WORDS IN THE NEWS s pack
Words in the News Japan textbook back in spotlight - 13 July 2005 (story link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2005/07/050713_japan.shtml) s pack table of contents Lesson Plan: Core Materials...3 Lesson Plan: Supplementary Materials...9 Worksheet A: Specific information Questions...11 Worksheet B: Vocabulary Building...12 Worksheet C: Word stress...14 Answer Key...15 2
Words in the News Japan textbook back in spotlight Intermediate Reading Skills Core materials Lesson Plan p R E R E A D I N G Warm-up/ stimulate students' interest in text 5 Generate interest about today s topic by asking students to see how much they know about Asian geography. Tell them to put the correct cities the correct rows. Notes that some of the cities on the board won't be used. Divide the class into 2 or 3 groups. One person from each group comes to the board and completes one line. If they get all that country's information correct, they get one point. The winning team is the one with the most points. Answers: Country Capital city largest city Japan Tokyo Tokyo China Beijing Shanghai South Korea Seoul Seoul North Korea Pyongyang Pyongyang The Philippines Manila Manila For example: Country China Japan North Korea South Korea The Philippines Manila Shanghai Pyongyang Beijing Capital city Tokyo Hong Kong Yokohama Seoul largest city T E X T Pre-teach essential vocab Elicit/present key vocabulary that students need either to understand the key points of the text or to understand and/or answer any questions that you'll set them later in the lesson. The vocabulary is from Words in the News (so you can elicit the vocabulary by using the explanations provided). Further examples are also provided for some of the vocabulary, which you might find useful. Or you could use the vocabulary building activity from further 3
Words in the News Japan textbook back in spotlight Intermediate Reading Skills Core materials Lesson Plan down this lesson plan at this stage instead. Have students working in small groups together and ask them to try to match the vocabulary with the definitions. Encourage them to work with the other groups to pool their knowledge. When they have done as much as they can, if they have dictionaries, ask them to look up the words to check their answers and to find out the definitions of any words they were not sure of. If not, check their answers and give them help with any words they aren't sure of. Whichever method you use to elicit/present the vocabulary, you should then model (say it clearly, highlighting the word stress) and get them to repeat the words after you. an edition a version a handful of a few a passing mention of something a very brief reference to something; giving it very little importance an atrocity a cruel or violent act 4
Words in the News Japan textbook back in spotlight Intermediate Reading Skills Core materials Lesson Plan to sexually enslave someone to force someone to have sex against his/her will, usually over a period of time (in this case during the second world war) a diplomatic protest a complaint from one country s leaders about how another country behaves a scholar a person who studies a subject in great detail masochistic a person who enjoys his/her own suffering or who is overly selfcritical on the margins of in a very small part of public school system schools run by the government controversial something which causes a lot of disagreement 5
Words in the News Japan textbook back in spotlight Intermediate Reading Skills Core materials Lesson Plan Written record Write the words on the board, eliciting spelling as you write. Elicit and show the word stress of each item and word class, if necessary. Give students some time to copy your boardwork into their notebooks. an edition (n) a handful of to make just a passing mention of an atrocity (n) to sexually enslave someone 5 a diplomatic protest a scholar (n) masochistic (adj) on the margins of a public school system controversial (adj) 6
Words in the News Japan textbook back in spotlight Intermediate Reading Skills Core materials Lesson Plan W H I L E R E A D I N G T E X T Set skimming question Check answer Set specific information questions 5 1 2 Tell the students they are going to read a text about a new history book that is going to be used in schools in Japan. Give them a time limit (1-2 minutes) to read the text quickly to find the answer to the question on the board: How many of the countries on the board are mentioned in the text? It's not important that the students predict every way that's mentioned in the text (it's unlikely that they could). The point of this task is to get them interested in the text by predicting what they are going to read about and to get them to skim the whole text. Elicit answer from students (and mark the correct answers on the board). Paragraph 2 mentions China, Japan and South Korea Use worksheet A/online quiz to help students understand the text in more detail. Give students a time limit (5-6 minutes) to read the text again in more detail now and to answer the questions. For example: Country China Japan North Korea South Korea Taiwan Country China Japan North Korea South Korea Taiwan 7
Words in the News Japan textbook back in spotlight Intermediate Reading Skills Core materials Lesson Plan P O S T R E A D I N G Total Time Check answers 1 Building vocabulary Check answers Elicit answers True or False. Direct attention to a particular paragraph if an answer is wrong, to try to elicit correct answer. (see worksheet A and answer key Before the lesson, make enough copies of worksheet B so that there is 1 worksheet for every 4 5 students. Cut up the 5 vocabulary and explanations. In class, tell students to match the correct word with the right definition. 2 Elicit answers. If an answer is wrong, ask other students to try to elicit correct answer. (see worksheet B and answer key) 45 8
