again.

    Paragraph 2

      8. jurisdiction h. To reply quickly and often angrily.
      9. acceptance i. The area where someone has power or control.
      10. cited j. A person or country that has full power over itself.
      11. stipulates k. To show something in a picture or describe it in words.
      12. sovereign l. When someone mentions or refers to something.
      13. retorted m. When a rule or law says something must be done.
      14. depicted n. Saying "yes" to something or someone.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. The article lists three countries as surrounding the Gulf of Mexico.     T / F
  2. President Trump ordered the renaming during his inauguration.     T / F
  3. President Trump said the Gulf of America would be awe-inspiring.     T / F
  4. The US government said the name change would honor a US legacy.     T / F
  5. The name "Gulf of America" will be used on all the world's new maps.     T / F
  6. Mexico's president said the name "Gulf of Mexico" is 600 years old.     T / F
  7. The UN says a nation's territory only stretches 19 km from its coastline.  T / F
  8. Mexico's president joked that the USA should be renamed.     T / F

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

  1. ordered
  2. surrounded
  3. inauguration
  4. awe
  5. restoration
  6. jurisdiction
  7. cited
  8. stipulate
  9. extends
  10. depicted
  1. authority
  2. putting back
  3. encircled
  4. state
  5. wonder
  6. referred to
  7. instructed
  8. stretches
  9. represented
  10. swearing in

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

  1. body of
  2. Shortly after his
  3. America will reclaim its rightful
  4. inspiring the awe and admiration
  5. honor the legacy
  6. no international organization with
  7. mandate the global acceptance
  8. She also cited the
  9. a country's sovereign
  10. as depicted on a
  1. map of the continent
  2. of American greatness
  3. of place names
  4. United Nations Convention
  5. of the entire world
  6. territory
  7. place as the greatest
  8. water
  9. inauguration
  10. the jurisdiction

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
entire
inauguration
surrounded
rightful
announce
legacy
body
awe

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. He wants the (1) _________________________________ of water, which is (2) _________________________________ by the USA, Mexico, and Cuba, to be renamed the Gulf of America. Shortly after his (3) _________________________________ on the 20th of January, President Trump said: "America will reclaim its (4) _________________________________ place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the (5) _________________________________ and admiration of the (6) _________________________________ world." He added: "We are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America." The U.S. Department of the Interior declared that it "is proud to (7) _________________________________ the implementation of name restorations that honor the (8) _________________________________ of American greatness".

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
stipulates
depicted
mandate
maps
continent
existed
territory
opposed

The USA's Board on Geographic Names can change the name to Gulf of America on official U.S. (9) _________________________________. However, there is no international organization with the jurisdiction to (10) _________________________________ the global acceptance of place names. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has (11) _________________________________ the name change. She pointed out that the name "Gulf of Mexico" has (12) _________________________________ for over four centuries. She also cited the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which (13) _________________________________ that a country's sovereign (14) _________________________________ only extends 19 kilometres from its coastline. She retorted that if there were to be name changes, the United States should be called "Mexican America," as (15) _________________________________ on a map of the (16) _________________________________ from 1607.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  He wants the body of water, ______
     a.  which is surround it
     b.  which is surround did
     c.  which is surrounds
     d.  which is surrounded
2)  President Trump said America will reclaim its rightful place ______
     a.  as the greatest
     b.  was the greatest
     c.  has the greatest
     d.  is the greatest
3)  inspiring the awe and admiration of ______
     a.  the entry world
     b.  the entire world
     c.  the entirely world
     d.  the entirety world
4)  The U.S. Department of the ______
     a.  Interior declares that
     b.  Interior declare that
     c.  Interior declared that
     d.  Interior declared what
5)  proud to announce the implementation of name restorations that ______
     a.  honor the lethargy
     b.  honor the legality
     c.  honor the literacy
     d.  honor the legacy

