South Korea has a big problem because not many babies are being born. This is the biggest problem of its kind in the whole world. If things don’t change, there will be a lot fewer people in South Korea by the year 2100. The government tried to give money to families to help them have more babies, but it didn’t work. Many women in South Korea don’t want to have babies because it’s hard to find a good partner, work takes up too much time, and living and learning cost a lot of money.

One big reason women don’t want to have babies is that it’s hard to find someone who wants to help take care of the baby and the house. People in South Korea work a lot, and it’s hard for women to work and take care of a family at the same time. Also, houses and schools cost a lot of money, so having a baby is very expensive. The president of South Korea said the old ways to try to fix this problem didn’t work. Now, the government is trying to think of new ways to help, but we don’t know yet if these new ideas will make more women want to have babies.

Original news source: Why South Korean women aren’t having babies (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group takes turns selecting a word or phrase related to the article, and acting it out without speaking. The other groups must guess what they are portraying.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. In pairs, students take turns describing a scene or concept from the article while their partner sketches it. After a set amount of time, students compare their sketches and discuss what they drew.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board or on flashcards. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team takes turns selecting a word and drawing it on the board while their team tries to guess what it is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article, such as “Having a baby is too expensive” or “Women should prioritize their careers over having children.” Have students move to different areas of the classroom to indicate whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each statement. Afterward, facilitate a class discussion about the different opinions.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns making predictions about what South Korea will be like in the future based on the information in the article. They can discuss topics such as population, family structure, and government policies. Afterward, students share their predictions with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why is South Korea having a big problem?
2. What might happen if things don’t change?
3. What did the government try to do to help families have more babies?
4. Why don’t many women in South Korea want to have babies?
5. Why is it hard for women in South Korea to work and take care of a family at the same time?
6. Why is having a baby in South Korea very expensive?
7. What is the government doing now to try to help?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

South Korea has a big problem because not many (1)______ are being born. This is the (2)______ problem of its kind in the whole world. If things don’t change, there will be a lot fewer people in South Korea by the year 2100. The government tried to give money to families to help them have more babies, but it didn’t work. Many women in South (3)______ don’t want to have babies because it’s hard to find a good partner, work (4)______ up too much time, and living and learning cost a lot of money.

One big reason women don’t want to have babies is that it’s hard to find someone who wants to help (5)______ care of the baby and the house. People in South Korea work a lot, and it’s hard for women to work and take care of a family at the same time. Also, houses and schools cost a lot of (6)______, so having a baby is very expensive. The (7)______ of South Korea said the old ways to try to fix this problem didn’t work. Now, the government is (8)______ to think of new ways to help, but we don’t know yet if these new ideas will make more women want to have babies.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is the problem in South Korea?
2. How would you feel if there were fewer people in your country?
3. Do you like babies? Why or why not?
4. What is a good partner?
5. How do you think work takes up too much time?
6. Do you think it’s hard to take care of a family and work at the same time? Why or why not?
7. Why do you think having a baby is expensive?
8. What are some ways the government tried to help families have more babies?
9. How do you think the government can help more women want to have babies?
10. Do you know someone who takes care of a baby and works? How do they do it?
11. How do you think the government can make it easier for people to have babies?
12. Do you think it’s important for a country to have more babies? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. problem
2. government
3. babies
4. partner
5. work
6. expensive
7. president
8. ideas
9. women
10. families

Meanings:
(A) Something that is not good and needs to be fixed
(B) A friend who helps you and does things with you
(C) The group of people who make the rules for a country
(D) Groups of people who live together, like moms, dads, and kids
(E) The place where adults go to do their jobs
(F) Very small children who need a lot of care
(G) The boss of a country
(H) Grown-up girls
(I) When something costs a lot of money
(J) Thoughts about how to do something new or better
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the biggest problem in South Korea?
(a) Too many babies are being born
(b) People don’t have enough money
(c) People don’t have enough food
(d) Not many babies are being born

2. What might happen if things don’t change in South Korea?
(a) There will be more people in the future
(b) There will be fewer people in the future
(c) The government will give more money to families
(d) The president will change the laws

3. Why don’t many women in South Korea want to have babies?
(a) They don’t like babies
(b) They want to travel instead
(c) It’s hard to find a good partner, work takes up too much time, and living and learning cost a lot of money
(d) They want to focus on their careers

4. Why is it hard for women in South Korea to work and take care of a family at the same time?
(a) They don’t have enough money
(b) They don’t have enough time
(c) People in South Korea work a lot
(d) They don’t have enough help

5. Why is having a baby in South Korea very expensive?
(a) Houses and schools cost a lot of money
(b) Babies need a lot of toys
(c) Babies need a lot of clothes
(d) Babies need a lot of food

