The Reading / Listening - Prince Harry - Spare - Level 3

The UK's Prince Harry has written a book about his life. It is also about his thoughts on the death of his mother (Princess Diana), his relationship with the press, and being a royal. The book is called "Spare". The word "spare" means someone or something that only exists in case another person or thing is lost, broken, or worn out. The title "Spare" refers to the fact that Harry would only become the UK's king if his father and brother died. The book is a bestseller worldwide. It has been published in 16 languages. People waited in line for hours to buy it. In the UK, "Spare" went on sale at midnight on Sunday. One of the UK's leading bookstores, Waterstones, said "Spare" has been one of its "biggest pre-order titles for a decade".

The book is a controversial one. A member of Britain's Royal Family has never spoken so openly before. Harry said the book tells the story about why he moved his young family to the USA, and why he gave up his official royal duties. He said the UK press has continually written bad things about his wife Meghan, and reports on his life with Meghan in a negative way. "Spare" is one way for Harry to let his family know his true feelings. The 410-page memoir contains many personal stories. He writes about how he fell out with the Royal Family. He claims his brother Prince William attacked him because he wanted to marry Meghan. He also wrote about the number of Taliban fighters he killed in Afghanistan when he was a soldier.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Prince Harry - Spare - Level 0,  Prince Harry - Spare - Level 1   or  Prince Harry - Spare - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64213852
  • https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/prince-harrys-spare-sinks-royals-popularity-expert-timing-ghastly
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/09/europe/prince-harry-spare-book-takeaways-intl/index.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. PRINCE HARRY: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Prince Harry. 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?
       Prince Harry / the UK / relationships / the press / spare / bestseller / worldwide /
       controversial / book / story / royal / duties / negative / feelings / brother / soldier
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. ROYAL FAMILIES: Students A strongly believe royal families are great; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. BRITISH ROYALS: What do you know about the British royals (past and present)? What do you want 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

Prince Harry

 

 

King Charles

 

 

Prince William

 

 

Queen Elizabeth

 

 

Princess Diana

 

 

The Duchess of Sussex

 

 
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. BEING A PRINCE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "prince". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. PRINCE: Rank these with your partner. Put the best things about being a prince at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Fame
  • Palaces
  • Cars
  • Food
  • Clothes
  • Travel
  • Holidays
  • Meeting people

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. thoughts a. Newspapers or journalists.
      2. relationship b. Ideas or opinions.
      3. the press c. Happen or be found somewhere.
      4. exist d. Used or was used until no longer in good condition or working order.
      5. worn out e. The way in which two or more people or things are connected.
      6. bestseller f. A period of ten years.
      7. decade g. A book or other product that sells in very large numbers.

    Paragraph 2

      8. controversial h. Truthfully and honestly.
      9. openly i. Repeated frequently; regularly.
      10. official j. Leading to arguments because the topic is so difficult, emotional or sensitive.
      11. duties k. About the activities and responsibilities in a government or organization.
      12. continually l. The story of a well-known person's life, written by that person.
      13. memoir m. The things you have to do as part of your job or role.
      14. soldier n. A person who works and fights in an army.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. Prince Harry wrote about the death of Princess Diana.     T / F
  2. Harry called his book 'Spare' because he will probably never be king.     T / F
  3. Prince Harry's book has been translated into 15 other languages.     T / F
  4. The book went on sale in the UK at midday.     T / F
  5. Harry is the third British royal to speak so openly.     T / F
  6. Harry said UK newspapers write bad things about him and his wife.     T / F
  7. Harry's book contains 410 personal stories.     T / F
  8. Harry said Prince William wanted to marry Meghan.     T / F

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

  1. thoughts
  2. fact
  3. worldwide
  4. leading
  5. decade
  6. openly
  7. duties
  8. continually
  9. memoir
  10. soldier
  1. responsibilities
  2. top
  3. views
  4. honestly
  5. life story
  6. globally
  7. serviceman/woman
  8. ten years
  9. repeatedly
  10. reality

