The Reading / Listening - Somalia - Level 6

Somalia has been elected as one of the ten non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. A vote at the UN headquarters in New York on the 6th of June saw the African nation ushered in to take its seat in the UN body. It is the first time for Somalia to hold such a position since the 1970s. It descended into brutal and bloody conflict throughout the ensuing three decades. Civil and factional wars brought the war-torn country to its knees. A coalition government in 2009 has since brought the return of stability. Political experts believe that Somalia's recent turmoil, and its struggles to defeat Islamist insurgents, give it a valuable voice in promoting peace and security in the world.

The UN Security Council was formed in 1945 as a mechanism to maintain global peace. Its 15 members include five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – and 10 revolving non-permanent members. To win a seat, a nation must secure the support of at least two thirds of the UN General Assembly delegations. Somalia was elected unopposed and will serve for two years from January. It will sit alongside newly-elected Denmark, Greece, Pakistan and Panama. Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said: "Our tenure will be guided by our full commitment to multilateralism, and our respect of the principles of international law enshrined in the UN Charter."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Somalia - Level 4  or  Somalia - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgee4j71ypqo
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council


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. SOMALIA: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Somalia. 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?
       Somalia / the UN / the Security Council / conflict / wars / stability / turmoil / voice /
       global peace / support / elected / tenure / multilateralism / principles / charter
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. WORLD PEACE: Students A strongly believe there will be world peace one day; Students B strongly believe there won't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. NON-PERMANENT MEMBERS: What do you know about these new Security Council non-permanent members? How can they make the world better? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What I Know

Making the World Better

Somalia

 

 

Panama

 

 

Pakistan

 

 

Denmark

 

 

Greece

 

 
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. SEAT: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "seat". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. UNITED NATIONS: Rank these with your partner. Put the most important U.N. bodies at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Security Council
  • UNESCO
  • WHO
  • IMF
  • WIPO
  • UNICEF
  • FAO
  • ILO

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. ushered in a. An organization, or a group of people working together.
      2. body b. Very cruel or violent.
      3. descended c. Helped someone go into a place or to start something new.
      4. brutal d. A state of confusion or disorder.
      5. ensuing e. Happening after something else.
      6. turmoil f. Someone who fights against the government or other authority.
      7. insurgent g. Reached a bad and undesirable state.

    Paragraph 2

      8. mechanism h. To be protected and respected, often in a special way.
      9. revolving i. Not stopped or challenged by anyone.
      10. delegations j. The time when someone holds a job or position.
      11. unopposed k. A natural or established process by which something takes place or is brought about.
      12. tenure l. Different people, groups or countries taking turns to do something.
      13. commitment m. A promise to do something or support something.
      14. enshrined n. Groups of people chosen to speak or act for others.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. Somalia became the eleventh non-permanent member of the UN.     T / F
  2. A vote took place at the UN in Geneva.     T / F
  3. A coalition government in 2009 brought stability.     T / F
  4. Analysts believe Somalia's past will help it to make decisions on peace.    T / F
  5. The UN was created in 1954 to maintain global peace.     T / F
  6. There are only five permanent members of UN Security Council.     T / F
  7. Somalia will serve the Security Council for the next five years.     T / F
  8. International law is set down in the UN Chatter.     T / F

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

  1. elected
  2. headquarters
  3. ushered
  4. bloody
  5. insurgents
  6. formed
  7. maintain
  8. delegations
  9. commitment
  10. enshrined
  1. keep
  2. gory
  3. responsibility
  4. created
  5. main office
  6. set down
  7. rebels
  8. chosen
  9. representatives
  10. shown

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

  1. It descended into brutal
  2. brought the war-torn country to its
  3. coalition
  4. its struggles to defeat Islamist
  5. a valuable voice in
  6. a mechanism to maintain
  7. two thirds of the UN General Assembly
  8. Somalia was elected
  9. the principles of
  10. enshrined in
  1. knees
  2. the UN Charter
  3. promoting peace
  4. delegations
  5. government
  6. international law
  7. global peace
  8. insurgents
  9. unopposed
  10. and bloody conflict

