Pope Francis says it is very hard to start a family in Italy. Only rich people can do it. He spoke at a meeting about Italy’s people problem. The Pope said pets are taking the place of children in many homes.
Italy’s birth rate is very low. There were less than 400,000 babies born last year. This is the lowest number ever. The Pope said young people are worried about their future. They can’t find good jobs or places to live. The Pope also talked about a woman who asked him to bless her “baby”, but it was a dog.
Italy’s population is getting smaller and older. By 2050, there will be 20% fewer people. There are many reasons for this. Young people can’t find good jobs. Childcare is not very good. This makes it hard for mothers to work and take care of their families. Many mothers can’t find or afford childcare. Some women lose their jobs when they get pregnant.
The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, said the low birth rate is a big problem. She wants to help families and mothers. The government may help people have more children by not making them pay income tax. Pope Francis wants leaders to find good solutions so Italy can be a happy place.
Original news source: Pope Francis warns pets must not replace children in Italy (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Family Charades
Instructions: Divide the students into two teams. Have each team take turns acting out different family-related words or phrases, such as “mother,” “father,” “baby,” or “getting married.” The other team must guess the word or phrase being acted out in English.
– Job Role-Play
Instructions: In pairs, have students take turns playing the roles of an employer and a job seeker. The job seeker must ask for a job in English and explain why they are a good candidate, while the employer can ask questions about the job seeker’s skills and experience.
– Future Planning
Instructions: Divide the students into small groups. Have each group discuss and plan a future event, such as a birthday party, wedding, or family vacation, using English vocabulary related to planning, organizing, and celebrating events. Once they have planned their event, ask each group to present their plan to the class in English.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What did Pope Francis say is hard in Italy?
2. Who can start a family in Italy?
3. What is taking the place of children in many homes?
4. How many babies were born in Italy last year?
5. What did a woman ask the Pope to bless?
6. What is happening to Italy’s population?
7. Why is it hard for mothers to work in Italy?
8. What does the Prime Minister want to do to help families?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Pope Francis says it is very hard to start a family in Italy. Only (1)________ people can do it. He spoke at a meeting about Italy’s people problem. The Pope said pets are taking the place of children in many homes.
Italy’s birth rate is very low. There were less than 400,000 babies born last year. This is the lowest number ever. The Pope said young people are worried about their (2)________. They can’t find good jobs or places to live. The Pope also talked about a woman who asked him to bless her “baby”, but it was a (3)________.
Italy’s population is getting smaller and older. By 2050, there will be 20% fewer people. There are many reasons for this. Young people can’t find good jobs. Childcare is not very (4)________. This makes it hard for mothers to work and take care of their families. Many mothers can’t find or afford childcare. Some women lose their jobs when they get (5)________.
The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, said the low birth rate is a big problem. She wants to help families and mothers. The government may help people have more children by not making them pay (6)________ tax. Pope Francis wants leaders to find good solutions so Italy can be a happy (7)________.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. Do you think it is hard to start a family in Italy?
2. Why do only rich people start families in Italy?
3. What did Pope Francis say about pets?
4. Is Italy’s birth rate high or low?
5. Why are young people worried about their future?
6. What is the problem with finding jobs in Italy?
7. What is happening to Italy’s population?
8. Why is childcare important for mothers?
9. What happens to some women when they get pregnant?
10. Who is the Prime Minister of Italy?
11. What does the Prime Minister want to do for families?
12. How might the government help people have more children?
13. What does Pope Francis want leaders to do?
14. Do you think not paying income tax will help people have more children?
15. What can make Italy a happy place?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. family
2. rich
3. meeting
4. pets
5. population
6. childcare
7. pregnant
8. solutions
Shuffled Meanings:
A) Animals that live with people in their homes
B) Ways to fix a problem
C) Taking care of children while their parents are working
D) A group of people who are related to each other
E) When a woman is going to have a baby
F) A time when people come together to talk about something
G) All the people who live in a country or area
H) Having a lot of money
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What did Pope Francis say is very hard in Italy?
