There are many single people in China who find it hard to find someone to marry. Men who live in the countryside need to have money and a good job to get married. But women who live in the countryside can wait to find the right person. Women who live in cities think differently about marriage now and don't want to just have kids because they are supposed to.
The Chinese government hasn't really helped with the problems that make people not want to get married or have kids. Young people in China are saying they won't do what the government wants just because they are told to. They want to make their own choices about their lives. They call themselves the "last generation" because they want to live the way they want.
Original news source: China's matchmaking mums have a powerful ally: The Party (BBC)
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Start by explaining the concept of an opinion poll. Then, present the students with a statement from the article, such as "Young people should not feel pressured to get married or have children." Ask students to raise their hands if they agree or disagree. After the show of hands, encourage a few students to share their opinions and reasons in English, fostering a discussion about societal expectations in different cultures.
– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student plays the role of a news reporter, and the other is an expert on demographic trends in China. The reporter should ask the expert questions based on information from the article, such as why fewer people in China are getting married or having babies. After a few minutes, have students switch roles. This activity will encourage speaking practice and help students use new vocabulary in context.
– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word "marriage" on the board. Ask students to call out words or phrases they associate with marriage, such as "wedding," "family," "love," etc. Write down their associations around the central word, creating a word web. Repeat the process with the word "government." This will activate prior knowledge and help students make connections with the content of the article.
– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a different part of the article. Without writing any words, students must create a sketch that represents the main idea of their assigned section. Once everyone is done, each group presents their sketch to the class, and the other students guess which part of the article it illustrates. This activity encourages comprehension and creative thinking.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Based on the article's content, ask students to work in pairs to discuss and write down predictions about the future of China's population trends. Prompt them with questions such as: "What do you think will happen in 10 years if fewer people in China get married and have babies?" Afterward, have each pair share their predictions with the class, fostering future tense practice and critical thinking.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
Fewer people are getting married and having babies in China.
Last year, the number of people in China went down for the first time in many years.
Young people in China don't want to get married or have kids because they don't have enough jobs and things are expensive.
Men in the countryside need to have money and a good job to get married.
Women in the cities now think differently about marriage and don't want to just have kids because they are expected to.
No, the Chinese government hasn't really helped with the problems that make people not want to get married or have kids.
Young people in China call themselves the "last generation" because they want to make their own choices and live the way they want.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
In , fewer people are getting married and having babies, which worries the government. Last year, for the time in a time, there were fewer people in China. Not many people are getting married, and the number of babies born is very low. Young people in China don't to get or have kids because they don't have many jobs and things cost a lot. There are many single people in China who find it hard to find someone to marry. Men who live in the countryside to have money and a good job to get married. But women who live in the countryside can wait to find the right person. who live in cities think differently about marriage now and don't want to just kids because they are supposed to. The government hasn't really helped with the problems that make people not want to get married or have kids. Young in China are saying they won't do what the government just because they are told to. They want to make their own about their lives. They call themselves the "last generation" because they want to live the way they want.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is marriage?
2. Do you like the idea of getting married one day? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if things were very expensive in your country?
4. What do you think are good reasons to have a baby?
5. Do you think it's important to have a job before getting married? Why?
6. Why do you think some women in cities don't want to just have kids?
7. What do you think the word "single" means?
8. How would you feel if you had to wait a long time to find the right person to marry?
9. What is a "government"?
10. Do you think the government should help people with their problems? Why or why not?
11. What does it mean to make your own choices about your life?
12. Do you think it's okay to not do what others expect from you? Why or why not?
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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