The Reading / Listening - Nicki Minaj - Level 3

The singer Nicki Minaj has told her millions of Twitter followers she would pay university tuition fees for some of them if they can get A-grades. The 34-year-old rapper agreed to donate thousands of dollars to 30 fans if they could prove they got straight A's at high school. She also promised she would pay more tuition fees in the future. Ms Minaj tweeted: "Show me straight A's that I can verify with your school, and I'll pay [your college fees]." In an additional tweet, she joked: "Let me make those payments tomorrow, then see if I have any money left." Soon after she posted her tweet on Twitter, she received thousands of replies. One student asked for $6,000 to pay for his accommodation, books, classes and food.

Minaj did not initially plan to pay for her fans' tuition fees. She started tweeting about a contest to fly in a fan from anywhere in the world to join her at a music awards show in Las Vegas. A fan quickly asked if she would pay for his college fees and things went on from there. Nicki Minaj was born in Trinidad and raised in New York. A New York Times editor suggested she was, "the most influential female rapper of all time". She has sold 20 million singles worldwide as a solo artist, and another 60 million singles as a featured or guest artist. One Twitter user said: "She is…one of the most compassionate, caring and generous people in all of the entertainment industry."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Nicki Minaj - Level 0,  Nicki Minaj - Level 1   or  Nicki Minaj - Level 2

Sources
  • http://news.sky.com/story/nicki-minaj-offers-to-pay-college-fees-for-fans-10868506
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2017/05/07/nicki-minaj-promises-to-pay-fan-college-tuition-twitter/101413018/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicki_Minaj


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. SCHOOL FEES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about school fees. 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?

       millions / university / tuition / A-grades / replies / accommodation / books / classes /
       initially / contest / music awards / college fees / editor / influential / female / rapper

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. TUITION FEES: Students A strongly believe school tuition fees should be free and paid for by an increase in tax; Students B strongly believe parents should pay.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

4. HELP THE STUDENTS: How can these people help students more at school? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What kind of help?

Will they do this?

Country's leader

 

 

Pop singers

 

 

School heads

 

 

Teachers

 

 

Parents

 

 

Businesses

 

 
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5. UNIVERSITY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "university". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. COLLEGE: Rank these with your partner. Put the most important things about college at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • passing exams
  • teachers
  • learning
  • community
  • friends
  • clubs
  • growing up
  • graduation

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. Nicki Minaj has billions of followers.     T / F
  2. Nicki Minaj wanted to pay the tuition for 300 of her fans.     T / F
  3. Minaj wanted to verify straight A's with students' schools.     T / F
  4. A student asked Nicki Minaj for $60,000 for his tuition fees.     T / F
  5. Minaj first wanted someone to join her at an awards show in Las Vegas.  T / F
  6. Nicki Minaj was born in New York and raised in Trinidad.     T / F
  7. Minaj has sold 20 million singles as a solo singer.     T / F
  8. A Twitter user said Minaj was compassionate and generous.     T / F

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

  1. tuition
  2. prove
  3. additional
  4. replies
  5. accommodation
  6. initially
  7. join
  8. was raised
  9. worldwide
  10. generous
  1. at first
  2. further
  3. responses
  4. grew up
  5. get together with
  6. education
  7. globally
  8. giving
  9. housing
  10. show

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

  1. she would pay university tuition
  2. agreed to donate
  3. pay more tuition fees
  4. she received thousands
  5. $6,000 to pay for his
  6. at a music awards
  7. the most influential
  8. as a solo
  9. compassionate, caring and
  10. the entertainment
  1. generous
  2. accommodation
  3. show
  4. fees
  5. artist
  6. industry
  7. of replies
  8. in the future
  9. female rapper
  10. thousands of dollars

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
tuition
thousands
prove
additional
food
millions
left
future

