The Reading / Listening - Afghan Refugees - Level 3

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has asked countries around the world to open their borders to Afghan refugees. Malala is worried about the safety of millions of Afghans after the Taliban took over Afghanistan on August the 15th. Malala is an activist for human rights and comes from Pakistan. She was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 because she supported education for girls. She was 15 years old at that time and was on the bus on her way to school. She is now worried that girls in Afghanistan will not receive a proper education. She is also concerned that women in Afghanistan will not have the freedom they have had for the past twenty years.

Ms Yousafzai became the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 at the age of 17. She has since continued campaigning for the education of women and children. She spoke to the BBC about the situation in Afghanistan. She called recent events "shocking" and said there is now an "urgent humanitarian crisis". She said: "We are living in a world where we're talking about advancements, about equality, about gender equality. We cannot see a country going decades and centuries back." She added: "We have to take some bold [actions] for the protection of women and girls, for the protection of minority groups and for peace and stability in that region."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Afghan Refugees - Level 0,  Afghan Refugees - Level 1   or  Afghan Refugees - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/malala-yousafzai-afghanistan-refugees-taliban-open-borders/
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58237871
  • https://www.insideedition.com/malala-yousafzai-advocates-for-countries-to-open-their-borders-for-afghan-refugees-69182


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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. AFGHANISTAN: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Afghanistan. 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?
       Nobel Peace Prize / borders / Afghanistan / safety / activist / education / freedom /
       winner / 17 / recent events / shocking / humanitarian / crisis / gender equality
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. OPEN BORDERS: Students A strongly believe all borders should be open; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

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

5. HELP: Rank these with your partner. Put who can best help the refugees at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • The USA
  • The UN
  • Pakistan
  • Charities
  • China
  • Your country
  • The Taliban
  • Other ________

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. winner a. A person who acts and works to bring about change.
      2. safety b. Something in life that all humans should have when they are born.
      3. took over c. A person or thing that wins something.
      4. activist d. Correct.
      5. right e. The condition of being free from danger, risk, or injury.
      6. supported f. Became the person or thing that is in control of someone or something.
      7. proper g. Helped and gave backing to.

    Paragraph 2

      8. campaigning h. The action of keeping someone or something from harm or danger.
      9. situation i. Working in an organized and active way toward a goal.
      10. recent j. A set of facts and events in which one finds oneself.
      11. urgent k. About human welfare.
      12. humanitarian l. Very, very, very important to do something now.
      13. crisis m. A time in the past close to now.
      14. protection n. A time of great difficulty, trouble, or danger.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. Malala Yousafzai asked the USA to open its border to Afghan refugees.    T / F
  2. Malala is worried about the safety of millions of Afghans.     T / F
  3. The Taliban shot Malala in 2012.     T / F
  4. Malala worries women will lose the freedom they enjoyed for 20 years.    T / F
  5. Malala won the Nobel Peace Prize when she was 16 years old.     T / F
  6. Malala told the BBC that there is now a humanitarian crisis.     T / F
  7. Malala is worried about Afghanistan going back hundreds of years.     T / F
  8. Malala called for the protection of majority groups in Afghanistan.     T / F

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

  1. countries
  2. worried
  3. activist
  4. proper
  5. freedom
  6. continued
  7. shocking
  8. crisis
  9. bold
  10. region
  1. liberty
  2. horrifying
  3. concerned
  4. emergency
  5. nations
  6. brave
  7. genuine
  8. carried on
  9. area
  10. campaigner

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

  1. Nobel Peace Prize
  2. Malala is an activist
  3. on her way
  4. receive a proper
  5. freedom they have had for
  6. there is now an urgent humanitarian
  7. gender
  8. going decades and
  9. the protection of
  10. peace and stability
  1. for human rights
  2. crisis
  3. the past twenty years
  4. minority groups
  5. equality
  6. winner Malala Yousafzai
  7. in that region
  8. to school
  9. centuries back
  10. education

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
safety
time
proper
activist
past
winner
way
shot

Nobel Peace Prize (1) _____________________ Malala Yousafzai has asked countries around the world to open their borders to Afghan refugees. Malala is worried about the (2) _____________________ of millions of Afghans after the Taliban took over Afghanistan on August the 15th. Malala is an (3) _____________________ for human rights and comes from Pakistan. She was (4) _____________________ in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 because she supported education for girls. She was 15 years old at that (5) _____________________ and was on the bus on her (6) _____________________ to school. She is now worried that girls in Afghanistan will not receive a (7) _____________________ education. She is also concerned that women in Afghanistan will not have the freedom they have had for the (8) _____________________ twenty years.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
education
equality
crisis
bold
youngest
groups
recent
decades