6. What did the government of South Korea try to do to help families have more babies?
(a) Give them money
(b) Give them more time off work
(c) Give them free houses
(d) Give them free education

7. What did the president of South Korea say about the old ways to fix the problem?
(a) They worked very well
(b) They were too expensive
(c) They were too difficult
(d) They didn’t work

8. What is the government of South Korea trying to do now?
(a) Give up on the problem
(b) Think of new ways to help
(c) Change the laws
(d) Give more money to families

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. If things remain the same, there will be a decreased number of people in South Korea by the year 2100.
2. People in South Korea work excessively, and it’s challenging for women to work and care for a family simultaneously.
3. One big reason women don’t want to have babies is that it’s hard to find someone who wants to help take care of the baby and the house.
4. Many women in South Korea don’t want to have babies because it’s hard to find a good partner, work takes up too much time, and living and learning cost a lot of money.
5. The president of South Korea said the traditional ways to solve this issue didn’t work.
6. This is among the major issues of its type in the whole world.
7. South Korea has a problem because not many babies are being born.
8. The government tried to give money to families to help them have more babies, but it didn’t work.
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 is the problem in South Korea?
2. Why don’t many women in South Korea want to have babies?
3. Why is it hard for women in South Korea to work and take care of a family?
4. Why is having a baby expensive in South Korea?
5. What is the government doing to try to solve the problem?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why is South Korea having a big problem?
South Korea is having a big problem because not many babies are being born.

2. What might happen if things don’t change?
If things don’t change, there will be a lot fewer people in South Korea by the year 2100.

3. What did the government try to do to help families have more babies?
The government tried to give money to families to help them have more babies.

4. Why don’t many women in South Korea want to have babies?
Many women in South Korea don’t want to have babies because it’s hard to find a good partner, work takes up too much time, and living and learning cost a lot of money.

5. Why is it hard for women in South Korea to work and take care of a family at the same time?
It is hard for women in South Korea to work and take care of a family at the same time because people in South Korea work a lot, and it’s hard to find someone to help take care of the baby and the house.

6. Why is having a baby in South Korea very expensive?
Having a baby in South Korea is very expensive because houses and schools cost a lot of money.

7. What is the government doing now to try to help?
The government is trying to think of new ways to help, but we don’t know yet if these new ideas will make more women want to have babies.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) babies
(2) biggest
(3) Korea
(4) takes
(5) take
(6) money
(7) president
(8) trying
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. problem
Answer: (A) Something that is not good and needs to be fixed

2. government
Answer: (C) The group of people who make the rules for a country

3. babies
Answer: (F) Very small children who need a lot of care

4. partner
Answer: (B) A friend who helps you and does things with you

5. work
Answer: (E) The place where adults go to do their jobs

6. expensive
Answer: (I) When something costs a lot of money

7. president
Answer: (G) The boss of a country

8. ideas
Answer: (J) Thoughts about how to do something new or better

9. women
Answer: (H) Grown-up girls

10. families
Answer: (D) Groups of people who live together, like moms, dads, and kids
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the biggest problem in South Korea?
Answer: (d) Not many babies are being born

2. What might happen if things don’t change in South Korea?
Answer: (b) There will be fewer people in the future

3. Why don’t many women in South Korea want to have babies?
Answer: (c) It’s hard to find a good partner, work takes up too much time, and living and learning cost a lot of money

4. Why is it hard for women in South Korea to work and take care of a family at the same time?
Answer: (c) People in South Korea work a lot

5. Why is having a baby in South Korea very expensive?
Answer: (a) Houses and schools cost a lot of money

6. What did the government of South Korea try to do to help families have more babies?
Answer: (a) Give them money

7. What did the president of South Korea say about the old ways to fix the problem?
Answer: (d) They didn’t work

8. What is the government of South Korea trying to do now?
Answer: (b) Think of new ways to help
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. If things remain the same, there will be a decreased number of people in South Korea by the year 2100. (Answer: False)
2. People in South Korea work excessively, and it’s challenging for women to work and care for a family simultaneously. (Answer: False)
3. One big reason women don’t want to have babies is that it’s hard to find someone who wants to help take care of the baby and the house. (Answer: True)
4. Many women in South Korea don’t want to have babies because it’s hard to find a good partner, work takes up too much time, and living and learning cost a lot of money. (Answer: True)
5. The president of South Korea said the traditional ways to solve this issue didn’t work. (Answer: False)
6. This is among the major issues of its type in the whole world. (Answer: False)
7. South Korea has a problem because not many babies are being born. (Answer: True)
8. The government tried to give money to families to help them have more babies, but it didn’t work. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