Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on President Obama

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America re-elects President Barack Obama (8th November, 2012)

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20 ONLINE QUIZZES & ACTIVITIES

DICTATION

* 26-page lesson
* 2-page MINI lesson

LISTEN

* MP3 (UK male)

* MP3 (USA female)

* MP3 (20 questions)

READING

Many Americans felt relief that the election has now been decided. They had to endure dozens of nightly advertisements in what was the most expensive campaign in history. Most voters complained that the ads were overly negative and simply attacked the other side rather than outlining policy promises. Despite the poor state of the American economy, voters once again put their faith in Mr Obama. Many believe Obama won against all the odds. Thomas L Friedman of the New York Times wrote: "No one can know for sure what complex emotional chemistry tipped this election Obama's way…It came down to a majority of Americans believing that…Obama was trying his hardest to fix what ails the country."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20233064

WARM-UPS

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1. BARACK OBAMA: Walk around the class and talk to other students about Barack Obama. Change partners often. Share your findings with your first partner.

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

Americans / voted / contests / challenge / opponent / nail-biting / campaign / victory / election / complained / negative ads / policy promises / against the odds / majority

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

3. HELP OBAMA: What advice would you give him on these issues? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	Current problems	Your advice
The economy
Healthcare
Gun control
China
Immigration
Iran

4. CHANGE: Students A strongly believe Obama will bring great change in the next four years; Students B strongly believe otherwise. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

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5. ISSUES: What's most important to you? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

crime
education
health care
jobs

low taxes
environment
strong foreign policy
human rights

6. ELECTION: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word 'qqqqqqq'. 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 election was one of the closest in U.S. history.	T / F
b.	Mitt Romney asked Americans to pray Obama re-ignites.	T / F
c.	Most opinion polls predicted Obama would win.	T / F
d.	The winner needed 270 electoral votes to secure victory.	T / F
e.	Americans ensured dozens of advertisements every night.	T / F
f.	None of the parties spent a long time on their policies in their ads.	T / F
g.	A New York journalist said Obama's emotional chemistry helped him.	T / F
h.	The journalist said more people believed Obama could fix America.	T / F

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

1.	incumbent	a.	rival
2.	opponent	b.	guarantee
3.	nail-biting	c.	complicated
4.	depended on	d.	put up with
5.	secure	e.	sitting
6.	endure	f.	excessively
7.	overly	g.	bulk
8.	faith	h.	tense
9.	complex	i.	belief
10.	majority	j.	hinged on

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

1.	one of the closest	a.	against all the odds
2.	Obama saw	b.	on several swing states
3.	It was a nail-	c.	Obama's way
4.	It all depended	d.	victory
5.	guarantee	e.	of Americans
6.	the ads were overly	f.	ails the country
7.	Many believe Obama won	g.	contests
8.	tipped this election	h.	negative
9.	It came down to a majority	i.	off the challenge
10.	fix what	j.	biting finish

WHILE READING / LISTENING

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

Americans voted to re-elect (1) ____________ president Barack Obama on Tuesday in one of the closest contests in U.S. history. President Obama (2) ____________ off the challenge of Republican opponent Mitt Romney, who asked the nation to pray for Mr Obama in his goal to (3) ____________ the American economy. It was a nail-(4) ____________ finish to what was a long, exhausting, (5) ____________ and expensive election campaign. Pre-election polls and TV stations said either man could have won the presidency. It all (6) ____________ on several swing states, the winner of which would (7) ____________ the 270 electoral votes needed to guarantee (8) ____________. Once the state of Ohio went to the Democrats, Obama knew he had another four years in the White House.

depended
saw
victory
bitter
incumbent
re-ignite
secure
biting

Many Americans felt (9) ____________ that the election has now been decided. They had to (10) ____________ dozens of nightly advertisements in what was the most expensive campaign in history. Most voters complained that the ads were (11) ____________ negative and simply attacked the other side rather than (12) ____________ policy promises. Despite the poor state of the American economy, voters once again put their (13) ____________ in Mr Obama. Many believe Obama won against all the (14) ____________. Thomas L Friedman of the New York Times wrote: "No one can know for sure what complex emotional (15) ____________ tipped this election Obama's way…It came down to a majority of Americans believing that…Obama was trying his hardest to fix what (16) ____________ the country."

