A K-pop singer named Karina said sorry on Instagram because she has a boyfriend, an actor named Lee Jae-wook. Some people who really like K-pop music got very upset. They do a lot of things to show they love their favorite singers, like listening to their songs all the time and putting their pictures on big screens. But when they found out Karina has a boyfriend, some of them got mad and asked if their love wasn’t enough. They even sent a big truck to Karina’s music company to show they were upset.

In K-pop, which is music from Korea, fans act differently about singers dating than people do in other places. Fans spend a lot of time and money on their favorite singers and feel very close to them, like they are friends or family. Some people think the music companies make fans feel this way on purpose. Now, K-pop is getting popular all over the world, and some fans from other countries didn’t like that Karina had to say sorry for dating. People hope that as more people around the world like K-pop, fans will be nicer about singers having boyfriends or girlfriends.

Original news source: How jealous K-pop super fans try to dictate their idols’ private lives (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of K-pop related words or phrases (e.g. singer, music, fan, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc.). One student from each group will act out the word or phrase without speaking, while the other students in the group try to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students acting out the words or phrases.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask the students to form pairs or small groups. Give each group a set of questions related to the article (e.g. Do you think fans should get mad when a K-pop singer has a boyfriend/girlfriend? Why or why not?). Each student takes turns asking and answering the questions within their group. Afterward, have a class discussion where students share their opinions and reasons.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. K-pop, singer, boyfriend, upset, etc.). One student from each team will come to the front of the class and draw a picture to represent one of the words without speaking. The team members must guess the word within a certain time limit. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students and words.

– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Write a list of words from the article on the board (e.g. upset, close, popular, etc.). In pairs, students take turns coming up with synonyms for the words. They can use a dictionary or ask the teacher for help. The pair with the most correct synonyms wins.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Explain to the students that they are journalists and their task is to create catchy headlines about the article. Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to write a headline that summarizes the main idea or theme of the article. Afterward, have the students share their headlines and discuss why they chose them.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why did Karina say sorry on Instagram?
2. What did some people do when they found out Karina has a boyfriend?
3. How do fans of K-pop singers show their love?
4. Why do some fans feel very close to their favorite singers?
5. Why do some people think music companies make fans feel close to the singers?
6. What did fans from other countries think about Karina saying sorry for dating?
7. What do people hope will happen as more people around the world like K-pop?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A K-pop singer (1)______ Karina said sorry on Instagram because she has a boyfriend, an actor named Lee Jae-wook. Some people who really like K-pop music got very upset. They do a lot of things to show they love their (2)______ singers, like listening to their songs all the time and putting their pictures on big screens. But when they found out Karina has a boyfriend, some of them got mad and asked if their love wasn’t enough. They even sent a big truck to Karina’s music (3)______ to show they were (4)______.

In K-pop, which is music from Korea, fans act differently about singers dating than (5)______ do in other places. Fans spend a lot of (6)______ and money on their favorite singers and feel very close to them, like they are friends or family. Some people think the music companies make fans feel this way on purpose. Now, K-pop is getting popular all over the world, and some fans from (7)______ countries didn’t like that Karina had to say sorry for dating. People hope that as (8)______ people around the world like K-pop, fans will be nicer about singers having boyfriends or girlfriends.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is K-pop?
2. How do fans show their love for their favorite singers?
3. Do you think it’s important for singers to apologize for dating someone? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you were a fan and found out your favorite singer had a boyfriend or girlfriend?
5. Do you think it’s fair for fans to get mad at singers for dating? Why or why not?
6. What do you think about fans from other countries not liking that Karina had to apologize for dating?
7. How do you think the music companies make fans feel close to their favorite singers?
8. What are some ways that fans can be nicer about singers having boyfriends or girlfriends?
9. Do you like K-pop music? Why or why not?
10. How would you feel if you were a famous singer and had to apologize for dating someone?
11. What are some things you could do to show your love for your favorite singer?
12. Why do you think some fans got upset when they found out Karina has a boyfriend?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. apologize
2. boyfriend
3. upset
4. fans
5. songs
6. pictures
7. discover
8. dating
9. companies
10. popular

Meanings:
(A) Finding out something you didn’t know before
(B) Feeling sad or mad about something
(C) Liked by a lot of people
(D) Music that you can sing and dance to
(E) Images that you can look at, like in a book or on a phone
(F) People who really like someone or something, like a singer or a movie
(G) A boy that someone likes a lot and spends time with
(H) When two people like each other a lot and spend time together
(I) Places where people work together to make or sell things
(J) To say sorry when you do something wrong
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who said sorry on Instagram?
(a) Karina
(b) Lee Jae-wook
(c) K-pop fans
(d) Karina’s music company

2. What is K-pop?
(a) Music from Japan
(b) Music from China
(c) Music from America
(d) Music from Korea

3. Why did some K-pop fans get upset?
(a) Because Karina is a singer
(b) Because Karina is famous
(c) Because Karina’s music company
(d) Because Karina has a boyfriend

4. How do K-pop fans show their love for their favorite singers?
(a) By sending big trucks to their music companies
(b) By listening to their songs all the time
(c) By putting their pictures on big screens
(d) By getting mad

5. How do K-pop fans feel about their favorite singers?
(a) Like they are strangers
(b) Like they are friends or family
(c) Like they are enemies
(d) Like they are teachers

