Breaking News English Lesson: Ukraine

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US general says invasion of Ukraine would be 'horrific' (31st January, 2022)

The Reading / Listening - Ukraine - Level 6

Amid growing tensions on the Russia-Ukraine border, a top US general has warned of "horrific" consequences of any armed conflict. General Mark Milley warned that any Russian action would result in a significant number of deaths. He said: "An invasion will not be cost-free in terms of casualties." General Milley told reporters that Russia's 100,000 troops on Ukraine's border was very worrying. He said: "This is larger in scale and scope in the massing of forces than anything we have seen in recent memory, and I think you'd have to go back quite a while into the Cold War days to see something of this magnitude." Russia says it has no plans to invade and says US support for Ukraine is the biggest threat.

Russia has accused the USA and NATO of being the aggressors in the latest tensions. It says it is unacceptable for US and NATO forces to be so close to Russia's borders. Moscow also called for Ukraine to be banned from joining NATO. The US said this request was untenable. NATO said Ukraine had the right to choose its own allies. Russia said NATO should end any military activity in Eastern Europe, and pull troops out of Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In addition, it called for NATO not to deploy missiles in countries near or bordering Russia. Ukraine's President Zelensky has accused the West of creating "panic" over a possible invasion.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Ukraine - Level 4 or Ukraine - Level 5

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60177929
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/29/europe/russia-ukraine-global-implications-cmd-intl/index.html
https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/us-formally-rebuffs-russias-request-that-ukraine-be-barred-from-nato.html

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. UKRAINE: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Ukraine. 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?
tensions / border / general / armed conflict / invasion / worrying / memory / Cold War
NATO / allies / military activity / Eastern Europe / missiles / Latvia / the West / panic
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. NATO: Students A strongly believe NATO is a threat to Russia; Students B strongly believe it isn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. NATO STATES: What is the history between Russia and the following NATO states? What are relations like now? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	History	Relationship Today
Poland
Latvia
Estonia
USA
UK
Turkey

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. TENSIONS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "tensions". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. CONFLICTS: Rank these with your partner. Put the most dangerous (possible) conflicts at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

Ukraine
Syria
India-Pakistan
Israel-Palestine
Iraq
Yemen
Somalia
War on drugs

Vocabulary

Paragraph 1

1.	amid	a.	The great size or extent of something.
2.	consequences	b.	Involving the use of weapons.
3.	armed	c.	People killed or injured in a war or accident.
4.	significant	d.	In the middle of.
5.	casualties	e.	The extent of the area or subject matter that something deals with.
6.	scope	f.	Results or effects, typically ones that are unwelcome or unpleasant.
7.	magnitude	g.	Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.

Paragraph 2

8.	accused	h.	Not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection.
9.	aggressor	i.	A person or country that attacks another first.
10.	forces	j.	Move troops or equipment into position for military action.
11.	untenable	k.	Say that someone has done something wrong.
12.	ally	l.	A country formally cooperating with another for a military or other purpose.
13.	state	m.	Organized bodies of military personnel or police.
14.	deploy	n.	A nation or territory under one government.

Before reading / listening

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

The USA's most important general commented on Ukraine. T / F
An American general said a conflict would create significant casualties. T / F
The American general said the Cold War has returned. T / F
Russia said the USA's support for Ukraine was the biggest threat. T / F
Russia wants Ukraine to be barred from joining NATO. T / F
NATO said Ukraine shouldn't be able to choose its own allies. T / F
Russia wants NATO troops out of the Baltic states. T / F
Ukraine's president said the West was creating panic. T / F

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

tensions
conflict
casualties
massing
magnitude
accused
banned
untenable
troops
deploy

clash
soldiers
blamed
barred
victims
strained relations
indefensible
assembling
position
size

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

Amid growing
warned of horrific
result in a significant
This is larger in scale
see something of this
unacceptable for US and NATO
called for Ukraine to be banned
The US said this request was
pull troops
deploy

consequences
missiles
and scope
forces to be so close
tensions
untenable
out of Poland
number of deaths
magnitude
from joining NATO