Ms Yousafzai became the (9) _____________________ ever Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 at the age of 17. She has since continued campaigning for the (10) _____________________ of women and children. She spoke to the BBC about the situation in Afghanistan. She called (11) _____________________ events "shocking" and said there is now an "urgent humanitarian (12) _____________________". She said: "We are living in a world where we're talking about advancements, about (13) _____________________, about gender equality. We cannot see a country going (14) _____________________ and centuries back." She added: "We have to take some (15) _____________________ [actions] for the protection of women and girls, for the protection of minority (16) _____________________ and for peace and stability in that region."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) winner Malala Yousafzai has asked countries around the world to ______
     a.  open them borders
     b.  opens their borders
     c.  open their borders
     d.  opened their borders
2)  Malala is worried about the safety of millions of Afghans after the ______
     a.  Taliban took under
     b.  Taliban took over
     c.  Taliban took our
     d.  Taliban took another
3)  She was 15 years old at that time and was on the bus on her ______
     a.  path to school
     b.  way to school
     c.  road to school
     d.  walking to school
4)  She is now worried that girls in Afghanistan will not receive ______
     a.  a properly education
     b.  a proper education
     c.  a property education
     d.  a prosper education
5)  women in Afghanistan will not have the freedom they have had for the ______
     a.  passed twenty years
     b.  psst twenty years
     c.  past twenty years
     d.  post twenty years

6)  Ms Yousafzai became the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 at ______ 17
     a.  the old of
     b.  the birthday of
     c.  the age of
     d.  the year of
7)  women and children. She spoke to the BBC about the ______
     a.  situation on Afghanistan
     b.  situate on in Afghanistan
     c.  situate in at Afghanistan
     d.  situation by Afghanistan
8)  She called recent events "shocking" and said there is now an ______
     a.  urgent humanitarian crisis
     b.  urgently humanitarian crisis
     c.  urgency humanitarian crisis
     d.  urge gent humanitarian crisis
9)  a world where we're talking about advancements, about equality, ______
     a.  about gander equality
     b.  about agenda equality
     c.  about genders equality
     d.  about gender equality
10)  for the protection of minority groups and for peace and stability ______
     a.  on that region
     b.  in what region
     c.  in that region
     d.  inner region

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai (1) ____________________ around the world to open their borders to Afghan refugees. Malala is worried about the (2) ____________________ of Afghans after the Taliban took over Afghanistan on August the 15th. Malala is an (3) ____________________ rights and comes from Pakistan. She was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 because (4) ____________________ for girls. She was 15 years old at that time and was on the bus on her way to school. She is now worried that girls in Afghanistan will not (5) ____________________ education. She is also concerned that women in Afghanistan will not have the freedom they have had (6) ____________________ twenty years.

Ms Yousafzai became (7) ____________________ Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 at the age of 17. She (8) ____________________ campaigning for the education of women and children. She spoke to the BBC about the situation in Afghanistan. She called (9) ____________________ and said there is now an "urgent humanitarian crisis". She said: "We are living in a world where we're talking about advancements, (10) ____________________ gender equality. We cannot see a country going decades and centuries back." She added: "We have to (11) ____________________ [actions] for the protection of women and girls, for the protection (12) ____________________ and for peace and stability in that region."

Comprehension questions

  1. What prize did Malala Yousafzai win?
  2. When did the Taliban take over Afghanistan?
  3. What does the article say Malala is an activist for?
  4. How old was Malala when she was shot?
  5. What is Malala worried that girls will not receive?
  6. What news agency did Malala speak to?
  7. What did Malala call the recent events?
  8. How far back does Malala fear Afghanistan might go?
  9. What kind of actions did Malala say are needed?
  10. What did Malala call for in the region?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What prize did Malala Yousafzai win?
a) the N-Peace Award
b) the Nobel Peace Prize
c) UN Peace Medal
d) Millennium Peace Prize for Women
2) When did the Taliban take over Afghanistan?
a) August the 14th
b) August the 16th
c) August the 12th
d) August the 15th
3) What does the article say Malala is an activist for?
a) human rights
b) global peace
c) the environment
d) veterans' rights
4) How old was Malala when she was shot?
a) 13
b) 14
c) 15
d) 16
5) What is Malala worried that girls will not receive?
a) salaries
b) a proper education
c) jobs
d) fair treatment

