Breaking News English

        

YOUTUBE: Barack Obama breaking the news of Osama Bin Laden's death, fully subtitled by ESLMultimedia.com

1. BIN LADEN: Walk around the class and talk to other students about Osama Bin Laden. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

CIA / postmortem / released / bottom line / reveal / the White House / too gruesome / special forces / raid / DNA tests / fake photos / photo editing software / conspiracy

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. WAR ON TERROR: How can we end it? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

End it…	Ideas how	Problems with those ideas
using the Internet
with financial aid
militarily
using embargos
via education
via intercultural understanding

4. RIGHT OR WRONG? Students A strongly believe it is right to release the photo of Osama Bin Laden’s dead body; Students B strongly believe it’s wrong.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. I KNOW MOST ABOUT…: Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the one you know most about at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

9/11 Madrid bombings Bali Marrakesh

US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania London bombings Jakarta hotel bombing Attack on the USS Cole

6. PHOTO: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘photo’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

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

a.	The CIA said it would only release photos of Bin Laden before he died.	T / F
b.	The White House will let the CIA to decide when to release the photo.	T / F
c.	The White House has no doubts the photo will be released.	T / F
d.	A White House spokesman suggested the photo may be too graphic.	T / F
e.	Special forces measured Bin Laden’s face before burying him.	T / F
f.	The writer is not sure if a photo of Bin Laden was real or not.	T / F
g.	The CIA thinks a photo of Bin Laden’s death will help end speculation.	T / F
h.	No one has put forward suggestions that the U.S. didn’t kill Bin Laden.	T / F

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

1.	release	a.	appeared
2	chief	b.	attack
3.	reveal	c.	grisly
4.	obviously	d.	show
5.	gruesome	e.	disbelieve
6.	raid	f.	issue
7.	announcing	g.	boss
8.	emerged	h.	declaring
9.	convince	i.	clearly
10.	doubt	j.	persuade

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

1.	a postmortem	a.	rest of the world
2	The bottom	b.	measurements
3.	we have to reveal to the	c.	"gruesome" to release
4.	I don't think there's	d.	photo
5.	the photograph may be too	e.	theories
6.	Biometric	f.	in the world’s press
7.	America’s most	g.	any question
8.	a fake photo emerged	h.	doubt his death
9.	convince those who	i.	line is …
10.	conspiracy	j.	wanted man

 

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has (1) ____________ it will release a photo of the dead body of Osama Bin Laden. CIA chief Leon Panetta told reporters a postmortem (2) ____________ of the Al Qaeda leader would be released at some time in the future, but said the date would be for the White House to (3) ____________. He told NBC News: "The bottom (4) ____________ is that, you know, we got Bin Laden and I think we have to reveal to the rest of the world the fact that we were (5) ____________ to get him and kill him.” He added: "The [U.S.] government obviously has been talking about how (6) ____________ to do this, but I don't think there's any question that (7) ____________ a photograph would be presented to the public." A White House spokesman said the photograph may be too "(8) ____________ " to release.		decide able announced photo ultimately best line gruesome
Bin Laden was shot and killed by U.S. special forces in a (9) ____________ on his hideout mansion north of Islamabad, Pakistan. Biometric measurements were (10) ____________ of his face and DNA tests were done to make sure it was America’s most (11) ____________ man. His body was buried at sea soon after he was shot. Within hours of U.S. President Barack Obama announcing Bin Laden’s death, a (12) ____________ photo emerged in the world’s press of his face. Even though it was (13) ____________ created in a photo editing programme, many newspapers put it on their front cover, (14) ____________ it to be real. The CIA wants the real image of Bin Laden's body to be published to help (15) ____________ those who doubt his death. There are already many conspiracy theories (16) ____________ up that say Bin Laden isn’t really dead.		believing clearly taken popping wanted raid convince fake

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has ____________________ a photo of the dead body of Osama Bin Laden. CIA chief Leon Panetta told reporters ____________________ of the Al Qaeda leader would be released at some time in the future, but said the date would be for the White House to decide. He told NBC News: "____________________, you know, we got Bin Laden and I think we have to ____________________ the world the fact that we were able to get him and kill him.” He added: "The [U.S.] government obviously has been talking about how best to do this, but I don't think there's any ____________________ a photograph would be presented to the public." A White House spokesman said the photograph may _____________________ release.

Bin Laden was shot and killed by U.S. special forces ____________________ mansion north of Islamabad, Pakistan. Biometric measurements were taken of his face and DNA tests were done to make sure it was America’s most wanted man. His ____________________ soon after he was shot. Within hours of U.S. President Barack Obama announcing Bin Laden’s death, a ____________________ in the world’s press of his face. Even though it was clearly created in a photo editing programme, many newspapers put it ____________________, believing it to be real. The CIA wants the real image of Bin Laden's body to be published to help convince those ____________________. There are already many conspiracy ____________________ that say Bin Laden isn’t really dead.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

conspiracy

theory

• 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:

announced future bottom fact question gruesome

forces tests sea fake front popping

STUDENT OSAMA BIN LADEN SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Osama Bin Laden 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.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

• Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

OSAMA BIN LADEN DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the name ‘Osama Bin Laden’?
c)	Do you think the photo should be released?
d)	Do you think it was necessary to kill Bin Laden?
e)	What do you think of the reporting of his death in the press?
f)	How do you think his death will affect the war on terror?
g)	Should the photo be released if there’s a chance it’ll create more violence?
h)	How did you feel when you heard the news of Bin Laden’s death?
i)	Should the photo be released if it’s “too gruesome”?
j)	Do you want to see the photo?