6)  change the name to Gulf of America on ______
     a.  officially U.S. maps
     b.  officials U.S. maps
     c.  official U.S. maps
     d.  officialdom U.S. maps
7)  there is no international organization with the jurisdiction to mandate ______
     a.  the globally acceptance
     b.  the global accept stance
     c.  the global accept tents
     d.  the global acceptance
8)  She pointed out that the name "Gulf of Mexico" has existed for ______
     a.  over for centuries
     b.  our four centuries
     c.  over four centuries
     d.  over four centurions
9)  the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, ______
     a.  which stipulates what
     b.  what stipulates that
     c.  which stipulate that
     d.  which stipulates that
10)  called "Mexican America," as depicted on a map of the ______
     a.  incontinent from 1607
     b.  continent from 1607
     c.  continents from 1607
     d.  incontinence from 1607

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

U.S. President Donald Trump has (1) _______________________________________________ of the Gulf of Mexico. He wants the body of water, which (2) _______________________________________________ the USA, Mexico, and Cuba, to be renamed the Gulf of America. Shortly after his inauguration on the 20th of January, President Trump said: "America will (3) _______________________________________________ place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the (4) _______________________________________________ of the entire world." He added: "We are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America." The U.S. Department of the Interior (5) _______________________________________________ "is proud to announce the implementation of name restorations that (6) _______________________________________________ of American greatness".

The USA's Board on Geographic Names can change the name to Gulf of America on (7) _______________________________________________. However, there is no international organization with the jurisdiction to (8) _______________________________________________ acceptance of place names. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has opposed the name change. She (9) _______________________________________________ the name "Gulf of Mexico" has existed for over four centuries. She also cited the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, (10) _______________________________________________ a country's sovereign territory only extends 19 kilometres from its coastline. She (11) _______________________________________________ there were to be name changes, the United States should be called "Mexican America," (12) _______________________________________________ a map of the continent from 1607.

Comprehension questions

  1. What is the synonym the article used for the Gulf of Mexico?
  2. When did President Trump say the USA would regain its rightful place?
  3. Who did President Trump say would be awe-inspired by America?
  4. Which department expressed its pride in the renaming?
  5. What legacy did the department say the renaming would honor?
  6. Where will we see the name "Gulf of America"?
  7. Which group has the jurisdiction to mandate global place-name changes?
  8. For how long has the name "Gulf of Mexico" existed?
  9. How far out from its coastline does a nation's sovereign territory stretch?
  10. What did Mexico's president joke that the USA should be renamed?

Multiple choice quiz

1)  What is the synonym the article used for the Gulf of Mexico?
a) head of steam
b) body of water
c) cube of ice
d) water basin
2)  When did President Trump say the USA would regain its rightful place?
a) soon
b) in 2040
c) shortly after his inauguration
d) immediately
3)  Who did President Trump say would be awe-inspired by America?
a) America's foes
b) all North Americas
c) Mexicans
d) the entire world
4)  Which department expressed its pride in the renaming?
a) Homeland Security
b) the U.S. Department of the Interior
c) the Department of Government Efficiency
d) The I.R.S.
5)  What legacy did the department say the renaming would honor?
a) the legacy of American greatness
b) the legacy of American seas and oceans
c) the legacy of President Trump
d) the legacy of the Americas

6)  Where will we see the name "Gulf of America"?
a) on official U.S. maps
b) in atlases
c) Google Maps worldwide
d) in Mexico
7)  Which group has the jurisdiction to mandate global place-name changes?
a) UNESCO
b) Google Maps
c) National Geographic
d) There's no such group.
8)  For how long has the name "Gulf of Mexico" existed?
a) over 600 years
b) over 500 years
c) over 400 years
d) over 800 years
9)  How far out from its coastline does a nation's sovereign territory stretch?
a) 16 km
b) 17 km
c) 18 km
d) 19 km
10)  What did Mexico's president joke that the USA should be renamed?
a) Tex Mex
b) Mexican America
c) American Mexicana
d) Mex Tex

Role play

Role  A – The USA
You think the USA is the nation most worthy of respect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their countries. Also, tell the others which of these is the country that needs to do better most (and why): the UAE, Switzerland or China.

Role  B – UAE
You think the UAE is the nation most worthy of respect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their countries. Also, tell the others which of these is the country that needs to do better most (and why): the USA, Switzerland or China.

Role  C – Switzerland
You think Switzerland is the nation most worthy of respect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their countries. Also, tell the others which of these is the country that needs to do better most (and why): the UAE, the USA or China.