Words in the News Japan textbook back in spotlight Intermediate Reading Skills Supplementary materials Lesson Plan Pronunciation: word stress Check answers Follow-up activity writing 5-10 Use worksheet C to focus on verb patterns. Tell students to complete the table with the correct prepositions.. 3 If an answer is wrong, ask other students to try to elicit correct answer (see worksheet C and answer key). Discuss with students why the new history book is so controversial (i.e. some people say that history is being rewritten). Tell them they are going to re-write a part of their personal, school, work or country's history and other students have to try to guess which parts of it are false. Students work by themselves and write one or two paragraphs (80-100 words) about their subject, including three pieces of false information. Then in small groups, each person looks at the work the others have produced and tries to identify the lies. 15 Give them 2 or 3 minutes to think about their topic, about 8-10 minutes to write their piece and about 5 minutes to look at other students' work and guess the false parts. While they are speaking, move around the room listening to them unobtrusively. Make a note of any errors you read. 9
Words in the News Japan textbook back in spotlight Intermediate Reading Skills Supplementary materials Lesson Plan Feedback 5-10 Give praise for content (for example, who wrote a convincing article) Find out who was the best liar in the class and who was the best 'detective'. Give praise for correct examples you read. Give feedback on incorrect examples you read. Elicit corrections. Examples: I was born into a very wealthy family The government was honest and trust worth. Total Time 35 10
Words in the News Worksheet A Japan textbook back in spotlight 13 July 2005 Are the following questions true of false? Read the text again and circle the correct answer: 1. A lot of schools have been using the new history book since 2001. T/F 2. People who disagree with the book say that it only talks briefly about how violent the Japanese army was. T/F 3. Chinese and South Korean Government officials congratulated the Japanese government when it allowed the new book to be used in April. T/F 4. The authors of the book say Japan usually enjoys concentrating on its violent history in teaching about the past. T/F 5. Almost all schools in Japan used the first edition of the new history book. T/F 6. Soon more than 500 communities will decide if they are going to teach from the contentious book or not. T/F This quiz is available online. Go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2005/07/050713_japan.shtml At the bottom of the page (Words in the News), follow the link Do a comprehension test about this story 11
Words in the News Worksheet B - Vocabulary Japan textbook back in spotlight 13 July 2005 Cut up the following vocabulary items. Ask students to match them correctly with the definitions. 1. an edition 2. a handful of 3. to make just a passing mention of 4. an atrocity 5. to sexually enslave someone 6. a diplomatic protest 7. a scholar 8. masochistic 9. on the margins of 10. a public school system 11. controversial 12
Words in the News Worksheet B - Definitions Japan textbook back in spotlight 13 July 2005 Cut up the following definitions. Ask students to match them correctly with the vocabulary items. a. a few b. something which causes a lot of disagreement c. to force someone to have sex against his/her will, usually over a period of time (in this case during the second world war) d. in a very small part of e. a version f. a person who studies a subject in great detail g. a very brief reference to something; giving it very little importance h. schools run by the government i. a person who enjoys his/her own suffering or who is overly self-critical j. a complaint from one country s leaders about how another country behaves k a cruel or violent act 13
Words in the News Worksheet C Japan textbook back in spotlight 13 July 2005 Verb patterns The verbs in the table are taken from today's text. They can all be followed by a preposition (for, by, to or of) and a phrase such as something or someone. Complete the table with the correct preposition. The first one has been done for you: for by to of verb preposition phrase 1. criticised by someone 2. criticised doing something 3. used something 4. used someone 5. used do something 6. used doing something 7. followed someone 8. followed something 9. responded doing something 10. responded someone 11. responded something 12. approved something 13. approved someone 14. approved someone 14
Words in the News Japan textbook back in spotlight 6 June 2005 Answers Worksheet A 1. False Paragraph 1 says 'This text book is a new edition of a work that been used for the last four years in a handful of schools'. 2. True Paragraph 1 says 'It's been criticised for making just a passing mention of atrocities by Japanese troops in Asia'. 3. False Paragraph 2 says 'When the government approved it in April, there were diplomatic protests by China and South Korea.' 4. True Paragraph 3 says 'The scholars who wrote the book say Japan is too masochistic in its teaching of history.' 5. False Paragraph 3 says 'The earlier edition of their work was only used on the margins of the school system.' 6. True Paragraph 4 says 'Almost six hundred other communities across Japan will decide whether to use the controversial text over the next few weeks.' Worksheet B 1. e 2. a 3. g 4. k 5. c 6. j 7. f 8. i 9. d 10. h 11. b Worksheet C verb preposition phrase 1. criticised by someone 2. criticised for doing something 3. used for something 4. used by someone 5. used to do something 6. used to doing something 7. followed by someone 8. followed by something 9. responded by doing something 10. responded to someone 11. responded to something 12. approved of something 13. approved of something 14. approved by someone 15