THE ARTICLE

START

1. SCHENGEN: What do you know about Schengen? What is it? Where is it? Why is it? How does it work? Go round the room swapping stories. Change partners often.

2. DICTATION: The teacher will read some of the article slowly and clearly. Students will write down what they hear. The teacher will repeat the passage slowly again. Self correct your work from page 2 - filling in spaces and correcting mistakes. Be honest with yourself on the number of errors. Advise the teacher of your total number of errors. Less than 5 is very good. 10 are acceptable. Any more is room for improvement! More than 20 - we need to do some work!

3. READING: Get students to read the passage aloud. Swap readers every paragraph.

4. VOCABULARY: Students look through the article. Underline/highlight any vocabulary you don’t know. Look in dictionaries. Discuss and help each other out. The teacher will go through and explain any words or phrases you are stuck with!

5. JOINING SCHENGEN: With your partner think of 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages of joining Schengen. Discuss your findings. The teacher will select some pairs to discuss their findings.

Advantages Disadvantages 1 1 2 2 3 3

6. SCHENGEN: With your partner on the board write as many words to do with the ‘Schengen’ as you can. One-two minutes. Compare with other teams. Discuss together – linking your words.

7. BORDERS: Below are 10 countries in the EU who either are or will be part of the new Schengen zone. List from 1 to 10 (1 being the easiest - 10 being the hardest) which country will be easiest you think to enter illegally. Compare your list with your partner. Discuss together. Draw a map to help you! The teacher will select some pairs to put their map on the board and to discuss their findings.

1 France 6 Italy 2 Poland 7 Spain 3 Slovakia 8 Austria 4 Hungary 9 Germany 5 Lithuania 10 Luxembourg

8. PRESS CONFERENCE: In pairs: You are at the press conference held by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and the press about Slovak’s Schengen entry. One of you is the Prime Minister. The other is a journalist from a local TV station. The journalist has to ask 3 questions. The Prime Minister has to say a few words at the beginning before taking any questions. Role play: 5 minutes.

9. QUICK DISCUSSION: Student(s) A think the new Schengen borders will make it harder for illegal immigration into Europe. Student(s) B thinks the new border controls will make no difference.

10. SCHENGEN ARTICLE QUIZ: With your partner or in small groups: (1 point for each correct answer. Lose ½ point if you look at the article for help!) Student A 1) What will happen on 21^st December? 2) What did Slovak Prime Minister put joining Schengen on a par with? 3) What should have been done 4 years ago? 4) What will happen at midnight on 21^st December? 5) What country of the 10 that joined the EU in 2004 isn’t included in this historic moment? 6) Why are Slovak eastern borders being secured? 7) What is a 50-year dream for Slovaks? 8) Who at the EU approved the enlargement of the Schengen zone? Student B 1) Name the countries in the article that are joining Schengen? 2) Slovakia entering Schengen is what for its citizens? 3) Who is the Slovak Interior Minister? 4) Sum up PM Fico’s reactions 5) Who was reproached and when? 6) What do Slovakia’s EU partners have confidence in? 7) Who played down fears about what? 8) Name the Slovak Prime Minister?

11. SENTENCE STARTERS: With your partner(s), finish these sentence starters. Change partner(s) and talk about the sentences you made.

1. The EU _______________________________________________________

2. Slovakia ______________________________________________________

3. The Schengen zone ______________________________________________

4. Ukraine _______________________________________________________

5. Schengen ______________________________________________________

6. The border _____________________________________________________

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: After reading the article guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article:

GAP FILL: READING

Put the words into the gaps in the text.

GAP FILL: LISTENING:

Listen and fill in the spaces.

EU approves Slovakia for Schengen

The EU’s __________________ last week approved the enlargement of the Schengen zone by nine countries including Slovakia. This means that for Slovakia checks on borders with ______________________ will become a thing _________________ 21^st December 2007. Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak celebrated the final approval by EU interior ministers in Brussels by saying, “We’re in! I think we can all congratulate each other. Nearly a 50-year dream of complete European freedom _________________…it’s only today that the last remains of the iron curtain have fallen.” Slovakia entering Schengen _____________ Christmas present for its citizens but also the last step towards the country’s complete integration into the EU. One day later Slovak Prime Minster Robert Fico told reporters: “The approaching entry of nine (EU10 minus Cyprus) European Union countries to the Schengen zone will turn Slovaks into first-class citizens.” He added, “Border controls dividing Slovakia with Austria, the Czech Republic, __________________ will come to an end with a symbolic sawing of the border gates at midnight on 21^st December.”

Fico put the decision to admit the nine countries to the zone on a par with events that Slovakia witnessed in 1989 (the _________________). Fico noted that an EU progress report reproached Slovakia as recently _________________ for many shortcomings in its preparations for joining the Schengen zone, but Slovakia is now one of the best prepared countries, and its EU partners have confidence in the way it has secured its frontier with Ukraine. Interior Minister Robert Kalinak: “We were supposed to have secured the border ___________________ as four years ago ___________________.” He noted this was one of the aforementioned shortcomings. At the same time Kalinak played down fears that entry to Schengen will worsen relations with Ukraine: “The border measures aren’t being taken due to fears over Ukrainian citizens ____________________ of illegal immigration via ___________________.”

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?