Role  D – China
You think China is the nation most worthy of respect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their countries. Also, tell the others which of these is the country that needs to do better most (and why): the UAE, Switzerland or the USA.

After reading / listening

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

'gulf'

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

    • and 'Mexico'.

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

    • • 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:

    • body
    • shortly
    • place
    • awe
    • going
    • honor
    • official
    • global
    • opposed
    • four
    • 19
    • depicted

    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 - Gulf of Mexico

    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 'gulf'?
    3. What do you know about the Gulf of Mexico?
    4. What do you think about the name change to Gulf of America?
    5. What is awe-inspiring about the USA?
    6. What nations on Earth do you respect most?
    7. How great is your nation?
    8. What is the 'legacy of American greatness'?
    9. What is the legacy of your country?
    10. How has President Trump been doing since his inauguration?

    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 'Mexico'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Who should oversee the changing of place names?
    5. Have there been place-name changes you have disagreed with?
    6. What do you think of the name of your country?
    7. What do you think of looking at maps?
    8. What places on Earth would you like to rename?
    9. What advice do you have for Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum?
    10. What questions would you like to ask President Trump?

    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)

    U.S. President Donald Trump has (1) ____ the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. He wants the body of water, which is surrounded (2) ____ the USA, Mexico, and Cuba, to be renamed the Gulf of America. (3) ____ after his inauguration on the 20th of January, President Trump said: "America will reclaim its (4) ____ place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the (5) ____ world." He added: "We are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America." The U.S. Department of the Interior declared that it "is proud to announce the implementation of name restorations that honor the (6) ____ of American greatness".

    The USA's Board on Geographic Names can change the name to Gulf of America on official U.S. maps. However, there is no international organization with the jurisdiction to (7) ____ the global acceptance of place names. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has (8) ____ the name change. She pointed out that the name "Gulf of Mexico" has existed for over four centuries. She also (9) ____ the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which stipulates that a country's (10) ____ territory only extends 19 kilometres from its coastline. She (11) ____ that if there were to be name changes, the United States should be called "Mexican America," as (12) ____ on a map of the continent from 1607.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     order     (b)     ordered     (c)     orders     (d)     ordering    
    2. (a)     of     (b)     by     (c)     at     (d)     on    
    3. (a)     Thinly     (b)     Petitely     (c)     Lesser     (d)     Shortly    
    4. (a)     wrongful     (b)     rightful     (c)     dutiful     (d)     bountiful    
    5. (a)     all     (b)     entire     (c)     entrail     (d)     contrail    
    6. (a)     lethargy     (b)     legality     (c)     legacy     (d)     largesse    
    7. (a)     freeze     (b)     confide     (c)     mandate     (d)     disturb    
    8. (a)     imposed     (b)     posed     (c)     opposed     (d)     composed    
    9. (a)     slighted     (b)     sated     (c)     sighted     (d)     cited    
    10. (a)     sovereign     (b)     royal     (c)     kingly     (d)     empire    
    11. (a)     retorted     (b)     contorted     (c)     sported     (d)     imported    
    12. (a)     pasted     (b)     stitched     (c)     depicted     (d)     treated

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. udenuosdrr by the USA
    2. Shortly after his gtunuaraoiin
    3. inspiring the aew and admiration
    4. the eeirnt world
    5. the implementation of name raortiosetsn
    6. honor the ygclae of American greatness

    Paragraph 2

    1. on lafifoci U.S. maps
    2. no international organization with the niucjrtsdiio
    3. mndtaae the global acceptance
    4. which ptaestulis that
    5. a country's soiegrven territory
    6. as dcetpide on a map of the continent

    Put the text back together

    (...)   proud to announce the implementation of name restorations that honor the legacy of American greatness".
    (...)   territory only extends 12 miles from its coastline. She retorted that if there were to be name changes,
    (...)   maps. However, there is no international organization with the jurisdiction to order
    (...)   place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the awe and
    (...)   the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which stipulates that a country's sovereign
    (...)   to the Gulf of America." The U.S. Department of the Interior declared that it "is
    (...)   the global acceptance of place names. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has opposed the name change. She pointed
    (...)   The USA's Board on Geographic Names can change the name to Gulf of America on official U.S.
    (...)   after his inauguration on the 20th of January, President Trump said: "America will reclaim its rightful
    (...)   admiration of the entire world." He added: "We are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico
    (...)   out that the name "Gulf of Mexico" has existed for over four centuries. She also cited
    (...)   of water, which is surrounded by the USA, Mexico, and Cuba, to be renamed the Gulf of America. Shortly
    (  1  )   U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. He wants the body
    (...)   the United States should be called "Mexican America," as depicted on a map of the continent from 1607.

