The Japanese royal family has joined Instagram, which is a big deal because they're the oldest monarchy in the world. Emperor Naruhito, who became emperor five years ago, wants to make sure the royal family stays up to date with modern times. This move comes 15 years after the British royal family started using social media. It was only a matter of time before the Japanese royal family joined in, since young people today spend a lot of time on their phones.
But if you were hoping to see more personal stuff from the imperial family, you might be disappointed. The @kunaicho_jp account has been active for 48 hours, but the posts are all formal and planned. They show Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, and their daughter Princess Aiko at official events, visiting museums, and meeting other royals. There's no personal stuff or thoughts shared.
The royal family's Instagram account has a consistent look, with lots of beige and grey colors. The captions are all in Japanese and just give a summary of what's happening in the photos. They've also turned off the comments, which is something a lot of companies do to protect their brand. The Japanese royal family wants to keep a conservative and safe image, so they're being careful about what gets posted and what people can say.
In the past, the royal family used traditional media like newspapers, TV, and magazines to talk to the public. They wanted to show a positive image, but also keep their distance. With Instagram, they're doing the same thing. They want to control how they're seen and not get too close to the public. So don't expect a lot of personal stuff or constant updates from them on social media.
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:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Assign each group a different aspect of the article (e.g. the Japanese royal family joining Instagram, the reasons behind it, the nature of their posts, etc.).
3. Give the groups a few minutes to discuss and summarize their assigned aspect.
4. Have each group present their summary to the class.
5. As a class, compile the different summaries to create a comprehensive news summary of the article.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Ask the class to individually think about their opinion on the Japanese royal family joining Instagram.
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Have the students discuss their opinions and reasons behind them.
4. In their pairs or groups, have the students create a list of questions related to the topic.
5. Each pair or group will then conduct an opinion poll by asking these questions to other students in the class.
6. After gathering the responses, have the class share and discuss the different opinions and reasons.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Select a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. monarchy, social media, conservative, etc.).
2. Divide the class into small groups.
3. Give each group a set of vocabulary words.
4. In their groups, the students must take turns drawing pictures to represent the vocabulary words while their group members try to guess the word.
5. The group that guesses the most words correctly wins.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into two groups.
2. Assign one group to come up with the pros of the Japanese royal family joining Instagram and the other group to come up with the cons.
3. Give the groups a few minutes to brainstorm and discuss their ideas.
4. Have each group present their points to the class, taking turns to share one pro or con at a time.
5. After both groups have presented, facilitate a class discussion where students can respond to and debate the different points raised.
– Future Predictions
Instructions:
1. Ask the class to individually think about and write down their predictions for how the Japanese royal family's use of Instagram might evolve in the future.
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. In their pairs or groups, have the students share and discuss their predictions, explaining their reasoning.
4. After the discussion, have each pair or group present their most interesting prediction to the class.
5. Facilitate a class discussion where students can respond to and discuss the different predictions and possibilities.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
It's a big deal because they're the oldest monarchy in the world and they're known for being traditional. So, for them to join a social media platform like Instagram is a big change.
Emperor Naruhito has been the emperor for five years.
They joined Instagram to stay up to date with modern times and to connect with young people who spend a lot of time on their phones.
The posts on the royal family's Instagram account are formal.
The captions on the Instagram posts contain a summary of what's happening in the photos.
The royal family turned off the comments on their Instagram posts to protect their brand and to control how they're seen by the public.
In the past, the royal family communicated with the public through traditional media like newspapers, TV, and magazines.
The royal family's goal with using Instagram is to show a positive image, but also keep their distance from the public. They want to control how they're seen and not get too close to the public.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
The Japanese family has joined , which is a big deal because they're the oldest monarchy in the world. Emperor , who became emperor five years ago, wants to make sure the royal family up to date with modern times. This move comes 15 years after the British royal family started using social media. It was only a matter of time before the Japanese royal family joined in, since young people today spend a lot of time on their phones. But if you were hoping to see more stuff from the imperial family, you might be disappointed. The @kunaicho_jp has been active for 48 hours, but the are all formal and planned. They show Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, and their daughter Princess Aiko at official , visiting museums, and meeting other royals. There's no personal stuff or thoughts shared. The royal 's Instagram account has a consistent look, with lots of and grey colors. The captions are all in and just give a summary of what's happening in the photos. They've also turned off the comments, which is something a lot of companies do to protect their brand. The Japanese royal family wants to keep a conservative and safe , so they're being careful about what gets posted and what people can say. In the past, the royal family used traditional like newspapers, TV, and to talk to the . They wanted to show a positive image, but also keep their distance. With Instagram, they're doing the same thing. They want to how they're seen and not get too close to the public. So don't expect a lot of personal stuff or constant updates from them on social media.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is Instagram and why do people use it?
2. How do you think the Japanese royal family feels about joining Instagram?
3. Do you think it's important for the royal family to stay up to date with modern times? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you were a member of the royal family and had to share your personal life on social media?
5. Do you like the formal and planned posts from the royal family on Instagram? Why or why not?
6. How do you think the royal family's Instagram account helps to protect their brand?
7. What do you think the royal family's goal is in using Instagram?
8. How do you think the royal family's use of social media is different from their use of traditional media?
9. Do you think it's important for public figures, like the royal family, to control how they are seen on social media? Why or why not?
10. How do you think the public feels about not being able to comment on the royal family's Instagram posts?
11. What do you think the royal family's conservative and safe image means?
12. Do you think it's necessary for the royal family to keep their distance from the public? Why or why not?
13. How do you think the royal family's use of social media affects their popularity?
14. Would you like to see more personal posts from the royal family on Instagram? Why or why not?
15. How do you think the royal family's use of Instagram will change in the future?
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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