Monday February 21, 2005
Intermediate  +

THE ARTICLE

US President George W. Bush arrived in Brussels, Belgium a few hours ago at the start of a 5-day visit to Europe. Thousands of protestors greeted him amid unprecedented levels of security. His mission is to repair the transatlantic ties that were damaged throughout Mr. Bush’s first term of office. This is his first European tour since being elected for a second term as president. Talks this week will be rather delicate. He meets with French President Jacques Chirac, and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, both of whom vehemently opposed Bush’s decision to attack Iraq. Mr. Bush will meet more than two-dozen European leaders, including his trusted ally Tony Blair. He will be pushed on issues as diverse as why America refuses to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court, Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons programme, lifting the embargo on sales of arms to China, the Middle-East, and of course the War on Terror.

In a speech given before his visit, Mr. Bush stressed the importance of repairing relations, “to seize the moment and invigorate a relationship that is a vital relationship for our own security, as well as a vital relationship for long-term peace in the world.” He outlined his own agenda, “I'll talk about a variety of areas where we can work together; talk about the greater Middle East, middle eastern peace and Iraq and Iran; talk about the need for us to work together to feed the hungry and take care of the diseased; I'll talk about the environment”. European leaders, however, are hoping for a little more than just talk from Mr. Bush. He also wants to focus on the common bonds that the USA and Europe share, “We do not accept a false caricature that divides the Western world between an idealistic United States and a cynical Europe. America and Europe are the pillars of the free world.”

Lesson & plan in Word.doc

Example Class Handout in Word.doc

Example Class Handout in .pdf

WARM UPS / COOL DOWNS

1. CHAT:  Talk in pairs or groups about George W. Bush / America and the world / Bush and Blair / transatlantic ties / feeding the hungry / pillars of the free world / …

To make things more dynamic, try telling your students they only have one minute (or 2) on each chat topic before changing topics / partners. Change topic / partner frequently to energize the class.

2. BUSH BRAINSTORM: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with US President George W. Bush. Share your words with your partner / group and talk about them. Call out your words to your teacher. He/She will write them on the board in three columns – “positive-meaning words”, “negative-meaning words”, “neither”. Talk again in different pairs about the three columns.

3. PROTESTOR?: Would you be a protestor in the streets of Brussels, or a supporter of Mr. Bush? Talk with your partner / group about which side you would join and what issues make you support / dislike Mr. Bush.

4. TRANSATLANTIC: Are America and Europe the same? What are the “common bonds” Mr. Bush talked about in his speech and what are the fundamental differences between Europe and America? Write down three ideas for each. Share and discuss them with your partner. Talk to other students until you have many ideas. As a class, agree on the strongest bonds and biggest differences.

5. OPINIONS: In pairs / groups, discuss the following opinions:

1. People shouldn’t protest against Mr. Bush. He’s a good man and visits Europe with a message of peace.
2. The visit will totally repair relati ons between Europe and America.
3. Mr. Bush and French president Chirac will become best friends.
4. Mr. Bush will surprise the world and sign up to the Kyoto Protocol.
5. Mr. Bush is really in Europe to get support for attacking Iran.
6. The USA should support lifting the embargo on arms sales to China.
7. George Bush is all talk and no action.
8. Saying America and Europe are the pillars of the free world is arrogant and disrespect to other countries in Asia, Africa, South America and Australasia in which freedom and democracy thrive.
9. President George W. Bush will one day win the Nobel peace prize for his contributions to world peace.

PRE-READING IDEAS

1. WORD SEARCH: Students look in their dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … of the words ‘level’ and ‘security’.

2. TRUE / FALSE: Students look at the headline and predict whether they believe the following statements about the article are true or false:

1. US President George W. Bush is vacationing in Belgium.  T / F
2. Millions of protestors greeted him.  T / F
3. His mission is to repair transatlantic ties.  T / F
4. Mr. Bush will meet more than 24 European leaders.  T / F
5. He is in Europe to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol and International Criminal Court.  T / F
6. Mr. Bush wants to invigorate a relationship that is a vital for American and world security.  T / F
7. European leaders are hoping for a little more than just talk from Mr. Bush.  T / F
8. America and Europe are the pillars of the free world.  T / F

3. SYNONYM MATCH: Students match the following synonyms from the article:

(a)	unprecedented	sensitive
(b)	delicate	ban
(c)	vehemently	essential
(d)	ally	description
(e)	embargo	passionately
(f)	invigorate	exceptional
(g)	vital	stimulate
(h)	caricature	skeptical
(i)	cynical	upholders
(j)	pillars	partner

 

4. PHRASE MATCH: Students match the following phrases based on the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

(a)	protestors greeted him amid	the free world
(b)	His mission is to repair	delicate
(c)	second term as	embargo on sales of arms
(d)	Talks this week will be rather	the transatlantic ties
(e)	vehemently	the importance of repairing relations
(f)	lifting the	opposed
(g)	Mr. Bush stressed	unprecedented levels of security
(h)	seize the	bonds
(i)	common	moment
(j)	pillars of	president

5. DEFINITIONS: Choose the correct meaning, (a) or (b)

(a) unprecedented (adj)
(i) Never having happened before; no previous examples.
(ii) Being unable to remove the scratches and dents to your car.

