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 PiquΓ©, 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)
π Vocabulary:
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.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
Some people said Shakira did not pay her taxes.
Shakira paid β¬7.5 million so she wouldn't have to go to court.
People wanted Shakira to go to jail for eight years.
Shakira said she paid the money because she cares about her kids.
Shakira started telling Spain she lived there in 2015.
Shakira's boyfriend was Gerard PiquΓ©, and he played soccer.
Now that Shakira has paid her fine, she can spend more time with her family and her music.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A singer from Colombia named Shakira had to deal with a big because some said she did not pay her taxes. She paid a lot of money, β¬7.5 million, so she wouldn't have to go to court. The people who were upset with her her to go to jail for eight years and pay even more money, β¬23.8 million. Shakira said she didn't do anything wrong and only paid the money because she cares about her . Shakira is tired and sad from all the trouble this has her for many . 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 . Shakira's said she made most of her money by singing in different , 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 PiquΓ©, 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 too. Now that Shakira has paid her fine, she doesn't have to go to and can spend more time with her family and her music.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
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
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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