6) What news agency did Malala speak to?
a) the BBC
b) Al Jazeera
c) CNN
d) RT
7) What did Malala call the recent events?
a) horrifying
b) terrible
c) shocking
d) sad
8) How far back does Malala fear Afghanistan might go?
a) decades or centuries
b) dozens of years
c) years and years
d) months
9) What kind of actions did Malala say are needed?
a) bold actions
b) quick action
c) emergency actions
d) drastic actions
10) What did Malala call for in the region?
a) more charities
b) the return of US troops
c) investment
d) peace and stability

Role play

Role  A – The USA
You think the USA can best help the refugees. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their parties might not be as good. Also, tell the others which might be the least effective of these (and why): Pakistan, charities or the UN.

Role  B – Pakistan
You think Pakistan can best help the refugees. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their parties might not be as good. Also, tell the others which might be the least effective of these (and why): the USA, charities or the UN.

Role  C – Charities
You think charities can best help the refugees. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their parties might not be as good. Also, tell the others which might be the least effective of these (and why): Pakistan, the USA or the UN.

Role  D – The UN
You think the UN can best help the refugees. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their parties might not be as good. Also, tell the others which might be the least effective of these (and why): Pakistan, charities or the USA.

After reading / listening

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

'border'

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

    • and 'refugee'.

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

    • • 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:

    • millions
    • took
    • comes
    • bus
    • proper
    • concerned
    • youngest
    • situation
    • urgent
    • gender
    • decades
    • peace

    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 - Afghan Refugees

    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 'Afghanistan'?
    3. What do you know about Afghanistan?
    4. What do you think of what is happening in Afghanistan?
    5. What was the last news you heard about Afghanistan?
    6. Who has responsibility for helping Afghan refugees?
    7. What should the U.N. do to help Afghanistan?
    8. What can your country do to help?
    9. What are your biggest fears for the refugees?
    10. What advice do you have for the refugees?

    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 'refugee'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you know about Malala Yousafzai?
    5. What bold actions does the world need to take?
    6. How do you think refugees feel?
    7. Why can't very rich countries do more to help refugees?
    8. What three adjectives best describe this story?
    9. What will Afghanistan be like this time next year?
    10. What questions would you like to ask Malala?

    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)

    Nobel Peace Prize (1) ____ Malala Yousafzai has asked countries around the world to open their borders to Afghan refugees. Malala is worried about the (2) ____ of millions of Afghans after the Taliban took over Afghanistan on August the 15th. Malala is an (3) ____ for human rights and comes from Pakistan. She was shot (4) ____ the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 because she supported education for girls. She was 15 years old at that time and was on the bus on her (5) ____ to school. She is now worried that girls in Afghanistan will not receive a (6) ____ education. She is also concerned that women in Afghanistan will not have the freedom they have had for the past twenty years.

    Ms Yousafzai became the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 at the (7) ____ of 17. She has since continued campaigning for the education of women and children. She spoke to the BBC about the situation in Afghanistan. She called (8) ____ events "shocking" and said there is now an "(9) ____ humanitarian crisis". She said: "We are living in a world where we're (10) ____ about advancements, about equality, about gender equality. We cannot see a country going decades and centuries (11) ____." She added: "We have to take some bold [actions] for the protection of women and girls, for the protection (12) ____ minority groups and for peace and stability in that region."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     wins     (b)     winning     (c)     winner     (d)     win    
    2. (a)     safety     (b)     safe     (c)     safes     (d)     safer    
    3. (a)     activist     (b)     activism     (c)     active     (d)     actively    
    4. (a)     in     (b)     by     (c)     of     (d)     at    
    5. (a)     going     (b)     move     (c)     right     (d)     way    
    6. (a)     prop     (b)     prosper     (c)     properly     (d)     proper    
    7. (a)     age     (b)     old     (c)     year     (d)     birthday    
    8. (a)     recount     (b)     recant     (c)     recently     (d)     recent    
    9. (a)     urgent     (b)     urgency     (c)     urgently     (d)     urged    
    10. (a)     talk     (b)     talking     (c)     talks     (d)     talked    
    11. (a)     up     (b)     back     (c)     down     (d)     over    
    12. (a)     of     (b)     to     (c)     at     (d)     on

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. worried about the afytse
    2. Malala is an avicstti for human rights
    3. she setdporup education
    4. receive a poerpr education
    5. She is also oncrdecen
    6. have the drfeome they have had