(b) ties (n)
(i) Relationships; the things that join tow people / countries together.
(ii) People who come from Thailand.

(c) delicate (adj)
(i) A food delivery service that specializes in gourmet food.
(ii) Very sensitive; so sensitive it may be easy to make a mistake.

(d) diverse (adj)
(i) A poem split into two sections.
(ii) Very varied and different.

(e) embargo (n)
(i) An international ban on trade imposed on a country .
(ii) Visiting many different drinking establishments in one evening to get drunk.

(f) invigorate (v)
(i) To make many enemies around the world.
(ii) To add new energy and strength to someone (something) who (that) was tired.

(g) agenda (n)
(i) One of the categories male or female.
(ii) A list or plan of things you want to do / achieve.

(h) caricature (n)
(i) A true-to-life description of picture of someone  (something) in which particular features are softened to make the person (thing) more beautiful – often used in fashion magazines.
(ii) An exaggerated description of picture of someone  (something) in which particular features are distorted – often used in political cartoons.

(i) idealistic (adj)
(i) Having many wonderful and beautifully positive ideas about the world
(ii) Having many shocking and incredibly negative ideas about the world

(j) cynical (adj)
(i) Being very negative and doubtful, or non-trusting about other people’s ideas
(ii) Being very skilled at making friends with important leaders

   

WHILE READING ACTIVITIES

1. GAP-FILL:  Put the missing words under each paragraph into the gaps.

Bush’s European Peace Mission

US President George W. Bush arrived in Brussels, Belgium a few hours ago at the start of a 5-day visit to Europe. Thousands of __________ greeted him amid unprecedented levels of security. His __________ is to repair the transatlantic ties that were damaged throughout Mr. Bush’s first term of office. This is his first European tour since being __________ for a second term as president. Talks this week will be rather delicate. He meets with French President Jacques Chirac, and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, both of whom vehemently __________ Bush’s decision to attack Iraq. Mr. Bush will meet more than two-dozen European leaders, including his __________ ally Tony Blair. He will be pushed on issues as diverse as why America refuses to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court, Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons programme, __________ the embargo on sales of arms to China, the Middle-East, and of course the War on Terror.		elected lifting opposed protestors trusted mission
In a speech given before his visit, Mr. Bush stressed the __________ of repairing relations, “to seize the moment and invigorate a relationship that is a vital relationship for our own security, as well as a __________ relationship for long-term peace in the world.” He __________ his own agenda, “I'll talk about a variety of areas where we can work together; talk about the greater Middle East, middle eastern peace and Iraq and Iran; talk about the __________ for us to work together to feed the hungry and take care of the diseased; I'll talk about the environment”. European leaders, however, are hoping for a little more than just talk from Mr. Bush. He also wants to focus on the common bonds that the USA and Europe share, “We do not accept a __________ caricature that divides the Western world between an idealistic United States and a cynical Europe. America and Europe are the __________ of the free world.”		need outlined vital  pillars importance false

2. TRUE/FALSE:  Students check their answers to the T/F exercise.

3. SYNONYMS:  Students check their answers to the synonyms exercise.

4. PHRASE MATCH:  Students check their answers to the phrase match exercise.

5. QUESTIONS: Students make notes for questions they would like to ask the class about the article.

6. VOCABULARY:  Students circle any words they do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find the meanings.

POST READING IDEAS

1. GAP-FILL: Check the answers to the gap-fill exercise.

2. QUESTIONS:  Students ask the discussion questions they thought of above to their partner / group / class. Pool the questions for all students to share.

3. VOCABULARY: As a class, go over the vocabulary students circled above.

4. STUDENT-GENERATED SURVEY: Pairs/Groups write down 3 questions based on the article. Conduct their surveys alone. Report back to partners to compare answers. Report to other groups / the whole class.

5. ‘LEVEL’/ ‘SECURITY’: Students make questions based on their findings from pre-reading activity #1.

