A very old man named Henry Kissinger died. He was 100 years old. Henry had a very important job talking to other countries for America. Some people liked him because he helped stop fights between countries. But other people were mad at him for helping start fights and not being nice to some people.

Henry was born in a place called Germany, but he had to leave because it was not safe. He moved to America and became a soldier. Later, he wrote a book and got a very big job with the president. He talked to Russia and China to make things peaceful. But he also did things that made people very upset. Now that he is gone, people are still talking about whether he was good or bad.

Original news source: Henry Kissinger: Divisive diplomat who towered over world affairs (BBC)

Listen

Slow

Normal

Fast

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a word or phrase related to the article (e.g. “diplomacy,” “peace,” “war”). One person from each group will act out the word or phrase without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess what it is.

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article aloud to the class. Then, ask the students to summarize the main points of the article in their own words. Encourage them to use simple sentences and key vocabulary from the article.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write two statements on the board: “Henry Kissinger was a good diplomat” and “Henry Kissinger was a bad diplomat.” Have the students stand on opposite sides of the room to indicate whether they agree or disagree with each statement. Then, ask a few students from each side to explain their reasoning.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “diplomacy” on the board. Ask the students to brainstorm as many words as they can that they associate with this word. Encourage them to think of related words, synonyms, or examples of diplomacy in action.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on small pieces of paper or index cards. Have the students take turns choosing a word and drawing a picture to represent it. The rest of the class must try to guess the word based on the drawing.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who was Henry Kissinger?
2. How old was Henry when he died?
3. What was Henry’s job?
4. Why did some people like Henry?
5. Why were some people mad at Henry?
6. Where was Henry born?
7. Why did Henry have to leave his birthplace?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A very old man named (1)______ Kissinger (2)______. He was 100 years old. Henry had a very important job talking to other countries for America. Some people liked him because he helped stop fights between (3)______. But other (4)______ were mad at him for helping start fights and not being nice to some people.

Henry was born in a place called Germany, but he had to (5)______ because it was not safe. He moved to America and became a soldier. Later, he wrote a (6)______ and got a very big job with the president. He talked to Russia and China to make things peaceful. But he also did things that made people very upset. Now that he is (7)______, people are still (8)______ about whether he was good or bad.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a very old man?
2. How would you feel if you had to leave your home because it wasn’t safe?
3. Do you think it’s important to talk to other countries? Why or why not?
4. What is a soldier?
5. How would you feel if you had a very big job with the president?
6. Do you like books? Why or why not?
7. What do you think it means to make things peaceful?
8. How would you feel if someone did things that made you very upset?
9. Do you think it’s important to talk about people after they’re gone? Why or why not?
10. What do you think it means to be good or bad?
11. How would you feel if people were mad at you for something you did?
12. Do you think it’s important to help stop fights between countries? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. old
2. died
3. job
4. countries
5. safe
6. soldier
7. book
8. upset

Meanings:
(a) When you stop living
(b) Not in danger
(c) Something you read with words and pictures
(d) Not young anymore
(e) Someone who fights for their country
(f) Feeling sad or angry
(g) Something you do to make money
(h) Places where people live
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How old was Henry Kissinger when he died?
(a) 50 years old
(b) 100 years old
(c) 75 years old
(d) 90 years old

2. Where was Henry Kissinger born?
(a) Germany
(b) America
(c) Russia
(d) China

3. What was Henry Kissinger’s job?
(a) Being a soldier
(b) Writing books
(c) Talking to other countries for America
(d) Being a president

4. Why did Henry Kissinger have to leave Germany?
(a) He didn’t like it
(b) It was not safe
(c) He wanted to live in America
(d) He wanted to be a soldier

5. Who did Henry Kissinger talk to make things peaceful?
(a) Russia and China
(b) Germany and America
(c) France and Spain
(d) Japan and Australia

6. How did some people feel about Henry Kissinger?
(a) Everyone liked him
(b) Everyone was mad at him
(c) No one knew who he was
(d) Some people liked him and some people were mad at him

7. What did Henry Kissinger do that made people upset?
(a) Helped stop fights and was nice to everyone
(b) Wrote a book
(c) Helped start fights and was not nice to some people
(d) Became a soldier

8. What are people still talking about after Henry Kissinger’s death?
(a) What he ate for breakfast
(b) Where he was born
(c) How old he was
(d) Whether he was good or bad

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. However, some people were mad at him because they believed he helped start fights and wasn’t nice to some people.
2. He avoided talking to Russia and China to maintain conflicts, but some of his actions made people very happy.
3. Some people disliked him because he encouraged fights between countries.
4. Later, he wrote a book and got a very big job with the president.
5. Henry was born in Germany but chose to leave because it wasn’t interesting.
6. He moved to America and became a soldier.
7. Henry Kissinger was a very old man who recently passed away at the age of 100.
8. He had a trivial job for America, where he ignored other countries.
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 was Henry Kissinger?
2. How old was Henry Kissinger when he died?
3. Where was Henry Kissinger born?
4. Why did Henry Kissinger have to leave Germany?
5. What did Henry Kissinger do to help make things peaceful between countries?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who was Henry Kissinger?
Henry Kissinger was a very old man who had an important job talking to other countries for America.

2. How old was Henry when he died?
Henry was 100 years old when he died.

3. What was Henry’s job?
Henry’s job was to talk to other countries for America and try to make things peaceful.

4. Why did some people like Henry?
Some people liked Henry because he helped stop fights between countries.

5. Why were some people mad at Henry?
Some people were mad at Henry because they thought he helped start fights and was not nice to some people.

6. Where was Henry born?
Henry was born in a place called Germany.

7. Why did Henry have to leave his birthplace?
Henry had to leave his birthplace because it was not safe for him to stay there.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Henry
(2) died
(3) countries
(4) people
(5) leave
(6) book
(7) gone
(8) talking
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. old
Answer: (d) Not young anymore

2. died
Answer: (a) When you stop living

3. job
Answer: (g) Something you do to make money

4. countries
Answer: (h) Places where people live

5. safe
Answer: (b) Not in danger

6. soldier
Answer: (e) Someone who fights for their country

7. book
Answer: (c) Something you read with words and pictures

8. upset
Answer: (f) Feeling sad or angry
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How old was Henry Kissinger when he died?
Answer: (b) 100 years old

2. Where was Henry Kissinger born?
Answer: (a) Germany

3. What was Henry Kissinger’s job?
Answer: (c) Talking to other countries for America

4. Why did Henry Kissinger have to leave Germany?
Answer: (b) It was not safe

5. Who did Henry Kissinger talk to make things peaceful?
Answer: (a) Russia and China

6. How did some people feel about Henry Kissinger?
Answer: (d) Some people liked him and some people were mad at him

7. What did Henry Kissinger do that made people upset?
Answer: (c) Helped start fights and was not nice to some people

8. What are people still talking about after Henry Kissinger’s death?
Answer: (d) Whether he was good or bad
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. However, some people were mad at him because they believed he helped start fights and wasn’t nice to some people. (Answer: True)
2. He avoided talking to Russia and China to maintain conflicts, but some of his actions made people very happy. (Answer: False)
3. Some people disliked him because he encouraged fights between countries. (Answer: False)
4. Later, he wrote a book and got a very big job with the president. (Answer: True)
5. Henry was born in Germany but chose to leave because it wasn’t interesting. (Answer: False)
6. He moved to America and became a soldier. (Answer: True)
7. Henry Kissinger was a very old man who recently passed away at the age of 100. (Answer: True)
8. He had a trivial job for America, where he ignored other countries. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