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

scope
warned
recent
threat
casualties
magnitude
significant
troops

Amid growing tensions on the Russia-Ukraine border, a top US general has (1) _____________________ of "horrific" consequences of any armed conflict. General Mark Milley warned that any Russian action would result in a (2) _____________________ number of deaths. He said: "An invasion will not be cost-free in terms of (3) _____________________." General Milley told reporters that Russia's 100,000 (4) _____________________ on Ukraine's border was very worrying. He said: "This is larger in scale and (5) _____________________ in the massing of forces than anything we have seen in (6) _____________________ memory, and I think you'd have to go back quite a while into the Cold War days to see something of this (7) _____________________." Russia says it has no plans to invade and says US support for Ukraine is the biggest (8) _____________________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

banned
deploy
allies
accused
panic
forces
invasion
pull

Russia has (9) _____________________ the USA and NATO of being the aggressors in the latest tensions. It says it is unacceptable for US and NATO (10) _____________________ to be so close to Russia's borders. Moscow also called for Ukraine to be (11) _____________________ from joining NATO. The US said this request was untenable. NATO said Ukraine had the right to choose its own (12) _____________________. Russia said NATO should end any military activity in Eastern Europe, and (13) _____________________ troops out of Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In addition, it called for NATO not to (14) _____________________ missiles in countries near or bordering Russia. Ukraine's President Zelensky has accused the West of creating "(15) _____________________" over a possible (16) _____________________.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) a top US general has warned of "horrific" consequences of ______
     a. any harmed conflict
     b. any yarned conflict
     c. any armed conflict
     d. any aimed conflict
2) Mark Milley warned that any Russian action would result in a significant ______
     a. numbers of deaths
     b. number of deaths
     c. numeral of deaths
     d. numb bar of deaths
3) He said: "An invasion will not be cost-free in ______."
     a. teams of casualties
     b. terns of casualties
     c. interns of casualties
     d. terms of casualties
4) larger in scale and scope in the massing of forces than anything we have seen ______
     a. in recent memory
     b. in recently memories
     c. on recent memory
     d. in recent memorial
5) it has no plans to invade and says US support for Ukraine is ______
     a. the biggest treat
     b. the biggest thread
     c. the biggest threat
     d. the biggest tread

6) Russia has accused the USA and NATO of being the aggressors in ______
     a. the latent tensions
     b. the latest tensions
     c. the lay test tensions
     d. the late test tensions
7) Moscow also called for Ukraine to be ______
     a. binned from joining
     b. boned from joining
     c. bend from joining
     d. banned from joining
8) The US said this ______
     a. request was untenable
     b. request was undeniable
     c. request was sun tan able
     d. request was sentient able
9) In addition, it called for NATO not ______
     a. to deep ploy missiles
     b. to deep lay missiles
     c. to deploy missiles
     d. to dip ploy missiles
10) Zelensky has accused the West of creating "panic" over ______
     a. a possible invasion
     b. a possible inversion
     c. a possible envision
     d. a possible invasive

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Amid (1) ____________________ the Russia-Ukraine border, a top US general has warned of "horrific" consequences of any armed conflict. General Mark Milley warned that any Russian (2) ____________________ in a significant number of deaths. He said: "An invasion will not be cost-free in (3) ____________________." General Milley told reporters that Russia's 100,000 troops on Ukraine's border was very worrying. He said: "This is larger in (4) ____________________ in the massing of forces than anything we have seen in recent memory, and I think you'd have to go back quite a while into the Cold War days to see something (5) ____________________." Russia says it has no plans to invade and says US support for Ukraine is (6) ____________________

Russia has accused the USA and NATO of being (7) ____________________ the latest tensions. It says it is unacceptable for US and NATO forces to be so close to Russia's borders. Moscow also called for Ukraine to be (8) ____________________ NATO. The US said this request was untenable. NATO said Ukraine had the right to choose (9) ____________________. Russia said NATO should end any military activity in Eastern Europe, and (10) ____________________ of Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In addition, it called for NATO not (11) ____________________ in countries near or bordering Russia. Ukraine's President Zelensky has accused the West of creating "panic" over (12) ____________________.

Comprehension questions

What is the US general's name?
What did the general say would not be "cost-free"?
How many troops did the general say are on the border?
When was the last time we saw such a buildup of troops?
What did Russia say was the biggest threat?
What does Russia want Ukraine to be banned from joining?
What did NATO say Ukraine had a right to choose?
Where does Russia want NATO to stop military activity?
What does Russia not want to be deployed near its borders?
Who did Ukraine's president say was creating panic?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What is the US general's name?
a) Mark O'Malley
b) Mark Milley
c) Mike Milley
d) Mike O'Malley
2) What did the general say would not be "cost-free"?
a) threats
b) missiles
c) an invasion
d) borders
3) How many troops did the general say are on the border?
a) 120,000
b) 110,000
c) 150,000
d) 100,000
4) When was the last time we saw such a build-up of troops?
a) 2018
b) during the Cold War
c) World War II
d) last year
5) What did Russia say was the biggest threat?
a) US support for Ukraine
b) climate change
c) cybercrime
d) space wars

