Breaking News English Lesson on Bougainville

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Bougainville may be the world's next country (13th December, 2019)

The Reading / Listening - Bougainville - Level 6

The process is under way for the possible introduction of a new member to the global family of nations. The people of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea have voted overwhelmingly for independence in a referendum. The vote was held on the island between the 23rd of November and the 7th of December. The vote was a non-binding referendum, which means the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government does not have to pass it into law. However, PNG gave the vote its full consent and should now consider acting on the result of the vote. Voters had two options - greater autonomy or full independence. Over 181,000 people cast their ballot and nearly 98 per cent of them voted in favour of independence.

Bougainville is the largest island of the PNG chain of islands. It is geographically part of the Solomon Islands archipelago and used to be known as the Republic of North Solomons. It has a population of around 250,000 people. Bougainvilleans started a fight to achieve their independence in the 1960s. This was a decade before Papua New Guinea was granted independence in 1975. Bougainville was declared part of PNG in 1976. This sparked the Bougainville Civil War between 1988–1998. Over 20,000 people lost their lives in that conflict. The Prime Minister of PNG said: "I ask for some time for the people of PNG to absorb and process this result." He said his government was committed to adhering to the poll's result.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Bougainville - Level 4 or Bougainville - Level 5

Sources

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-11/bougainville-independence-referendum-result/11787434
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50739203
https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/bougainville-votes-overwhelmingly-for-independence-from-png-20191211-p53iw6.html

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. INDEPENDENCE: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about independence. 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?
process / member / global family / nations / independence / referendum / vote / law /
chain / archipelago / population / decade / civil war / conflict / government / result
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. MORE COUNTRIES: Students A strongly believe there should be more countries in the world; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. NATIONS: What do you know about these nations? What would you like to know? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	What I Know	What I Want To Know
PNG
NZ
UAE
UK
USA
CAF

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. COUNTRY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "country". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. NATIONHOOD: Rank these with your partner. Put the most important things about nationhood at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

currency
national anthem
border control
international sports teams
armed forces
foreign policy
passports
a seat at the UN

Vocabulary

Paragraph 1

1.	overwhelmingly	a.	Make a vote.
2.	referendum	b.	Very great in amount.
3.	non-binding	c.	The right or condition of self-government.
4.	consent	d.	A vote by people in a country on a single political question which has been asked of them for a direct decision.
5.	autonomy	e.	Permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.
6.	ballot	f.	An agreement or promise that does not have an obligation to fulfill that agreement or promise.
7.	cast	g.	A piece of paper on which people make their vote.

Paragraph 2

8.	archipelago	h.	A group of islands.
9.	achieve	i.	Promised to follow a certain course or policy.
10.	granted	j.	Successfully bring about or reach a desired objective, level, or result by effort, skill, or courage.
11.	declared	k.	A long armed struggle or war.
12.	sparked	l.	Agreed to give something or allow something requested to happen.
13.	conflict	m.	Openly or formally asserted or announced.
14.	committed	n.	Provided the thing that started for a dramatic event or process.

Before reading / listening

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

The article said Bougainville would become a country next year. T / F
The referendum was two days long. T / F
PNG must now pass Bougainville's independence into law. T / F
In the vote, 98% of people voted for independence. T / F
Bougainville is part of the Solomon Islands archipelago. T / F
Bougainville has a population of a quarter of a million people. T / F
Bougainville suffered a decade-long civil war. T / F
PNG's prime minister said he would stick to the result of the poll. T / F

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

under way
held
consent
consider
ballot
part
archipelago
granted
sparked
adhering

island chain
think about
ignited
conducted
sticking
given
in progress
vote
region
agreement

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

The process is under
voted overwhelmingly for
pass it into
Over 181,000 people cast
98 per cent of them voted in
part of the Solomon Islands
Papua New Guinea was
This sparked the
20,000 people lost
committed to adhering to the

granted independence
favour
poll's result
their lives
independence
Bougainville Civil War
way
law
archipelago
their ballot