odds
endure
ails
relief
faith
overly
chemistry
outlining

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	one of the ______ contests in U.S. history
	a. closed b. closeted c. classiest d. closest
2)	It was a nail-biting …
	a. finisher b. fish c. finish d. furnishing
3)	Pre-election polls and TV stations said ______ man could have won
	a. either or b. ether c. neither d. either
4)	It all depended on ______ swing states
	a. several b. severity c. severe d. seven
5)	Obama knew he had another …
	a. four years in the White House. b. fight on his hands. c. round of election campaigning. d. problem to deal with.
6)	Many Americans felt …
	a. grief b. belief c. relief d. mischief
7)	voters complained that the ads were …
	a. not informative enough. b. full of lies. c. not entertaining. d. overly negative.
8)	… voters once again put their …
	a. faith in Mr Obama. b. money on Mr Obama. c. voting cards with Mr Obama. d. questions to Mr Obama.
9)	No one can know for sure what ______ tipped this election.
	a. emotionally-complex chemical b. emotional chemistry complex c. chemistry complex emotion d. complex emotional chemistry
10)	Obama was trying his hardest to …
	a. fix what ails the country. b. fax what sells the country. c. mix what seals the concrete. d. tax what helps the country.

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

Americans voted (1) ____________________ president Barack Obama on Tuesday in one of (2) ____________________ U.S. history. President Obama saw off the challenge of Republican opponent Mitt Romney, who asked the nation to pray for Mr Obama (3) ____________________ the American economy. It was (4) ____________________ to what was a long, exhausting, bitter and expensive election campaign. Pre-election polls and TV stations said either man could have won the presidency. It all depended (5) ____________________, the winner of which would secure the 270 electoral votes needed (6) ____________________. Once the state of Ohio went to the Democrats, Obama knew he had another four years in the White House.

Many Americans felt relief that the election has now been decided. They had to (7) ____________________ advertisements in what was the most expensive campaign in history. Most voters complained that the ads were (8) ____________________ simply attacked the other side rather than outlining policy promises. Despite the poor state of the American economy, voters once again (9) ____________________ Mr Obama. Many believe Obama won against all the odds. Thomas L Friedman of the New York Times wrote: "No one can know for sure what (10) ____________________ tipped this election Obama's way…It came (11) ____________________ of Americans believing that…Obama was trying his (12) __________________ the country."

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	What adjective in the first sentence described President Obama?
2.	What did Obama see off?
3.	What kind of election finish was it?
4.	Which state did Obama win that saw him over the victory line?
5.	What did the pre-election polls say?
6.	What did Americans feel after the election?
7.	How many ads did Americans have to look at every night?
8.	What did the overly negative ads attack?
9.	What kind of chemistry did a New York Times journalist mention?
10.	What do Americans believe Obama is trying his hardest to fix?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1) What kind of president is Barack Obama?		6) What did Americans feel after the election?
	a) An incurable one. b) An incursive one. c) An incumbent one. d) An incubating one.		a) amazement b) relief c) shock d) ecstasy
2) What did Romney ask the nation pray for?		7) Why didn't voters like the campaign ads?
	a) For Obama to fix the economy. b) For him and his family. c) For mercy and forgiveness. d) For election success in 2016.		a) They were way too loud. b) They were far too expensive. c) They were far too long. d) They were way too negative.
3) What kind of finish was the election?		8) What did the ads not do?
	a) head-banging b) foot-tapping c) stomach-churning d) nail-biting		a) lie b) outline policy promises c) tell the whole truth d) make people laugh
4) What does 270 electoral votes secure?		9) What did many Americans believe about Obama's victory?
	a) a split Senate b) victory c) a re-run d) a swing state		a) He won against all the odds. b) He bought votes in Ohio. c) It was fate. d) It was the most historic in U.S. history.
5) When did Obama know he won?		10) What did a reporter say tipped the balance for Obama to win?
	a) Just after he voted. b) Three weeks ago. c) After he got Ohio. d) When Mitt Romney accepted defeat.		a) chemically-emotional complexity b) chemical complex emotions c) emotional chemical complexes d) complex emotional chemistry

ROLE PLAY

Role A – Barack Obama

You are so happy you won the election. You know you can make everyone in America richer and make America strong. Think of three things you will do. Remember that all of America's problems came about because of former president George W. Bush. You will help all Americans.

Role B – An unemployed American

You are fed up with Barack Obama. Before he came to power you had a job as a banker. You lost it in the financial collapse. Think of three reasons why you do not want Obama as president. You believe nothing he says. You think he is nothing but a dreamer. He doesn't help the working American.

Role C – A recently arrived Mexican

You are Obama's biggest fan. The American dream has come true for you because of Obama. Think of three reasons why. You love Obama because he campaigns for all people – black, white, rich, poor, straight, gay, Christian, Muslim… You think unemployed people should try harder to find a job.

