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My 1,000
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Friday November 26
Pre-Intermediate +

THE ARTICLE

Japan and Russia have still not managed to sign a peace treaty following World War II. For the past 50 years one of the sticking points to normalized relations has been the ownership of four remote islands to the north of Japan. Known as the Kurils to Russians, and the Northern Territories to the Japanese, these islands are rich in marine and mineral resources. The region’s fishing industry is worth nearly $2 billion USD, hence the battle for their sovereignty. The islands were Japanese until the former Soviet Union seized them from Japan at the end of WWII.

Recently President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is willing to return two of the Kuril Islands, citing a joint Soviet-Japanese declaration signed in 1956 that would transfer Shikotan and Habomai to Japan after the signing of the peace treaty. However, Japan recently pointed to a 1993 declaration, which links a peace treaty with all four islands. This impasse is damaging the Russian economy as once a peace treaty is signed, Japanese investment in Russia will greatly escalate.

The president is due to visit Japan on February 9, and residents fear further territorial concessions may be offered. They may dampen prospects of any territorial handover by pushing for the impeachment of Putin for treason, and by forming ‘guerilla squadrons’ to wage a military campaign against Japan. They believe "The loss of the islands is a crime. We are not living on the outskirts of Russia; we represent the beginning of the Russian territory. New day begins here." Strong domestic sentiment and nationalist emotions in Russia and Japan means a peace treaty is still out of reach.


 
 

POSSIBLE WARM UPS / COOL DOWNS

1. CHAT:  Talk in pairs or groups about Russia, Japan, President Putin, international relations, small islands, your country’s relations with Russia and Japan …

2. TERRITORIAL DISPUTES: Brainstorm or write on the board some of the world’s territorial disputes. Students tell each other what they know / their opinions about these. Examples, besides the Kurils, are Palestine, Kasmir, Corsica, Golan Heights, Taiwan, Gibraltar, Northern Ireland, South Ossetia, Texas …. Show each on a map.

3. 2-MINUTE DEBATES: Students face each other in pairs and engage in the following (for-fun) 2-minute debates. Students A are assigned the first argument, students B the second. Rotate pairs to ensure a lively pace and noise level is kept:
The islands were originally Japanese vs. The spoils of war;
Russia’s olive leaf of two islands should be accepted vs. Japan wants all four in return for investment
Generations of Russians have lived on the islands vs, Generations of Japanese were evicted
Russia is right vs. Japan is right
The Kuril residents are right to fight for their land vs. It’ll be just another flashpoint.

4. RUSSO-JAPANESE ENGLISH: Students form two camps, Japanese, and Russian. They have a ‘battle’ by trying to think of as many Russian or Japanese words that have entered the English language. The winner keeps the islands!

PRE-READING IDEAS

1. KURIL RESEARCH: Take in some maps and information (geographic and historical) information on the Kurils for students to read.

2. HORS D’OEUVRES: Give students the following sentences from the article to discuss / comment on / become familiar with, before they read the article. Collect the kind of language they use to talk about the sentences, highlight relevant language on the board and ask students to repeat the exe rcise with changed partners:
(a)  Japan and Russia have still not managed to sign a peace treaty following World War II.
(b)  The islands were Japanese until the former Soviet Union seized them from Japan at the end of WWII.
(c)  Putin has said Russia is willing to return two of the Kuril Islands.
(d)  Japan … links a peace treaty with all four islands.
(e)  [Residents] may dampen prospects of any territorial handover by pushing for the impeachment of Putin for treason
(f)  A peace treaty is still out of reach.

3. TRUE/FALSE: Students predict whether they believe the following statements are true or false:
a.  Japan and Russia have signed a peace treaty following WWII.  T / F
b.  The Kuril Islands are very remote.  T / F
c.  Before WWII the islands were Japanese.  T / F
d.  President Putin has indicated Russia would return two islands.  T / F
e.  Japan is happy about this.  T / F
f.  This impasse is damaging the Russian economy.  T / F
g. Japanese investment in Russia will greatly escalate.  T / F
h.  Kuril residents want to return to Japanese sovereignty.  T / F
i.  Normal Japanese and Russians are not so concerned about the islands.  T / F

4. SYNONYMS: In pairs students match the following words taken from the text. They may need a dictionary:

 (a)

treaty

obstacle

 (b)

sticking point

grab

 (c)

remote

edges

 (d)

seize

deal

 (e)

willing

increase

 (f)

escalate

spoil

 (g)

dampen

out-of-the-way

 (h)

outskirts

in favour of

 .


 
 

WHILE READING ACTIVITIES

1. GAP-FILL:  Put the missing words under each paragraph into the gaps.

Japanese - Russian Peace Treaty still remote

Japan and Russia have still not managed to sign a peace treaty following World War II. For the past 50 years one of the ________ points to ________ relations has been the ownership of four remote islands to the north of Japan. Known as the Kurils to Russians, and the Northern Territories to the Japanese, these islands are rich in marine and mineral resources. The region’s fishing industry is worth nearly $2 billion USD, ________ the battle for their sovereignty. The islands were Japanese until the former Soviet Union ________ them from Japan at the end of WWII.
 