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

non-binding
options
under
favour
overwhelmingly
cast
family
consent

The process is (1) ____________ way for the possible introduction of a new member to the global (2) ____________ of nations. The people of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea have voted (3) ____________ for independence in a referendum. The vote was held on the island between the 23rd of November and the 7th of December. The vote was a (4) ____________ referendum, which means the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government does not have to pass it into law. However, PNG gave the vote its full (5) ____________ and should now consider acting on the result of the vote. Voters had two (6) ____________ - greater autonomy or full independence. Over 181,000 people (7) ____________ their ballot and nearly 98 per cent of them voted in (8) ____________ of independence.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

declared
achieve
absorb
sparked
adhering
archipelago
decade
conflict

Bougainville is the largest island of the PNG chain of islands. It is geographically part of the Solomon Islands (9) ____________ and used to be known as the Republic of North Solomons. It has a population of around 250,000 people. Bougainvilleans started a fight to (10) ____________ their independence in the 1960s. This was a (11) ____________ before Papua New Guinea was granted independence in 1975. Bougainville was (12) ____________ part of PNG in 1976. This (13) ____________ the Bougainville Civil War between 1988–1998. Over 20,000 people lost their lives in that (14) ____________. The Prime Minister of PNG said: "I ask for some time for the people of PNG to (15) ____________ and process this result." He said his government was committed to (16) ____________ to the poll's result.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) the possible introduction of a new member to the ______ nations
     a. globe all family of
     b. glow ball family of
     c. globule family of
     d. global family of
2) The vote was a non-______
     a. binding referendum
     b. bind in referendum
     c. bind din referendum
     d. bine din referendum
3) PNG gave the vote its full consent and should now consider ______ result
     a. acting off the
     b. acting on the
     c. acting once the
     d. acting only the
4) Voters had two options - greater autonomy or ______
     a. full independently
     b. full independent
     c. full independence
     d. full in deep-end dance
5) Over 181,000 people cast their ballot and nearly 98 per cent of them ______
     a. voted on favour
     b. voted in favour
     c. voted off favour
     d. voted at favour

6) Bougainville is the largest island of the PNG ______
     a. chair of islands
     b. chain of islands
     c. grain of islands
     d. churn of islands
7) It is geographically part of the Solomon ______
     a. Islands archipelago
     b. Islands arpeggio
     c. Islands arch lumbago
     d. Islands are key peel ago
8) This was a decade before Papua New Guinea was ______
     a. grant it independence
     b. grand tide independence
     c. granted independence
     d. grant Ted independence
9) Over 20,000 people lost their lives ______
     a. in that conflict
     b. in that conflicts
     c. in that conflicting
     d. in that conflicted
10) I ask for some time for the people of PNG to absorb and ______
     a. pro cyst this result
     b. protest this result
     c. prose test this result
     d. process this result

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The process (1) ___________________ for the possible introduction of a new member to the global family of nations. The people of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea (2) ___________________ for independence in a referendum. The vote was held on the island between the 23rd of November and the 7th of December. The vote (3) ___________________ referendum, which means the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government does not have (4) ___________________ into law. However, PNG gave the vote its full consent and should now consider acting on the result of the vote. Voters had two options - greater (5) ___________________ independence. Over 181,000 people cast their ballot and nearly 98 per cent of them voted (6) ___________________ independence.

Bougainville is the largest island of the PNG (7) ___________________. It is geographically part of the Solomon Islands (8) ___________________ to be known as the Republic of North Solomons. It has a population of around 250,000 people. Bougainvilleans started a fight to achieve their independence in the 1960s. This was (9) ___________________ Papua New Guinea was granted independence in 1975. Bougainville was (10) ___________________ PNG in 1976. This sparked the Bougainville Civil War between 1988–1998. Over 20,000 people (11) ___________________ in that conflict. The Prime Minister of PNG said: "I ask for some time for the people of PNG to absorb and process this result." He said his government was committed (12) ___________________ the poll's result.

Comprehension questions

What did the article say Bougainville might become a member of?
How long was the referendum?
Why doesn't PNG have to pass the vote's result into law?
What choice did people have besides full independence?
What percentage of people in the referendum voted for independence?
What archipelago is Bougainville a part of?
What is the population of Bougainville?
When did Papua New Guinea get its independence?
What happened between 1988-1998?
What does the PNG leader need to process the result of the vote?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What did the article say Bougainville might become a member of?
a) the UN
b) a global trade pact
c) the global family of nations
d) the WHO
2) How long was the referendum?
a) about two weeks
b) about a week
c) 10 days
d) 48 hours
3) Why doesn't PNG have to pass the vote's result into law?
a) the vote was non-binding
b) it is a part of the UN
c) PNG is a country
d) it doesn't recognise the vote
4) What choice did people have besides full independence?
a) no independence
b) greater autonomy
c) open borders
d) control of borders
5) What percentage of people in the referendum voted for independence?
a) 68%
b) 78%
c) 88%
d) 98%