6. Why do some people think music companies make fans feel close to their favorite singers?
(a) So fans will get mad
(b) So fans will send big trucks
(c) So fans will spend a lot of time and money
(d) So fans will listen to their songs all the time

7. How do some fans from other countries feel about singers dating?
(a) They didn’t like that Karina had to say sorry for dating
(b) They were happy that Karina had a boyfriend
(c) They didn’t care that Karina had a boyfriend
(d) They were mad at Karina’s music company

8. What do people hope will happen as more people around the world like K-pop?
(a) Fans will get mad at singers
(b) Fans will send big trucks to music companies
(c) Fans will be nicer about singers having boyfriends or girlfriends
(d) Fans will stop listening to K-pop songs

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. People hope that as more people around the world like K-pop, fans will be nicer about singers having boyfriends or girlfriends.
2. Some people think that music companies make fans feel this way on purpose.
3. A K-pop singer named Karina said sorry because she has a boyfriend named Lee Jae-wook.
4. Some fans got happy and sent a small truck to Karina’s music company to show they were pleased.
5. K-pop is becoming unpopular all over the world, and some fans from other countries liked that Karina had to say sorry for dating.
6. K-pop fans feel very close to their favorite singers, like they are friends or family.
7. K-pop fans show their love for their favorite singers by not listening to their songs and not putting their pictures on big screens.
8. Some people who really dislike K-pop music got upset when they found out Karina has a boyfriend.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. Why did Karina say sorry on Instagram?
2. Why were some people upset when they found out Karina has a boyfriend?
3. What are some things that K-pop fans do to show they love their favorite singers?
4. How do K-pop fans feel about their favorite singers?
5. Why do some people think the music companies make fans feel close to the singers on purpose?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why did Karina say sorry on Instagram?
Karina said sorry on Instagram because she has a boyfriend named Lee Jae-wook.

2. What did some people do when they found out Karina has a boyfriend?
Some people got mad and asked if their love wasn’t enough. They even sent a big truck to Karina’s music company to show they were upset.

3. How do fans of K-pop singers show their love?
Fans of K-pop singers show their love by listening to their songs all the time and putting their pictures on big screens.

4. Why do some fans feel very close to their favorite singers?
Some fans feel very close to their favorite singers because they spend a lot of time and money on them. They think of them like friends or family.

5. Why do some people think music companies make fans feel close to the singers?
Some people think music companies make fans feel close to the singers on purpose because they want fans to spend more money on their favorite singers.

6. What did fans from other countries think about Karina saying sorry for dating?
Fans from other countries didn’t like that Karina had to say sorry for dating. They think it’s okay for singers to have boyfriends or girlfriends.

7. What do people hope will happen as more people around the world like K-pop?
People hope that as more people around the world like K-pop, fans will be nicer about singers having boyfriends or girlfriends.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) named
(2) favorite
(3) company
(4) upset
(5) people
(6) time
(7) other
(8) more
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. apologize
Answer: (J) To say sorry when you do something wrong

2. boyfriend
Answer: (G) A boy that someone likes a lot and spends time with

3. upset
Answer: (B) Feeling sad or mad about something

4. fans
Answer: (F) People who really like someone or something, like a singer or a movie

5. songs
Answer: (D) Music that you can sing and dance to

6. pictures
Answer: (E) Images that you can look at, like in a book or on a phone

7. discover
Answer: (A) Finding out something you didn’t know before

8. dating
Answer: (H) When two people like each other a lot and spend time together

9. companies
Answer: (I) Places where people work together to make or sell things

10. popular
Answer: (C) Liked by a lot of people
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who said sorry on Instagram?
Answer: (a) Karina

2. What is K-pop?
Answer: (d) Music from Korea

3. Why did some K-pop fans get upset?
Answer: (d) Because Karina has a boyfriend

4. How do K-pop fans show their love for their favorite singers?
Answer: (b) By listening to their songs all the time

5. How do K-pop fans feel about their favorite singers?
Answer: (b) Like they are friends or family

6. Why do some people think music companies make fans feel close to their favorite singers?
Answer: (c) So fans will spend a lot of time and money

7. How do some fans from other countries feel about singers dating?
Answer: (a) They didn’t like that Karina had to say sorry for dating

8. What do people hope will happen as more people around the world like K-pop?
Answer: (c) Fans will be nicer about singers having boyfriends or girlfriends
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. People hope that as more people around the world like K-pop, fans will be nicer about singers having boyfriends or girlfriends. (Answer: True)
2. Some people think that music companies make fans feel this way on purpose. (Answer: True)
3. A K-pop singer named Karina said sorry because she has a boyfriend named Lee Jae-wook. (Answer: True)
4. Some fans got happy and sent a small truck to Karina’s music company to show they were pleased. (Answer: False)
5. K-pop is becoming unpopular all over the world, and some fans from other countries liked that Karina had to say sorry for dating. (Answer: False)
6. K-pop fans feel very close to their favorite singers, like they are friends or family. (Answer: True)
7. K-pop fans show their love for their favorite singers by not listening to their songs and not putting their pictures on big screens. (Answer: False)
8. Some people who really dislike K-pop music got upset when they found out Karina has a boyfriend. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