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

  1. his relationship with
  2. It has been published
  3. People waited in line for
  4. "Spare" went on
  5. One of the UK's leading
  6. The book is a controversial
  7. why he gave up his official
  8. The 410-page
  9. how he fell
  10. when he was a
  1. sale at midnight
  2. memoir
  3. the press
  4. soldier
  5. hours to buy it
  6. royal duties
  7. out with the Royal Family
  8. bookstores
  9. one
  10. in 16 languages

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
line
royal
decade
fact
written
leading
published
case

The UK's Prince Harry has (1) _____________________ a book about his life. It is also about his thoughts on the death of his mother (Princess Diana), his relationship with the press, and being a (2) _____________________. The book is called "Spare". The word "spare" means someone or something that only exists in (3) _____________________ another person or thing is lost, broken, or worn out. The title "Spare" refers to the (4) _____________________ that Harry would only become the UK's king if his father and brother died. The book is a bestseller worldwide. It has been (5) _____________________ in 16 languages. People waited in (6) _____________________ for hours to buy it. In the UK, "Spare" went on sale at midnight on Sunday. One of the UK's (7) _____________________ bookstores, Waterstones, said "Spare" has been one of its "biggest pre-order titles for a (8) _____________________".

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
controversial
negative
soldier
openly
fell
official
claims
feelings

The book is a (9) _____________________ one. A member of Britain's Royal Family has never spoken so (10) _____________________ before. Harry said the book tells the story about why he moved his young family to the USA, and why he gave up his (11) _____________________ royal duties. He said the UK press has continually written bad things about his wife Meghan, and reports on his life with Meghan in a (12) _____________________ way. "Spare" is one way for Harry to let his family know his true (13) _____________________. The 410-page memoir contains many personal stories. He writes about how he (14) _____________________ out with the Royal Family. He (15) _____________________ his brother Prince William attacked him because he wanted to marry Meghan. He also wrote about the number of Taliban fighters he killed in Afghanistan when he was a (16) _____________________.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) The UK's Prince Harry has written a book ______
     a.  about this life
     b.  about his leaf
     c.  about his alive
     d.  about his life
2)  his relationship with the press, and ______
     a.  been a royal
     b.  be in a royal
     c.  be inner royal
     d.  being a royal
3)  only exists in case another person or thing is lost, broken, ______
     a.  awe worn out
     b.  ore worn out
     c.  or worn out
     d.  wore worn out
4)  published in 16 languages. People waited in line for ______ it
     a.  hour to buy
     b.  hours to buy
     c.  hourly tube by
     d.  ours to bye
5)  "Spare" has been one of its biggest pre-order titles ______
     a.  for a deck aid
     b.  for a decades
     c.  for a decade
     d.  for a decadent

6)  A member of Britain's Royal Family has never spoken ______
     a.  soap pen before
     b.  sow open Libby four
     c.  so woe pen Libby four
     d.  so openly before
7)  moved his young family to the USA, and why he gave up his ______
     a.  officially royal duties
     b.  official royally duties
     c.  officially royally duties
     d.  official royal duties
8)  and reports on his life with Meghan in ______
     a.  a negatives weight
     b.  a negative way
     c.  a negative weigh
     d.  a negatively way
9)  The 410-page memoir contains ______
     a.  many personnel stories
     b.  many personal stories
     c.  many personals stories
     d.  many person all stories
10)  his brother Prince William attacked him because he ______ Meghan
     a.  want it to marry
     b.  want Ted to marry
     c.  wanted tomb airy
     d.  wanted to marry

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The UK's Prince Harry has written a book (1) ____________________. It is also about his thoughts on the death of his mother (Princess Diana), his relationship with the press, and (2) ____________________. The book is called "Spare". The word "spare" means someone or something that only exists in case another person or thing is lost, broken, or worn out. The title "Spare" refers to (3) ____________________ Harry would only become the UK's king if his father and brother died. The book is a bestseller worldwide. It has been (4) ____________________ languages. People waited in line (5) ____________________ buy it. In the UK, "Spare" went on sale at midnight on Sunday. One of the UK's leading bookstores, Waterstones, said "Spare" has been one of its "biggest pre-order titles (6) ____________________".

