The boys from BTS, a music group many people love, have asked their fans to stay away when they go to the army. They don’t want their fans to bother the other people in the army or their families. Some of the BTS boys will go to the army soon, and some are already there.

The place where BTS lives, called South Korea, has a rule that says men must join the army for a while. The BTS boys know this is important and want everything to go right. They are being very grown-up by asking their fans not to come and make trouble. They care about the other people in the army and are showing that they are good examples for their fans.

Original news source: BTS urge fans to not show up at army camps when their military service starts (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a slip of paper with a word related to the article (e.g. army, fans, BTS, Korea). One person from each group will act out the word without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, have students take turns summarizing the main points of the article to each other. Encourage them to use their own words and keep the summary concise. After each summary, the listener can ask questions to clarify any details they didn’t understand.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Have students form small groups. Each group should discuss and share their opinion on whether they think it’s important for famous people like the BTS boys to be good examples for their fans. After the discussion, each group can share their opinion with the class. The teacher can facilitate a short class discussion on the topic.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper and put them in a bag or box. Divide the class into pairs. One student from each pair picks a word from the bag and has to draw a picture to represent that word, while their partner tries to guess what it is. Once the word is guessed correctly, they switch roles.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: In pairs, have students take turns sharing their thoughts and reactions to the article. Encourage them to discuss questions such as: What do you think about the BTS boys asking their fans to stay away from the army? Why do you think they made this request? Do you think it’s important for celebrities to be good role models? After the pair discussion, ask a few pairs to share their thoughts with the whole class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who are the boys from BTS?
2. Why are the BTS boys asking their fans to stay away when they go to the army?
3. What is the rule in South Korea for men?
4. Why do the BTS boys think it’s important to join the army?
5. How are the BTS boys being very grown-up?
6. Who do the BTS boys care about in the army?
7. What are the BTS boys showing to their fans?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The boys from BTS, a music group many people love, have asked their fans to (1)______ away when they go to the army. They don’t want their fans to (2)______ the other people in the army or their families. Some of the BTS (3)______ will go to the army soon, and some are already there.

The (4)______ where BTS lives, called South Korea, has a rule that says men must (5)______ the army for a while. The BTS boys (6)______ this is important and want everything to go right. They are being very grown-up by asking their (7)______ not to come and make trouble. They care about the other (8)______ in the army and are showing that they are good examples for their fans.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is BTS?
2. How do you think the BTS boys feel about going to the army?
3. How would you feel if you were asked to stay away when someone you love goes to the army?
4. Do you like BTS? Why or why not?
5. What is the rule in South Korea about joining the army?
6. How do you think the BTS boys are being grown-up?
7. Do you think it’s important to care about other people in the army? Why or why not?
8. How do you think the BTS boys are good examples for their fans?
9. Have you ever seen someone in a uniform? How did they look?
10. Do you think it’s important to follow rules? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the BTS boys’ families feel about them going to the army?
12. Have you ever had to say goodbye to someone you love? How did it feel?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. army
2. bother
3. rule
4. trouble
5. important
6. grown-up
7. fans
8. examples
9. families
10. showing

Meanings:
(A) To annoy or disturb someone
(B) Something that you must follow
(C) Demonstrating or proving something
(D) Acting like an adult and being responsible
(E) Causing problems or difficulties
(F) The people who are related to you, like your mom and dad
(G) Something that you can copy or learn from
(H) A group of people who protect the country
(I) People who really like a famous person or group
(J) Something that is very necessary or has a big effect
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who asked their fans to stay away when they go to the army?
(a) The boys from One Direction
(b) The boys from Blackpink
(c) The boys from BTS
(d) The boys from EXO

2. Why don’t the BTS boys want their fans to come to the army?
(a) They want to play alone
(b) They want to make their fans sad
(c) They don’t want to bother the other people in the army or their families
(d) They want to make their fans happy

3. What is the name of the country where BTS lives?
(a) North Korea
(b) Japan
(c) China
(d) South Korea

4. What is the rule in South Korea for men?
(a) They must join the army for a while
(b) They must become doctors
(c) They must become teachers
(d) They must become singers

5. What are the BTS boys showing by asking their fans not to come to the army?
(a) They are good examples for their fans
(b) They are bad examples for their fans
(c) They don’t care about their fans
(d) They want to make their fans angry