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
torn
ushered
turmoil
ensuing
vote
brutal
peace
knees

Somalia has been elected as one of the ten non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. A                      (1) _____________________ at the UN headquarters in New York on the 6th of June saw the African nation (2) _____________________ in to take its seat in the UN body. It is the first time for Somalia to hold such a position since the 1970s. It descended into                        (3) _____________________ and bloody conflict throughout the            (4) _____________________ three decades. Civil and factional wars brought the war-(5) _____________________ country to its                  (6) _____________________. A coalition government in 2009 has since brought the return of stability. Political experts believe that Somalia's recent (7) _____________________, and its struggles to defeat Islamist insurgents, give it a valuable voice in promoting    (8) _____________________ and security in the world.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
least
alongside
revolving
respect
enshrined
mechanism
delegations
tenure

The UN Security Council was formed in 1945 as a (9) _____________________ to maintain global peace. Its 15 members include five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – and 10 (10) _____________________ non-permanent members. To win a seat, a nation must secure the support of at (11) _____________________ two thirds of the UN General Assembly (12) _____________________. Somalia was elected unopposed and will serve for two years from January. It will sit (13) _____________________ newly-elected Denmark, Greece, Pakistan and Panama. Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said: "Our (14) _____________________ will be guided by our full commitment to multilateralism, and our (15) _____________________ of the principles of international law (16) _____________________ in the UN Charter."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  UN headquarters in New York on the 6th of June saw the African ______
     a.  nation ushered din
     b.  nation usher din
     c.  nation ushered in
     d.  nation usher dine
2)  It descended into brutal ______
     a.  and bloody conflict
     b.  and blooded conflict
     c.  and bloods conflict
     d.  and blood conflict
3)  Civil and factional wars brought the war-torn country ______
     a.  to its knees
     b.  to its keys
     c.  to its quays
     d.  to its needs
4)  Political experts believe that ______
     a.  Somalia's recent term male
     b.  Somalia's recent term mole
     c.  Somalia's recent turn oil
     d.  Somalia's recent turmoil
5)  its struggles to defeat Islamist insurgents give it ______
     a.  a valuable voices
     b.  a valuable voice
     c.  a valuable voiced
     d.  a valuable voids

6)  The UN Security Council was formed in 1945 as a mechanism to ______
     a.  maintain globally peace
     b.  maintain globe all peace
     c.  maintain globe ball peace
     d.  maintain global peace
7)  To win a seat, a nation must secure the support of at ______
     a.  lest two thirds
     b.  last two thirds
     c.  lost two thirds
     d.  least two thirds
8)  It will sit alongside ______
     a.  newly-ejected Denmark
     b.  newly-effected Denmark
     c.  newly-elected Denmark
     d.  newly-elated Denmark
9)  Our tenure will be guided by our full ______
     a.  commitment to multiculturalism
     b.  commitment to multilateralism
     c.  commitment to multilingualism
     d.  commitment to materialism
10)  our respect of the principles of international law enshrined in ______
     a.  the UN Charter
     b.  the UN Chatter
     c.  the UN Chartist
     d.  the UN Charts

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Somalia has been (1) ____________________ of the ten non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. A vote at the UN headquarters in New York on the 6th of June saw the African (2) ____________________ to take its seat in the UN body. It is the first time for Somalia to hold such a position since the 1970s. It (3) ____________________ and bloody conflict throughout the ensuing three decades. Civil and factional wars brought (4) ____________________ to its knees. A coalition government in 2009 has since brought the return of stability. Political experts believe that Somalia's (5) ____________________ its struggles to defeat Islamist insurgents, give it a (6) ____________________ promoting peace and security in the world.

