the ARTICLE (for teachers)

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Abigayle Rosalyn Banks
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2 the ARTICLE (for teachers) How old is the Earth? Most people believe it's billions of years old, but more and more people think it's much younger. They think that the Earth was created only a few thousand years ago. These different viewpoints make up the debate between the theory of evolution and creationism. It's a very hot topic in the US. The theory of evolution states that plants and animals changed slowly over billions of years. Helpful traits were given to offspring, and harmful traits disappeared. However, creationism explains that God created the Earth just a few thousand years ago. In addition, he created the Earth in just six days, exactly as told in the Bible. Another form of creationism says that God has influenced the development of the Earth instead of directly creating the planet and all its life. In the US, many conservative leaders don't want teachers to teach evolution in the classroom. Other leaders have tried to get creationism taught with evolution. But courts have repeatedly ruled that creationism and intelligent design are religious teaching. Religion should not be taught in public classrooms in the US. In Europe, the number of people who believe in creationism is also increasing. Therefore, the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly will debate the idea of creationism. An Assembly member said that there are different opinions about religion. But creationism isn't science, so it shouldn't be taught in the classroom. Teacher's Notes: * Underlined words in red typeface are the recommended vocabulary for this lesson. Heads Up English - 1

3 WARM-UPS Select one or all of the following warm-up activities. 1: Define: What does "creationism" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples? 2: Brainstorm: Brainstorm with a partner words and ideas for "creationism" for two minutes. Next, talk about the words and ideas for five minutes. 3: Title: Today's article is: "." What will you read about? 4: Do you agree or disagree? Why? a. God(s) created the universe, Earth, and humankind. b. The Earth is only a few thousand years old. c. Religion is more important than science. d. Evolution is a fact. e. Religion should be taught in all schools. Heads Up English - 2

4 VOCABULARY Select one of the following vocabulary acquisition activities. 1: Vocabulary match: Individually or in pairs/groups, match the words in column A (from the article) with the best choice in column B. a. viewpoint u. characteristic b. trait v. cause something to happen c. exact w. grow or spread d. influence x. opinion e. rule y. decide f. increase z. without mistake 2: Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word. exactly traits ruled viewpoints increasing influenced a. These different ( ) make up the debate. b. Helpful ( ) were given to offspring, and harmful traits disappeared. c. God created the Earth in just six days, ( ) as told in the Bible. d. God has ( ) the development of the Earth. e. Courts have repeatedly ( ) that creationism is religious teaching. f. The number of people who believe in creationism is also ( ). 3: Define: Look in your dictionary for each word. Write the definition, correctly pronounce the word, and give an example sentence to the class. a. viewpoint: b. trait: c. exact: d. influence: e. rule: f. increase: Heads Up English - 3

5 WORD RECOGNITION These activities are optional. They reinforce vocabulary and increase reading speed. 1: Word Search: Find only the target words (in bold). Time yourself, and see how long it takes to find all the words. exactly traits ruled viewpoints increasing influenced B M B Y Z I Z A G H I E D W D D E L U R J H Z W N W C Q B E O Z V B B G Y D F X W A Y Q C C M N X Q F W L O T W X B T N B G N L V M U I F J S T O I E P B N C A E X J Z T P L Z X U D W A I N O D F N J O Y K Y L V S K C S T N I O P W E I V F P C E I R A O M E Z M W F Z N T S D A E P E Z N X V M G N I D Y I C W S K R V C A B R H E Y T Y I W N O F C T Y C J V I S E E Z F P K S F N J C T V L B V E I N C R A E S I N G L N B L F R T Z E L U Z B N R J Y 2: Target Word Pool: Find only the target words (in bold) with their exact match. Time yourself, and see how long it takes to find all the words. exactly traits ruled viewpoints increasing influenced uninfluenced treats viewers decreasing extract influencer exactly ruler viewpoints ruling rulership increases point of view trait influential ruled increased inexact influenced traits inexactly unruly points of view traitors increasing exactness influences treat viewpoint decreased Heads Up English - 4

6 pre- or post-comprehension Select one or more activity to direct students before the article is read, or to check understanding after the article is read. 1: Brainstorm Questions: Brainstorm questions that you would like to ask about today's topic. Answer a partner the questions. He shouldn't look at the article when he answers. 2: True or False?: Guess (before the article) or answer (after the article) if the sentence is true or false. If false, correct the sentence. a. According to the article, the Earth is billions of years old. T/F b. Creationism explains that plants and animals changed slowly. T/F c. Intelligent design is a type of creationism. T/F d. US courts regularly decide that religion shouldn't be taught in the classroom. T/F e. According to the article, evolution is decreasing in Europe. T/F 3: Questions: Answer the questions to check comprehension. a. What is the debate between creationism and evolution? b. What is intelligent design? c. In the US, what have conservative leaders done? d. Which has more followers of creationism, the US or Europe? e. What will the Europe do next? 4: Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence. a. Most people believe it's billions of years old, but more and... b. The theory of evolution states that plants and animals... c. In the US, many conservative leaders don't want... d. But creationism isn't science, so it shouldn't... Heads Up English - 5