The singer Nicki Minaj has told her (1) ____________ of Twitter followers she would pay university (2) ____________ fees for some of them if they can get A-grades. The 34-year-old rapper agreed to donate thousands of dollars to 30 fans if they could (3) ____________ they got straight A's at high school. She also promised she would pay more tuition fees in the (4) ____________. Ms Minaj tweeted: "Show me straight A's that I can verify with your school, and I'll pay [your college fees]." In an (5) ____________ tweet, she joked: "Let me make those payments tomorrow, then see if I have any money (6) ____________." Soon after she posted her tweet on Twitter, she received (7) ____________ of replies. One student asked for $6,000 to pay for his accommodation, books, classes and (8) ____________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
time
things
caring
initially
industry
contest
guest
raised

Minaj did not (9) ____________ plan to pay for her fans' tuition fees. She started tweeting about a (10) ____________ to fly in a fan from anywhere in the world to join her at a music awards show in Las Vegas. A fan quickly asked if she would pay for his college fees and (11) ____________ went on from there. Nicki Minaj was born in Trinidad and (12) ____________ in New York. A New York Times editor suggested she was, "the most influential female rapper of all (13) ____________ ". She has sold 20 million singles worldwide as a solo artist, and another 60 million singles as a featured or (14) ____________ artist. One Twitter user said: "She is…one of the most compassionate, (15) ____________ and generous people in all of the entertainment (16) ____________."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  she would pay university tuition fees for some of them ______ A-grades
     a.  if they can got
     b.  if them can get
     c.  if they can get
     d.  of they can get

2)  The 34-year-old rapper agreed to donate thousands of ______
     a.  dollars at 30 fans
     b.  dollars to 30 fans
     c.  dollars in 30 fans
     d.  dollars for 30 fans

3)  She also promised she would pay more tuition ______
     a.  fees on the future
     b.  fees to the future
     c.  fees at the future
     d.  fees in the future

4)  Let me make those payments tomorrow, then see if I have ______
     a.  any money left
     b.  any money lefts
     c.  any money leftie
     d.  any money leftovers

5)  One student asked for $6,000 to pay for his accommodation, books, ______
     a.  classis  and food
     b.  class lists and food
     c.  classed is and food
     d.  classes and food

6)  Minaj did not initially plan to pay for her fans' ______
     a.  tuition freeze
     b.  tuition flees
     c.  tuition fleas
     d.  tuition fees

7)  She started tweeting about a contest to fly in a fan from anywhere in the ______
     a.  worldly to join her
     b.  worlds to join her
     c.  world to join her
     d.  worldwide to join her

8)  A New York Times editor suggested she was the most influential female ______
     a.  rapper of all time
     b.  rapper of each time
     c.  rapper of whole time
     d.  rapper of every time

9)  She has sold 20 million singles worldwide as ______
     a.  a polo artist
     b.  a solo artist
     c.  a silo artist
     d.  a hula artist

10)  She is one of the most compassionate, caring and ______
     a.  generosity people
     b.  generates people
     c.  genious people
     d.  generous people

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The singer Nicki Minaj (1) ___________________ millions of Twitter followers she would pay university tuition (2) ___________________ them if they can get A-grades. The 34-year-old rapper agreed to donate thousands of dollars to 30 fans if they could prove (3) ___________________ A's at high school. She also promised she would pay more tuition fees in the future. Ms Minaj tweeted: "Show me straight (4) ___________________ verify with your school, and I'll pay [your college fees]." In an additional tweet, she joked: "Let me make those payments tomorrow, (5) ___________________ have any money left." Soon after she posted her tweet on Twitter, she received (6) ___________________. One student asked for $6,000 to pay for his accommodation, books, classes and food.

Minaj did (7) ___________________ to pay for her fans' tuition fees. She started tweeting about (8) ___________________ in a fan from anywhere in the world to (9) ___________________ music awards show in Las Vegas. A fan quickly asked if she would pay for his college fees and things (10) ___________________. Nicki Minaj was born in Trinidad and raised in New York. A New York Times editor suggested she was, "the most influential female (11) ___________________". She has sold 20 million singles worldwide as a solo artist, and another 60 million singles as a featured or guest artist. One Twitter user said: "She is…one of the most compassionate, caring and generous (12) ___________________ the entertainment industry."