Role D – An angry Mitt Romney voter

You hate Barack Obama. He has made America weak in the world. Think of three examples why. His policies have not helped America – unemployment is high, prices are high, government gets in the way of business, etc. You think America will lose its superpower status with four more years under Obama.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

American

president

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:

closest
saw
goal
either
depended
four

relief
overly
promises
odds
tipped
fix

BARACK OBAMA SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Barack Obama 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.

BARACK OBAMA 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 'Barack Obama'?
c)	What do you think of Barack Obama?
d)	Are you happy with the U.S. election result?
e)	Who did you like better – Obama or Romney? Why?
f)	What do you think of America's democratic process?
g)	What do you think of two billion dollars being spent on the election?
h)	Do you think trust Obama?
i)	Where were you and what were you doing when you heard Obama had won the election?
j)	How do you think Obama will do in his second term in office?

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

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	Do you get tired of elections?
c)	What do you know about Barack Obama?
d)	Is it right for campaign ads to attack the other opponent?
e)	What do you know about Obama's plans for the next four years?
f)	Why do you think Obama won "against all the odds"?
g)	Do you think the rest of the world's view of Obama is different to the average American's view of him?
h)	Is America's two-party system real democracy?
i)	What questions would you like to ask Barack Obama?
j)	What do you think his answers might be?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

MULTIPLE CHOICE - LANGUAGE

Americans voted to re-elect (1) ____ president Barack Obama on Tuesday in one of the closest contests in U.S. history. President Obama saw (2) ____ the challenge of Republican opponent Mitt Romney, who asked the nation to pray for Mr Obama in his goal to (3) ____ the American economy. It was a nail-(4) ____ finish to what was a long, exhausting, bitter and expensive election campaign. Pre-election polls and TV stations said either man could have won the presidency. It all depended on several (5) ____ states, the winner of which would secure the 270 electoral votes needed to (6) ____ victory. Once the state of Ohio went to the Democrats, Obama knew he had another four years in the White House.

Many Americans felt (7) ____ that the election has now been decided. They had to endure dozens of nightly advertisements in what was the most expensive campaign in history. Most voters complained that the ads were (8) ____ negative and simply attacked the other side rather than (9) ____ policy promises. Despite the poor state of the American economy, voters once again put their faith (10) ____ Mr Obama. Many believe Obama won against all the (11) ____. Thomas L Friedman of the New York Times wrote: "No one can know for sure what complex emotional chemistry tipped this election Obama's way…It came down to a (12) ____ of Americans believing that…Obama was trying his hardest to fix what ails the country."

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

1.	(a)	incubating	(b)	incompetent	(c)	incurable	(d)	incumbent
2.	(a)	all	(b)	around	(c)	over	(d)	off
3.	(a)	ignition	(b)	re-ignite	(c)	igniting	(d)	re-excite
4.	(a)	baiting	(b)	boating	(c)	biting	(d)	beating
5.	(a)	swinging	(b)	swung	(c)	swing	(d)	swings
6.	(a)	guarantee	(b)	warranty	(c)	insurance	(d)	risk
7.	(a)	grief	(b)	relief	(c)	mischief	(d)	chief
8.	(a)	overly	(b)	above	(c)	heightened	(d)	elevated
9.	(a)	outlasting	(b)	outlining	(c)	outdated	(d)	outing
10.	(a)	on	(b)	as	(c)	in	(d)	of
11.	(a)	evens	(b)	neutrals	(c)	odds	(d)	strangers
12.	(a)	average	(b)	minority	(c)	share	(d)	majority

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	cnniubmte president Barack Obama
2.	one of the closest ntostesc in U.S. history
3.	It was a lina-ibignt finish
4.	a long, nsheaxuitg, bitter and expensive election campaign
5.	It all dneeedpd on several swing states
6.	votes needed to gnutereaa victory
Paragraph 2
7.	Many Americans felt fleire
8.	They had to ndeure dozens of nightly advertisements
9.	the ads were yevolr negative
10.	unliongti policy promises
11.	complex emotional icsmerhyt
12.	It came down to a oiajymtr