The book is a controversial one. A member of Britain's Royal Family has never (7) ____________________ before. Harry said the book tells the story about why he moved his young family to the USA, and why he gave up his (8) ____________________. He said the UK press has continually written bad things about his wife Meghan, and reports on his life with Meghan in (9) ____________________. "Spare" is one way for Harry to let his family know his true feelings. The 410-page (10) ____________________ personal stories. He writes about how he fell out with the Royal Family. He claims his brother Prince William attacked him because he (11) ____________________ Meghan. He also wrote about the number of Taliban fighters he killed in Afghanistan when he (12) ____________________.

Comprehension questions

  1. Whose death did Prince Harry write about?
  2. Who would have to pass away for Harry to become king?
  3. In how many languages has the book been published?
  4. For how long did people wait in line to buy the book?
  5. What is Waterstones?
  6. What does the article say is controversial?
  7. What did Prince Harry give up?
  8. Who did Prince Harry say wrote bad things about his wife?
  9. How many pages does the book contain?
  10. Who did Prince Harry say attacked him?

Multiple choice quiz

1) Whose death did Prince Harry write about?
a) his great-grandmother's
b) Queen Elizabeth's
c) his aunt's
d) his mother's
2) Who would have to pass away for Harry to become king?
a) his father and uncle
b) his father and brother
c) his father and two uncles
d) his brother and aunt
3) In how many languages has the book been published?
a) 18
b) 14
c) 15
d) 16
4) For how long did people wait in line to buy the book?
a) weeks
b) days
c) hours
d) 17 hours and 27 minutes
5) What is Waterstones?
a) a publisher
b) Prince Harry's company
c) the name of Harry's house
d) a UK bookstore

6) What does the article say is controversial?
a) the UK's royal family
b) the press
c) the book
d) his family
7) What did Prince Harry give up?
a) his royal duties
b) smoking
c) meat
d) personal stories
8) Who did Prince Harry say wrote bad things about his wife?
a) a publisher
b) his friends
c) the press
d) his family
9) How many pages does the book contain?
a) 411
b) 410
c) 412
d) 414
10) Who did Prince Harry say attacked him?
a) Prince William
b) the Taliban
c) the press
d) his cousin

Role play

Role  A – Palaces
You think palaces are the best things about being a prince. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): cars, food or meeting people.

Role  B – Cars
You think cars are the best things about being a prince. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): palaces, food or meeting people.

Role  C – Food
You think food is the best thing about being a prince. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): cars, palaces or meeting people.

Role  D – Meeting People
You think meeting people is the best thing about being a prince. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): cars, food or palaces.

After reading / listening

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

'prince'

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

    • and 'book'.

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

    • • 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:

    • written
    • word
    • fact
    • 16
    • midnight
    • decade
    • member
    • story
    • bad
    • true
    • fell
    • attacked

    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 - Prince Harry - Spare

    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 'prince'?
    3. What do you know about Prince Harry?
    4. What do you know about Harry and Meghan?
    5. What do you know about Prince Harry's book 'Spare'?
    6. Would you like to be a member of a royal family?
    7. How do you think Harry feels being a 'spare'?
    8. Would you like to read Prince Harry's book?
    9. What would it be like to be a king or queen?
    10. What advice do you have for Prince Harry?

    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 'book'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you think of Prince Harry?
    5. What do you know about the British Royal family?
    6. What do you think of royal families?
    7. Should Harry have written so much about his family?
    8. How interesting would your personal memoir be?
    9. Can Harry repair relations with his family?
    10. What questions would you like to ask Prince Harry?

    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 UK's Prince Harry (1) ____ written a book about his life. It is also about his (2) ____ on the death of his mother (Princess Diana), his relationship with the press, and being a royal. The book is called "Spare". The word "spare" (3) ____ someone or something that only exists in case another person or thing is lost, broken, or worn out. The title "Spare" refers to the fact (4) ____ Harry would only become the UK's king if his father and brother died. The book is a bestseller worldwide. It has been published (5) ____ 16 languages. People waited in line for hours to buy it. In the UK, "Spare" went on sale at midnight on Sunday. One of the UK's leading bookstores, Waterstones, said "Spare" has been (6) ____ of its "biggest pre-order titles for a decade".