6) What archipelago is Bougainville a part of?
a) the Philippines
b) the Solomon Islands
c) the Trobriand Islands
d) the South Pacific islands
7) What is the population of Bougainville?
a) around 250,000
b) around 500,000
c) around 750,000
d) around a million
8) When did Papua New Guinea get its independence?
a) 1970
b) 1968
c) 1975
d) 1988
9) What happened between 1988-1998?
a) mass migration
b) street protests
c) international talks
d) the Bougainville Civil War
10) What does the PNG leader need to process the result of the vote?
a) time
b) money
c) meetings
d) support

Role play

Role A – Passports
You think issuing passports is the most important part of being a country. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): a seat at the UN, national sports teams or border control.

Role B – A Seat At The UN
You think a seat at the UN is the most important part of being a country. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): passports, national sports teams or border control.

Role C – National Sports Teams
You think having national sports teams is the most important part of being a country. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): a seat at the UN, passports or border control.

Role D – Border Control
You think border control is the most important part of being a country. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): a seat at the UN, national sports teams or passports.

After reading / listening

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

'independence'

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

and 'country'.
________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

• 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:

under

held

means

pass

full

cast

largest

known

around

decade

sparked

result

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 - Bougainville

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

What did you think when you read the headline?
What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'independence'?
What do you know about Papua New Guinea?
What do you know about your country's independence?
What regions of the world should get their independence?
Why do countries not want to grant independence to their regions?
Can the world have too many countries?
Would independence for more regions bring peace?
Should Papua New Guinea give independence to Bougainville?
What advice do you have for the people of Bougainville?

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

Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
What do you think of when you hear the word 'vote'?
What do you think about what you read?
What do you know about Bougainville?
What regions are fighting for independence today?
What are the reasons for not giving a region independence?
Which is better - independence or greater autonomy?
Would you fight for independence?
What was the biggest struggle for independence in history?
What questions would you like to ask Bougainville's leader?

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 process is (1) ____ way for the possible introduction of a new member to the global family of nations. The people of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea have voted overwhelmingly (2) ____ independence in a referendum. The vote was (3) ____ on the island between the 23rd of November and the 7th of December. The vote was a non-binding referendum, which (4) ____ the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government does not have to pass it into law. However, PNG gave the vote its full (5) ____ and should now consider acting on the result of the vote. Voters had two options - greater autonomy or full independence. Over 181,000 people (6) ____ their ballot and nearly 98 per cent of them voted in favour of independence.

Bougainville is the largest island of the PNG (7) ____ of islands. It is geographically part of the Solomon Islands (8) ____ and used to be known as the Republic of North Solomons. It has a population of around 250,000 people. Bougainvilleans started a fight to achieve their independence in the 1960s. This was a (9) ____ before Papua New Guinea was granted independence in 1975. Bougainville was declared part of PNG in 1976. This (10) ____ the Bougainville Civil War between 1988–1998. Over 20,000 people lost their lives in (11) ____ conflict. The Prime Minister of PNG said: "I ask for some time for the people of PNG to absorb and process this result." He said his government was committed to (12) ____ to the poll's result.

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a) about (b) under (c) over (d) through
(a) that (b) for (c) toward (d) over
(a) handled (b) touched (c) grasped (d) held
(a) meaning (b) means (c) meant (d) mean
(a) indent (b) repent (c) invent (d) consent
(a) vast (b) mast (c) cast (d) last
(a) chain (b) link (c) lock (d) shackle
(a) arpeggio (b) archangel (c) archipelago (d) archery
(a) timing (b) timeline (c) century (d) decade
(a) sparked (b) spanked (c) sparkled (d) specked
(a) that (b) what (c) then (d) there
(a) adhering (b) gluing (c) fastening (d) pasting

Spelling

Paragraph 1

voted mnhlwrilyoveeg for independence
a non-binding reeuefndrm
PNG gave the vote its full cntseon
greater motyouan
Over 181,000 people cast their ollbat
voted in vafuro of independence

Paragraph 2

part of the Solomon Islands erioaglpcha
This was a edcade before
Bougainville was aeldcedr part of PNG
sroabb and process this result
He said his government was mdemcotti
agdehinr to the poll's result