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	emotional chemistry tipped this election Obama's way…It came down to a majority
( )	for Mr Obama in his goal to re-ignite the American economy. It was a nail-biting finish to what was a long,
( )	man could have won the presidency. It all depended on several swing states, the winner
( )	advertisements in what was the most expensive campaign in history. Most voters complained that the ads were overly
( )	state of the American economy, voters once again put their faith in Mr Obama. Many believe Obama won against all the
( )	exhausting, bitter and expensive election campaign. Pre-election polls and TV stations said either
( )	of Americans believing that…Obama was trying his hardest to fix what ails the country."
( )	Many Americans felt relief that the election has now been decided. They had to endure dozens of nightly
( 1 )	Americans voted to re-elect incumbent president Barack Obama on Tuesday in one of the closest
( )	odds. Thomas L Friedman of the New York Times wrote: "No one can know for sure what complex
( )	of which would secure the 270 electoral votes needed to guarantee victory. Once the state of Ohio went
( )	to the Democrats, Obama knew he had another four years in the White House.
( )	negative and simply attacked the other side rather than outlining policy promises. Despite the poor
( )	contests in U.S. history. President Obama saw off the challenge of Republican opponent Mitt Romney, who asked the nation to pray

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	. S U in contests closest the of One history.
2.	finish biting - a was It. nail
3.	the won have could man Either presidency.
4.	states swing several on depended all It.
5.	years four another had he knew Obama.
6.	has Relief now that been the decided election.
7.	of had nightly to advertisements endure dozens They.
8.	ads Voters were complained overly that negative the.
9.	their Mr Voters put in again faith Obama once.
10.	odds won against Many all believe the Obama.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

Americans voted to re-elect / re-enact incumbent president Barack Obama on Tuesday in one of the closest contests in U.S. history. President Obama saw on / off the challenge of Republican opponent Mitt Romney, who asked the nation to pray / play for Mr Obama in his goal to re-ignite the American economy. It was a nail-baiting / biting finish to what was a long, exhausting, bitter / batter and expensive election campaign. Pre-election pills / polls and TV stations said either man could have won the presidency. It all / every depended on several swing / swinging states, the winner of which would secure the 270 electoral votes needed to / by guarantee victory. Once the state of Ohio went to the Democrats, Obama knew he had another / more four years in the White House.

Many Americans felt relieve / relief that the election has now been decided. They had to endure / ensure dozens of nightly advertisements in what was the most expensive campaign in history. Most voters complained that the ads were under / overly negative and simply attacked the other side rather / instead than outlining policy promises. Despite the poverty / poor state of the American economy, voters once / twice again put their faith in Mr Obama. Many believe Obama won against all the odds / odd. Thomas L Friedman of the New York Times wrote: "No one can know for sure what complex emotion / emotional chemistry tipped / topped this election Obama's way…It came down to a majority of Americans believing that…Obama was trying his hardest to fix what ails / rails the country."

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

_m_r_c_ns v_t_d t_ r_-_l_ct _nc_mb_nt pr_s_d_nt B_r_ck _b_m_ _n T__sd_y _n _n_ _f th_ cl_s_st c_nt_sts _n _.S. h_st_ry. Pr_s_d_nt _b_m_ s_w _ff th_ ch_ll_ng_ _f R_p_bl_c_n _pp_n_nt M_tt R_mn_y, wh_ _sk_d th_ n_t__n t_ pr_y f_r Mr _b_m_ _n h_s g__l t_ r_-_gn_t_ th_ _m_r_c_n _c_n_my. _t w_s _ n__l-b_t_ng f_n_sh t_ wh_t w_s _ l_ng, _xh__st_ng, b_tt_r _nd _xp_ns_v_ _l_ct__n c_mp__gn. Pr_-_l_ct__n p_lls _nd TV st_t__ns s__d __th_r m_n c__ld h_v_ w_n th_ pr_s_d_ncy. _t _ll d_p_nd_d _n s_v_r_l sw_ng st_t_s, th_ w_nn_r _f wh_ch w__ld s_c_r_ th_ 270 _l_ct_r_l v_t_s n__d_d t_ g__r_nt__ v_ct_ry. _nc_ th_ st_t_ _f _h__ w_nt t_ th_ D_m_cr_ts, _b_m_ kn_w h_ h_d _n_th_r f__r y__rs _n th_ Wh_t_ H__s_.