The UN Security Council was formed in 1945 as (7) ____________________ maintain global peace. Its 15 members include five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – and (8) ____________________ members. To win a seat, a nation must (9) ____________________ of at least two thirds of the UN General Assembly delegations. Somalia (10) ____________________ and will serve for two years from January. It will sit alongside newly-elected Denmark, Greece, Pakistan and Panama. Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said: "Our tenure will (11) ____________________ our full commitment to multilateralism, and our respect of the principles of international (12) ____________________ the UN Charter."

Comprehension questions

  1. How many non-permanent members are in the UN Security Council?
  2. Where is the UN HQ?
  3. For how long was Somalia ravaged by civil wars and factional fighting?
  4. What brought stability in 2009?
  5. Who did Somalia struggle to defeat?
  6. When was the UN Security Council created?
  7. What proportion of delegation votes is needed to win a seat at the UN?
  8. Which other countries were elected besides Somalia and Pakistan?
  9. Who is Ahmed Moallim Fiqi?
  10. Where are the principles of international law enshrined?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How many non-permanent members are in the UN Security Council?
a) 8
b) 9
c) 10
d) 11
2) Where is the UN HQ?
a) New York
b) London
c) Geneva
d) Berlin
3) For how long was Somalia ravaged by civil wars and factional fighting?
a) three decades
b) years
c) a dozen years
d) 18 years
4) What brought stability in 2009?
a) UN peacekeepers
b) a coalition government
c) a better economy
d) a ceasefire and truce
5) What did Somalia struggle to defeat?
a) public opinion
b) opposition politicians
c) armies
d) Islamist insurgents

6) When was the UN Security Council created?
a) 1944
b) 1945
c) 1948
d) 1954
7) What proportion of delegation votes is needed to win a seat at the UN?
a) two thirds
b) five eighths
c) three quarters
d) nine tenths
8) Which other countries were elected besides Somalia and Pakistan?
a) Japan, Malta and Denmark
b) Algeria, Ecuador and Guyana
c) Panama, Greece and Denmark
d) Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland
9) Who is Ahmed Moallim Fiqi?
a) a lawyer
b) a peace resolution delegate
c) The head of the Security Council
d) Somalia's Foreign Minister
10) Where are the principles of international law enshrined?
a) the UN Charter
b) the World Lawyers' Association
c) everywhere
d) in democracies

Role play

Role  A – Security Council
You think the Security Council is the most important U.N. body. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their body. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): UNESCO, UNICEF or WHO.

Role  B – UNESCO
You think UNESCO is the most important U.N. body. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their body. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): Security Council, UNICEF or WHO.

Role  C – UNICEF
You think UNICEF is the most important U.N. body. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their body. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): UNESCO, Security Council or WHO.

Role  D – WHO
You think the WHO is the most important U.N. body. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their body. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): UNESCO, UNICEF or Security Council.

After reading / listening

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

'security'

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

    • and 'council'.

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

    • • 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:

    • vote
    • first
    • brutal
    • knees
    • 2009
    • voice
    • 1945
    • win
    • serve
    • sit
    • full
    • law

    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 - Somalia

    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 'security'?
    3. What do you know about Somalia?
    4. Has the UN Security Council done a good job?
    5. What can Somalia bring to the Security Council?
    6. Should the UN be more active in intervening in wars?
    7. What wars have there been in your country?
    8. Do you worry about war and conflict?
    9. How can we end the current wars raging around the world?
    10. What advice do you have for Somalia's foreign minister?

    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 'seat'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you know about the Security Council?
    5. Why are there only five permanent members of the Security Council?
    6. Are the five permanent members good?
    7. What do you think of multilateralism?
    8. What are the most important points of international law?
    9. Who causes wars?
    10. What questions would you like to ask Somalia's foreign minister?

