A man from Greece who helps run the country says he wants some very old statues to come back home from a big museum in London. He thinks it’s like having only half of a very famous painting. A long time ago, a man from Britain took these statues and brought them to London. Some of the statues are still in Greece. The man from Greece wants all the statues to be together again.

People have been talking for a long time about who should keep the old statues. Greece says they belong to them and should be at home. But the big museum in London says the statues are okay where they are. They say many people can see them in London. Both sides can’t agree, and they both really want to keep the statues.

Original news source: Elgin Marbles in UK ‘like cutting Mona Lisa in half’ (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come to the front and act out a statue-related word or phrase without speaking. The team members will have to guess what the word or phrase is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students acting out different words or phrases.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Each pair will be given a statue-related word or phrase. One student will have to draw a picture of the word or phrase while the other student guesses what it is. The pair that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different pairs and different words or phrases.

– Keyword Taboo
Instructions: Write down a list of keywords related to the article on the board. Divide the class into teams. One student from each team will come to the front and try to explain the keyword without saying the word itself or any of the taboo words listed below it. The team members will have to guess what the keyword is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students and different keywords.

– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Write down a list of words from the article on the board. Divide the class into pairs. Each pair will be given a word and they have to come up with as many synonyms for that word as possible within a time limit. The pair with the most synonyms gets a point. Repeat with different pairs and different words.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about whether they think the statues should be returned to Greece or stay in the museum in London. Then, pair up the students and ask them to discuss their opinions with their partner. Finally, have a class discussion where students share their opinions and reasons for their choices.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What does the man from Greece want to happen to the old statues?
2. Why does the man from Greece think it’s like having only half of a famous painting?
3. Where did a man from Britain take the statues a long time ago?
4. Are all the statues in Greece or are some in London?
5. Who thinks the statues should be at home in Greece?
6. Where do the people at the big museum in London think the statues should stay?
7. Do both sides agree about where the statues should be?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man from Greece who (1)______ run the country says he wants some very old statues to come back home from a big museum in (2)______. He thinks it’s like having only half of a very famous (3)______. A long (4)______ ago, a man from Britain took these statues and brought them to London. Some of the statues are still in Greece. The man from Greece wants all the statues to be together again.

(5)______ have been (6)______ for a long time about who should keep the old statues. Greece says they belong to them and should be at home. But the big (7)______ in London (8)______ the statues are okay where they are. They say many people can see them in London. Both sides can’t agree, and they both really want to keep the statues.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a statue?
2. How would you feel if someone took something important from your country?
3. Do you think the statues should go back to Greece? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever seen a statue before? Where was it?
5. How do you think the people in Greece feel about the statues being in London?
6. Do you like going to museums? Why or why not?
7. What do you think the statues in Greece look like?
8. How would you feel if you saw the statues in person?
9. Do you think the statues should be kept in a museum? Why or why not?
10. Have you ever been to London? What did you see there?
11. What do you think is more important, having the statues in Greece or in London? Why?
12. If you could decide where the statues should be, where would you put them? Why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Greece
2. statues
3. home
4. museum
5. London
6. belong
7. together
8. keep

Meanings:
(a) Not let go of something, hold on to it
(b) Very old sculptures made of stone
(c) All in one place
(d) The place where you live
(e) A big building where you can see art
(f) Something that is owned by someone
(g) The place where the man is from
(h) The capital city of England
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where are the old statues currently located?
(a) Greece
(b) London
(c) France
(d) Germany

2. Who wants the old statues to come back to Greece?
(a) The man from Britain
(b) The big museum in London
(c) The people in France
(d) The man from Greece

3. Why does the man from Greece want the statues to come back home?
(a) He wants to sell them for money
(b) He wants to give them to the big museum in London
(c) He thinks it’s like having only half of a very famous painting
(d) He wants to keep them in France

4. Who currently has possession of some of the statues?
(a) London
(b) France
(c) Greece
(d) Germany

5. What does the big museum in London say about the statues?
(a) They are okay where they are
(b) They want to give them back to Greece
(c) They want to sell them for money
(d) They want to keep them in France

6. What do both sides want to do with the statues?
(a) Sell them
(b) Keep them
(c) Give them to France
(d) Give them to Germany

7. How long have people been talking about who should keep the statues?
(a) A long time
(b) A short time
(c) A few days
(d) Forever

8. Who says the statues belong to Greece?
(a) London
(b) France
(c) Germany
(d) Greece

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Greece says the statues don’t belong to them and should not be at home.
2. Both Greece and the museum really want to keep the statues.
3. The man from Greece wants all the statues to be together again.
4. A man from Greece wants some very old statues to stay at a big museum in London.
5. The man believes it’s unlike having only half of a very famous painting.
6. The big museum in London says the statues are not okay where they are.
7. A long time ago, a man from Britain took these statues and brought them to London.
8. Some of the statues are still in Greece.
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 does the man from Greece want to happen with the old statues?
2. Where are some of the statues now?
3. Why do Greece and the big museum in London both want to keep the statues?
4. Why does Greece think the statues should be at home?
5. Why does the big museum in London think the statues are okay where they are?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What does the man from Greece want to happen to the old statues?
He wants the old statues to come back home to Greece.

2. Why does the man from Greece think it’s like having only half of a famous painting?
He thinks it’s like having only half of a famous painting because some of the statues are still in Greece and he wants all of them to be together.

3. Where did a man from Britain take the statues a long time ago?
A man from Britain took the statues to London a long time ago.

4. Are all the statues in Greece or are some in London?
Some of the statues are still in Greece and some are in London.

5. Who thinks the statues should be at home in Greece?
The man from Greece thinks the statues should be at home in Greece.

6. Where do the people at the big museum in London think the statues should stay?
The people at the big museum in London think the statues should stay in London.

7. Do both sides agree about where the statues should be?
No, both sides do not agree about where the statues should be.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) helps
(2) London
(3) painting
(4) time
(5) People
(6) talking
(7) museum
(8) says
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Greece
Answer: (g) The place where the man is from

2. statues
Answer: (b) Very old sculptures made of stone

3. home
Answer: (d) The place where you live

4. museum
Answer: (e) A big building where you can see art

5. London
Answer: (h) The capital city of England

6. belong
Answer: (f) Something that is owned by someone

7. together
Answer: (c) All in one place

8. keep
Answer: (a) Not let go of something, hold on to it
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where are the old statues currently located?
Answer: (b) London

2. Who wants the old statues to come back to Greece?
Answer: (d) The man from Greece

3. Why does the man from Greece want the statues to come back home?
Answer: (c) He thinks it’s like having only half of a very famous painting

4. Who currently has possession of some of the statues?
Answer: (c) Greece

5. What does the big museum in London say about the statues?
Answer: (a) They are okay where they are

6. What do both sides want to do with the statues?
Answer: (b) Keep them

7. How long have people been talking about who should keep the statues?
Answer: (a) A long time

8. Who says the statues belong to Greece?
Answer: (d) Greece
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Greece says the statues don’t belong to them and should not be at home. (Answer: False)
2. Both Greece and the museum really want to keep the statues. (Answer: True)
3. The man from Greece wants all the statues to be together again. (Answer: True)
4. A man from Greece wants some very old statues to stay at a big museum in London. (Answer: False)
5. The man believes it’s unlike having only half of a very famous painting. (Answer: False)
6. The big museum in London says the statues are not okay where they are. (Answer: False)
7. A long time ago, a man from Britain took these statues and brought them to London. (Answer: True)
8. Some of the statues are still in Greece. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