Put the text back together

(...) acting on the result of the vote. Voters had two options - greater autonomy or full independence. Over 181,000 people
(...) nations. The people of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea have voted overwhelmingly
(...) government does not have to pass it into law. However, PNG gave the vote its full consent and should now consider
(...) granted independence in 1975. Bougainville was declared part of PNG in 1976. This sparked the Bougainville Civil War
(...) the 7th of December. The vote was a non-binding referendum, which means the Papua New Guinea (PNG)
(...) Bougainville is the largest island of the PNG chain of islands. It is geographically part of the Solomon Islands
(...) of PNG said: "I ask for some time for the people of PNG to absorb and process this
(...) archipelago and used to be known as the Republic of North Solomons. It has a population of around 250,000 people. Bougainvilleans started
(...) cast their ballot and nearly 98 per cent of them voted in favour of independence.
(...) for independence in a referendum. The vote was held on the island between the 23rd of November and
(...) a fight to achieve their independence in the 1960s. This was a decade before Papua New Guinea was
(...) result." He said his government was committed to adhering to the poll's result.
(...) between 1988–1998. Over 20,000 people lost their lives in that conflict. The Prime Minister
( 1 ) The process is under way for the possible introduction of a new member to the global family of

Put the words in the right order

possible a new member . of introduction The
for in overwhelmingly independence Voted referendum . a
pass not have does to The it . government
consent . the full vote its gave PNG However,
favour . Nearly in them cent per voted of 98
geographically is Islands . the It part Solomon of
a 250,000 population of has people . It around
decade granted before A was PNG independence .
in Over that lives conflict . 20,000 their lost
government adhering the to His poll . committed to

Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

The process is under / over way for the possible introduction of a new member to the global family of nationals / nations. The people of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea have voted overwhelmingly for independence on / in a referendum. The vote was held / handled on the island between the 23rd of November and the 7th of December. The vote was a non-binding referendum, which meaning / means the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government does not have to pass it onto / into law. However, PNG gave the vote its full consensus / consent and should now consider acting on / in the result of the vote. Voters had two captions / options - greater autonomy or full independence. Over 181,000 people vast / cast their ballot and nearly 98 per cent of them voted in favour of independence.

Bougainville is the largest island of the PNG shackle / chain of islands. It is geographically party / part of the Solomon Islands archipelago / arpeggio and used to be known / knowing as the Republic of North Solomons. It has a population of around 250,000 people. Bougainvilleans started a fright / fight to achieve their independence in the 1960s. This was a decade / century before Papua New Guinea was gained / granted independence in 1975. Bougainville was declared part of PNG in 1976. This sparked the Bougainville Civil War between 1988–1998. Over 20,000 people lost their lives in that conundrum / conflict. The Prime Minister of PNG said: "I ask for some time for the people of PNG to absorb / osmosis and process this result." He said his government was committed to pasting / adhering to the poll's result.

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)

T h_ p r_c_s s _s _n d_r w_y f_r t h_ p_s s_b l_ _n t r_d_c t__ n _f _ n_w m_m b_r t_ t h_ g l_b_l f_m_l y _f n_t__ n s . T h_ p__ p l_ _f B__ g__ n v_l l_ _n P_p__ N_w G__ n__ h_v_ v_t_d _v_r w h_l m_n g l y f_r _n d_p_n d_n c_ _n _ r_f_r_n d_m . T h_ v_t_ w_s h_l d _n t h_ _s l_n d b_t w__ n t h_ 2 3 r d _f N_v_m b_r _n d t h_ 7 t h _f D_c_m b_r . T h_ v_t_ w_s _ n_n - b_n d_n g r_f_r_n d_m , w h_c h m__ n s t h_ P_p__ N_w G__ n__ ( P N G ) g_v_r n m_n t d__ s n_t h_v_ t_ p_s s _t _n t_ l_w . H_w_v_r , P N G g_v_ t h_ v_t_ _t s f_l l c_n s_n t _n d s h__ l d n_w c_n s_d_r _c t_n g _n t h_ r_s_l t _f t h_ v_t_. V_t_r s h_d t w_ _p t__ n s - g r__ t_r __ t_n_m y _r f_l l _n d_p_n d_n c_. O v_r 1 8 1 , 0 0 0 p__ p l_ c_s t t h__ r b_l l_t _n d n__ r l y 9 8 p_r c_n t _f t h_m v_t_d _n f_v__ r _f _n d_p_n d_n c_.