 

seized
hence
normalized

sticking

Recently President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is ________ to return two of the Kuril Islands, citing a joint Soviet-Japanese ________ signed in 1956 that would transfer Shikotan and Habomai to Japan after the signing of the peace treaty. However, Japan recently pointed to a 1993 declaration, which links a peace treaty with all four islands. This ________ is damaging the Russian economy as once a peace treaty is signed, Japanese investment in Russia will greatly ________.
 

 

declaration
escalate
willing
impasse

The president is due to visit Japan on February 9, and residents fear further territorial ________ may be offered. They may dampen prospects of any territorial handover by pushing for the impeachment of Putin for treason, and by forming ‘________ squadrons’ to ________ a military campaign against Japan. They believe "The loss of the islands is a crime. We are not living on the outskirts of Russia; we represent the beginning of the Russian territory. New day begins here." Strong domestic ________ and nationalist emotions in Russia and Japan means a peace treaty is still out of reach.

 

guerilla
sentiment
concessions
wage

 

2. TRUE/FALSE:  Students check their answers to the T/F exercise.

3. QUESTIONS: Students make notes for questions they would like to ask the class about the article.

4. GOOD FOR…:  Students think about who should get the islands. They circle any points in favour of Japan and underline any in favour of Russia.

5. I’M SURPRISED THAT…:  Students underline anything in the article that they would use to finish the sentence starter ‘I’m surprised that …’

6. VOCABULARY:  Students circle any words they do not understand. In groups pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find the meanings.

POST READING IDEAS

1. GAP-FILL: Check the answers to the gap-fill exercise.

2. TRUE/FALSE ALTHOUGH: Students look at the corrected statements and change each one by making a sentence starting with ‘Although…’. Once they have 9 sentences, they argue whether they agree or disagree with the sentences they made.

3. QUESTIONS:  Students ask the questions they thought of above to their partner / group / class.

4. VOCABULARY: As a class, go over the vocabulary students circled above.

5. STUDENT-GENERATED SURVEY: Pairs/Groups write down 3 questions based on the article. Conduct their surveys alone. Report back to partners to compare answers. Report to other groups / the whole class.

6. ROLE PLAY 1: Students form pairs / groups to brainstorm ideas before taking part in the role plays on the Kurils. Roles include President Putin, Japan’s Prime minister Koizumi, a Japanese fisherman living near the islands, a Russian Kuril resident, a Japanese pensioner whose family land was forced to leave their land after it was seized by Russia following WWII, George W. Bush …

7. ROLE PLAY 2: Students play the roles of Putin and Koizumi. They must sign a peace treaty by the end of class. Brainstorm all possible arguments in pairs before the role play, and discuss what was said after the role play.

8. VERBATIM:  Students create their own questions using these words from the article:
peace treaty
remote islands
former Soviet Union
Soviet-Japanese declaration
impasse
impeachment
‘guerilla squadrons’
out of reach

HOMEWORK

1. VOCAB EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or the Google search field to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on Homo floresiensis. Share your findings with your class next lesson.

3. RESEARCH: Research one of the other territorial disputes listed in the warm-up section and make a poster outlining the details.

4. LETTER: Students write a letter to Mr Putin or Mr Koizumi from an angry Kuril fisherman who wants to remain under Russian sovereignty.

ANSWERS

TRUE/FALSE:
a.  Japan and Russia have signed a peace treaty following WWII.  T
b.  The Kuril Islands are very remote.  T
c.  Before WWII the islands were Japanese.  T
d.  President Putin has indicated Russia would return two islands.  T
e.  Japan is happy about this.  F
f.  This impasse is damaging the Russian economy.  T
g. Japanese investment in Russia will greatly escalate.  T
h.  Kuril residents want to return to Japanese sovereignty.  F
i.  Normal Japanese and Russians are not so concerned about the islands.  F

SYNONYMS: In pairs students match the following words taken from the text. They may need a dictionary:

 (a)

treaty

deal

 (b)

sticking point

obstacle

 (c)

remote

out-of-the-way

 (d)

seize

grab

 (e)

willing

in favour of

 (f)

escalate

increase

 (g)

dampen

spoil

 (h)

outskirts

edges

 

GAP FILL

Japan and Russia have still not managed to sign a peace treaty following World War II. For the past 50 years one of the sticking points to normalized relations has been the ownership of four remote islands to the north of Japan. Known as the Kurils to Russians, and the Northern Territories to the Japanese, these islands are rich in marine and mineral resources. The region’s fishing industry is worth nearly $2 billion USD, hence the battle for their sovereignty. The islands were Japanese until the former Soviet Union seized them from Japan at the end of WWII.

Recently President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is willing to return two of the Kuril Islands, citing a joint Soviet-Japanese declaration signed in 1956 that would transfer Shikotan and Habomai to Japan after the signing of the peace treaty. However, Japan recently pointed to a 1993 declaration, which links a peace treaty with all four islands. This impasse is damaging the Russian economy as once a peace treaty is signed, Japanese investment in Russia will greatly escalate.

The president is due to visit Japan on February 9, and residents fear further territorial concessions may be offered. They may dampen prospects of any territorial handover by pushing for the impeachment of Putin for treason, and by forming ‘guerilla squadrons’ to wage a military campaign against Japan. They believe "The loss of the islands is a crime. We are not living on the outskirts of Russia; we represent the beginning of the Russian territory. New day begins here." Strong domestic sentiment and nationalist emotions in Russia and Japan means a peace treaty is still out of reach. 

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