There are many single people in China. Men who live in the countryside and women who live in cities don't want to get married for different reasons. Men need to have money and a good job to get married. Women can wait to find someone they really like. Women also think that the leaders only tell them to get married and have babies, but they don't tell the men to do anything. This makes the women not want to have babies even more.

Original news source: China's matchmaking mums have a powerful ally: The Party (BBC)

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Begin the class by asking students if they think it’s important to get married and have children. Have them raise their hands for 'yes', 'no', or 'not sure'. Record the numbers on the board. This will get them thinking about the topic of the article in simple terms that beginner ESL students can understand.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article on pieces of paper (e.g., married, babies, leaders, jobs, countryside, city). Divide students into two teams. Players take turns drawing the words for their teammates to guess, without using any verbal clues. This will help students to associate words with images, aiding vocabulary retention.
– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Pair students up and assign one to be a news reporter and the other to be a citizen of China. The news reporter will ask questions about why fewer people are getting married or having babies, based on the information from the article. This allows students to practice speaking and listening in a structured role-play scenario.
– Mind Map
Instructions: As a class, create a mind map on the board about the reasons why young people in China may not want to get married or have children. Start with the central idea "Marriage and Babies in China" and branch out into reasons given in the article. Encourage students to contribute in English and draw connections between ideas.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to think about what might happen if the trends described in the article continue. Will there be more single people? How will it affect the country? Will the government take action? Students can work in small groups and use simple future tense to make predictions, then share with the class. This engages them with the material in a way that also practices grammar and speaking skills.

In China, not as many people are getting married or having ? as before. The leaders in China ? this to change. Last year, not many babies were born, and not many people got married. Young people in China don't want to get married or have babies because they don't have many jobs and things cost a lot. The leaders are ? to ? young people want to get married and have babies, but the young people don't think it's a good idea. There are many ? people in China. Men who live in the countryside and women who live in cities don't want to get married for different reasons. Men need to have ? and a good job to get married. Women can wait to ? someone they really like. Women also think that the leaders only ? them to get married and have babies, but they don't tell the men to do anything. This makes the women not want to have babies even more.

1. What is a baby?
2. Do you like going to weddings?
3. How would you feel if you had a baby?
4. What is a job?
5. Do you think having a job is important for getting married? Why or why not?
6. What things do you like to buy that cost money?
7. Do you think it's good to have a lot of money to get married? Why?
8. What does it mean to wait for someone you like?
9. Do you like to listen to leaders? Why or why not?
10. Do you think boys and girls should do the same things? Why?
11. Would you want to live in the countryside or in a city? Why?
12. Do you think it's important to get married and have babies? Why or why not?

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