A singer from Colombia named Shakira had to deal with a big problem because some people said she did not pay her taxes. She paid a lot of money, €7.5 million, so she wouldn’t have to go to court. The people who were upset with her wanted her to go to jail for eight years and pay even more money, €23.8 million. Shakira said she didn’t do anything wrong and only paid the money because she cares about her kids.

Shakira is tired and sad from all the trouble this has caused her for many years. She wants to take care of her kids and keep singing and performing. She says she has always tried to do the right thing and be a good example. Shakira’s helpers said she made most of her money by singing in different countries, and she wasn’t always in Spain. She started telling Spain she lived there in 2015 and has paid a lot of taxes already.

Shakira used to be with a soccer player named Gerard Piqué, but they are not together anymore. They have two kids and were together for 11 years. Gerard had his own tax problem before, and he had to pay money too. Now that Shakira has paid her fine, she doesn’t have to go to court and can spend more time with her family and her music.

Original news source: Shakira: Singer settles Spanish tax fraud case with $7.5m fine (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students are split into pairs. One student acts as a news reporter, and the other is Shakira’s spokesperson. The news reporter asks questions about the recent tax issue, and the spokesperson answers, defending Shakira’s position. After a few minutes, students switch roles. This activity helps students practice speaking and listening skills while using vocabulary related to taxes, legal issues, and personal matters.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article on cards (e.g., singer, taxes, court, trouble, performing, etc.). Divide the class into two teams. Students take turns drawing the vocabulary words on the board without speaking or writing any words or numbers, while their team guesses the word. This activity helps students reinforce new vocabulary and engages visual learners.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article (e.g., “Celebrities should always pay their taxes,” “Paying a fine means admitting guilt,” etc.). Students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates whether they agree or disagree with each statement, tallying the responses. Then, discuss the results as a class. This encourages students to use language to express opinions and to practice question forms.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Give students five minutes to write a quick summary of the article, hitting all the key points: Shakira’s tax payment, the public’s reaction, her reasons, and her personal life changes. After writing, students pair up and share their summaries with each other. This activity helps students with comprehension and summarizing skills.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Based on the article, students write a few sentences predicting what might happen with Shakira in the future, both professionally and personally. They can discuss whether they think she will have more legal issues, what might happen with her career, or how her personal life might evolve. After writing, students can share their predictions with the class. This activity encourages creative thinking and the use of future tenses.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did some people say Shakira did not do?
2. How much money did Shakira pay so she wouldn’t have to go to court?
3. How long did people want Shakira to go to jail?
4. Why did Shakira say she paid the money?
5. When did Shakira start telling Spain she lived there?
6. Who was Shakira’s boyfriend and what sport did he play?
7. What can Shakira do now that she has paid her fine?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A singer from Colombia named Shakira had to deal with a big (1)______ because some (2)______ said she did not pay her taxes. She paid a lot of money, €7.5 million, so she wouldn’t have to go to court. The people who were upset with her (3)______ her to go to jail for eight years and pay even more money, €23.8 million. Shakira said she didn’t do anything wrong and only paid the money because she cares about her (4)______.

Shakira is tired and sad from all the trouble this has (5)______ her for many (6)______. She wants to take care of her kids and keep singing and performing. She says she has always tried to do the right thing and be a good (7)______. Shakira’s (8)______ said she made most of her money by singing in different (9)______, and she wasn’t always in Spain. She started telling Spain she lived there in 2015 and has paid a lot of taxes already.

Shakira used to be with a soccer player named (10)______ Piqué, but they are not together anymore. They have two kids and were together for 11 years. Gerard had his own tax problem before, and he had to pay (11)______ too. Now that Shakira has paid her fine, she doesn’t have to go to (12)______ and can spend more time with her family and her music.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a tax?
2. How would you feel if you had to pay a lot of money for taxes?
3. Do you like to listen to music from other countries?
4. Do you think it’s important to always do the right thing? Why or why not?
5. What would you do if someone said you did something wrong but you didn’t?
6. How do you think Shakira feels about having to pay so much money?
7. Do you think famous people should pay more taxes than other people? Why or why not?
8. What kind of problems do you think famous singers have?
9. If you were a singer, would you want to perform in many different countries?
10. Do you think it’s fair to go to jail for not paying taxes?
11. How important is it to take care of your family?
12. Would you stay with your friends if they had big problems, or would you leave them? Why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Shakira
2. taxes
3. court
4. money
5. kids
6. singing
7. example
8. family

Meanings:
(a) Children
(b) A famous singer from Colombia
(c) Making music with your voice
(d) Money that people have to pay to the government
(e) Being a good role model for others
(f) Coins and bills that people use to buy things
(g) The people you live with, like your parents and siblings
(h) A place where people go to decide if someone did something wrong
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did some people say Shakira did not pay her taxes?
(a) They wanted her to go to jail
(b) They didn’t like her music
(c) They thought she owed a lot of money
(d) They wanted her to pay more money