    The book is a (7) ____ one. A member of Britain's Royal Family has never spoken so (8) ____ before. Harry said the book tells the story about why he moved his young family to the USA, and why he gave up his official (9) ____ duties. He said the UK press has continually written bad things about his wife Meghan, and reports on his life with Meghan (10) ____ a negative way. "Spare" is one way for Harry to let his family know his true feelings. The 410-page memoir contains many personal stories. He writes about how he (11) ____ out with the Royal Family. He claims his brother Prince William attacked him because he wanted to marry Meghan. He also wrote about the (12) ____ of Taliban fighters he killed in Afghanistan when he was a soldier.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     was     (b)     has     (c)     is     (d)     did    
    2. (a)     thinks     (b)     thoughts     (c)     thinkers     (d)     thought    
    3. (a)     mean     (b)     meant     (c)     meanings     (d)     means    
    4. (a)     for     (b)     that     (c)     such     (d)     what    
    5. (a)     at     (b)     in     (c)     on     (d)     by    
    6. (a)     once     (b)     only     (c)     one     (d)     on    
    7. (a)     controversy     (b)     controversies     (c)     controversial     (d)     controvert    
    8. (a)     opening     (b)     opened     (c)     openly     (d)     opens    
    9. (a)     royally     (b)     royalty     (c)     royals     (d)     royal    
    10. (a)     in     (b)     at     (c)     of     (d)     on    
    11. (a)     fell     (b)     dropped     (c)     tripped     (d)     stumbled     
    12. (a)     numerical     (b)     numeral     (c)     number     (d)     numbering

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. Prince Harry has rtiwten a book
    2. his lrtinoesaihp with the press
    3. something that only xisets
    4. The book is a bestseller rdlowwdie
    5. It has been bpsilhued in 16 languages
    6. for a ecddae

    Paragraph 2

    1. The book is a ntocrversioal one
    2. he gave up his focifial royal duties
    3. otiuncanlly written bad things
    4. in a egitnave way
    5. The 410-page eimomr
    6. when he was a olserid

    Put the text back together

    (...)  with Meghan in a negative way. "Spare" is one way for Harry to let his family know his true
    (...)  The book is a controversial one. A member of Britain's Royal Family has never spoken so
    (...)  with the Royal Family. He claims his brother Prince William attacked him because he wanted to
    (  1  ) The UK's Prince Harry has written a book about his life. It is also about his thoughts on the death of
    (...)  line for hours to buy it. In the UK, "Spare" went on sale at midnight on Sunday. One of the UK's
    (...)  leading bookstores, Waterstones, said "Spare" has been one of its "biggest pre-order titles for a decade".
    (...)  marry Meghan. He also wrote about the number of Taliban fighters he killed in Afghanistan when he was a soldier.
    (...)  died. The book is a bestseller worldwide. It has been published in 16 languages. People waited in
    (...)  openly before. Harry said the book tells the story about why he moved his young family to the USA, and why he gave
    (...)  up his official royal duties. He said the UK press has continually written bad things about his wife Meghan, and reports on his life
    (...)  his mother (Princess Diana), his relationship with the press, and being a royal. The book is called "Spare". The word
    (...)  "spare" means someone or something that only exists in case another person or thing is lost,
    (...)  feelings. The 410-page memoir contains many personal stories. He writes about how he fell out
    (...)  broken, or worn out. The title "Spare" refers to the fact that Harry would only become the UK's king if his father and brother

    Put the words in the right order

    1. written   Harry   his   book   life   .   has   about   a
    2. death   .   also   about   his   on   thoughts   It's   the
    3. father   would   died   .   Harry   if   become   his   king
    4. It   in   16   has   been   published   languages   .
    5. sale   In   "Spare"   at   went   England,   on   midnight   .
    6. his   he   story   why   family   .   about   The   moved
    7. his   Why   gave   he   official   royal   duties   .   up
    8. with   Family   .   he   the   How   fell   out   Royal
    9. Prince   He   claims   his   brother   William   him   .   attacked
    10. about   of   number   fighters   .   He   Taliban   the   wrote

