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Date: Jan 28, 2007 Downloads: Word Doc | PDF Doc | Listening Audio: 2:05 - 244.9 KB - 16kbps - To download, right-click or option-click the "Listening" link. THE ARTICLEAnti-war protestors came out en masse on Saturday all over the USA, protesting against the US government’s policy in Iraq. Thousands of veterans and military families joined Hollywood celebrities and peace groups in making their opposition to America’s presence in Iraq known to President George W. Bush. Tens of thousands rallied in front of the White House to pressure the government to vacate Iraq as soon as possible. Democrat John Conyers said the large nationwide turnout showed Americans want change: "It takes the…outrage of the American people to force Washington to do the right thing," he said. "We've got to hold more of these ... until our government gets the message. Out of Iraq immediately. This year. We've got to go." The protests may signal the beginning of the end of US troops being in Iraq. Bush's approval ratings are rock bottom and most Americans disapprove of his plan to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq. However, the President is convinced his new strategy will end in victory and secure him with a legacy of being a peacemaker. He seems to be getting into ever-murkier depths politically. Over 3,000 American soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed since the 2003 invasion. Iraq War veteran Garett Reppenhagen vented his anger at President Bush, saying: "When I served in the war, I thought I was serving honorably. Instead, I was sent to war for causes that have proved fraudulent." Perhaps the most notable opinion of the day was voiced by Hollywood actress Jane Fonda who said: "Silence is no longer an option...I'm so sad we have to do this -- that we did not learn from the lessons of the Vietnam War." WARM-UPS1. IRAQ WAR: Talk to your partner(s) about the history of your feelings about the Iraq War. What did you think before and after the invasion? What do you think now? Change partners often to exchange each other histories. 2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.
Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently. 3. PROTESTORS: With your partners, decide what each of these people might say if they gave a speech at an Anti-Iraq War rally.
After you have finished, decide which of the speeches you most agree with. 4. QUICK DEBATE: Students A believe George W. Bush should withdraw US forces from Iraq immediately. Students B believe American troops should stay ten years if necessary. Debate this with your partners. Change partners often. 5. OPINIONS: In pairs / groups, discuss these opinions on the Anti-Iraq War protests. Change partners and opinion often.
6. PROTEST: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “protest”. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories. BEFORE READING / LISTENING1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):
WHILE READING / LISTENINGGAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text. Iraq War protests in Washington DC
LISTENINGListen and fill in the spaces. Iraq War protests in Washington DCAnti-war protestors came _______________ Saturday all over the USA, protesting against the US government’s policy in Iraq. Thousands of veterans and military families joined Hollywood celebrities and peace groups in making their opposition to America’s _______________ to President George W. Bush. Tens of thousands rallied in front of the White House to pressure the government to vacate Iraq as soon as possible. Democrat John Conyers said the large _______________ showed Americans want change: "It takes the…outrage of the American people to force Washington to do the right thing," he said. "We've got to hold more of these ... until our government gets the message. Out of Iraq immediately. This year. We've got to go." The protests may signal _______________ of US troops being in Iraq. Bush's _______________ and most Americans disapprove of his plan to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq. However, the President is convinced his new strategy will end in victory and _______________ of being a peacemaker. He seems to be getting into _______________ politically. Over 3,000 American soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed since the 2003 invasion. Iraq War veteran Garett Reppenhagen vented his anger at President Bush, saying: "When I served in the war, I thought I was _______________. Instead, I was sent to war for causes that have _______________." Perhaps the most notable opinion of the day was voiced by Hollywood actress Jane Fonda who said: "Silence is no longer an option...I'm so sad we have to do this -- that we did not learn from the lessons of the Vietnam War." AFTER READING / LISTENING1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘anti’ and ‘war’.
2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.
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. STUDENT “IRAQ WAR” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about the future of US involvement in Iraq.
6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:
DISCUSSIONSTUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.
SPEAKINGROLE PLAY: A discussion about the Iraq War. Team up with classmates who have been assigned the same role to develop your roles and discuss ideas and “strategies” before the role play begins. Introduce yourself to the other role players. Discuss your roles after the role play ends.
LANGUAGECORRECT WORD: Choose the correct words from a–d below and write them in the article. Iraq War protests in Washington DCAnti-war protestors came out (1) ___ masse on Saturday all over the USA, protesting against the US government’s policy in Iraq. Thousands of veterans and military families joined Hollywood celebrities and peace groups (2) ___ making their opposition to America’s presence in Iraq (3) ___ to President George W. Bush. Tens of thousands rallied in front of the White House to pressure the government to vacate Iraq as soon as possible. Democrat John Conyers said the large nationwide (4) ___ showed Americans want change: "It takes the…outrage of the American people to force Washington to do the right thing," he said. "We've got to (5) ___ more of these ... until our government gets the message. Out of Iraq immediately. This year. We've got to go." The protests may (6) ___ the beginning of the end of US troops being in Iraq. Bush's approval ratings are (7) ___ bottom and most Americans disapprove of his plan to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq. However, the President is convinced his new strategy will end in victory and secure him with a (8) ___ of being a peacemaker. He seems to be getting into (9) ___ murkier depths politically. Over 3,000 American soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed since the 2003 invasion. Iraq War veteran Garett Reppenhagen (10) ___ his anger at President Bush, saying: "When I served in the war, I thought I was serving honorably. Instead, I was sent to war for causes that have proved fraudulent." Perhaps the most (11) ___ opinion of the day was voiced by Hollywood actress Jane Fonda who said: "Silence is no longer an (12) ___. I'm so sad we have to do this -- that we did not learn from the lessons of the Vietnam War."
HOMEWORK1. 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 more information about the history of the Iraq War and how public opinion in America has changed. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson. 3. PROTEST: Make a plan of action to protest against one of the following: (a) US presence in Iraq, (b) the idea of US troops leaving Iraq soon. Decide what strategies you’ll use (petitions, marches, boycotts, etc). Show your plan to your classmates in your next lesson. Ask each other questions about your plans. 4. LETTER: Write a letter from a Baghdad citizen to President George W. Bush. Tell him what it’s like to live in Baghdad. Ask him three questions. Read your letter to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions. Which letter did you like best and why? ANSWERSTRUE / FALSE:
SYNONYM MATCH:
PHRASE MATCH:
GAP FILL: Iraq War protests in Washington DCAnti-war protestors came out en masse on Saturday all over the USA, protesting against the US government’s policy in Iraq. Thousands of veterans and military families joined Hollywood celebrities and peace groups in making their opposition to America’s presence in Iraq known to President George W. Bush. Tens of thousands rallied in front of the White House to pressure the government to vacate Iraq as soon as possible. Democrat John Conyers said the large nationwide turnout showed Americans want change: "It takes the…outrage of the American people to force Washington to do the right thing," he said. "We've got to hold more of these ... until our government gets the message. Out of Iraq immediately. This year. We've got to go." The protests may signal the beginning of the end of US troops being in Iraq. Bush's approval ratings are rock bottom and most Americans disapprove of his plan to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq. However, the President is convinced his new strategy will end in victory and secure him with a legacy of being a peacemaker. He seems to be getting into ever-murkier depths politically. Over 3,000 American soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed since the 2003 invasion. Iraq War veteran Garett Reppenhagen vented his anger at President Bush, saying: "When I served in the war, I thought I was serving honorably. Instead, I was sent to war for causes that have proved fraudulent." Perhaps the most notable opinion of the day was voiced by Hollywood actress Jane Fonda who said: "Silence is no longer an option...I'm so sad we have to do this -- that we did not learn from the lessons of the Vietnam War." LANGUAGE WORK
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