    Paragraph 2

    1. utgner humanitarian crisis
    2. gender yltqiuea
    3. aeecdds and centuries
    4. for the protection of nyrmitio groups
    5. peace and atliysitb
    6. in that gnorie

    Put the text back together

    (...)  over Afghanistan on August the 15th.  Malala is an activist for human rights and comes from
    (...)  continued campaigning for the education of women and children. She spoke to the BBC about the
    (...)  Ms Yousafzai became the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 at the age of 17. She has since
    (...)  back." She added: "We have to take some bold [actions] for the protection of women and girls, for
    (...)  the protection of minority groups and for peace and stability in that region."
    (...)  situation in Afghanistan. She called recent events "shocking" and said there is now an "urgent humanitarian
    (...)  that women in Afghanistan will not have the freedom they have had for the past twenty years.
    (  1  ) Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has asked countries around the world to open their borders
    (...)  crisis". She said: "We are living in a world where we're talking about advancements, about
    (...)  to Afghan refugees. Malala is worried about the safety of millions of Afghans after the Taliban took
    (...)  Pakistan. She was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 because she supported education for
    (...)  girls. She was 15 years old at that time and was on the bus on her way to school. She is now
    (...)  equality, about gender equality. We cannot see a country going decades and centuries
    (...)  worried that girls in Afghanistan will not receive a proper education. She is also concerned

    Put the words in the right order

    1. refugees   .   to   Asked   borders   their   to   open   Afghan
    2. Worried   of   the   about   Afghans   .   millions   of   safety
    3. school   .   On   the   bus   her   on   way   to
    4. a   proper   not   education   .   Girls   receive   there   will
    5. years   .   they   for   had   freedom   The   twenty   have
    6. She   for   the   of   has   education   campaigned   women   .
    7. said   humanitarian   She   crisis   .   there   urgent   an   is
    8. A   talking   world   we're   where   about   advancements   .
    9. back   .   a   country   and   See   going   centuries   decades
    10. protection   of   bold   the   women   .   Take   for   actions

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has asking / asked countries around the world to open their / them borders to Afghan refugees. Malala is worried about the safety to / of millions of Afghans after the Taliban took over / under Afghanistan on August the 15th.  Malala is an activism / activist for human rights and comes from Pakistan. She was shot in / on the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 because she supportive / supported education for girls. She was 15 years old at that time and was on the bus on her way for / to school. She is now worried that girls in Afghanistan will not receive a prosper / proper education. She is also concerned that women in Afghanistan will not have the freedom they have had for the past / passed twenty years.

    Ms Yousafzai became the youngest even / ever Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 at the age of 17. She has for / since continued campaigning for the education of women and children. She spoke to the BBC about a / the situation in Afghanistan. She called recent / recently  events "shocking" and said there is now an "urgent humanitarian crises / crisis". She said: "We are living in a world where we're talking / talked about advancements, about equality, about gender equality. We cannot see a country going / coming decades and centuries back." She added: "We have to take some bald / bold [actions] for the protection of women and girls, for the protection of majority / minority groups and for peace and stability in there / that region."

    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)

    N_b_l  P__c_  Pr_z_  w_nn_r  M_l_l_  Y__s_fz__  h_s  _sk_d  c__ntr__s  _r__nd  th_  w_rld  t_  _p_n  th__r  b_rd_rs  t_  _fgh_n  r_f_g__s.  M_l_l_  _s  w_rr__d  _b__t  th_  s_f_ty  _f  m_ll__ns  _f  _fgh_ns  _ft_r  th_  T_l_b_n  t__k  _v_r  _fgh_n_st_n  _n  __g_st  th_  15th.    M_l_l_  _s  _n  _ct_v_st  f_r  h_m_n  r_ghts  _nd  c_m_s  fr_m  P_k_st_n.  Sh_  w_s  sh_t  _n  th_  h__d  by  _  T_l_b_n  g_nm_n  _n  2012  b_c__s_  sh_  s_pp_rt_d  _d_c_t__n  f_r  g_rls.  Sh_  w_s  15  y__rs  _ld  _t  th_t  t_m_  _nd  w_s  _n  th_  b_s  _n  h_r  w_y  t_  sch__l.  Sh_  _s  n_w  w_rr__d  th_t  g_rls  _n  _fgh_n_st_n  w_ll  n_t  r_c__v_  _  pr_p_r  _d_c_t__n.  Sh_  _s  _ls_  c_nc_rn_d  th_t  w_m_n  _n  _fgh_n_st_n  w_ll  n_t  h_v_  th_  fr__d_m  th_y  h_v_  h_d  f_r  th_  p_st  tw_nty  y__rs.