    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)

    Somalia has been (1) ____ as one of the ten non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. A (2) ____ at the UN headquarters in New York on the 6th of June saw the African nation (3) ____ in to take its seat in the UN body. It is the first time for Somalia to hold such a position since the 1970s. It descended into brutal and (4) ____ conflict throughout the ensuing three decades. Civil and factional wars brought the war-torn country to its (5) ____. A coalition government in 2009 has since brought the return of stability. Political experts believe that Somalia's recent turmoil, and its struggles to defeat Islamist insurgents, give it a valuable (6) ____ in promoting peace and security in the world.

    The UN Security Council was formed in 1945 as a (7) ____ to maintain global peace. Its 15 members include five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – and 10 revolving non-permanent members. To win a (8) ____, a nation must secure the support of at least two thirds of the UN General Assembly delegations. Somalia was elected unopposed and will (9) ____ for two years from January. It will sit alongside (10) ____ -elected Denmark, Greece, Pakistan and Panama. Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said: "Our tenure will be guided (11) ____ our full commitment to multilateralism, and our respect of the principles of international law enshrined in (12) ____ UN Charter."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     ejected     (b)     elected     (c)     elated     (d)     election    
    2. (a)     votes     (b)     votive     (c)     vocation     (d)     vote    
    3. (a)     pushed     (b)     ushered     (c)     whooshed     (d)     rushed    
    4. (a)     bony     (b)     skinny     (c)     bloody     (d)     gutsy    
    5. (a)     knees     (b)     elbows     (c)     ankles     (d)     wrists    
    6. (a)     voice     (b)     shout     (c)     speak     (d)     talk    
    7. (a)     engine     (b)     gadget     (c)     widget     (d)     mechanism    
    8. (a)     seat     (b)     cushion     (c)     bench     (d)     chair    
    9. (a)     sieve     (b)     serve     (c)     save     (d)     suave    
    10. (a)     new     (b)     newish     (c)     newly     (d)     news    
    11. (a)     at     (b)     on     (c)     by     (d)     in    
    12. (a)     a     (b)     the     (c)     all     (d)     every

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. rsdeeuh in to take its seat
    2. Civil and fcoanatil wars
    3. A oalitcoin government
    4. Somalia's recent ulimrot
    5. its struggles to defeat Islamist rnstniesug
    6. give it a baluavel voice

    Paragraph 2

    1. a hmesinmca to maintain global peace
    2. 10 lovrevnig non-permanent members
    3. two thirds of the UN General Assembly eogsiltnaed
    4. our full commitment to aairmislletmtul
    5. the ecilrppins of international law
    6. dihennsre in the UN Charter

    Put the text back together

    (...)   alongside newly-elected Denmark, Greece, Pakistan and Panama. Somali
    (...)   at the UN headquarters in New York on the 6th of June saw the African nation ushered in to take its
    (...)   a seat, a nation must secure the support of at least two thirds of the UN General Assembly
    (...)   The UN Security Council was formed in 1945 as a mechanism to maintain global peace. Its 15 members include
    (...)   stability. Political experts believe that Somalia's recent turmoil, and its struggles to defeat Islamist
    (...)   seat in the UN body. It is the first time for Somalia to hold such a position since the 1970s. It descended into brutal
    (...)   insurgents, give it a valuable voice in promoting peace and security in the world.
    (  1  ) Somalia has been elected as one of the ten non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. A vote
    (...)   five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – and 10 revolving non-permanent members. To win
    (...)   torn country to its knees. A coalition government in 2009 has since brought the return of
    (...)   delegations. Somalia was elected unopposed and will serve for two years from January. It will sit
    (...)   and bloody conflict throughout the ensuing three decades. Civil and factional wars brought the war-
    (...)   Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said: "Our tenure will be guided by our full commitment
    (...)   to multilateralism, and our respect of the principles of international law enshrined in the UN Charter."