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The UK's Prince Harry has written a / the book about his life. It is also about his thoughts on the death of his mother (Princess Diana), his relationship with the press, and been / being a royal. The book is called "Spare". The word "spare" means someone or something that only / once exists in case another person or thing is lost, broke / broken, or worn out. The title "Spare" refers to / for the fact that Harry would only become the UK's king if his father and brother died / dead. The book is a bestseller worldwide. It has been published / publish in 16 languages. People waited in / on line for hours to buy it. In the UK, "Spare" went on sale / sell at midnight on Sunday. One of the UK's leading bookstores, Waterstones, said "Spare" has been one of its "biggest pre-order titles for a decadent / decade".

    The book is a controversial / controversy one. A member of Britain's Royal Family has never spoken such / so openly before. Harry said the book says / tells the story about why he moved his young / youth family to the USA, and why he gave up his official royally / royal duties. He said the UK press has continually written bad things about his wife Meghan, and reports on his life with Meghan in / on a negative way. "Spare" is one way for Harry to let his family know his true / truth feelings. The 410-page memoir contents / contains many personal stories. He writes about how he fell in / out with the Royal Family. He claims his brother Prince William attacked him because he wanted to marriage / marry Meghan. He also wrote about the number of Taliban fighters he killed in Afghanistan when he was a soldier.

    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)

    Th_  _K's  Pr_nc_  H_rry  h_s  wr_tt_n  _  b__k  _b__t  h_s  l_f_.  _t  _s  _ls_  _b__t  h_s  th__ghts  _n  th_  d__th  _f  h_s  m_th_r  (Pr_nc_ss  D__n_),  h_s  r_l_t__nsh_p  w_th  th_  pr_ss,  _nd  b__ng  _  r_y_l.  Th_  b__k  _s  c_ll_d  "Sp_r_".  Th_  w_rd  "sp_r_"  m__ns  s_m__n_  _r  s_m_th_ng  th_t  _nly  _x_sts  _n  c_s_  _n_th_r  p_rs_n  _r  th_ng  _s  l_st,  br_k_n,  _r  w_rn  __t.  Th_  t_tl_  "Sp_r_"  r_f_rs  t_  th_  f_ct  th_t  H_rry  w__ld  _nly  b_c_m_  th_  _K's  k_ng  _f  h_s  f_th_r  _nd  br_th_r  d__d.  Th_  b__k  _s  _  b_sts_ll_r  w_rldw_d_.  _t  h_s  b__n  p_bl_sh_d  _n  16  l_ng__g_s.  P__pl_  w__t_d  _n  l_n_  f_r  h__rs  t_  b_y  _t.  _n  th_  _K,  "Sp_r_"  w_nt  _n  s_l_  _t  m_dn_ght  _n  S_nd_y.  _n_  _f  th_  _K's  l__d_ng  b__kst_r_s,  W_t_rst_n_s,  s__d  "Sp_r_"  h_s  b__n  _n_  _f  _ts  "b_gg_st  pr_-_rd_r  t_tl_s  f_r  _  d_c_d_".