2. How much money did Shakira pay to avoid going to court?
(a) €23.8 million
(b) €7.5 million
(c) €15 million
(d) €10 million

3. Why did Shakira say she paid the money?
(a) Because she did something wrong
(b) Because she wanted to go to court
(c) Because she wanted to be a good example
(d) Because she cares about her kids

4. How does Shakira feel about the trouble she has had?
(a) Tired and sad
(b) Happy and excited
(c) Angry and frustrated
(d) Confused and worried

5. When did Shakira start telling Spain she lived there?
(a) 2010
(b) 2015
(c) 2005
(d) 2020

6. Who is Gerard Piqué?
(a) Shakira’s lawyer
(b) Shakira’s manager
(c) Shakira’s brother
(d) Shakira’s ex-boyfriend

7. How many kids does Shakira have?
(a) Three
(b) Four
(c) Two
(d) One

8. What can Shakira do now that she has paid her fine?
(a) Spend more time with her family and music
(b) Go to court
(c) Pay more money
(d) Move to a different country

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Shakira used to be with a soccer player named Gerard Piqué, but they are still together. They have two kids and were together for 11 years.
2. Shakira’s helpers said she made most of her money by not singing in different countries, just in Spain.
3. The people who were upset with Shakira wanted her to go to jail for eight years and pay even more money, €23.8 million.
4. Shakira started telling Spain she did not live there in 2015 and has already paid a lot of taxes.
5. Shakira had to pay a lot of money, €7.5 million, to avoid going to court because some people said she didn’t pay her taxes.
6. Shakira said she paid the money because she cares about her kids and didn’t want to go to jail.
7. Shakira wants to take care of her kids and continue singing and performing.
8. Shakira has not been dealing with this problem for many years and it has not made her tired and sad.
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. Why did Shakira have to pay a lot of money?
2. How long could Shakira have gone to jail if she didn’t pay the money?
3. What does Shakira want to do now that she has paid the money?
4. Where did Shakira make most of her money from?
5. Who is Gerard Piqué and what is his connection to Shakira?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did some people say Shakira did not do?
Some people said Shakira did not pay her taxes.

2. How much money did Shakira pay so she wouldn’t have to go to court?
Shakira paid €7.5 million so she wouldn’t have to go to court.

3. How long did people want Shakira to go to jail?
People wanted Shakira to go to jail for eight years.

4. Why did Shakira say she paid the money?
Shakira said she paid the money because she cares about her kids.

5. When did Shakira start telling Spain she lived there?
Shakira started telling Spain she lived there in 2015.

6. Who was Shakira’s boyfriend and what sport did he play?
Shakira’s boyfriend was Gerard Piqué, and he played soccer.

7. What can Shakira do now that she has paid her fine?
Now that Shakira has paid her fine, she can spend more time with her family and her music.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) problem
(2) people
(3) wanted
(4) kids
(5) caused
(6) years
(7) example
(8) helpers
(9) countries
(10) Gerard
(11) money
(12) court
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Shakira
Answer: (b) A famous singer from Colombia

2. taxes
Answer: (d) Money that people have to pay to the government

3. court
Answer: (h) A place where people go to decide if someone did something wrong

4. money
Answer: (f) Coins and bills that people use to buy things

5. kids
Answer: (a) Children

6. singing
Answer: (c) Making music with your voice

7. example
Answer: (e) Being a good role model for others

8. family
Answer: (g) The people you live with, like your parents and siblings
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did some people say Shakira did not pay her taxes?
Answer: (c) They thought she owed a lot of money

2. How much money did Shakira pay to avoid going to court?
Answer: (b) €7.5 million

3. Why did Shakira say she paid the money?
Answer: (d) Because she cares about her kids

4. How does Shakira feel about the trouble she has had?
Answer: (a) Tired and sad

5. When did Shakira start telling Spain she lived there?
Answer: (b) 2015

6. Who is Gerard Piqué?
Answer: (d) Shakira’s ex-boyfriend

7. How many kids does Shakira have?
Answer: (c) Two

8. What can Shakira do now that she has paid her fine?
Answer: (a) Spend more time with her family and music
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Shakira used to be with a soccer player named Gerard Piqué, but they are still together. They have two kids and were together for 11 years. (Answer: False)
2. Shakira’s helpers said she made most of her money by not singing in different countries, just in Spain. (Answer: False)
3. The people who were upset with Shakira wanted her to go to jail for eight years and pay even more money, €23.8 million. (Answer: True)
4. Shakira started telling Spain she did not live there in 2015 and has already paid a lot of taxes. (Answer: False)
5. Shakira had to pay a lot of money, €7.5 million, to avoid going to court because some people said she didn’t pay her taxes. (Answer: True)
6. Shakira said she paid the money because she cares about her kids and didn’t want to go to jail. (Answer: True)
7. Shakira wants to take care of her kids and continue singing and performing. (Answer: True)
8. Shakira has not been dealing with this problem for many years and it has not made her tired and sad. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