2. Have you ever crossed any non Schengen borders?

3. Who invented the term ‘iron curtain?

4. Is Schengen a good idea?

5. If you were a Ukrainian citizen how would you feel about the new Schengen borders?

6. If you were an illegal immigrant how would you feel about the Schengen borders?

7. Do you think the EU is being too tough with its border controls?

8. How should the EU combat illegal immigration?

9. Will the new Slovak Ukrainian border actually stop illegal’s?

10. Should the Schengen borders have been brought in sooner?

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STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1. Have you ever been to Luxembourg?

2. Have you ever been to Schengen in Luxembourg?

3. Who do you think is paying for these border controls?

4. Why do we need border controls anyway?

5. Do you think the EU is becoming a huge Big Brother organisation?

6. Do you trust the EU?

7. Do you think people smuggling will be made easier with the new open Schengen borders?

8. Do you think the iron curtain really has fallen or is it just asleep?

9. Should Slovaks be happy about joining Schengen?

10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What was the most interesting thing you heard?

2. Was there a question you didn’t like?

3. Was there something you totally disagreed with?

4. What did you like talking about?

5. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

ROLE PLAY: SPEAKING:

In groups:

You are European Union Interior Ministers in Brussels. You are at a forum discussing the European Union’s future Schengen border and other non Schengen EU borders…Choose your country. Try not to be from the same country!

The teacher will select some groups to present their debate / findings to the rest of the class.

LANGUAGE: CORRECT WORD: Choose the correct words from a–d below and write them in the article.

The EU’s interior ministers last week (1)___ the enlargement of the Schengen zone by nine countries including Slovakia. This means that for Slovakia checks on borders with neighbouring countries will become a thing of the (2)___ as of 21^st December 2007. Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak (3)___ the final approval by EU interior ministers in Brussels by (4)___, “We’re in! I think we can all congratulate (5)___ other. Nearly a 50-year dream of complete European freedom has now come true…it’s only today that the last remains of the (6)___ curtain have fallen.” Slovakia entering Schengen is not only a Christmas present for its citizens but also the last step towards the country’s complete integration into the EU. One day later Slovak Prime Minster Robert Fico told reporters: “The approaching entry of nine (EU10 minus Cyprus) European Union countries to the Schengen zone will turn Slovaks into first-class citizens.” He added, “Border controls (7)___ Slovakia with Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary will come to an end with a symbolic sawing of the border gates at midnight on 21^st December.”

Fico put the decision to admit the nine countries to the zone on a par with events that Slovakia witnessed in 1989 (the Velvet revolution). Fico noted that an EU progress report reproached Slovakia as recently as ten months ago for many shortcomings in its preparations for joining the Schengen zone, but Slovakia is now one of the best prepared countries, and its EU partners have confidence in the way it has secured its frontier with Ukraine. Interior Minister Robert Kalinak: “We were supposed to have secured the border in this way as long as four years ago but failed to do so.” He (8)___ this was one of the aforementioned shortcomings. At the same time Kalinak (9)___ down (10)___ that entry to Schengen will worsen relations with Ukraine: “The (11)___ measures aren’t being taken due to fears over Ukrainian citizens but due to the threat of (12)___ immigration via Ukrainian territory.”

GRAMMAR 1: MIDWAY

Put the words into the gaps in the text.

GRAMMAR 2: EASY

Put the words into the gaps in the text.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. NEWSPAPER ARTICLE: Write a newspaper article about Schengen. (Minimum 200 words)

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Which article was best and why?

WRITING: IN CLASS:

1. FIVE MINUTE ARTICLE: Write an article on ‘Schengen.’ You have five minutes. Afterwards swap articles with your partner. Read through their article and correct any mistakes. The teacher will select some students to read out their work.

Countdown: Every minute the teacher may say, “You have xx minutes.”

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

SYNONYM MATCH:

PHRASE MATCH:

GAP FILL: EU approves Slovakia for Schengen: The EU’s interior ministers last week approved the enlargement of the Schengen zone by nine countries including Slovakia. This means that for Slovakia checks on borders with neighbouring countries will become a thing of the past as of 21^st December 2007. Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak celebrated the final approval by EU interior ministers in Brussels by saying, “We’re in! I think we can all congratulate each other. Nearly a 50-year dream of complete European freedom has now come true…it’s only today that the last remains of the iron curtain have fallen.” Slovakia entering Schengen is not only a Christmas present for its citizens but also the last step towards the country’s complete integration into the EU. One day later Slovak Prime Minster Robert Fico told reporters: “The approaching entry of nine (EU10 minus Cyprus) European Union countries to the Schengen zone will turn Slovaks into first-class citizens.” He added, “Border controls dividing Slovakia with Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary will come to an end with a symbolic sawing of the border gates at midnight on 21^st December.” Fico put the decision to admit the nine countries to the zone on a par with events that Slovakia witnessed in 1989 (the Velvet revolution). Fico noted that an EU progress report reproached Slovakia as recently as ten months ago for many shortcomings in its preparations for joining the Schengen zone, but Slovakia is now one of the best prepared countries, and its EU partners have confidence in the way it has secured its frontier with Ukraine. Interior Minister Robert Kalinak: “We were supposed to have secured the border in this way as long as four years ago but failed to do so.” He noted this was one of the aforementioned shortcomings. At the same time Kalinak played down fears that entry to Schengen will worsen relations with Ukraine: “The border measures aren’t being taken due to fears over Ukrainian citizens but due to the threat of illegal immigration via Ukrainian territory

LANGUAGE WORK