    Th_  b__k  _s  _  c_ntr_v_rs__l  _n_.  _  m_mb_r  _f  Br_t__n's  R_y_l  F_m_ly  h_s  n_v_r  sp_k_n  s_  _p_nly  b_f_r_.  H_rry  s__d  th_  b__k  t_lls  th_  st_ry  _b__t  why  h_  m_v_d  h_s  y__ng  f_m_ly  t_  th_  _S_,  _nd  why  h_  g_v_  _p  h_s  _ff_c__l  r_y_l  d_t__s.  H_  s__d  th_  _K  pr_ss  h_s  c_nt_n__lly  wr_tt_n  b_d  th_ngs  _b__t  h_s  w_f_  M_gh_n,  _nd  r_p_rts  _n  h_s  l_f_  w_th  M_gh_n  _n  _  n_g_t_v_  w_y.  "Sp_r_"  _s  _n_  w_y  f_r  H_rry  t_  l_t  h_s  f_m_ly  kn_w  h_s  tr__  f__l_ngs.  Th_  410-p_g_  m_m__r  c_nt__ns  m_ny  p_rs_n_l  st_r__s.  H_  wr_t_s  _b__t  h_w  h_  f_ll  __t  w_th  th_  R_y_l  F_m_ly.  H_  cl__ms  h_s  br_th_r  Pr_nc_  W_ll__m  _tt_ck_d  h_m  b_c__s_  h_  w_nt_d  t_  m_rry  M_gh_n.  H_  _ls_  wr_t_  _b__t  th_  n_mb_r  _f  T_l_b_n  f_ght_rs  h_  k_ll_d  _n  _fgh_n_st_n  wh_n  h_  w_s  _  s_ld__r.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the uks prince harry has written a book about his life it is also about his thoughts on the death of his mother princess diana his relationship with the press and being a royal the book is called spare the word spare means someone or something that only exists in case another person or thing is lost broken or worn out the title spare refers to the fact that harry would only become the uks king if his father and brother died the book is a bestseller worldwide it has been published in 16 languages people waited in line for hours to buy it in the uk spare went on sale at midnight on sunday one of the uks leading bookstores waterstones said spare has been one of its biggest preorder titles for a decade

    the book is a controversial one a member of britains royal family has never spoken so openly before harry said the book tells the story about why he moved his young family to the usa and why he gave up his official royal duties he said the uk press has continually written bad things about his wife meghan and reports on his life with meghan in a negative way spare is one way for harry to let his family know his true feelings the 410page memoir contains many personal stories he writes about how he fell out with the royal family he claims his brother prince william attacked him because he wanted to marry meghan he also wrote about the number of taliban fighters he killed in afghanistan when he was a soldier

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    TheUK'sPrinceHarryhaswrittenabookabouthislife.Itisalsoabouthisth
    oughtsonthedeathofhismother(PrincessDiana),hisrelationshipwitht
    hepress,andbeingaroyal.Thebookiscalled"Spare".Theword"spare"
    meanssomeoneorsomethingthatonlyexistsincaseanotherpersonort
    hingislost,broken,orwornout.Thetitle"Spare"referstothefactthatHar
    rywouldonlybecometheUK'skingifhisfatherandbrotherdied.Thebook
    isabestsellerworldwide.Ithasbeenpublishedin16languages.Peoplew
    aitedinlineforhourstobuyit.IntheUK,"Spare"wentonsaleatmidnighto
    nSunday.OneoftheUK'sleadingbookstores,Waterstones,said"Spare
    "hasbeenoneofits"biggestpre-ordertitlesforadecade".Thebookisac
    ontroversialone.AmemberofBritain'sRoyalFamilyhasneverspokenso
    openlybefore.Harrysaidthebooktellsthestoryaboutwhyhemovedhis
    youngfamilytotheUSA,andwhyhegaveuphisofficialroyalduties.Hesai
    dtheUKpresshascontinuallywrittenbadthingsabouthiswifeMeghan,a
    ndreportsonhislifewithMeghaninanegativeway."Spare"isonewayfor
    Harrytolethisfamilyknowhistruefeelings.The410-pagememoircon
    tainsmanypersonalstories.HewritesabouthowhefelloutwiththeRoyal
    Family.HeclaimshisbrotherPrinceWilliamattackedhimbecausehewa
    ntedtomarryMeghan.HealsowroteaboutthenumberofTalibanfighter
    shekilledinAfghanistanwhenhewasasoldier.

    Free writing

    Write about Prince Harry - Spare for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Members of royal families should not talk publicly about their own family. 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. PRINCE HARRY: Make a poster about Prince Harry. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. ROYAL FAMILIES: Write a magazine article about royal families. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against them.
    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 Prince Harry. Ask him/her three questions about him. Give him/her three of your opinions on Harry writing his book. 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

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    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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