6. DISCUSSION:  Students ask each other the following questions:

1. Do you like George Bush?
2. Do you like your own country’s leader?
3. Which American leader has been the best?
4. Which American leader has been the worst?
5. Are America and Europe divided?
6. Will Mr. Bush’s tour be successful?
7. What are the most pressing issues to be talked about?
8. What one thing would you like Mr. Bush to achieve in Europe?
9. Why are so many demonstrators protesting against Mr. Bush’s visit?
10. Who do you trust more (and why) George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac, your leader?
11. Should Mr. Bush sign up to the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court?
12. Why should there be an embargo on sales of arms to China?
13. Is George W. Bush all talk and no action, just peppering his speeches with clichés about “peace”, “democracy”, “freedom-loving people” etc?
14. Is Bush’s assertion that America is idealistic and Europe cynical true, or is it the way around?
15. If America and Europe are the pillars of the free world, what does that make China, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia … your country?
16. Teacher / Student additional questions.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCAB 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 more information on this George Bush’s visit. Keep updated on news of his tour. Share your opinions with your class next lesson.

3. MY AGENDA: You are president of the world. Write a brief agenda of the things you would like to achieve in your first year of office.

4. LETTER TO GEORGE W.: Write a letter to George W. Bush asking him to make one change to his foreign policy. Tell him why you think it is important he makes that change.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

1. US President George W. Bush is vacationing in Belgium.  F
2. Millions of protestors greeted him.  F
3. His mission is to repair transatlantic ties.  T
4. Mr. Bush will meet more than 24 European leaders.  T
5. He is in Europe to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol and International Criminal Court.  F
6. Mr. Bush wants to invigorate a relationship that is a vital for American and world security.  T
7. European leaders are hoping for a little more than just talk from Mr. Bush.  T
8. America and Europe are the pillars of the free world.  ?

SYNONYM MATCH:

(a)	unprecedented	exceptional
(b)	delicate	sensitive
(c)	vehemently	passionately
(d)	ally	partner
(e)	embargo	ban
(f)	invigorate	stimulate
(g)	vital	essential
(h)	caricature	description
(i)	cynical	skeptical
(j)	pillars	upholders

PHRASE MATCH:

(a)	protestors greeted him amid	unprecedented levels of security
(b)	His mission is to repair	the transatlantic ties
(c)	second term as	president
(d)	Talks this week will be rather	delicate
(e)	vehemently	opposed
(f)	lifting the	embargo on sales of arms
(g)	Mr. Bush stressed	the importance of repairing relations
(h)	seize the	moment
(i)	common	bonds
(j)	pillars of	the free world

  

DEFINITIONS:

(a) unprecedented (adj)
(i) Never having happened before; no previous examples.

(b) ties (n)
(i) Relationships; the things that join tow people / countries together.

(c) delicate (adj)
(ii) Very sensitive; so sensitive it may be easy to make a mistake.

(d) diverse (adj)
(ii) Very varied and different.

(e) embargo (n)
(i) An international ban on trade imposed on a country .

(f) invigorate (v)
(ii) To add new energy and strength to someone (something) who (that) was tired.

(g) agenda (n)
(ii) A list or plan of things you want to do / achieve.

(h) caricature (n)
(ii) An exaggerated description of picture of someone  (something) in which particular features are distorted – often used in political cartoons.

(i) idealistic (adj)
(i) Having many wonderful and beautifully positive ideas about the world

(j) cynical (adj)
(i) Being very negative and doubtful, or non-trusting about other people’s ideas

 

GAP FILL:

Bush’s European Peace Mission

US President George W. Bush arrived in Brussels, Belgium a few hours ago at the start of a 5-day visit to Europe. Thousands of protestors greeted him amid unprecedented levels of security. His mission is to repair the transatlantic ties that were damaged throughout Mr. Bush’s first term of office. This is his first European tour since being elected for a second term as president. Talks this week will be rather delicate. He meets with French President Jacques Chirac, and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, both of whom vehemently opposed Bush’s decision to attack Iraq. Mr. Bush will meet more than two-dozen European leaders, including his trusted ally Tony Blair. He will be pushed on issues as diverse as why America refuses to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court, Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons programme, lifting the embargo on sales of arms to China, the Middle-East, and of course the War on Terror.

In a speech given before his visit, Mr. Bush stressed the importance of repairing relations, “to seize the moment and invigorate a relationship that is a vital relationship for our own security, as well as a vital relationship for long-term peace in the world.” He outlined his own agenda, “I'll talk about a variety of areas where we can work together; talk about the greater Middle East, middle eastern peace and Iraq and Iran; talk about the need for us to work together to feed the hungry and take care of the diseased; I'll talk about the environment”. European leaders, however, are hoping for a little more than just talk from Mr. Bush. He also wants to focus on the common bonds that the USA and Europe share, “We do not accept a false caricature that divides the Western world between an idealistic United States and a cynical Europe. America and Europe are the pillars of the free world.”