Comprehension questions

  1. How many followers does Nicki Minaj have on Twitter?
  2. How much did Nicki Minaj promise to donate to fans?
  3. What did Nicki Minaj say she wanted to verify?
  4. How many replies did Nicki Minaj receive to her tweet?
  5. How much did a fan want for his college fees?
  6. Where did Nicki Minaj initially want fans to join her?
  7. Where did Nicki Minaj grow up?
  8. Who said Minaj was the most influential female rapper ever?
  9. How many singles has Minaj sold as a solo artist?
  10. What industry did a Twitter user say Minaj was in?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How many followers does Nicki Minaj have on Twitter?
a) hundreds of thousands
b) millions
c) one million
d) 679,902

2) How much did Nicki Minaj promise to donate to fans?
a) $679,902
b) hundreds of thousands of dollars
c) millions of dollars
d) thousands of dollars

3) What did Nicki Minaj say she wanted to verify?
a) straight A's
b) schools
c) promises
d) fees

4) How many replies did Nicki Minaj receive to her tweet?
a) 679,902
b) hundreds of thousands
c) thousands
d) millions

5) How much did a fan want for his college fees?
a) $679,902
b) $6,000
c) $16,000
d) $66,000

6) Where did Nicki Minaj initially want fans to join her?
a) Las Palmas
b) Los Alamos
c) Las Vegas
d) Los Angeles

7) Where did Nicki Minaj grow up?
a) Spain
b) Trinidad
c) London
d) New York

8) Who said Minaj was the most influential female rapper ever?
a) a New York Times editor
b) a famous rapper
c) a music paper
d) her best friend

9) How many singles has Minaj sold as a solo artist?
a) 20,000,000
b) 60,000,000
c) 679,902
d) 26,000,000

10) What industry did a Twitter user say Minaj was in?
a) a caring industry
b) the entertainment industry
c) the movie industry
d) an entertaining industry

Role play

Role  A – Friends

You think friends are the most important things about college. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't so important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): clubs, teachers or passing exams.

Role  B – Clubs

You think clubs are the most important things about college. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't so important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): friends, teachers or passing exams.

Role  C – Teachers

You think teachers are the most important things about college. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't so important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): clubs, friends or passing exams.

Role  D – Passing exams

You think passing exams is the most important thing about college. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't so important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why):  clubs, teachers or friends.

After reading / listening

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

'college'

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

    • and 'fee'.

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

    • • 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:

    • plan
    • join
    • things
    • most
    • solo
    • people
    • millions
    • some
    • high
    • joked
    • left
    • food

    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 - Nicki Minaj to pay college fees for fans

    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 'college'?
    3. What do you know about Nicki Minaj?
    4. What do you think of Nicki Minaj after reading this article?
    5. What do you think of college tuition fees?
    6. What grades did you get at school?
    7. Should Nicki also pay for students who get C's and D's?
    8. Do you think university is too expensive?
    9. What is the best way to get A-grades?
    10. How can students save money on college costs?

    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 'fees'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Which music star would you like to join at an awards show?
    5. What do you think of rap music?
    6. Who is the most important rapper ever?
    7. Which famous people do you think are very caring?
    8. What three adjectives best describe this story?
    9. Should all singers help kids through college?
    10. What questions would you like to ask Nicki Minaj?

    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 singer Nicki Minaj has (1) ____ her millions of Twitter followers she would pay university tuition fees for some of (2) ____ if they can get A-grades. The 34-year-old rapper agreed (3) ____ donate thousands of dollars to 30 fans if they could prove they got straight A's at high school. She also promised she would pay more tuition fees in the future. Ms Minaj tweeted: "Show me straight A's that I can verify with your school, and I'll pay [your college fees]." In an (4) ____ tweet, she joked: "Let me make those payments tomorrow, then see if I have any money (5) ____." Soon after she posted her tweet on Twitter, she received thousands of replies. One student asked for $6,000 to (6) ____ for his accommodation, books, classes and food.

