The Reading / Listening - Gen Z Protests - Level 5

Young people worldwide are taking to the streets in protest against their governments. From Madagascar to Peru, Generation Z is rising to express discontent with their leaders. Gen Z consists of people born between 1996 and 2010. They share a common concern about increasing inequality, corruption, nepotism, and corporate greed. They are worried about their bleak career prospects. This week in Madagascar, a group of protesters helped oust the country's president. In Morocco, people marched to call for better healthcare and education.

Protesters have two things in common. One is an exasperation about the state of the world; the other is a flag from a Japanese manga. The flag has a skull and crossed bones. In the manga, pirates fly the flag and fight against oppression and injustice. The flag has been on protesters' banners and seen in graffiti. Al Jazeera reported that in protests in Nepal, the flag was painted on murals, hung from cars, and displayed in place of national flags. It added that the flag is used in satire. Protesters are using the flag to represent what they view as "failures of governance".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Gen Z Protests - Level 4 or  Gen Z Protests - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2025/10/the-gen-z-movement-this-is-why-were-risking-our-lives-to-protest/
  • https://apnews.com/article/gen-z-protests-madagascar-nepal-morocco-peru-e1859bc7e4203adbac829cf45f92138b
  • https://www.Al Jazeera.com/news/2025/8/16/indonesians-raise-anime-pirate-flag-in-protest-as-nation-marks-independence


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

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. people worldwide are taking
  2. protest against their
  3. Generation Z is rising to
  4. They share a common
  5. corporate
  6. worried about their bleak
  7. protesters helped oust the
  8. people marched to call
  1. career prospects
  2. express discontent
  3. greed
  4. country's president
  5. to the streets
  6. concern
  7. for better healthcare
  8. governments

Paragraph 2

  1. Protesters have two
  2. exasperation about the state
  3. The flag has a skull and
  4. pirates fly
  5. fight against oppression
  6. the flag is used
  7. Protesters are
  8. failures of
  1. crossed bones
  2. using the flag
  3. and injustice
  4. of the world
  5. governance
  6. things in common
  7. the flag
  8. in satire

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Young people worldwide are taking to the (1) ________________________________________________ against their governments. From Madagascar to Peru, Generation Z is (2) ________________________________________________ discontent with their leaders. Gen Z consists of people born between 1996 and 2010. They share (3) ________________________________________________ about increasing inequality, corruption, nepotism, and corporate greed. They are worried about (4) ________________________________________________ prospects. This week in Madagascar, a group of protesters (5) ________________________________________________ country's president. In Morocco, people (6) ________________________________________________ for better healthcare and education.

Protesters have two (7) ________________________________________________. One is an exasperation about the (8) ________________________________________________ world; the other is a flag from a Japanese manga. The flag has a skull and crossed bones. In the manga, pirates (9) ________________________________________________ and fight against oppression and injustice. The flag has (10) ________________________________________________ banners and seen in graffiti. Al Jazeera reported that in protests in Nepal, the flag was (11) ________________________________________________, hung from cars, and displayed in place of national flags. It added that the flag is used in satire. Protesters are using the flag to represent what (12) ________________________________________________ "failures of governance".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Youngpeopleworldwidearetakingtothestreetsinprotestagainsttheirg
overnments.FromMadagascartoPeru,GenerationZisrisingtoexpress
discontentwiththeirleaders.GenZconsistsofpeoplebornbetween199
6and2010.Theyshareacommonconcernaboutincreasinginequality,c
orruption,nepotism,andcorporategreed.Theyareworriedabouttheir
bleakcareerprospects.ThisweekinMadagascar,agroupofprotestersh
elpedoustthecountry'spresident.InMorocco,peoplemarchedtocallfo
rbetterhealthcareandeducation.Protestershavetwothingsincommo
n.Oneisanexasperationaboutthestateoftheworld;theotherisaflagfro
maJapanesemanga.Theflaghasaskullandcrossedbones.Inthemang
a,piratesflytheflagandfightagainstoppressionandinjustice.Theflagh
asbeenonprotesters'bannersandseeningraffiti.AlJazeerareportedth
atinprotestsinNepal,theflagwaspaintedonmurals,hungfromcars,an
ddisplayedinplaceofnationalflags.Itaddedthattheflagisusedinsatire.
Protestersareusingtheflagtorepresentwhattheyviewas"failuresofgo
vernance".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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