6) What does Russia want Ukraine to be banned from joining?
a) NATO
b) the UN
c) the Eastern Bloc
d) ASEAN
7) What did NATO say Ukraine had a right to choose?
a) its own language
b) its own flag
c) self-determination
d) its own allies
8) Where does Russia want NATO to stop military activity?
a) the Caucasus
b) Western Europe
c) Eastern Europe
d) the Mediterranean
9) What does Russia not want to be deployed near its borders?
a) satellites
b) data centres
c) warehouses
d) missiles

10) Who did Ukraine's president say was creating panic?
a) the South
b) the West
c) the North
d) the East

Role play

Role A – Ukraine
You think Ukraine is the world's most worrying situation. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their situation isn't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): war on drugs, Yemen or India-Pakistan relations.

Role B – War on Drugs
You think the war on drugs is the world's most worrying situation. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their situation isn't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): Ukraine, Yemen or India-Pakistan relations.

Role C – Yemen
You think Yemen is the world's most worrying situation. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their situation isn't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): war on drugs, Ukraine or India-Pakistan relations.

Role D – India-Pakistan
You think India-Pakistan relations is the world's most worrying situation. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their situation isn't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): war on drugs, Yemen or Ukraine.

After reading / listening

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

'invasion'

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

and 'horrific'.
________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

• 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:

amid

armed

number

reporters

larger

plans

latest

close

request

end

pull

addition

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 - Ukraine

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 'invasion'?
What do you know about Ukraine?
What do you know about the current tensions?
How likely do you think war is?
How serious might a possible war be?
Why are so many troops on Ukraine's border?
What do you know about the Cold War?
Is the US support for Ukraine the biggest threat?
What advice do you have for Russia and the USA?

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 'horrific'?
What do you think about what you read?
What would happen if Russia gave military aid to the USA's neighbours?
Why does Russia think the USA and NATO are aggressors?
Should Ukraine be banned from joining NATO?
What do you know about NATO?
What three adjectives best describe this story?
How do you think this situation will develop?
What questions would you like to ask Ukraine's president?

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)

Amid growing (1) ____ on the Russia-Ukraine border, a top US general has warned of "horrific" consequences of any armed conflict. General Mark Milley warned that any Russian action would result (2) ____ a significant number of deaths. He said: "An invasion will not be cost-free in (3) ____ of casualties." General Milley told reporters that Russia's 100,000 troops on Ukraine's border was very worrying. He said: "This is larger (4) ____ scale and scope in the massing of forces than anything we have seen in recent (5) ____, and I think you'd have to go back quite a while into the Cold War days to see something of this magnitude." Russia says it has no plans (6) ____ invade and says US support for Ukraine is the biggest threat.

Russia has accused the USA and NATO of being the (7) ____ in the latest tensions. It says it is unacceptable for US and NATO (8) ____ to be so close to Russia's borders. Moscow also called for Ukraine to be banned from joining NATO. The US said this request was (9) ____. NATO said Ukraine had the right to choose its own allies. Russia said NATO should end any military activity in Eastern Europe, and (10) ____ troops out of Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In addition, it called for NATO not to (11) ____ missiles in countries near or bordering Russia. Ukraine's President Zelensky has accused the West of creating "panic" (12) ____ a possible invasion.

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a) tenses (b) tensions (c) tense (d) tensile
(a) at (b) in (c) of (d) to
(a) teams (b) tomes (c) trams (d) terms
(a) at (b) in (c) of (d) to
(a) fact (b) memory (c) knowing (d) nostalgia
(a) for (b) at (c) to (d) by
(a) aggro (b) aggression (c) aggressors (d) aggress
(a) asserts (b) coerces (c) forces (d) amasses
(a) swinging (b) standby (c) decline (d) untenable
(a) pull (b) shuttle (c) aid (d) run
(a) deploy (b) ploy (c) employ (d) reemploy
(a) abut (b) abet (c) over (d) under

Spelling

Paragraph 1

warned of horrific qnsconeucees
a igisinacfnt number of deaths
in terms of tiusalceas
larger in scale and oecps
see something of this dateuigmn
it has no plans to ievand