    Put the words in the right order

    1. the   Mexico   .   Ordered   renaming   Gulf   of   of   the
    2. reclaim   greatest   .   its   America   the   as   will   place
    3. the   Inspiring   the   awe   world   .   entire   of
    4. the   to   going   changing   are   name   .   be   We
    5. honor   legacy   American   greatness   .   of   the   Restorations   that
    6. of   Jurisdiction   to   the   names   .   mandate   place   acceptance
    7. the   has   opposed   president   name   Mexico's   change   .
    8. has   name   centuries   .   four   over   for   The   existed
    9. 19 kilometres   .   extends   country's   only   sovereign   A   territory
    10. As   map   a   depicted   continent   .   on   the   of

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the renamed / renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. He wants the trunk / body of water, which is surrounded of / by the USA, Mexico, and Cuba, to be renamed the Gulf of America. Shortly / Lowly after his inauguration on the 20th of January, President Trump said: "America will reclaim its rightfully / rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the awesome / awe and admiration of the entire / entirety world." He added: "We are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America." The U.S. Department of an / the Interior declared that it "is proud / pride to announce the implementation of name restorations that honor the legality / legacy of American greatness".

    The USA's Board / Plank on Geographic Names can change the name to Gulf of America on / of official U.S. maps. However, there is no international organization with the jurisdiction / justification to mandate the global acceptance of place names. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has composed / opposed the name change. She pointed / jabbed out that the name "Gulf of Mexico" has existed for over four centuries. She also sighted / cited the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which stipulating / stipulates that a country's sovereign territory only extends 19 kilometres from its contour / coastline. She retorted that if there were / have to be name changes, the United States should be called "Mexican America," as depicted / impacted on a map of the continent from 1607.

    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)

    _.S.  Pr_s_d_nt  D_n_ld  Tr_mp  h_s  _rd_r_d  th_  r_n_m_ng  _f  th_  G_lf  _f  M_x_c_.  H_  w_nts  th_  b_dy  _f  w_t_r,  wh_ch  _s  s_rr__nd_d  by  th_  _S_,  M_x_c_,  _nd  C_b_,  t_  b_  r_n_m_d  th_  G_lf  _f  _m_r_c_.  Sh_rtly  _ft_r  h_s  _n__g_r_t__n  _n  th_  20th  _f  J_n__ry,  Pr_s_d_nt  Tr_mp  s__d:  "_m_r_c_  w_ll  r_cl__m  _ts  r_ghtf_l  pl_c_  _s  th_  gr__t_st,  m_st  p_w_rf_l,  m_st  r_sp_ct_d  n_t__n  _n  __rth,  _nsp_r_ng  th_  _w_  _nd  _dm_r_t__n  _f  th_  _nt_r_  w_rld."  H_  _dd_d:  "W_  _r_  g__ng  t_  b_  ch_ng_ng  th_  n_m_  _f  th_  G_lf  _f  M_x_c_  t_  th_  G_lf  _f  _m_r_c_."  Th_  _.S.  D_p_rtm_nt  _f  th_  _nt_r__r  d_cl_r_d  th_t  _t  "_s  pr__d  t_  _nn__nc_  th_  _mpl_m_nt_t__n  _f  n_m_  r_st_r_t__ns  th_t  h_n_r  th_  l_g_cy  _f  _m_r_c_n  gr__tn_ss".