B__ g__ n v_l l_ _s t h_ l_r g_s t _s l_n d _f t h_ P N G c h__ n _f _s l_n d s . I t _s g__ g r_p h_c_l l y p_r t _f t h_ S_l_m_n I s l_n d s _r c h_p_l_g_ _n d _s_d t_ b_ k n_w n _s t h_ R_p_b l_c _f N_r t h S_l_m_n s . I t h_s _ p_p_l_t__ n _f _r__ n d 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 p__ p l_. B__ g__ n v_l l__ n s s t_r t_d _ f_g h t t_ _c h__ v_ t h__ r _n d_p_n d_n c_ _n t h_ 1 9 6 0 s . T h_s w_s _ d_c_d_ b_f_r_ P_p__ N_w G__ n__ w_s g r_n t_d _n d_p_n d_n c_ _n 1 9 7 5 . B__ g__ n v_l l_ w_s d_c l_r_d p_r t _f P N G _n 1 9 7 6 . T h_s s p_r k_d t h_ B__ g__ n v_l l_ C_v_l W_r b_t w__ n 1 9 8 8 – 1 9 9 8 . O v_r 2 0 , 0 0 0 p__ p l_ l_s t t h__ r l_v_s _n t h_t c_n f l_c t . T h_ P r_m_ M_n_s t_r _f P N G s__ d : " I _s k f_r s_m_ t_m_ f_r t h_ p__ p l_ _f P N G t_ _b s_r b _n d p r_c_s s t h_s r_s_l t . " H_ s__ d h_s g_v_r n m_n t w_s c_m m_t t_d t_ _d h_r_n g t_ t h_ p_l l ' s r_s_l t .

Punctuate the text and add capitals

the process is under way for the possible introduction of a new member to the global family of nations the people of bougainville in papua new guinea have voted overwhelmingly for independence in a referendum the vote was held on the island between the 23rd of november and the 7th of december the vote was a nonbinding referendum which means the papua new guinea png government does not have to pass it into law however png gave the vote its full consent and should now consider acting on the result of the vote voters had two options greater autonomy or full independence over 181000 people cast their ballot and nearly 98 per cent of them voted in favour of independence

bougainville is the largest island of the png chain of islands it is geographically part of the solomon islands archipelago and used to be known as the republic of north solomons it has a population of around 250000 people bougainvilleans started a fight to achieve their independence in the 1960s this was a decade before papua new guinea was granted independence in 1975 bougainville was declared part of png in 1976 this sparked the bougainville civil war between 19881998 over 20000 people lost their lives in that conflict the prime minister of png said i ask for some time for the people of png to absorb and process this result he said his government was committed to adhering to the polls result.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Theprocessisunderwayforthepossibleintroductionofanewmemberto
theglobalfamilyofnations.ThepeopleofBougainvilleinPapuaNewGuin
eahavevotedoverwhelminglyforindependenceinareferendum.Thev
otewasheldontheislandbetweenthe23rdofNovemberandthe7thofDe
cember.Thevotewasanon-bindingreferendum,whichmeansthePa
puaNewGuinea(PNG)governmentdoesnothavetopassitintolaw.How
ever,PNGgavethevoteitsfullconsentandshouldnowconsideractingon
theresultofthevote.Votershadtwooptions-greaterautonomyorfulli
ndependence.Over181,000peoplecasttheirballotandnearly98perce
ntofthemvotedinfavourofindependence.Bougainvilleisthelargestisla
ndofthePNGchainofislands.ItisgeographicallypartoftheSolomonIsla
ndsarchipelagoandusedtobeknownastheRepublicofNorthSolomons.
Ithasapopulationofaround250,000people.Bougainvilleansstartedafi
ghttoachievetheirindependenceinthe1960s.Thiswasadecadebefore
PapuaNewGuineawasgrantedindependencein1975.Bougainvillewas
declaredpartofPNGin1976.ThissparkedtheBougainvilleCivilWarbet
ween1988–1998.Over20,000peoplelosttheirlivesinthatconflict.T
hePrimeMinisterofPNGsaid:"IaskforsometimeforthepeopleofPNGto
absorbandprocessthisresult."Hesaidhisgovernmentwascommittedt
oadheringtothepoll'sresult.

Free writing

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

_____________________________________________________________________________

Academic writing

More regions in the world should get their independence. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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. INDEPENDENCE: Make a poster about independence. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. NEW COUNTRIES: Write a magazine article about creating more new 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 independence. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on what new regions should get their independence. 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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