    Put the words in the right order

    1. been   elected   Somalia   has   as   of   one   them   .
    2. in   its   seat   .   UN   take   Ushered   to
    3. throughout   conflict   Bloody   three   the   decades   .   ensuing
    4. wars   the   to   country   Factional   its   knees   .   brought
    5. valuable   in   Give   a   peace   .   it   promoting   voice
    6. maintain   to   mechanism   a   peace   .   as   Formed   global
    7. thirds   .   least   at   Secure   the   support   of   two
    8. Panama   .   and   sit   Pakistan   will   It   newly-elected   alongside
    9. to   our   commitment   multilateralism   .   We're   by   full   guided
    10. the   law   of   in   international   Charter   .   Principles   enshrined

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Somalia has been elected / elated as one of the ten non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. A vote / voter at the UN headquarters in New York on the 6th of June saw the African nation vouched / ushered in to take its seat in the UN head / body. It is the first time for Somalia to hold such a position since the 1970s. It descended / rescinded into brutal and bloody conflict throughout the suing / ensuing three decades. Civil and factional wars brought the war-torn country at / to its knees. A coalition government in 2009 has since brought the return from / of stability. Political experts believe that / what Somalia's recent turmoil, and its struggles to defeat Islamist insurgents, give it a valuable voice in / on promoting peace and security in the world.

    The UN Security Council was formed in 1945 as a mechanism / mechanic to maintain global peace. Its 15 members include five permanence / permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – and 10 revolting / revolving non-permanent members. To win a seat / chair, a nation must secure the support of / on at least two thirds of the UN General Assembly delegations. Somalia was elected unopposed and will serve for two years from January. It will sit side / alongside newly-elected Denmark, Greece, Pakistan and Panama. Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said: "Our pasture / tenure will be guided by our full commit / commitment to multilateralism, and our respect of / at the principles of international law enshrined in the UN Chatter / Charter."

    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)

    S_m_l__  h_s  b__n  _l_ct_d  _s  _n_  _f  th_  t_n  n_n-p_rm_n_nt  m_mb_rs  _f  th_  _n_t_d  N_t__ns'  S_c_r_ty  C__nc_l.  _  v_t_  _t  th_  _N  h__dq__rt_rs  _n  N_w  Y_rk  _n  th_  6th  _f  J_n_  s_w  th_  _fr_c_n  n_t__n  _sh_r_d  _n  t_  t_k_  _ts  s__t  _n  th_  _N  b_dy.  _t  _s  th_  f_rst-t_m_  f_r  S_m_l__  t_  h_ld  s_ch  _  p_s_t__n  s_nc_  th_  1970s.  _t  d_sc_nd_d  _nt_  br_t_l  _nd  bl__dy  c_nfl_ct  thr__gh__t  th_  _ns__ng  thr__  d_c_d_s.  C_v_l  _nd  f_ct__n_l  w_rs  br__ght  th_  w_r-t_rn  c__ntry  t_  _ts  kn__s.  _  c__l_t__n  g_v_rnm_nt  _n  2009  h_s  s_nc_  br__ght  th_  r_t_rn  _f  st_b_l_ty.  P_l_t_c_l  _xp_rts  b_l__v_  th_t  S_m_l__'s  r_c_nt  t_rm__l,  _nd  _ts  str_ggl_s  t_  d_f__t  _sl_m_st  _ns_rg_nts,  g_v_  _t  _  v_l__bl_  v__c_  _n  pr_m_t_ng  p__c_  _nd  s_c_r_ty  _n  th_  w_rld.

