. Osaka Expo - ESL Lesson Plan - Breaking News English Lesson
Osaka Expo - ESL Lesson Plan - Breaking News English Lesson
Osaka Expo - ESL Lesson Plan - Breaking News English Lesson

Breaking News English Lesson: Osaka Expo

The Osaka Expo 2025 has opened. More than 28 million people will visit it. The first Expo was in London in 1851. Expos try to answer world problems. The Osaka Expo shows the culture of 158 countries. The theme is "Creating a future society for our lives." In the US area, people can see exhibits on space travel.

The Osaka Expo is on an artificial island. It is in a round building called the Grand Ring. Guinness World Records said it is the world's "largest wooden architectural structure". Visitors can see lots of Japanese culture. There are exhibits on robots, flying cars, and Hello Kitty. Visitors can also see Myaku-Myaku – the Expo mascot.

Try the same news story at these levels:

  • https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15709562
  • https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250414/p2g/00m/0na/012000c
  • https://www.expo2025.or.jp/en/overview/purpose/
  • https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/13/japan/osaka-world-expo-opening-day/

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

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News

"Much has been said and written on the utility of newspapers; but one principal advantage which might be derived from these publications has been neglected; we mean that of reading them in schools."

The Portland Eastern Herald (June 8, 1795)

"News is history in its first and best form, its vivid and fascinating form, and. history is the pale and tranquil reflection of it."

Mark Twain, in his autobiography (1906)

"Current events provide authentic learning experiences for students at all grade levels. In studying current events, students are required to use a range of cognitive, affective, critical thinking and research skills."

Haas, M. and Laughlin, M. (2000) Teaching Current Events: It's Status in Social Studies Today.

Phrase Matching Paragraph 1
  1. The Osaka Expo 2025 has
  2. More than 28 million people
  3. The first Expo was in
  4. Expos try to answer
  5. Osaka Expo shows the culture
  6. Creating a future society
  7. In the US
  8. people can see exhibits
  1. of 158 countries
  2. on space travel
  3. will visit it
  4. for our lives
  5. London in 1851
  6. area
  7. opened
  8. world problems
Paragraph 2
  1. Osaka Expo is on
  2. It is in a
  3. Guinness World
  4. the world's largest wooden
  5. Visitors can
  6. Japanese
  7. There are exhibits
  8. the Expo
  1. architectural structure
  2. on robots
  3. round building
  4. culture
  5. mascot
  6. Records
  7. see lots
  8. an artificial island
Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The Osaka Expo (1) ________________________________________________. More than 28 million people (2) ________________________________________________. The first Expo was in London in 1851. Expos (3) ________________________________________________ world problems. The Osaka Expo (4) ________________________________________________ of 158 countries. The theme is "Creating (5) ________________________________________________ for our lives." In the US area, people can (6) ________________________________________________ space travel.

The Osaka Expo is on (7) ________________________________________________. It is in a round (8) ________________________________________________ Grand Ring. Guinness World Records said it is (9) ________________________________________________ wooden architectural structure". Visitors can (10) ________________________________________________ Japanese culture. There are (11) ________________________________________________, flying cars, and Hello Kitty. Visitors can also see Myaku-Myaku - (12) ________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheOsakaExpo2025hasopened.Morethan28millionpeoplewillvisitit. ThefirstExpowasinLondonin1851.Expostrytoanswerworldproblems. TheOsakaExposhowsthecultureof158countries.Thethemeis"Creatin gafuturesocietyforourlives."IntheUSarea,peoplecanseeexhibitsons pacetravel.TheOsakaExpoisonanartificialisland.Itisinaroundbuildin gcalledtheGrandRing.GuinnessWorldRecordssaiditistheworld's"larg estwoodenarchitecturalstructure".VisitorscanseelotsofJapanesecult ure.Thereareexhibitsonrobots,flyingcars,andHelloKitty.Visitorscan alsoseeMyaku-Myaku-theExpomascot.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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