Lesson 3

What do you need to express an opinion about news?

1. Look at the picture. What do you think you are going to hear about on the radio?

Discuss with your class. 2. Complete the survey and tally the results with your group. 1. What topics do you like to hear about on the radio? a) Science b) Politics c) History d) Economics 2. What is your opinion about science topics? e) I love them. f) They are okay. g) I don’t like them. 3. What do you think about scientific experiments? h) I love them. i) They are okay. j) I don’t like them. 4. What is one interesting scientific experiment you would like to hear about on the news?

5. What is your opinion about scientists making clones of animals?

3. Listen to the conversation. In your notebook, make notes so that you can explain what the audio is about to someone else. Do you think it is news? Why? 4. In pairs discuss what you heard, and talk about what you think of this scientific adventure. What makes it important enough to be on the news? You can use expressions like the ones below to express your opinion.

Listen Track 13

Pairs

I think...

In my opinion… I don’t agree.

That’s a great idea!

5. Work in pairs. Read this article. Exchange opinions with your partner.

Remember the expressions you can use to express your opinion.

Then, as a class discuss the questions.

Pairs Read

Scientists think that both lions and tigers could be in danger of extinction in the not too distant future. So several years ago they created two new species by mixing the genes of the two animals. The result was ligers and tigons. Now they are considering increasing this program of scientific animal inter-breeding by creating a cross between an elephant and a rhino, two other species in danger of extinction. While some people are in favor of this experiment, many others are not. What do you think? Is it a good idea or not?

• Can this be considered news? Why? How can you find out more information about this topic? What kind of information could you collect using a survey?

Links

Access the web page if you want to read some current news: https://learnenglishkids. britishcouncil.org/newsletter

• Let's finish our survey.

Work with your team and agree on keeping the news your worked on last session or if you prefer to change to a more recent news. Whatever you decide you can use some of the questions you have already collected to write the first draft of a survey to find out people’s opinion about the news.

Finally, exchange ideas and opinions about what can make the questions for your survey better and agree on one final survey that can let you collect other’s opinion about your chosen news. Save your work for the Show and Tell session.

How easy or difficult is it for you to express opinions?

Step 3

A Survey

Reading

Time

Stories

Track 26 The Trophy Read pages 57 to 60. What are the differences between the news on the radio and on the television?