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STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	How do you think it’s possible that Bin Laden hid near Islamabad for so long?
c)	How risky was the move to raid Bin Laden’s hideout?
d)	How much do you think the Pakistani authorities and military knew about the raid?
e)	Why do you think so many papers put the fake Bin Laden photo on their front covers?
f)	Do you think it’s possible that Bin Laden isn’t dead?
g)	What conspiracy theories have you heard about Bin Laden’s death?
h)	What three adjectives would you use to describe this story (and why)?
i)	What do you think will happen to Al Qaeda now?
j)	What questions would you like to ask the head of the CIA?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has announced it will (1) ____ a photo of the dead body of Osama Bin Laden. CIA chief Leon Panetta told reporters a postmortem photo of the Al Qaeda leader would be released at (2) ____ time in the future, but said the date would be for the White House to decide. He told NBC News: "The (3) ____ line is that, you know, we got Bin Laden and I think we have to reveal to the (4) ____ of the world the fact that we were able to get him and kill him.” He added: "The [U.S.] government obviously has been talking about how best to do this, but I don't think there's any question that (5) ____ a photograph would be presented to the public." A White House spokesman said the photograph may be too "(6) ____" to release.

Bin Laden was shot and killed by U.S. special forces in a (7) ____ on his hideout mansion north of Islamabad, Pakistan. (8) ____ measurements were taken of his face and DNA tests were done to make sure it was America’s most wanted man. His body was buried at sea soon after he was shot. Within hours of U.S. President Barack Obama announcing Bin Laden’s death, a (9) ____ photo emerged in the world’s press of his face. Even though it was (10) ____ created in a photo editing programme, many newspapers put it on their front cover, believing it to be real. The CIA wants the real image of Bin Laden's body to be published to help (11) ____ those who doubt his death. There are already many conspiracy theories popping (12) ____ that say Bin Laden isn’t really dead.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	let go	(b)	release	(c)	free	(d)	announce
2.	(a)	sum	(b)	same	(c)	some	(d)	sometimes
3.	(a)	bottom	(b)	top	(c)	right	(d)	left
4.	(a)	all	(b)	remain	(c)	entire	(d)	rest
5.	(a)	ultimatum	(b)	ultimate	(c)	ultimately	(d)	untimely
6.	(a)	gruesome	(b)	designated	(c)	except	(d)	submitted
7.	(a)	ride	(b)	rid	(c)	radical	(d)	raid
8.	(a)	Biology	(b)	Biometric	(c)	Bionic	(d)	Biochemist
9.	(a)	baby	(b)	edited	(c)	doubt	(d)	fake
10.	(a)	clarity	(b)	clearness	(c)	clearly	(d)	clear
11.	(a)	sure	(b)	convince	(c)	truthfully	(d)	mind
12.	(a)	up	(b)	down	(c)	in	(d)	out

 

WRITING

Write about Osama Bin Laden for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

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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 the issue surrounding the release of Osama Bin Laden’s postmortem photo. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. TERROR: Make a poster about the war on terror. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. CONSPIRACY THEORIES: Write a magazine article about the different conspiracy theories emerging over the death of Osama Bin Laden. Include imaginary interviews with people who know he is dead and those who believe he isn’t.

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. LETTER: Write a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama Ask him three questions about Osama Bin Laden’s death. Give him three of your opinions on it. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

 

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

F

b.

F

c.

T

d.

T

e.

T

f.

F

g.

T

h.

F

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	release	a.	issue
2	chief	b.	boss
3.	reveal	c.	show
4.	obviously	d.	clearly
5.	gruesome	e.	grisly
6.	raid	f.	attack
7.	announcing	g.	declaring
8.	emerged	h.	appeared
9.	convince	i.	persuade
10.	doubt	j.	disbelieve

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	a postmortem	a.	photo
2	The bottom	b.	line is …
3.	we have to reveal to the	c.	rest of the world
4.	I don't think there's	d.	any question
5.	the photograph may be too	e.	"gruesome" to release
6.	Biometric	f.	measurements
7.	America’s most	g.	wanted man
8.	a fake photo emerged	h.	in the world’s press
9.	convince those who	i.	doubt his death
10.	conspiracy	j.	theories

GAP FILL:

Bin Laden photo to be released

America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has (1) announced it will release a photo of the dead body of Osama Bin Laden. CIA chief Leon Panetta told reporters a postmortem (2) photo of the Al Qaeda leader would be released at some time in the future, but said the date would be for the White House to (3) decide. He told NBC News: "The bottom (4) line is that, you know, we got Bin Laden and I think we have to reveal to the rest of the world the fact that we were (5) able to get him and kill him.” He added: "The [U.S.] government obviously has been talking about how (6) best to do this, but I don't think there's any question that (7) ultimately a photograph would be presented to the public." A White House spokesman said the photograph may be too "(8) gruesome" to release.

Bin Laden was shot and killed by U.S. special forces in a (9) raid on his hideout mansion north of Islamabad, Pakistan. Biometric measurements were (10) taken of his face and DNA tests were done to make sure it was America’s most (11) wanted man. His body was buried at sea soon after he was shot. Within hours of U.S. President Barack Obama announcing Bin Laden’s death, a (12) fake photo emerged in the world’s press of his face. Even though it was (13) clearly created in a photo editing programme, many newspapers put it on their front cover, (14) believing it to be real. The CIA wants the real image of Bin Laden's body to be published to help (15) convince those who doubt his death. There are already many conspiracy theories (16) popping up that say Bin Laden isn’t really dead.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - b

2 - c

3 - a

4 - d

5 - c

6 - a

7 - d

8 - b

9 - d

10 - c

11 - b

12 - a

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