Paragraph 2

Russia has ucseacd the USA and NATO
the rsoagssreg in the latest tensions
The US said this request was nlunbtaee
the right to choose its own lalsie
odelyp missiles
creating "panic" over a possible isvionan

Put the text back together

(...) scale and scope in the massing of forces than anything we have seen in recent
(...) of Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In addition, it called
(...) magnitude." Russia says it has no plans to invade and says US support for Ukraine is the biggest threat.
( 1 ) Amid growing tensions on the Russia-Ukraine border, a top US general has warned of "horrific"
(...) memory, and I think you'd have to go back quite a while into the Cold War days to see something of this
(...) for NATO not to deploy missiles in countries near or bordering Russia. Ukraine's
(...) NATO. The US said this request was untenable. NATO said Ukraine had the right to choose its own
(...) consequences of any armed conflict. General Mark Milley warned that any Russian action would result
(...) President Zelensky has accused the West of creating "panic" over a possible invasion.
(...) for US and NATO forces to be so close to Russia's borders. Moscow also called for Ukraine to be banned from joining
(...) reporters that Russia's 100,000 troops on Ukraine's border was very worrying. He said: "This is larger in
(...) allies. Russia said NATO should end any military activity in Eastern Europe, and pull troops out
(...) in a significant number of deaths. He said: "An invasion will not be cost-free in terms of casualties." General Milley told
(...) Russia has accused the USA and NATO of being the aggressors in the latest tensions. It says it is unacceptable

Put the words in the right order

border . the tensions Russia-Ukraine Amid on growing
number deaths . a Result significant in of
cost be invasion An will not free .
back quite go have to a while . You'd
Russia invade . has it no plans to says
to to NATO so borders . be Russia's close
request this said The untenable . was US
NATO Russia end any said should military activity .
not deploy to missiles . for NATO It called
creating the West panic . of president The accused

Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

Amid growing tensions on / in the Russia-Ukraine border, a top US general has warned of "horrific" consequences of any arms / armed conflict. General Mark Milley warned that any Russian action would result in a significance / significant number of deaths. He said: "An invasion will not be cost-free in terms of / at casualties." General Milley told reporters that Russia's 100,000 troops on Ukraine's border was very worrying / worried. He said: "This is larger in scale and scoop / scope in the massing of forces than anything we have seen in recently / recent memory, and I think you'd have to go back quite a / the while into the Cold War days to see something of this magnetism / magnitude." Russia says it has no plans to invade and says US support for Ukraine is the biggest treat / threat.

Russia has accusation / accused the USA and NATO of being / been the aggressors in the latest tensions. It says it is unacceptable on / for US and NATO forces to be so close / closely to Russia's borders. Moscow also called for Ukraine to be binned / banned from joining NATO. The US said this request was untenable. NATO said Ukraine had the right to choose its own allied / allies. Russia said NATO should end any military activity in Eastern Europe, and pull troops / troop out of Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In addition, it called for NATO not to deploy / employ missiles in countries near or bordered / bordering Russia. Ukraine's President Zelensky has accused the West of creating "panic" over a possible / possibility invasion.

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

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

_m_d gr_w_ng t_ns__ns _n th_ R_ss__-_kr__n_ b_rd_r, _ t_p _S g_n_r_l h_s w_rn_d _f "h_rr_f_c" c_ns_q__nc_s _f _ny _rm_d c_nfl_ct. G_n_r_l M_rk M_ll_y w_rn_d th_t _ny R_ss__n _ct__n w__ld r_s_lt _n _ s_gn_f_c_nt n_mb_r _f d__ths. H_ s__d: "_n _nv_s__n w_ll n_t b_ c_st-fr__ _n t_rms _f c_s__lt__s." G_n_r_l M_ll_y t_ld r_p_rt_rs th_t R_ss__'s 100,000 tr__ps _n _kr__n_'s b_rd_r w_s v_ry w_rry_ng. H_ s__d: "Th_s _s l_rg_r _n sc_l_ _nd sc_p_ _n th_ m_ss_ng _f f_rc_s th_n _nyth_ng w_ h_v_ s__n _n r_c_nt m_m_ry, _nd _ th_nk y__'d h_v_ t_ g_ b_ck q__t_ _ wh_l_ _nt_ th_ C_ld W_r d_ys t_ s__ s_m_th_ng _f th_s m_gn_t_d_." R_ss__ s_ys _t h_s n_ pl_ns t_ _nv_d_ _nd s_ys _S s_pp_rt f_r _kr__n_ _s th_ b_gg_st thr__t.

