Political Problems Continue in Ivory Coast (Intermediate News Lesson)

With Answers! | Download Free Ivory Coast News Lesson plan here: Ivory-Coast-Politics-Intermediate-10042011.doc

News Lesson Plan : Warm-up

1)    Where is the Ivory Coast (or Cote D'Ivoire)?
2)    Were there any problems with the most recent elections in your country?
3)    What effect can domestic conflicts abroad have on you?

Political Problems Continue in Ivory Coast (April 10th, 2011)

Political struggle continues in the Ivory Coast months after December elections announced the victory of Alassane Ouattara. The country's former leader, Laurent Gbagbo, has rejected the election results and refused to leave in the country's presidential home.
Ouattara, backed by the international community including the U.N. and the E.U., has given up on forcing Gbagbo out of the home to murder him. Youssoufou Bamba, Outtara's U.N. ambassador, states "We cannot give this luxury to Gbabgo, to be a martyr … (h)e will be captured alive. He will be well and alive and respond before justice the crime he has committed." Ouattara has begun taking charge of the country and asked the European Union to lift restrictions on the country's ports.
Gbagbo is supported by people in the country's south while Ouattara has strong support in the north. Investigations by the United Nations have found the bodies of hundreds victims of what appears to be ethnic killing. While there have been many reports of Gbagbo-led violence, the international group Human Rights Watch has received information on hundreds of deaths and dozens of rapes committed by Ouattara supporters. The HRW has called for an investigation for the horrible crimes committed by both sides.
More than a million people have been forced to leave their homes due to the conflict. The bordering country of Liberia has been flooded by 125,000 refugees. The conflict has also caused prices for cocoa, the Ivory Coast's largest crop, to rise by ten percent. [246 words]
[Research sources: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/09/ivory-coast-rebels-kill-hundreds http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/04/09/c-te-d-ivoire-ouattara-forces-kill-rape-civilians-during-offensive]

News Lesson Plan: Comprehension Questions

1)    Where is the former president Gbagbo currently?
2)    True or False: Outtara does not want Gbagbo killed.
3)    What has Outtara asked the European Union to do?
4)    What does the HRW report say?
5)    What effects has the conflict had in other countries?
Answers
1 - He is still in the presidential compound. He refuses to leave.
2 - True. He does not want him to become a martyr.
3 - Outtara has asked the EU to remove the restrictions on the country's ports.
4 - Both sides of the conflict have committed horrible crimes.
5 - Refugees have flooded into Liberia and the price of cocoa has increased by 10 percent.

News Lesson Plan: Vocabulary Matching

Match the words with their meaning as used in the news lesson.
struggle (noun)
reject
back (verb)
luxury
martyr
ethnic
dozens
due to
flood (verb)
refugee
Answers
  • struggle - fight
  • reject - refuse
  • back - support
  • luxury - treat, extra
  • martyr - a person killed due to religious/political beliefs
  • ethnic - racial
  • dozens - groups of 12 of the same thing
  • due to - as a result of
  • flood - overflow, pour in
  • refugee - a person forced to leave home because of war/other reasons

News Lesson Plan : Master the Language

Connect the below idea(s) to make a sentence.
luxury  have
struggle           continues
reject    invitation
back    politician
martyr
food     ethnic
dozens                        refugees
due to              storm
flood    shopping mall
Answers

Possible Answers:

  • The struggle for power continues in the Ivory Coast.
  • I rejected Paul's invitation because I don't like dancing.
  • The politician was backed.
  • The girl who died became a martyr for human rights.
  • There are many restaurants downtown where you can taste many kinds of ethnic food.
  • Dozens of refugees have arrived in Italy by boat.
  • Due to the storm, all flights have been cancelled.
  • The shopping mall was flooded by people during the week before Christmas.

News Lesson Plan : Debate

Student A: You believe the international community should help African countries and new democracies. Think of reasons to support your argument for a minute. Start the debate by asking your partner “What should we do about the problem in the Ivory Coast?”

Student B: You think that Western-style democracy won't work in Africa. You do not think the international community should be involved in the struggle in the Ivory Coast. Think of reasons to support your argument for a minute.

News Lesson Plan : Discussion Questions

(Write your answers in the Comments section below if you wish).

1)    What do you think will happen in the future in the Ivory Coast?
2)    What role should the international community have in Africa?
3)    Do you think countries should share the responsibility of accepting refugees?
4)    What are some problems with democracy that the story shows?
5)    Are there many refugees living in your country?
6)    Can democracy work in Africa?
7)    Who (or what) do you think of when you hear the word “martyr”?
8)    Becoming a martyr: Are there any ideals that you would die for?
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News lesson plan copyright Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com

One comment on “Political Problems Continue in Ivory Coast (Intermediate News Lesson)

  1. Anonymous (Posted on 7-12-2011 at 16:06) Reply

    It is both educational & informative. good work.

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