    Th_  _N  S_c_r_ty  C__nc_l  w_s  f_rm_d  _n  1945  _s  _  m_ch_n_sm  t_  m__nt__n  gl_b_l  p__c_.  _ts  15  m_mb_rs  _ncl_d_  f_v_  p_rm_n_nt  m_mb_rs  –  Ch_n_,  Fr_nc_,  R_ss__,  th_  _K  _nd  th_  _S  –  _nd  10  r_v_lv_ng  n_n-p_rm_n_nt  m_mb_rs.  T_  w_n  _  s__t,  _  n_t__n  m_st  s_c_r_  th_  s_pp_rt  _f  _t  l__st  tw_  th_rds  _f  th_  _N  G_n_r_l  _ss_mbly  d_l_g_t__ns.  S_m_l__  w_s  _l_ct_d  _n_pp_s_d  _nd  w_ll  s_rv_  f_r  tw_  y__rs  fr_m  J_n__ry.  _t  w_ll  s_t  _l_ngs_d_  n_wly-_l_ct_d  D_nm_rk,  Gr__c_,  P_k_st_n  _nd  P_n_m_.  S_m_l_  F_r__gn  M_n_st_r  _hm_d  M__ll_m  F_q_  s__d:  "__r  t_n_r_  w_ll  b_  g__d_d  by  __r  f_ll  c_mm_tm_nt  t_  m_lt_l_t_r_l_sm,  _nd  __r  r_sp_ct  _f  th_  pr_nc_pl_s  _f  _nt_rn_t__n_l  l_w  _nshr_n_d  _n  th_  _N  Ch_rt_r."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    somalia has been elected as one of the ten non-permanent members of the united Nations security council. a vote at the un headquarters in new york on the 6th of june saw the african nation ushered in to take its seat in the un body. it is the first time for somalia to hold such a position since the 1970s. it descended into brutal and bloody conflict throughout the ensuing three decades. civil and factional wars brought the war-torn country to its knees. a coalition government in 2009 has since brought the return of stability. political experts believe that somalia's recent turmoil, and its struggles to defeat islamist insurgents, give it a valuable voice in promoting peace and security in the world.

    the un security council was formed in 1945 as a mechanism to maintain global peace. its 15 members include five permanent members – china, france, russia, the uk and the us – and 10 revolving non-permanent members. to win a seat, a nation must secure the support of at least two thirds of the un general assembly delegations. somalia was elected unopposed and will serve for two years from january. it will sit alongside newly-elected denmark, greece, pakistan and panama. somali foreign minister ahmed moallim fiqi said: "our tenure will be guided by our full commitment to multilateralism, and our respect of the principles of international law enshrined in the un charter

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Somaliahasbeenelectedasoneofthetennon-permanentmembersof
    theUnitedNationsSecurityCouncil.AvoteattheUNheadquartersinNe
    wYorkonthe6thofJunesawtheAfricannationusheredintotakeitsseatin
    theUNbody.ItisthefirsttimeforSomaliatoholdsuchapositionsincethe
    1970s.Itdescendedintobrutalandbloodyconflictthroughouttheensui
    ngthreedecades.Civilandfactionalwarsbroughtthewar-torncountr
    ytoitsknees.Acoalitiongovernmentin2009hassincebroughttheretur
    nofstability.PoliticalexpertsbelievethatSomalia'srecentturmoil,andi
    tsstrugglestodefeatIslamistinsurgents,giveitavaluablevoiceinprom
    otingpeaceandsecurityintheworld.TheUNSecurityCouncilwasforme
    din1945asamechanismtomaintainglobalpeace.Its15membersinclu
    defivepermanentmembers–China,France,Russia,theUKandtheUS–
    and10revolvingnon-permanentmembers.Towinaseat,anationmust
    securethesupportofatleasttwothirdsoftheUNGeneralAssemblydeleg
    ations.SomaliawaselectedunopposedandwillservefortwoyearsfromJ
    anuary.Itwillsitalongsidenewly-electedDenmark,Greece,Pakistana
    ndPanama.SomaliForeignMinisterAhmedMoallimFiqisaid:"Ourtenur
    ewillbeguidedbyourfullcommitmenttomultilateralism,andourrespec
    toftheprinciplesofinternationallawenshrinedintheUNCharter."

    Free writing

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

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

     

    Academic writing

    There will be global peace one day. 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. SOMALIA: Make a poster about Somalia. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. LESSONS FOR PEACE: Write a magazine article about requiring all schoolchildren to take classes on world peace and peacemaking. 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 Somalia. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your thoughts on Somalia. 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.)

    Back to the top

    Help Support This Web Site

    • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

    Sean Banville's Book

    Thank You