R_ss__ h_s _cc_s_d th_ _S_ _nd N_T_ _f b__ng th_ _ggr_ss_rs _n th_ l_t_st t_ns__ns. _t s_ys _t _s _n_cc_pt_bl_ f_r _S _nd N_T_ f_rc_s t_ b_ s_ cl_s_ t_ R_ss__'s b_rd_rs. M_sc_w _ls_ c_ll_d f_r _kr__n_ t_ b_ b_nn_d fr_m j__n_ng N_T_. Th_ _S s__d th_s r_q__st w_s _nt_n_bl_. N_T_ s__d _kr__n_ h_d th_ r_ght t_ ch__s_ _ts _wn _ll__s. R_ss__ s__d N_T_ sh__ld _nd _ny m_l_t_ry _ct_v_ty _n __st_rn __r_p_, _nd p_ll tr__ps __t _f P_l_nd _nd th_ B_lt_c st_t_s _f _st_n__, L_tv__ _nd L_th__n__. _n _dd_t__n, _t c_ll_d f_r N_T_ n_t t_ d_pl_y m_ss_l_s _n c__ntr__s n__r _r b_rd_r_ng R_ss__. _kr__n_'s Pr_s_d_nt Z_l_nsky h_s _cc_s_d th_ W_st _f cr__t_ng "p_n_c" _v_r _ p_ss_bl_ _nv_s__n.

Punctuate the text and add capitals

amid growing tensions on the russiaukraine border a top us general has warned of horrific consequences of any armed conflict general mark milley warned that any russian action would result in a significant number of deaths he said an invasion will not be costfree in terms of casualties general milley told reporters that russias 100000 troops on ukraines border was very worrying he said this is larger in scale and scope in the massing of forces than anything we have seen in recent memory and i think youd have to go back quite a while into the cold war days to see something of this magnitude russia says it has no plans to invade and says us support for ukraine is the biggest threat

russia has accused the usa and nato of being the aggressors in the latest tensions it says it is unacceptable for us and nato forces to be so close to russias borders moscow also called for ukraine to be banned from joining nato the us said this request was untenable nato said ukraine had the right to choose its own allies russia said nato should end any military activity in eastern europe and pull troops out of poland and the baltic states of estonia latvia and lithuania in addition it called for nato not to deploy missiles in countries near or bordering russia ukraines president zelensky has accused the west of creating panic over a possible invasion

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AmidgrowingtensionsontheRussia-Ukraineborder,atopUSgeneral
haswarnedof"horrific"consequencesofanyarmedconflict.GeneralMa
rkMilleywarnedthatanyRussianactionwouldresultinasignificantnum
berofdeaths.Hesaid:"Aninvasionwillnotbecost-freeintermsofcasual
ties."GeneralMilleytoldreportersthatRussia's100,000troopsonUkrai
ne'sborderwasveryworrying.Hesaid:"Thisislargerinscaleandscopein
themassingofforcesthananythingwehaveseeninrecentmemory,and
Ithinkyou'dhavetogobackquiteawhileintotheColdWardaystoseesom
ethingofthismagnitude."RussiasaysithasnoplanstoinvadeandsaysU
SsupportforUkraineisthebiggestthreat.RussiahasaccusedtheUSAan
dNATOofbeingtheaggressorsinthelatesttensions.Itsaysitisunaccept
ableforUSandNATOforcestobesoclosetoRussia'sborders.Moscowals
ocalledforUkrainetobebannedfromjoiningNATO.TheUSsaidthisrequ
estwasuntenable.NATOsaidUkrainehadtherighttochooseitsownallie
s.RussiasaidNATOshouldendanymilitaryactivityinEasternEurope,an
dpulltroopsoutofPolandandtheBalticstatesofEstonia,LatviaandLithu
ania.Inaddition,itcalledforNATOnottodeploymissilesincountriesnear
orborderingRussia.Ukraine'sPresidentZelenskyhasaccusedtheWest
ofcreating"panic"overapossibleinvasion.

Free writing

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

_____________________________________________________________________________

Academic writing

NATO is a force for good. 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. UKRAINE: Make a poster about Ukraine. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. INVASION: Write a magazine article about having an emergency UN summit to prevent military conflict in Ukraine. 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 Ukraine. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to reduce current tensions. 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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Breaking News English Lesson: Ukraine

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