A man named Hovhannes Avoyan made an app for changing pictures and videos. He used to teach about smart computers in Armenia. He thinks smart computers won’t take away jobs. Instead, he says people should learn how to use them to do better at work. He believes using smart computers can help us do more and better things.

His app, called Picsart, is very special because it’s worth a lot of money. It uses smart computer ideas to work. Hovhannes says we shouldn’t be scared of smart computers. We should learn how to make them help us in our jobs. He thinks if we can use smart computers well, we can make new things and find new jobs.

Original news source: AI won’t steal your job, but people using it may’ (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down some key words from the article on individual pieces of paper and put them in a hat. One student from each team will come up to the front and choose a word from the hat without looking. They must then act out the word for their team to guess within a certain time limit (e.g. 1 minute). The team that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner/group. They should try to use their own words and keep it concise. After each summary, the rest of the class can ask questions or add any additional information they remember from the article.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write a question on the board related to the article, such as “Do you agree that smart computers can help us do more and better things?” Have students raise their hands to indicate their opinion (e.g. agree, disagree, not sure). Then, ask a few students to explain their reasoning behind their answer. Encourage students to use the new vocabulary from the article in their responses.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. smart computers, app, jobs, etc.). One student from each group will draw a picture to represent one of the words without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess the word. The group that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Give students a few minutes to think about the following question: “How do you think smart computers can help us in our jobs?” Then, have them pair up with a partner and share their thoughts. Afterward, ask a few pairs to share their ideas with the rest of the class. Encourage students to listen and respond to each other’s ideas.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who made an app for changing pictures and videos?
2. What did Hovhannes Avoyan used to teach about in Armenia?
3. What does Hovhannes think about smart computers taking away jobs?
4. What does Hovhannes believe people should do with smart computers at work?
5. What is the name of the app Hovhannes made?
6. Why is Hovhannes’ app special?
7. What does Hovhannes think we should do with smart computers to find new jobs?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man named Hovhannes Avoyan (1)______ an app for changing pictures and videos. He (2)______ to teach about smart computers in Armenia. He thinks smart computers won’t take away jobs. Instead, he (3)______ (4)______ should learn how to use them to do better at work. He believes using smart computers can help us do more and better things.

His app, called Picsart, is very special because it’s worth a lot of (5)______. It uses smart computer ideas to work. (6)______ says we shouldn’t be scared of (7)______ (8)______. We should learn how to make them help us in our jobs. He thinks if we can use smart computers well, we can make new things and find new jobs.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is an app?
2. How do you think smart computers can help us at work?
3. Do you think smart computers will take away jobs? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you could make your own app?
5. Do you like taking pictures and videos? Why or why not?
6. What do you think is special about the app called Picsart?
7. How do you think smart computer ideas can be used in our jobs?
8. What new things do you think we can make with smart computers?
9. Do you think it’s important to learn how to use smart computers? Why or why not?
10. How do you think smart computers can help us find new jobs?
11. What do you think about Hovhannes Avoyan’s idea about smart computers?
12. Would you like to learn how to use smart computers? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. app
2. pictures
3. videos
4. teach
5. computers
6. jobs
7. learn
8. special
9. scared
10. discover

Meanings:
(A) What you see in a photo or drawing
(B) A game or tool on your phone or computer
(C) Work that people do
(D) Little movies you watch on a screen
(E) Very unique or not like others
(F) To get new knowledge or skills
(G) To find something new or interesting
(H) Feeling afraid of something
(I) Machines that help us do things faster and smarter
(J) To show someone how to do something
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the man who made the app?
(a) John Smith
(b) Hovhannes Avoyan
(c) David Johnson
(d) Michael Brown

2. What does Hovhannes Avoyan think about smart computers?
(a) They will take away jobs
(b) They won’t take away jobs
(c) They are scary
(d) They are useless

3. What is the name of the app that Hovhannes Avoyan made?
(a) Smart Computer
(b) Job Taker
(c) Picsart
(d) Money Maker

4. Why is Picsart special?
(a) It’s worth a lot of money
(b) It’s free
(c) It’s easy to use
(d) It’s colorful

5. What does Hovhannes Avoyan think we should do with smart computers?
(a) Be scared of them
(b) Ignore them
(c) Throw them away
(d) Learn how to use them to do better at work

