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