    Minaj did not initially (7) ____ to pay for her fans' tuition fees. She started tweeting about a contest to fly (8) ____ a fan from anywhere in the world to join her at a music awards show in Las Vegas. A fan quickly asked if she would pay for his college fees and things (9) ____ on from there. Nicki Minaj was born in Trinidad and raised in New York. A New York Times editor suggested she was, "the most influential female rapper of (10) ____ time". She has sold 20 million singles worldwide as a solo artist, and another 60 million singles (11) ____ a featured or guest artist. One Twitter user said: "She is…one of the most compassionate, caring and generous people in (12) ____ of the entertainment industry."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     tells     (b)     tell     (c)     told     (d)     telling    
    2. (a)     them     (b)     they     (c)     there     (d)     that    
    3. (a)     to     (b)     by     (c)     for     (d)     of    
    4. (a)     additional     (b)     addition     (c)     additionally     (d)     add    
    5. (a)     remain     (b)     over     (c)     right     (d)     left    
    6. (a)     paying     (b)     pays     (c)     paid     (d)     pay    
    7. (a)     plan     (b)     plane     (c)     plant     (d)     plain    
    8. (a)     by     (b)     on     (c)     up     (d)     in    
    9. (a)     went     (b)     gone     (c)     been     (d)     came    
    10. (a)     each     (b)     all     (c)     whole     (d)     every    
    11. (a)     was     (b)     as     (c)     has     (d)     is    
    12. (a)     all     (b)     every     (c)     entire     (d)     whole

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. danoet thousands of dollars
    2. pay more nuiitot fees
    3. In an taonaildid tweet
    4. Let me make those msapyent tomorrow
    5. she received thousands of rsilepe
    6. $6,000 to pay for his cocdatimamoon

    Paragraph 2

    1. Minaj did not iillnyati plan to pay
    2. join her at a music darsaw show
    3. born in Trinidad and asired in New York
    4. as a solo aitstr
    5. caring and eogrneus
    6. in all of the entertainment yustrind

    Put the text back together

    (    )     future. Ms Minaj tweeted: "Show me straight A's that I can verify with your school, and I'll

    (    )     caring and generous people in all of the entertainment industry."

    (    )     pay [your college fees]." In an additional tweet, she joked: "Let me make those payments tomorrow, then see if I have

    (  1  )     The singer Nicki Minaj has told her millions of Twitter followers she would pay university tuition

    (    )     for his college fees and things went on from there. Nicki Minaj was born in Trinidad and raised

    (    )     in New York. A New York Times editor suggested she was, "the most influential female rapper of all

    (    )     anywhere in the world to join her at a music awards show in Las Vegas. A fan quickly asked if she would pay

    (    )     fees for some of them if they can get A-grades. The 34-year-old rapper agreed to donate thousands of dollars to 30

    (    )     or guest artist. One Twitter user said: "She is…one of the most compassionate,

    (    )     asked for $6,000 to pay for his accommodation, books, classes and food.

    (    )     time". She has sold 20 million singles worldwide as a solo artist, and another 60 million singles as a featured

    (    )     any money left." Soon after she posted her tweet on Twitter, she received thousands of replies. One student

    (    )     Minaj did not initially plan to pay for her fans' tuition fees. She started tweeting about a contest to fly in a fan from

    (    )     fans if they could prove they got straight A's at high school. She also promised she would pay more tuition fees in the