(a) finding a job
(b) starting a family
(c) having a pet
(d) traveling
2. Who can start a family in Italy, according to Pope Francis?
(a) young people
(b) rich people
(c) anyone
(d) no one
3. What is taking the place of children in many homes?
(a) pets
(b) jobs
(c) friends
(d) toys
4. How many babies were born in Italy last year?
(a) more than 400,000
(b) 2050
(c) 20%
(d) less than 400,000
5. What are young people worried about?
(a) their pets
(b) their future
(c) their parents
(d) their toys
6. What is not very good in Italy, making it hard for mothers to work?
(a) schools
(b) houses
(c) childcare
(d) transportation
7. What happens to some women when they get pregnant?
(a) they get a better job
(b) they lose their job
(c) they get a new house
(d) they get more money
8. What does the Prime Minister of Italy want to help?
(a) pets
(b) schools
(c) businesses
(d) families and mothers
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Pope Francis said it is easy to start a family in Italy.
2. The Pope talked about pets being in homes instead of children.
3. Italy’s birth rate is very high.
4. There were fewer than 400,000 babies born last year in Italy.
5. Italy’s population is getting bigger and younger.
6. Young people in Italy can find good jobs easily.
7. The Prime Minister of Italy wants to help families and mothers.
8. Pope Francis wants leaders to find bad solutions for Italy.
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 did the Pope say about starting a family in Italy?
2. Who is taking the place of children in many Italian homes?
3. How many babies were born in Italy last year?
4. Why is it hard for mothers to work and take care of their families in Italy?
5. What does the Prime Minister of Italy want to do to help families and mothers?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What did Pope Francis say is hard in Italy?
Starting a family is hard in Italy.
2. Who can start a family in Italy?
Only rich people can start a family in Italy.
3. What is taking the place of children in many homes?
Pets are taking the place of children in many homes.
4. How many babies were born in Italy last year?
Less than 400,000 babies were born in Italy last year.
5. What did a woman ask the Pope to bless?
A woman asked the Pope to bless her “baby”, but it was a dog.
6. What is happening to Italy’s population?
Italy’s population is getting smaller and older.
7. Why is it hard for mothers to work in Italy?
It is hard for mothers to work in Italy because childcare is not very good and some women lose their jobs when they get pregnant.
8. What does the Prime Minister want to do to help families?
The Prime Minister wants to help families and mothers by possibly not making them pay income tax.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
1. rich
2. future
3. dog
4. good
5. pregnant
6. income
7. place
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. family
Answer: D) A group of people who are related to each other
2. rich
Answer: H) Having a lot of money
3. meeting
Answer: F) A time when people come together to talk about something
4. pets
Answer: A) Animals that live with people in their homes
5. population
Answer: G) All the people who live in a country or area
6. childcare
Answer: C) Taking care of children while their parents are working
7. pregnant
Answer: E) When a woman is going to have a baby
8. solutions
Answer: B) Ways to fix a problem
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What did Pope Francis say is very hard in Italy?
Answer: (b) starting a family
2. Who can start a family in Italy, according to Pope Francis?
Answer: (b) rich people
3. What is taking the place of children in many homes?
Answer: (a) pets
4. How many babies were born in Italy last year?
Answer: (d) less than 400,000
5. What are young people worried about?
Answer: (b) their future
6. What is not very good in Italy, making it hard for mothers to work?
Answer: (c) childcare
7. What happens to some women when they get pregnant?
Answer: (b) they lose their job
8. What does the Prime Minister of Italy want to help?
Answer: (d) families and mothers
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Pope Francis said it is easy to start a family in Italy.
Answer: False
2. The Pope talked about pets being in homes instead of children.
Answer: True
3. Italy’s birth rate is very high.
Answer: False
4. There were fewer than 400,000 babies born last year in Italy.
Answer: True
5. Italy’s population is getting bigger and younger.
Answer: False
6. Young people in Italy can find good jobs easily.
Answer: False
7. The Prime Minister of Italy wants to help families and mothers.
Answer: True
8. Pope Francis wants leaders to find bad solutions for Italy.
Answer: False
Go back to questions ⇧
