The Occupy Movement  - This is the first part of an episode of American Mosaic.  The audio and transcript include two other stories as well, but you only need to listen to and read the first part for this lesson.

  1. Listening/Reading

    1. Prelistening:

      1. Have you ever heard of the "Occupy Movement" or "Occupy Wall Street"?  Where is Wall Street?  Why is it famous?  What do you think they were protesting?  Do you know of other examples in history of people "occupying" a place as a way to peacefully protest?  

    2. First time listening to the audio.  

      1. Write down any words you think you many need, then listen to the audio here:  

        1. http://learningenglish.voanews.com/audio/Audio/212675.html

      2. Second time - Listen to the audio again.  This time feel free to use the transcript as well.  Note you can double click on any word to see a definition. Take notes and write down any words you had to look up.

        1. http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/occupy-wall-street-women-rock-musicians/1507707.html

    3. Comprehension - If you understood the text, you should be able to answer the questions below.  If not, refer to the text again.

      1. What was the Occupy Movement?

      2. What were their goals?  Did they succeed?

      3. What influence did the movement have?  Was it only Wall Street?

  2. Speaking

    1. Prepare for a conversation with your language partner.  Write down questions about protests in their country.  Have they ever seen a protest?  Was it in person or on TV?  What were they protesting?  How do people protest where they live?  Are there other ways that people express their opinions politically?

    2. Meet with your language partner.  Try your best to only speak in English for 30 minutes.  Of course, be sure to then provide your partner with an equal amount of time to practice our native language as well.

  3. Writing

    1. Write a summary of your exchange with your partner on the Mixxer blog.  Write a description of protests they have seen or been a part of?