    Put the words in the right order

    1. agreed  34-year-old  of  to  dollars  donate  rapper   The  thousands  .
    2. promised   also  She   future  the   in  fees  tuition  more  pay  would  she  .
    3. A's   that   I   can   verify   with   your   school   Show   me   straight   .
    4. tomorrow"   payments   those   make   me   joked:   She   .   "Let
    5. for   One   for   $6,000   student   his   to   asked   accommodation   pay   .
    6. Minaj   fees   tuition   fans'   her   for   pay   to   plan   initially   not   did   .
    7. a   in   fly   to   contest   A   world   the   in   anywhere   from   fan   .
    8. his   for   pay   would   she   if   asked   quickly   fan   A   fees   college   .
    9. the   female   all   was   influential   of   She   most   rapper   time   .
    10. sold   20   million   singles   worldwide   as   a   solo   artist   She   has   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The singer Nicki Minaj has told her million / millions of Twitter followers she would pay university tuition fees for some of them if they can get A-grades. The 34-year-old rapper agreeing / agreed to donate thousands of dollars to 30 fans if they could prove / proof they got straight / straightened A's at high school. She also promised she would pay more tuition fees on / in the future. Ms Minaj tweeted: "Show me straight A's that I can verify with your school, and I'll pay [your college fees]." In an addition / additional tweet, she joked: "Let me make those / them payments tomorrow, then see if I have any money right / left." Soon after she posted her tweet on Twitter, she received thousands of / for replies. One student asked for $6,000 to pay for his accommodation, books, classes / classy and food.

    Minaj did not initially / initial plan to pay for her fans' tuition fees. She started tweeting about a contests / contest to fly in a fan from anywhere in the world to joint / join her at a music awards show in Las Vegas. A fan quickly asked / asks if she would pay for his college fees and things gone / went on from there. Nicki Minaj was born / birth in Trinidad and raised in New York. A New York Times editor suggested she was, "the most influential female rapper of every / all time". She has sold 20 million singles worldly / worldwide as a solo artist, and another 60 million singles as a featured or guest / guessed artist. One Twitter user said: "She is…one of the most compassionate, caring and generous people in all of the entertainment industry / industrial."

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

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

    Th_ s_ng_r N_ck_ M_n_j h_s t_ld h_r m_ll__ns _f Tw_tt_r f_ll_w_rs sh_ w__ld p_y _n_v_rs_ty t__t__n f__s f_r s_m_ _f th_m _f th_y c_n g_t _-gr_d_s. Th_ 34-y__r-_ld r_pp_r _gr__d t_ d_n_t_ th__s_nds _f d_ll_rs t_ 30 f_ns _f th_y c__ld pr_v_ th_y g_t str__ght _'s _t h_gh sch__l. Sh_ _ls_ pr_m_s_d sh_ w__ld p_y m_r_ t__t__n f__s _n th_ f_t_r_. Ms M_n_j tw__t_d: "Sh_w m_ str__ght _'s th_t _ c_n v_r_fy w_th y__r sch__l, _nd _'ll p_y [y__r c_ll_g_ f__s]." _n _n _dd_t__n_l tw__t, sh_ j_k_d: "L_t m_ m_k_ th_s_ p_ym_nts t_m_rr_w, th_n s__ _f _ h_v_ _ny m_n_y l_ft." S__n _ft_r sh_ p_st_d h_r tw__t _n Tw_tt_r, sh_ r_c__v_d th__s_nds _f r_pl__s. _n_ st_d_nt _sk_d f_r $6,000 t_ p_y f_r h_s _cc_mm_d_t__n, b__ks, cl_ss_s _nd f__d.

