CHILDREN OF THE DISAPPEARED

PRE-LISTENING ACTIVITIES

Task 1

Discuss the following questions with the class.

What kind of a political system is a military junta?

What are the main characteristics of it?

Has your country ever experienced a military dictatorship in its history?

Do you know any countries where junta was imposed?

Task 2

The words below are related to Politics. Match the words to their definition.

Add their translation into your native language.

1. The constitution of this country guarantees freedom of speech.

2. How many political parties are there in your country?

3. The Leader of the Opposition will meet the Prime Minister.

4. A referendum was held on the question of whether the U.K. should remain

a member of the European Community.

5. The dictator ruthlessly crushed all his political dissidents.

6. All subversives were abducted and tortured by the dictator’s army.

7. The dictator imposed a military regime in Argentina from 1976 to 1983.

8. A military coup took place in Greece in 1967.

9. The junta imposed a curfew and citizens remained indoors at stated times.

10. They expect a cabinet reshuffle in the summer.

11. There is a debate on the new Education Bill.

WORD DEFINITION MY MOTHER LANGUAGE

1. constitution a) group of people with particular political beliefs

2. (political)parties b) a person who publicly disagrees with and criticizes their government(or regime)

3. opposition c) the set of political principles by which a state or organization is governed

4. referendum d) the largest party which does not form the government

5. dissident

e) kidnap by force

6. abduct f) a vote in which all the people in a country or an area are asked to give their

opinion

7. regime g) a formal statement of a planned new law that is discussed before being voted on

8. coup h) a sudden illegal, often violent, taking of government power, especially by an army

9. curfew i) when the positions of people or things within a particular group are changed

10. reshuffle j) a rule that everyone must stay at home between particular times during a period of political trouble.

11. Bill k) form of government or rule.

TASK 3

Watch the video and fill in the gaps.

By day Nicholas is working at a ________________________ His life’s work is to find

his younger ______________or _________________ that might be somewhere in

Buenos Aires.

His father and pregnant mother disappeared when Nicholas was

__________________ old.

His mother took him to a ________________house but never came back to take

him.

They were _____________________in 1976 by Argentina’s regime because they

were considered _________________

They were among tens of thousands of Argentinians abducted, tortured and killed

and killed, burried in __________________graves or dumped out of planes over the

___________________ .

People simply disappeared and many of the disappeared had children.

Many women who were ______________ were pregnant and were kept alive until

they ____________________

Some were adopted by innocent ____________________ but the majority were

taken by _________________families and raised as their own under

_________________birth certificates. They came to be known as children of the

_________________________ .

Alehandro’s adopted parents indirectly killed his parents.

Argentina is trying to help the children of the disappeared find what’s left of their

real _______________ and hold those who stole the children

_________________

TASK 4

Fill in the table with adjectives, verbs and nouns that collocate with the word

WAR. The first has been added for you. Discuss their meaning with the class.

VERBS NOUNS ADJECTIVES

declare war

war correspondent civil war

Follow up

Interview one of the two men in the video. Make a list of questions and possible

answers and then roleplay it with a partner.

TEACHER’S NOTES AND KEY

TASK 1

What kind of a political system is a military junta?

A totalitarian regime that overthrows with use of guns a

democratically elected government

What are the main characteristics of it?

Make sure you elicit words like censorship, abduct, torture, execute

Political opponents are arrested and imprisoned

People being abducted, jailed without trial

Violation of human rights

No opposition party

no elections

One party rule

Censorship

one-party rule

control of the media

use of national and religious traditions

Has your country ever experienced a military dictatorship in its history?

Depends on the country of origin

Do you know any countries where junta was imposed?

Spain, Greece, Latin American countries etc. Introduce the

Dirty War period in Argentina.

Task 2

1)c, 2)a, 3) d, 4)f , 5)b, 6)e, 7)k, 8)h , 9)j , 10)i, 11)g

Task 3

By day Nicholas is working at a travel agency. His life’s work is to find his

younger brother or sister that might be somewhere in Buenos Aires.

His father and pregnant mother disappeared when Nicholas was 6 months old.

His mother took him to a neighbor’s house but never came back to take him.

They were kidnapped in 1976 by Argentina’s regime because they were

considered subversives.

They were among tens of thousands of Argentinians abducted, tortured and killed

and killed, buried in mass graves or dumped out of planes over the Antlantic.

People simply disappeared and many of the disappeared had children.

Many women who were abducted were pregnant and were kept alive until they

gave birth.

Some were adopted by innocent civilians but the majority were taken by

military families and raised as their own under forged birth certificates. They

came to be known as children of the disappeared.

Alexandro’s adopted parents indirectly killed his parents.

Argentina is trying to help the children of the disappeared find what’s left of their

real families and hold those who stole the children accountable.

Task 4 (assign this as homework)

VERBS NOUNS ADJECTIVES declare war enter a war start a war fight a war

war correspondent war hero

war victims

war effort

the outbreak of a war

civil war guerrilla war nuclear war holy war

Created by Eleni Tsagari

www.esl-cake.blogspot.gr