    Th_  _S_'s  B__rd  _n  G__gr_ph_c  N_m_s  c_n  ch_ng_  th_  n_m_  t_  G_lf  _f  _m_r_c_  _n  _ff_c__l  _.S.  m_ps.  H_w_v_r,  th_r_  _s  n_  _nt_rn_t__n_l  _rg_n_z_t__n  w_th  th_  j_r_sd_ct__n  t_  m_nd_t_  th_  gl_b_l  _cc_pt_nc_  _f  pl_c_  n_m_s.  M_x_c_'s  Pr_s_d_nt  Cl__d__  Sh__nb__m  h_s  _pp_s_d  th_  n_m_  ch_ng_.  Sh_  p__nt_d  __t  th_t  th_  n_m_  "G_lf  _f  M_x_c_"  h_s  _x_st_d  f_r  _v_r  f__r  c_nt_r__s.  Sh_  _ls_  c_t_d  th_  _n_t_d  N_t__ns  C_nv_nt__n  _n  th_  L_w  _f  th_  S__,  wh_ch  st_p_l_t_s  th_t  _  c__ntry's  s_v_r__gn  t_rr_t_ry  _nly  _xt_nds  19  k_l_m_tr_s  fr_m  _ts  c__stl_n_.  Sh_  r_t_rt_d  th_t  _f  th_r_  w_r_  t_  b_  n_m_  ch_ng_s,  th_  _n_t_d  St_t_s  sh__ld  b_  c_ll_d  "M_x_c_n  _m_r_c_,"  _s  d_p_ct_d  _n  _  m_p  _f  th_  c_nt_n_nt  fr_m  1607.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    us president donald trump has ordered the renaming of the gulf of mexico he wants the body of water which is surrounded by the usa mexico and cuba to be renamed the gulf of america shortly after his inauguration on the 20th of january president trump said america will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest most powerful most respected nation on earth inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world he added we are going to be changing the name of the gulf of mexico to the gulf of america the us department of the interior declared that it is proud to announce the implementation of name restorations that honor the legacy of american greatness

    the usas board on geographic names can change the name to gulf of america on official us maps however there is no international organization with the jurisdiction to mandate the global acceptance of place names mexicos president claudia sheinbaum has opposed the name change she pointed out that the name gulf of mexico has existed for over four centuries she also cited the united nations convention on the law of the sea which stipulates that a countrys sovereign territory only extends 19 kilometres from its coastline she retorted that if there were to be name changes the united states should be called mexican america as depicted on a map of the continent from 1607

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    U.S.PresidentDonaldTrumphasorderedtherenamingoftheGulfofMex
    ico.Hewantsthebodyofwater,whichissurroundedbytheUSA,Mexico,a
    ndCuba,toberenamedtheGulfofAmerica.Shortlyafterhisinauguratio
    nonthe20thofJanuary,PresidentTrumpsaid:"Americawillreclaimitsri
    ghtfulplaceasthegreatest,mostpowerful,mostrespectednationonEar
    th,inspiringtheaweandadmirationoftheentireworld."Headded:"Wea
    regoingtobechangingthenameoftheGulfofMexicototheGulfofAmeric
    a."TheU.S.DepartmentoftheInteriordeclaredthatit"isproudtoannou
    ncetheimplementationofnamerestorationsthathonorthelegacyofAm
    ericangreatness".TheUSA'sBoardonGeographicNamescanchangeth
    enametoGulfofAmericaonofficialU.S.maps.However,thereisnointer
    nationalorganizationwiththejurisdictiontomandatetheglobalaccepta
    nceofplacenames.Mexico'sPresidentClaudiaSheinbaumhasopposed
    thenamechange.Shepointedoutthatthename"GulfofMexico"hasexis
    tedforoverfourcenturies.ShealsocitedtheUnitedNationsConvention
    ontheLawoftheSea,whichstipulatesthatacountry'ssovereignterritor
    yonlyextends19kilometresfromitscoastline.Sheretortedthatifthere
    weretobenamechanges,theUnitedStatesshouldbecalled"MexicanA
    merica,"asdepictedonamapofthecontinentfrom1607.

    Free writing

    Write about Gulf of Mexico for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    All place-name changes should be the responsibility of the United Nations. 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. MEXICO: Make a poster about Mexico. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. NAME CHANGES: Write a magazine article about the U.N. being responsible for all changes to place names that affect two or more countries. 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 Gulf of Mexico. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on the convention of place-name changing. 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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