7 post-comprehension Select one or more activity to discuss the contents of the article. 1: Vocabulary: Circle any other unknown words/phrases in the article. In pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand these words. Write an example sentence for each one. 2: Class Questions: Read through the article once more, and write down any questions that you would like to talk about in pairs/groups or as a class. Answer the questions. 3: Summarize: Work with a partner to summarize the article in your own words. 4: Discuss: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers and ask more questions with your partner. a. Did you like this article? Why/not? b. Which do you believe is right, evolution or creationism? Why? c. Is it possible that God(s) created the universe, and then plants and animals evolved? d. Why do you think so many people in the US believe in creationism? e. Why do you think more and more people in Europe believe in creationism? f. Should creationism and evolution be taught side-by-side in the classroom? 5: Debate: With a partner, brainstorm as many possible reasons to support creationism. Then do the same for evolution. Switch partners, and decide who will support creationism and who will support evolution. Debate if one idea or both ideas should be taught in school. Creationism Evolution 6: Google Search: Type "creationism" into Google news and read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings. Heads Up English - 6

8 STUDENT HANDOUT (the article) How old is the Earth? Most people believe it's billions of years old, but more and more people think it's much younger. They think that the Earth was created only a few thousand years ago. These different viewpoints make up the debate between the theory of evolution and creationism. It's a very hot topic in the US. The theory of evolution states that plants and animals changed slowly over billions of years. Helpful traits were given to offspring, and harmful traits disappeared. However, creationism explains that God created the Earth just a few thousand years ago. In addition, he created the Earth in just six days, exactly as told in the Bible. Another form of creationism says that God has influenced the development of the Earth instead of directly creating the planet and all its life. In the US, many conservative leaders don't want teachers to teach evolution in the classroom. Other leaders have tried to get creationism taught with evolution. But courts have repeatedly ruled that creationism and intelligent design are religious teaching. Religion should not be taught in public classrooms in the US. In Europe, the number of people who believe in creationism is also increasing. Therefore, the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly will debate the idea of creationism. An Assembly member said that there are different opinions about religion. But creationism isn't science, so it shouldn't be taught in the classroom. Notes: Heads Up English - 7

9 STUDENT HANDOUT (fill in the blank) Fill in the blank with the correct word. exactly ruled influenced topic traits billions viewpoints religion increasing science How old is the Earth? Most people believe it's billions of years old, but more and more people think it's much younger. They think that the Earth was created only a few thousand years ago. These different (a. ) make up the debate between the theory of evolution and creationism. It's a very hot (b. ) in the US. The theory of evolution states that plants and animals changed slowly over (c. ) of years. Helpful (d. ) were given to offspring, and harmful traits disappeared. However, creationism explains that God created the Earth just a few thousand years ago. In addition, he created the Earth in just six days, (e. ) as told in the Bible. Another form of creationism says that God has (f. ) the development of the Earth instead of directly creating the planet and all its life. In the US, many conservative leaders don't want teachers to teach evolution in the classroom. Other leaders have tried to get creationism taught with evolution. But courts have repeatedly (g. ) that creationism and intelligent design are religious teaching. Religion should not be taught in public classrooms in the US. In Europe, the number of people who believe in creationism is also (h. ). Therefore, the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly will debate the idea of creationism. An Assembly member said that there are different opinions about (i. ). But creationism isn't (j. ), so it shouldn't be taught in the classroom. Heads Up English - 8

10 STUDENT HANDOUT (extended listening) Listen and fill in the missing sentences. Compare your answers with a partner, and then listen once more. How old is the Earth? Most people believe it's billions of years old, but more and more people think it's much younger. They think that the Earth was created only a few thousand years ago. A). It's a very hot topic in the US. The theory of evolution states that plants and animals changed slowly over billions of years. Helpful traits were given to offspring, and harmful traits disappeared. However, creationism explains that God created the Earth just a few thousand years ago. In addition, b), exactly as told in the Bible. Another form of creationism says that God has influenced the development of the Earth instead of directly creating the planet and all its life. In the US, many conservative leaders don't want teachers to teach evolution in the classroom. Other leaders have tried to get creationism taught with evolution. c). Religion should not be taught in public classrooms in the US. In Europe, the number of people who believe in creationism is also increasing. Therefore, the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly will debate the idea of creationism. An Assembly member said that there are different opinions about religion. But creationism isn't science, so it shouldn't be taught in the classroom. Sentence #1: Sentence #2: Sentence #3: Heads Up English - 9

11 ANSWER KEY Vocabulary 1: Vocabulary Match: 2: Fill in the Blanks: a. x a. viewpoints b. u b. traits c. z c. exactly d. v d. influenced e. y e. ruled f. w f. increasing pre- or post-comprehension 1. True or False: 2. Fragments: a. F b. F c. T d. T e. F a. more people think it's much younger. b. changed slowly over billions of years. c. teachers to teach evolution in the classroom. d. be taught in the classroom. Student Handout 1: Fill in the Blanks: a. viewpoints f. influenced b. topic g. ruled c. billions h. increasing d. traits i. religion e. exactly j. science 2: Extended Listening: a. These different viewpoints make up the debate between the theory of evolution and creationism b. he created the Earth in just six days c. But courts have repeatedly ruled that creationism and intelligent design are religious teaching Heads Up English - 10

the ARTICLE (for teachers)

the ARTICLE (for teachers) How old is the Earth? Is it billions of years old, or a significantly younger several thousand? The debate between the theory of evolution and creationism continues, primarily