    M_n_j d_d n_t _n_t__lly pl_n t_ p_y f_r h_r f_ns' t__t__n f__s. Sh_ st_rt_d tw__t_ng _b__t _ c_nt_st t_ fly _n _ f_n fr_m _nywh_r_ _n th_ w_rld t_ j__n h_r _t _ m_s_c _w_rds sh_w _n L_s V_g_s. _ f_n q__ckly _sk_d _f sh_ w__ld p_y f_r h_s c_ll_g_ f__s _nd th_ngs w_nt _n fr_m th_r_. N_ck_ M_n_j w_s b_rn _n Tr_n_d_d _nd r__s_d _n N_w Y_rk. _ N_w Y_rk T_m_s _d_t_r s_gg_st_d sh_ w_s, "th_ m_st _nfl__nt__l f_m_l_ r_pp_r _f _ll t_m_". Sh_ h_s s_ld 20 m_ll__n s_ngl_s w_rldw_d_ _s _ s_l_ _rt_st, _nd _n_th_r 60 m_ll__n s_ngl_s _s _ f__t_r_d _r g__st _rt_st. _n_ Tw_tt_r _s_r s__d: "Sh_ _s…_n_ _f th_ m_st c_mp_ss__n_t_, c_r_ng _nd g_n_r__s p__pl_ _n _ll _f th_ _nt_rt__nm_nt _nd_stry."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the singer nicki minaj has told her millions of twitter followers she would pay university tuition fees for some of them if they can get a-grades the 34-year-old rapper agreed to donate thousands of dollars to 30 fans if they could prove they got straight a's at high school she also promised she would pay more tuition fees in the future ms minaj tweeted "show me straight a's that i can verify with your school and i'll pay [your college fees]" in an additional tweet she joked "let me make those payments tomorrow then see if i have any money left" soon after she posted her tweet on twitter she received thousands of replies one student asked for $6000 to pay for his accommodation books classes and food

    minaj did not initially plan to pay for her fans' tuition fees she started tweeting about a contest to fly in a fan from anywhere in the world to join her at a music awards show in las vegas a fan quickly asked if she would pay for his college fees and things went on from there nicki minaj was born in trinidad and raised in new york a new york times editor suggested she was "the most influential female rapper of all time" she has sold 20 million singles worldwide as a solo artist and another 60 million singles as a featured or guest artist one twitter user said "she is…one of the most compassionate caring and generous people in all of the entertainment industry"

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    ThesingerNickiMinajhastoldhermillionsofTwitterfollowersshewould
    payuniversitytuitionfeesforsomeofthemiftheycangetA-grades.The3
    4-year-oldrapperagreedtodonatethousandsofdollarsto30fansifthe
    ycouldprovetheygotstraightA'sathighschool.Shealsopromisedshew
    ouldpaymoretuitionfeesinthefuture.MsMinajtweeted:"Showmestrai
    ghtA'sthatIcanverifywithyourschool,andI'llpay[yourcollegefees]."I
    nanadditionaltweet,shejoked:"Letmemakethosepaymentstomorro
    w,thenseeifIhaveanymoneyleft."SoonaftershepostedhertweetonTw
    itter,shereceivedthousandsofreplies.Onestudentaskedfor$6,000to
    payforhisaccommodation,books,classesandfood.Minajdidnotinitiall
    yplantopayforherfans'tuitionfees.Shestartedtweetingaboutacontes
    ttoflyinafanfromanywhereintheworldtojoinheratamusicawardssho
    winLasVegas.Afanquicklyaskedifshewouldpayforhiscollegefeesandt
    hingswentonfromthere.NickiMinajwasborninTrinidadandraisedinNe
    wYork.ANewYorkTimeseditorsuggestedshewas,"themostinfluential
    femalerapperofalltime".Shehassold20millionsinglesworldwideasas
    oloartist,andanother60millionsinglesasafeaturedorguestartist.One
    Twitterusersaid:"Sheis…oneofthemostcompassionate,caringandge
    nerouspeopleinalloftheentertainmentindustry."

    Free writing

    Write about Nicki Minaj for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    All rich people should help pay the school fees of poorer kids. 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. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

    3. NICKI MINAJ: Make a poster about Nicki Minaj. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

    4. SCHOOL FEES: Write a magazine article about richer people paying the school fees of poorer students. 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 school fees. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on how we can help poorer kids get through school. 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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