M_ny _m_r_c_ns f_lt r_l__f th_t th_ _l_ct__n h_s n_w b__n d_c_d_d. Th_y h_d t_ _nd_r_ d_z_ns _f n_ghtly _dv_rt_s_m_nts _n wh_t w_s th_ m_st _xp_ns_v_ c_mp__gn _n h_st_ry. M_st v_t_rs c_mpl__n_d th_t th_ _ds w_r_ _v_rly n_g_t_v_ _nd s_mply _tt_ck_d th_ _th_r s_d_ r_th_r th_n __tl_n_ng p_l_cy pr_m_s_s. D_sp_t_ th_ p__r st_t_ _f th_ _m_r_c_n _c_n_my, v_t_rs _nc_ _g__n p_t th__r f__th _n Mr _b_m_. M_ny b_l__v_ _b_m_ w_n _g__nst _ll th_ _dds. Th_m_s L Fr__dm_n _f th_ N_w Y_rk T_m_s wr_t_: "N_ _n_ c_n kn_w f_r s_r_ wh_t c_mpl_x _m_t__n_l ch_m_stry t_pp_d th_s _l_ct__n _b_m_'s w_y…_t c_m_ d_wn t_ _ m_j_r_ty _f _m_r_c_ns b_l__v_ng th_t…_b_m_ w_s try_ng h_s h_rd_st t_ f_x wh_t __ls th_ c__ntry."

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

americans voted to re-elect incumbent president barack obama on tuesday in one of the closest contests in us history president obama saw off the challenge of republican opponent mitt romney who asked the nation to pray for mr obama in his goal to re-ignite the american economy it was a nail-biting finish to what was a long exhausting bitter and expensive election campaign pre-election polls and tv stations said either man could have won the presidency it all depended on several swing states the winner of which would secure the 270 electoral votes needed to guarantee victory once the state of ohio went to the democrats obama knew he had another four years in the white house

many americans felt relief that the election has now been decided they had to endure dozens of nightly advertisements in what was the most expensive campaign in history most voters complained that the ads were overly negative and simply attacked the other side rather than outlining policy promises despite the poor state of the american economy voters once again put their faith in mr obama many believe obama won against all the odds thomas l friedman of the new york times wrote "no one can know for sure what complex emotional chemistry tipped this election obama's way…it came down to a majority of americans believing that…obama was trying his hardest to fix what ails the country"

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

Americansvotedtore-electincumbentpresidentBarackObamaonTuesdayinoneoftheclosestcontestsinU.
S.history.PresidentObamasawoffthechallengeofRepublicanopponentMittRomney
,whoaskedthenationtoprayforMrObamainhisgoaltore-ignitetheAmericaneconomy.Itwasanail-bitingfinishtowhatwasalong,exhausting,bitterandexpensiveelectioncampaign.Pre-
electionpollsandTVstationssaideithermancouldhavewonthepresidency.Italldepen
dedonseveralswingstates,thewinnerofwhichwouldsecurethe270electoralvotesne
ededtoguaranteevictory.OncethestateofOhiowenttotheDemocrats,Obamaknewh
ehadanotherfouryearsintheWhiteHouse.ManyAmericansfeltreliefthattheelection
hasnowbeendecided.Theyhadtoenduredozensofnightlyadvertisementsinwhatwa
sthemostexpensivecampaigninhistory.Mostvoterscomplainedthattheadswereove
rlynegativeandsimplyattackedtheothersideratherthanoutliningpolicypromises.D
espitethepoorstateoftheAmericaneconomy,votersonceagainputtheirfaithinMrOb
ama.ManybelieveObamawonagainstalltheodds.ThomasLFriedmanoftheNewYork
Timeswrote:"Noonecanknowforsurewhatcomplexemotionalchemistrytippedthise
lectionObama'sway…ItcamedowntoamajorityofAmericansbelievingthat…Obama
wastryinghishardesttofixwhatailsthecountry."

FREE WRITING

Write about Barack Obama for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

It is the duty of everyone to vote in elections. Those who don't should be heavily fined. 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 Barack Obama's election victory. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. BARACK OBAMA: Make a poster about Barack Obama. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. FOUR MORE YEARS: Write a magazine article about prospects for the next four years under President Obama. 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 Barack Obama. Ask him three questions about being President. Give him three pieces of advice on what to do in the next four years. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	incumbent	a.	sitting
2.	opponent	b.	rival
3.	nail-biting	c.	tense
4.	depended on	d.	hinged on
5.	secure	e.	guarantee
6.	endure	f.	put up with
7.	overly	g.	excessively
8.	faith	h.	belief
9.	complex	i.	complicated
10.	majority	j.	bulk

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	incumbent
2.	The challenge of Mitt Romney
3.	A nail-biting one
4.	Ohio
5.	Either man could have won the presidency
6.	relief
7.	dozens
8.	The other side
9.	complex emotional chemistry
10.	The ails of the country / What ails the country.

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

10.

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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America re-elects President Barack Obama (8th November, 2012)

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