6. Are some of the BTS boys already in the army?
(a) No
(b) Yes
(c) Maybe
(d) I don’t know

7. Why do the BTS boys think joining the army is important?
(a) Because they want to become famous
(b) Because they want to become rich
(c) Because they want to become athletes
(d) Because it is a rule in South Korea

8. What did the BTS boys ask their fans to do?
(a) Come and visit them in the army
(b) Stay away when they go to the army
(c) Bring them presents in the army
(d) Make trouble in the army

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. They are being very childish by asking their fans to come and make trouble.
2. They are showing that they are good examples for their fans.
3. They asked their fans not to bother the other people in the army or their families.
4. They care about the other people in the army.
5. In South Korea, men have the choice to join the army for a while.
6. The boys from BTS are in a music group that few people like.
7. The BTS boys know this is unimportant and want everything to go wrong.
8. Some of the BTS boys will go to the army soon, and some are already there.
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. What do the boys from BTS want their fans to do when they go to the army?
2. Why do the boys from BTS not want their fans to bother the other people in the army?
3. What is the rule in South Korea for men?
4. Why do the BTS boys think it is important to follow the rule about going to the army?
5. What are the BTS boys showing by asking their fans not to come and make trouble?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who are the boys from BTS?
The boys from BTS are a music group that many people love.

2. Why are the BTS boys asking their fans to stay away when they go to the army?
The BTS boys are asking their fans to stay away when they go to the army because they don’t want to bother the other people in the army or their families.

3. What is the rule in South Korea for men?
The rule in South Korea for men is that they must join the army for a while.

4. Why do the BTS boys think it’s important to join the army?
The BTS boys think it’s important to join the army because it is a rule in South Korea and they want to do things right.

5. How are the BTS boys being very grown-up?
The BTS boys are being very grown-up by asking their fans not to come and make trouble. They are showing that they care about the other people in the army and are good examples for their fans.

6. Who do the BTS boys care about in the army?
The BTS boys care about the other people in the army and their families.

7. What are the BTS boys showing to their fans?
The BTS boys are showing to their fans that they are good examples by asking them not to come and make trouble when they go to the army.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) stay
(2) bother
(3) boys
(4) place
(5) join
(6) know
(7) fans
(8) people
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. army
Answer: (H) A group of people who protect the country

2. bother
Answer: (A) To annoy or disturb someone

3. rule
Answer: (B) Something that you must follow

4. trouble
Answer: (E) Causing problems or difficulties

5. important
Answer: (J) Something that is very necessary or has a big effect

6. grown-up
Answer: (D) Acting like an adult and being responsible

7. fans
Answer: (I) People who really like a famous person or group

8. examples
Answer: (G) Something that you can copy or learn from

9. families
Answer: (F) The people who are related to you, like your mom and dad

10. showing
Answer: (C) Demonstrating or proving something
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who asked their fans to stay away when they go to the army?
Answer: (c) The boys from BTS

2. Why don’t the BTS boys want their fans to come to the army?
Answer: (c) They don’t want to bother the other people in the army or their families

3. What is the name of the country where BTS lives?
Answer: (d) South Korea

4. What is the rule in South Korea for men?
Answer: (a) They must join the army for a while

5. What are the BTS boys showing by asking their fans not to come to the army?
Answer: (a) They are good examples for their fans

6. Are some of the BTS boys already in the army?
Answer: (b) Yes

7. Why do the BTS boys think joining the army is important?
Answer: (d) Because it is a rule in South Korea

8. What did the BTS boys ask their fans to do?
Answer: (b) Stay away when they go to the army
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. They are being very childish by asking their fans to come and make trouble. (Answer: False)
2. They are showing that they are good examples for their fans. (Answer: True)
3. They asked their fans not to bother the other people in the army or their families. (Answer: True)
4. They care about the other people in the army. (Answer: True)
5. In South Korea, men have the choice to join the army for a while. (Answer: False)
6. The boys from BTS are in a music group that few people like. (Answer: False)
7. The BTS boys know this is unimportant and want everything to go wrong. (Answer: False)
8. Some of the BTS boys will go to the army soon, and some are already there. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