Someone made fake phone calls that sounded like President Joe Biden. They told people not to vote in the New Hampshire election. The fake calls said to wait for the big election in November. But this was a lie; people can vote in both elections.

The people in charge of the law in New Hampshire think the calls were not real. They said the calls were trying to mess up the election. The calls used the phone number of a woman who likes Biden. They think between 5,000 and 25,000 fake calls were made.

Biden’s friends said the fake calls were very bad. They were trying to stop people from voting. In New Hampshire, people are picking who they want for the big election. Even though Biden’s name isn’t on the list, people can still write it in. Biden changed the rules, so New Hampshire isn’t the first place to vote anymore. But he still hopes to win there and be the one his party picks to try to be president again.

Original news source: Fake Biden robocall tells voters to skip New Hampshire primary election (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs or small groups. Give each group a copy of the article or read it aloud to the class. Instruct the students to work together to summarize the main points of the article in their own words. After they have finished, have each group share their summary with the rest of the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write the following question on the board: “Do you think fake phone calls that try to stop people from voting are a serious problem?” Instruct the students to think about their answer and then find a partner to discuss their opinion. After a few minutes, have a class discussion and ask for volunteers to share their opinions and reasons.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the students into teams and give each team a whiteboard or a piece of paper and a marker. One person from each team will come to the front of the class and you will call out a word from the list. The student must then draw a picture to represent the word and their team members must guess what the word is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs or small groups. Give each group a few minutes to discuss the pros and cons of fake phone calls that try to stop people from voting. After they have finished, have each group share their thoughts with the rest of the class. Encourage them to think critically and consider different perspectives.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Pose the following question to the class: “What do you think can be done to prevent fake phone calls that try to interfere with elections?” Give the students a few minutes to think about their answer, then have them find a partner to discuss their ideas. After a few minutes, have a class discussion and ask for volunteers to share their ideas. Encourage them to come up with practical and realistic solutions.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the fake phone calls sound like?
2. What did the fake calls tell people not to do in the New Hampshire election?
3. Did the fake calls tell the truth about being able to vote in both elections?
4. Who thinks the calls were not real?
5. What did the people in charge of the law think the calls were trying to do?
6. Whose phone number did the fake calls use?
7. How many fake calls do they think were made?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Someone made fake phone (1)______ that (2)______ like President Joe Biden. They told (3)______ not to vote in the New Hampshire election. The fake calls said to wait for the big election in November. But this was a lie; people can vote in both (4)______s.

The people in charge of the law in New Hampshire think the calls were not (5)______. They said the calls were trying to mess up the election. The calls (6)______ the phone number of a woman who likes Biden. They think between 5,000 and 25,000 (7)______ calls were made.

Biden’s (8)______ said the fake calls were very bad. They were trying to stop people from voting. In New (9)______, people are picking who they want for the big election. Even though Biden’s name isn’t on the list, people can still write it in. Biden changed the rules, so New Hampshire isn’t the first (10)______ to (11)______ anymore. But he still (12)______ to win there and be the one his party picks to try to be president again.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a fake phone call?
2. How would you feel if someone made fake phone calls pretending to be someone important?
3. Do you think it’s important for people to vote in elections? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the people who made the fake calls trying to stop people from voting?
5. Do you like the idea of being able to write in a candidate’s name on the ballot? Why or why not?
6. How do you think President Biden feels about the fake calls?
7. What do you think about President Biden changing the rules for voting in New Hampshire?
8. Do you think President Biden will win the big election? Why or why not?
9. Have you ever received a phone call that you thought was fake? How did it make you feel?
10. What do you think the punishment should be for the people who made the fake calls?
11. How do you think the people in New Hampshire feel about the fake calls?
12. Do you think fake phone calls can really mess up an election? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. fake
2. election
3. November
4. lie
5. charge
6. mess
7. friends
8. voting
9. picking
10. rules
11. hopes
12. president

Meanings:
(A) Selecting or choosing something or someone
(B) People who make sure others follow the law
(C) The leader of a country
(D) Not real or true
(E) Choosing who you want to lead by marking a paper or using a machine
(F) To make things untidy or confusing
(G) Wants something to happen very much
(H) The 11th month of the year
(I) Something that is not true
(J) Instructions on how to do something or what you can or can’t do
(K) When people choose who they want to lead them
(L) People who care about you and support you
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the fake phone calls say about voting in the New Hampshire election?
(a) People should wait for the big election in November
(b) People can vote in both elections
(c) People can only vote in the big election in November
(d) People should not vote

2. Who do the people in charge of the law in New Hampshire think made the fake calls?
(a) President Joe Biden
(b) A woman who likes Biden
(c) They are not sure
(d) Biden’s friends

3. How many fake calls do they think were made?
(a) Less than 1,000
(b) Between 5,000 and 25,000
(c) More than 50,000
(d) Exactly 10,000

