Japan's royal family just started using Instagram. Emperor Naruhito, who became emperor five years ago, wants to make the royal family more modern and connect with young people. They decided to use Instagram 15 years after the British royal family did. But, the pictures and stories they are sharing are very serious and about their royal work. They also don't let people leave comments on their posts.
The royal family in Japan used to only talk to people through old-fashioned ways like TV or newspapers. Now, they are trying Instagram to talk to more people. But, the things they are sharing are not very fun or about their personal lives. They only write in Japanese and keep everything very official. They turned off the comments to avoid any trouble or mean words that could make them look bad.
By using Instagram, the royal family in Japan hopes to seem cool to young people and control what people think about them. Even though their Instagram is a bit boring now, they want to make sure they only share good things. They have always been very careful about how they appear to the public. People in Japan think of the royal family as good examples to follow, and the royal family wants to keep it that way with their new Instagram.
Original news source: Bonsai and bowing: Japan's royal family join Instagram (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: After reading the article, students will work in pairs or small groups to summarize the main points of the article. They should focus on the key details and use their own words to explain the main ideas. Each group will then share their summary with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Each group will discuss and share their opinions on the following question: "Do you think the royal family in Japan should use Instagram to connect with young people?" After discussing, each group will choose a representative to present their group's opinion to the class and explain their reasons.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the class into teams. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and choose a word from the list. They must then draw a picture to represent the word, while their team members try to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with new students and words until all words have been drawn.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will create catchy headlines for an article about the royal family in Japan starting to use Instagram. They should try to come up with attention-grabbing and creative headlines that would make people want to read the article. Each group will share their headline with the class and explain why they chose it.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Students will work individually or in pairs to make predictions about the future of the royal family's Instagram use. They should think about how the account might change over time, what kind of content they might start sharing, and how it could affect their relationship with young people. After making their predictions, students will share their ideas with the class.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Japan's royal just started using Instagram. Emperor Naruhito, who became five years ago, wants to make the royal family more modern and connect with young people. They decided to use Instagram 15 years after the British royal family did. But, the and stories they are sharing are very serious and about their royal work. They also don't let people leave on their posts. The royal family in Japan used to only talk to people through old-fashioned ways like TV or newspapers. Now, they are trying Instagram to talk to people. But, the they are sharing are not very fun or about their lives. They only write in Japanese and keep everything very . They turned off the comments to avoid any trouble or mean words that could them look bad. By using Instagram, the royal family in Japan hopes to seem cool to young people and control what people think about them. Even though their Instagram is a bit boring now, they want to make they only share good things. They have always been very about how they appear to the public. People in Japan of the royal family as good examples to follow, and the royal family wants to keep it that way with their new Instagram.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is Instagram?
2. How do you think young people feel about the royal family using Instagram?
3. Do you think it's a good idea for the royal family to connect with young people? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you couldn't leave comments on someone's Instagram posts? Why?
5. Do you like the idea of the royal family sharing serious pictures and stories on Instagram? Why or why not?
6. How do you think the royal family feels about sharing their personal lives on Instagram?
7. Do you think it's important for the royal family to only write in Japanese on Instagram? Why or why not?
8. How do you think the royal family feels about turning off comments on their posts?
9. Do you think it's a good idea for the royal family to control what people think about them? Why or why not?
10. How do you think the royal family wants young people to see them?
11. Do you think the royal family is doing a good job of being good examples to follow? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the royal family's Instagram could be more interesting?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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