    Ms  Y__s_fz__  b_c_m_  th_  y__ng_st  _v_r  N_b_l  P__c_  Pr_z_  w_nn_r  _n  2014  _t  th_  _g_  _f  17.  Sh_  h_s  s_nc_  c_nt_n__d  c_mp__gn_ng  f_r  th_  _d_c_t__n  _f  w_m_n  _nd  ch_ldr_n.  Sh_  sp_k_  t_  th_  BBC  _b__t  th_  s_t__t__n  _n  _fgh_n_st_n.  Sh_  c_ll_d  r_c_nt  _v_nts  "sh_ck_ng"  _nd  s__d  th_r_  _s  n_w  _n  "_rg_nt  h_m_n_t_r__n  cr_s_s."  Sh_  s__d:  "W_  _r_  l_v_ng  _n  _  w_rld  wh_r_  w_'r_  t_lk_ng  _b__t  _dv_nc_m_nts,  _b__t  _q__l_ty,  _b__t  g_nd_r  _q__l_ty.  W_  c_nn_t  s__  _  c__ntry  g__ng  d_c_d_s  _nd  c_nt_r__s  b_ck."  Sh_  _dd_d:  "W_  h_v_  t_  t_k_  s_m_  b_ld  [_ct__ns]  f_r  th_  pr_t_ct__n  _f  w_m_n  _nd  g_rls,  f_r  th_  pr_t_ct__n  _f  m_n_r_ty  gr__ps  _nd  f_r  p__c_  _nd  st_b_l_ty  _n  th_t  r_g__n."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    nobel peace prize winner malala yousafzai has asked countries around the world to open their borders to afghan refugees malala is worried about the safety of millions of afghans after the taliban took over afghanistan on august the 15th  malala is an activist for human rights and comes from pakistan she was shot in the head by a taliban gunman in 2012 because she supported education for girls she was 15 years old at that time and was on the bus on her way to school she is now worried that girls in afghanistan will not receive a proper education she is also concerned that women in afghanistan will not have the freedom they have had for the past twenty years

    ms yousafzai became the youngest ever nobel peace prize winner in 2014 at the age of 17 she has since continued campaigning for the education of women and children she spoke to the bbc about the situation in afghanistan she called recent events shocking and said there is now an urgent humanitarian crisis she said we are living in a world where were talking about advancements about equality about gender equality we cannot see a country going decades and centuries back she added we have to take some bold actions for the protection of women and girls for the protection of minority groups and for peace and stability in that region

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    NobelPeacePrizewinnerMalalaYousafzaihasaskedcountriesaroundth
    eworldtoopentheirborderstoAfghanrefugees.Malalaisworriedaboutt
    hesafetyofmillionsofAfghansaftertheTalibantookoverAfghanistanon
    Augustthe15th.MalalaisanactivistforhumanrightsandcomesfromPa
    kistan.ShewasshotintheheadbyaTalibangunmanin2012becauseshe
    supportededucationforgirls.Shewas15yearsoldatthattimeandwaso
    nthebusonherwaytoschool.SheisnowworriedthatgirlsinAfghanistan
    willnotreceiveapropereducation.SheisalsoconcernedthatwomeninA
    fghanistanwillnothavethefreedomtheyhavehadforthepasttwentyye
    ars.MsYousafzaibecametheyoungesteverNobelPeacePrizewinnerin
    2014attheageof17.Shehassincecontinuedcampaigningfortheeduca
    tionofwomenandchildren.ShespoketotheBBCaboutthesituationinAf
    ghanistan.Shecalledrecentevents"shocking"andsaidthereisnowan"
    urgenthumanitariancrisis".Shesaid:"Wearelivinginaworldwherewe'
    retalkingaboutadvancements,aboutequality,aboutgenderequality.
    Wecannotseeacountrygoingdecadesandcenturiesback."Sheadded:
    "Wehavetotakesomebold[actions]fortheprotectionofwomenandgirl
    s,fortheprotectionofminoritygroupsandforpeaceandstabilityinthatr
    egion."

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    All countries should open their borders to help Afghan refugees. 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 story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. AFGHANISTAN: Make a poster about Afghanistan. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. BORDERS: Write a magazine article about opening borders for all the world's refugees. 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 Afghanistan. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to help the country. 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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