4. Why do Biden’s friends think the fake calls were bad?
(a) They were trying to help Biden win
(b) They were trying to make people vote twice
(c) They were trying to stop people from voting
(d) They were trying to change the election rules

5. What are people in New Hampshire doing in the big election?
(a) Voting for Biden’s friends
(b) Picking who they want for president
(c) Voting for Biden’s party
(d) Voting for the first place to vote

6. Can people still write in Biden’s name in the New Hampshire election?
(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) Only if his name is on the list
(d) Only if they vote in November

7. What did Biden change about the rules in New Hampshire?
(a) It is not the first place to vote anymore
(b) People can only vote in November
(c) People can vote twice
(d) His name is automatically on the list

8. What does Biden hope to do in New Hampshire?
(a) Stop people from voting
(b) Change the election rules
(c) Be the first place to vote
(d) Win and be the one his party picks to try to be president again

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. They estimate that between 5,000 and 25,000 fake calls were made.
2. Biden’s friends think the fake calls were very bad and aimed to prevent people from voting.
3. Even though Biden’s name is not on the list, people can still write it in when voting in New Hampshire.
4. Someone made genuine phone calls pretending to be President Joe Biden.
5. The people in charge of the law in New Hampshire believe the calls were real.
6. Biden hopes to lose in New Hampshire and be overlooked by his party to run for president again.
7. The calls used the phone number of a woman who supports Biden.
8. The fake calls encouraged people to vote in the New Hampshire election.
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 happened with the phone calls that sounded like President Joe Biden?
2. What did the fake calls tell people about the New Hampshire election?
3. What do the people in charge of the law in New Hampshire think about the calls?
4. Why do Biden’s friends think the fake calls were bad?
5. What did Biden change about the rules for voting in New Hampshire?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the fake phone calls sound like?
The fake phone calls sounded like President Joe Biden.

2. What did the fake calls tell people not to do in the New Hampshire election?
The fake calls told people not to vote in the New Hampshire election.

3. Did the fake calls tell the truth about being able to vote in both elections?
No, the fake calls lied and said people couldn’t vote in both elections.

4. Who thinks the calls were not real?
The people in charge of the law in New Hampshire think the calls were not real.

5. What did the people in charge of the law think the calls were trying to do?
The people in charge of the law thought the calls were trying to mess up the election.

6. Whose phone number did the fake calls use?
The fake calls used the phone number of a woman who likes Biden.

7. How many fake calls do they think were made?
They think between 5,000 and 25,000 fake calls were made.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) calls
(2) sounded
(3) people
(4) election
(5) real
(6) used
(7) fake
(8) friends
(9) Hampshire
(10) place
(11) vote
(12) hopes
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. fake
Answer: (D) Not real or true

2. election
Answer: (K) When people choose who they want to lead them

3. November
Answer: (H) The 11th month of the year

4. lie
Answer: (I) Something that is not true

5. charge
Answer: (B) People who make sure others follow the law

6. mess
Answer: (F) To make things untidy or confusing

7. friends
Answer: (L) People who care about you and support you

8. voting
Answer: (E) Choosing who you want to lead by marking a paper or using a machine

9. picking
Answer: (A) Selecting or choosing something or someone

10. rules
Answer: (J) Instructions on how to do something or what you can or can’t do

11. hopes
Answer: (G) Wants something to happen very much

12. president
Answer: (C) The leader of a country
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the fake phone calls say about voting in the New Hampshire election?
Answer: (d) People should not vote

2. Who do the people in charge of the law in New Hampshire think made the fake calls?
Answer: (c) They are not sure

3. How many fake calls do they think were made?
Answer: (b) Between 5,000 and 25,000

4. Why do Biden’s friends think the fake calls were bad?
Answer: (c) They were trying to stop people from voting

5. What are people in New Hampshire doing in the big election?
Answer: (b) Picking who they want for president

6. Can people still write in Biden’s name in the New Hampshire election?
Answer: (a) Yes

7. What did Biden change about the rules in New Hampshire?
Answer: (a) It is not the first place to vote anymore

8. What does Biden hope to do in New Hampshire?
Answer: (d) Win and be the one his party picks to try to be president again
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. They estimate that between 5,000 and 25,000 fake calls were made. (Answer: True)
2. Biden’s friends think the fake calls were very bad and aimed to prevent people from voting. (Answer: True)
3. Even though Biden’s name is not on the list, people can still write it in when voting in New Hampshire. (Answer: True)
4. Someone made genuine phone calls pretending to be President Joe Biden. (Answer: False)
5. The people in charge of the law in New Hampshire believe the calls were real. (Answer: False)
6. Biden hopes to lose in New Hampshire and be overlooked by his party to run for president again. (Answer: False)
7. The calls used the phone number of a woman who supports Biden. (Answer: True)
8. The fake calls encouraged people to vote in the New Hampshire election. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