Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Gun Control
Gun Control
Mini-Debates
4. Is it difficult to get a permit to carry a gun in the place where you live?
VOCABULARY PREVIEW ✍
Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.
_____ 7. skyrocket g. a remote place for prisoners that is difficult to escape from
_____ 9. mental illness i. to get something back that you had before
_____ 10. opponent j. sickness that affects one’s thinking and emotions
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Gun Control
Mini-Debates
Gun Control
On April 28, 1996, in a café in Tasmania, a young man pulled a
semi-automatic weapon out of his bag and began shooting
tourists and staff at the historic Port Arthur penal colony. By the
time he was finished, he had killed 35 people. This was just one
of several mass shootings in Australia between the ’70s and ’90s.
It’s a different story in the US. Since the 1980s, mass shootings 2. What does the reading say about murder rates
and gun ownership?
have occurred in several public places, including malls, schools,
and places of worship. After a mass shooting, the sale of guns 3. What do gun-control opponents have to say
always skyrockets. Though studies prove that easy access to about gun-free zones at schools?
guns results in high murder rates, surveys show that many
Americans still believe in the right to bear arms. 4. What always happens in the US after a mass
shooting?
One of the worst massacres in US history took place at Virginia
5. What happened at an elementary school in
Tech University in 2007. A student suffering from mental illness Connecticut?
killed 35 students. Opponents of gun control argued that the
students and staff couldn’t protect themselves because they were 6. How did Obama’s reaction to the Sandy Hook
massacre compare to Howard’s in the penal
in a gun-free “safe zone.”
colony massacre?
In 2012, a week before Christmas, a young man entered Sandy
Hook Elementary school in Connecticut and went on a shooting
rampage. He killed six staff members and 20 first-graders with a Did you know?
legally purchased gun. US President Obama broke down in tears
Following the Sandy Hook school
as he addressed the union. He called it the worst day in his shooting, the National Rifle
presidency. Association (NRA) proposed that
there should be armed police in
Like Prime Minster Howard, Obama immediately organized a schools. President Obama disagreed
team to address gun-control laws. His proposals called for a ban that more guns was the answer. The
on assault weapons, and mandatory background checks for all NRA then put out an ad calling the
gun buyers. Within one month of the school shooting, 1,000 president a hypocrite because his
daughters have the protection of the
more Americans had been killed by guns.
Secret Service when they go to school.
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Gun Control
Mini-Debates
VOCABULARY REVIEW ✍
A. Look at the bolded word in each sentence. Is it a noun, verb, or adjective? Place your answer in the blank.
Then look for this word in the main reading. Is the bolded word used in the same way as it is in the reading?
Circle Y for Yes or N for No.
1. The teacher penalized the student for not handing his homework in on time. __________________ Y / N
2. Parents opposed the idea of having armed principals in schools. __________________ Y / N
3. It is mandatory for gun owners to register their weapons. __________________ Y / N
4. The government wants to crack down on drug crimes. __________________ Y / N
5. The police retrieved several bags of stolen property from the home. __________________ Y / N
6. The president initiated a series of talks about gun control. __________________Y/N
B. Choose five words from page 1 and write an example sentence for each.
1.
2. DISCUSS IT
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Gun Control
Mini-Debates
C) On December 6, 1989, a twenty-five-year-old D) On April 20, 1999, two senior students from a
man entered a classroom in a Montreal university high school in Colorado tried to set off a bomb in
and separated the males from the females. He shot their cafeteria. When it failed to go off, they used
all nine of the women. He then moved about the guns to murder 12 students and one teacher. They
university targeting women. Before he killed also injured many others before committing
himself, he told the students he was fighting suicide. The killers targeted jocks and “popular”
feminism. students.
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Teachers’ Notes
Gun Control
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
1. g 2. l 3. b 4. d 5. k 6. i 7. f 8. h 9. j 10. c 11. e 12. a
READING
Remind your students that you are going to be having a debate based on this reading. They may want to jot down any
related examples or stories that they know of. You can read the text out loud together or have students read it individually.
You may also want to assign the reading for homework before you do the lesson, and then read it again together in class.
COMPREHENSION
1. A mass shooting at a tourist attraction caused Prime Minister Howard to crack down on gun ownership in Australia.
2. Studies show that easy access to guns results in higher murder rates.
3. Gun-control opponents feel that gun-free zones make schools vulnerable. They think there should be armed police at
schools.
4. The reading says that gun ownership always increases after a mass shooting in the US.
5. A mass shooting occurred at an elementary school in Connecticut just before Christmas in 2012. Twenty first-graders
were killed along with six adults.
6. Obama’s reaction to the Sandy Hook massacre was similar to Prime Minister Howard’s. He wanted gun-control laws to
be changed immediately. However, his proposals were not as severe.
VOCABULARY REVIEW
A. Bolded Words
1. The teacher penalized the student for not handing his homework in on time. verb N
2. Parents opposed the idea of having armed principals in schools. verb N
3. It is mandatory for gun owners to register their weapons. adjective Y
4. The government wants to crack down on drug crimes. verb N
5. The police retrieved several bags of stolen property from the home. verb Y, but active instead of passive
6. The president initiated a series of talks about gun control. verb Y
B. Example Sentences
Individual answers. Help students with sentence formation.
DEBATE IT
See our Mini-Debates Teachers’ Guide for ideas on how to have debates in the classroom.
DISCUSS IT
Have students discuss the following questions. As a follow-up, you could have students choose one question to write about.
Spelling Note: This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Theater on page 4. Most other English-speaking countries spell it
this way: Theatre. Make it a challenge for your students to find this word in the lesson and see if they know the alternate spelling.
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Teachers’ Notes
Gun Control
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Gun Control
Mini-Debates
Gun Control
1. On April 28, 1996, in a café in Tasmania, a young man pulled a semi-automatic weapon out of his bag and began
shooting tourists and staff at the historic Port Arthur penal colony. By the time he was finished, he had killed 35
people. This was just one of several mass shootings in Australia between the ’70s and ’90s.
2. Following the 1996 massacre, Prime Minister Howard initiated a serious crackdown on gun ownership. Howard
worked together with the Australian government. They made a swift decision to restrict gun ownership. The
government also organized a program to buy back weapons that had already been sold. Over 600,000 guns were
retrieved. Fifteen years later, there were still no new mass shootings to report in Australia.
3. It’s a different story in the US. Since the 1980s, mass shootings have occurred in several public places, including malls,
schools, and places of worship. After a mass shooting, the sale of guns always skyrockets. Though studies prove that
easy access to guns results in high murder rates, surveys show that many Americans still believe in the right to bear
arms.
4. One of the worst massacres in US history took place at Virginia Tech University in 2007. A student suffering from
mental illness killed 35 students. Opponents of gun control argued that the students and staff couldn’t protect
5. In 2012, a week before Christmas, a young man entered Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut and went on a
shooting rampage. He killed six staff members and 20 first-graders with a legally purchased gun. US President Obama
broke down in tears as he addressed the union. He called it the worst day in his presidency.
6. Like Prime Minster Howard, Obama immediately organized a team to address gun-control laws. His proposals called
for a ban on assault weapons, and mandatory background checks for all gun buyers.Within one month of the school
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