Gd for Spoken English

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Discussion StartersProtests

ProtestsNot without a fight.

A day does not go by without a protest taking place somewhere in the world. Protesters gather on university

campuses, in front of government buildings, and in city centers and parks. Some protests are peaceful

while others are violent. Peaceful protests sometimes turn into riotswhen police arrive on the scene.

It is part of human nature to stand up for ones rights. Many protests are related to the economy. People arefrustratedwith being unemployed, underpaid, or unable to afford tuition or childcare. Protests are oftenaimed directly at the government. Citizens speak out against inequality, new laws, government cuts, and

corruption. Protesters and people on strikeoften form a line outside a building called a picketline.

Police forces often anticipate riots. Sometimes riot police or members of the military are on hand beforeimportant sporting events or government meetings. Riot police wear special protection, and are trained to

restore order. They use tear gas, rubber bullets, and barricadesto protect important figures and themselves.Some police carry megaphones to communicate with the crowd. Angry or drunk rioters often throw rocks,

torch vehicles, and vandalizeproperty. In some countries, police fear the people. In other countries, its the

other way around. Which way is it usually in your country?

Protesters are often detainedor arrested. Sometimes protesters are arrested because they are violent. Othertimes they are arrested for entering private property. In 2012, Russian protesters were arrested for simplywearing a white ribbon. These anti-Putin protesters had been warned not to protest on the day of Vladimir

Putins inauguration. Protesters typically fight for their beliefs and ignore these types of warnings.

These days, protesters are often hooded or masked youths who conceal their identity. They dont want theirpictures showing up on social media sites. In 2012, the Canadian government proposed a new law requiring

protesters to show their faces. The government felt this law would help prevent protests from spiralingoutof control. Do you think this is a good law to have?

PRE-READING VOCABULARY TASKMatch the words on the left with the meanings on the right.

1. campus

2. riot

3. frustrated

4. tuition

5. corruption

6. on strike

7. picket

8. barricade

9. vandalize

10. detain11. conceal

12. spiral

PRE-READING WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever taken part in a protest?2. Why do some peaceful protests turn violent?3. Why are riots often led by youths?

a. feeling very discouraged, wanting change

b. a violent disruption of the peace by a large group

c. the fees you pay for education

d. a structural barrier that prevents movement

e. to wind round and round

f. immoral and dishonest behavior

g. to hold in a secure area

h. to damage property on purpose

i. the grounds for a college or university

j. to hidek. refusing to work (as a form of protest)

l. a person or group protesting a specific issue


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VOCABULARY REVIEW!

A. Fill in the blanks with words from the pre-reading vocabulary task.

1. Police ________________ is a problem in my city. Police officers steal money from citizens.

2. The cost of ________________ doubled this year. Many of the students who are picketing cant afford university anymor

3. Miguel broke through the ________________. The police detained him for five hours.

4. Rioters ____________________ the department store. They broke all of the windows and set off the alarms.

5. The peaceful protest by strikers soon _______________ out of control. Riot police arrived on the scene an hour later.

B.Which of the following words does not belong in the group?

1. annoyed bothered frustrated excited

2. university campus vandal tuition

3. riot control fight chaos

4. hide conceal mask restore

5. barricade fence tear gas wall

C. Choose 5 words from the pre-reading vocabulary task. Use the back of yourpaper to write a fictional news report about a protest in your hometown.

COMPREHENSION!

Discuss these questions in pairs, and write the answers in your notebook.

1. Where do protests often take place?

2. Why do people typically join a protest?

3. How do riot police differ from everyday police officers?

4. What techniques do riot police use to restore order?

5. Why does the reading mention Vladimir Putin?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Which types of protests are more effective, peaceful or violent protests?

2. What adjectives can you use to describe people who stand up for their rights?

3. If you had the chance to lead a peaceful protest today, what would it be for?

4. What role does social media play in todays protests?

5. Should protesters have the right to conceal their identity?


RESEARCH

Whos been protesting recently?

Have any protests been in the news lately?Choose one and do a little research on the

Internet. Try to find answers to the

following questions:

Who was protesting? What were they protesting about? Where and when did the protest take

place? How did the police/military react? Did the protesters achieve their goals?

Present your findings to the class.


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ANSWER KEY

Lesson Description: Students read about protests and riots. After reviewing related vocabulary, they discuss questions aboutyouth-led protests and laws related to protesting. Students also practice writing a fictional news report using key vocabulary.

PRE-READING VOCABULARY TASK

1. i 2. b 3. a 4. c 5. f 6. d 7. l 8. d 9. h 10. g 11. j 12. e

(Challenge your students to identify the word forms of this vocabulary in context: 1. N, 2. N, 3. Adj, 4. N, 5. N, 6. N, 7. V,8. VPassive, 9. N, 10. NGerund)

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Protests often take place on campuses, in front of government buildings, and in city centers and parks.

2. People typically join a protest because they are unemployed, underpaid, or unhappy with their government.

3. Riot police differ from everyday police officers because they wear protective clothing and are trained to restore order.

4. They use different types of weapons such as tear gas and rubber bullets. They also use barricades and megaphones.5. The reading mentions Putin because, at a protest in Russia, some protesters were detained for simply wearing a white ribbon.

In some cases, just associating with a certain group can cause a person to be arrested.

VOCABULARY REVIEW

A. Fill in the blanks with words from the pre-reading vocabulary task.

1. Police corruption is a problem in my city. Police officers steal money from citizens.

2. The cost of tuitiondoubled this year. Many students who are picketing cant afford university anymore.

3. Miguel broke through the barricade. The police detained him for five hours.

4. Rioters vandalizedthe department store. They broke all of the windows and set off the alarms.

5. The peaceful protest by strikers soon spiraledout of control. Riot police arrived on the scene an hour later.

B. Which word does not belong?

(Challenge your students to identify the word forms of the other two words that are related to the key word.)

1. excited (adjectives)

2. vandal (nouns)

3. control (nouns)

4. restore (verbs)

5. tear gas (nouns)

C. Invite students to share their stories. They could also record their news stories using an online tool or app.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Answers will vary. Try placing students in small groups for this discussion. Give each group the opportunity to summarize theresponses for one question in a class discussion.

Spelling Note: The text shows the American spelling of the word Center. Most other English-speaking countries spell it this

way: Centre. Also, you may want to point out to your students that, in the US,ProtesterandProtestor are both acceptable, asare Spiraling/Spiraled and Spiralling/Spiralled. In Canada,Protesterand Spiralling/Spiralledare the correct spellings.



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