6. What does Hovhannes Avoyan believe using smart computers can help us do?
(a) Do more and better things
(b) Do less and worse things
(c) Do nothing
(d) Do the same things

7. What does Hovhannes Avoyan think we can make if we use smart computers well?
(a) Old things
(b) Broken things
(c) New things
(d) Useless things

8. What does Hovhannes Avoyan think we can find if we use smart computers well?
(a) No jobs
(b) Old jobs
(c) Bad jobs
(d) New jobs

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Hovhannes used to teach about smart computers in Romania.
2. He believes if we can use smart computers well, we can make new things and improve existing jobs.
3. Hovhannes created an app called Picsart that is worth a lot of money.
4. Hovhannes believes smart computers won’t take away jobs.
5. Picsart uses innovative computer ideas to work.
6. He thinks people should learn how to use smart computers to excel at work.
7. A man named Hovhannes Avoyan made an app that changes pictures and videos.
8. Hovhannes says we shouldn’t be scared of smart computers.
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. Who made an app for changing pictures and videos?
2. What did Hovhannes Avoyan used to teach in Armenia?
3. What does Hovhannes Avoyan think about smart computers taking away jobs?
4. What is the name of Hovhannes Avoyan’s app?
5. What does Hovhannes Avoyan believe we can do if we learn how to use smart computers well?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who made an app for changing pictures and videos?
Hovhannes Avoyan made the app for changing pictures and videos.

2. What did Hovhannes Avoyan used to teach about in Armenia?
Hovhannes Avoyan used to teach about smart computers in Armenia.

3. What does Hovhannes think about smart computers taking away jobs?
Hovhannes thinks smart computers won’t take away jobs.

4. What does Hovhannes believe people should do with smart computers at work?
Hovhannes believes people should learn how to use smart computers to do better at work.

5. What is the name of the app Hovhannes made?
The name of the app Hovhannes made is Picsart.

6. Why is Hovhannes’ app special?
Hovhannes’ app is special because it uses smart computer ideas to work.

7. What does Hovhannes think we should do with smart computers to find new jobs?
Hovhannes thinks we should learn how to use smart computers well to make new things and find new jobs.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) made
(2) used
(3) says
(4) people
(5) money
(6) Hovhannes
(7) smart
(8) computers
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. app
Answer: (B) A game or tool on your phone or computer

2. pictures
Answer: (A) What you see in a photo or drawing

3. videos
Answer: (D) Little movies you watch on a screen

4. teach
Answer: (J) To show someone how to do something

5. computers
Answer: (I) Machines that help us do things faster and smarter

6. jobs
Answer: (C) Work that people do

7. learn
Answer: (F) To get new knowledge or skills

8. special
Answer: (E) Very unique or not like others

9. scared
Answer: (H) Feeling afraid of something

10. discover
Answer: (G) To find something new or interesting
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the man who made the app?
Answer: (b) Hovhannes Avoyan

2. What does Hovhannes Avoyan think about smart computers?
Answer: (b) They won’t take away jobs

3. What is the name of the app that Hovhannes Avoyan made?
Answer: (c) Picsart

4. Why is Picsart special?
Answer: (a) It’s worth a lot of money

5. What does Hovhannes Avoyan think we should do with smart computers?
Answer: (d) Learn how to use them to do better at work

6. What does Hovhannes Avoyan believe using smart computers can help us do?
Answer: (a) Do more and better things

7. What does Hovhannes Avoyan think we can make if we use smart computers well?
Answer: (c) New things

8. What does Hovhannes Avoyan think we can find if we use smart computers well?
Answer: (d) New jobs
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Hovhannes used to teach about smart computers in Romania. (Answer: False)
2. He believes if we can use smart computers well, we can make new things and improve existing jobs. (Answer: False)
3. Hovhannes created an app called Picsart that is worth a lot of money. (Answer: True)
4. Hovhannes believes smart computers won’t take away jobs. (Answer: True)
5. Picsart uses innovative computer ideas to work. (Answer: False)
6. He thinks people should learn how to use smart computers to excel at work. (Answer: False)
7. A man named Hovhannes Avoyan made an app that changes pictures and videos. (Answer: True)
8. Hovhannes says we shouldn’t be scared of smart computers. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