This exercise is linked to the article: Third sector facing hard times.
Opener: Brainstorm at least three non-governmental organizations you know of in Slovakia or in Central Europe. Write down what each one does, and whether you’ve ever worked with them or donated to them. (5 minutes)
— Give students a few minutes to write down some names and then elicit feedback from a few of them to start discussion.
Reading: Read the Spectator College article together as a class (calling on different students to read different paragraphs), and tell students to underline any words they are not sure of as you read. Go over the words they are unsure of, writing brief definitions on the board, instructing students to write the definitions down too. (15 minutes)
Speaking: Put students into pairs, and tell them to underline at least eight sentences or facts from the article that stand out in their minds. Then, have them discuss with their partners why these stand out, whether they agree with the statements, and why or why not. (10 minutes)
Writing: Instruct students to write a persuasive letter that encourages others to donate their 2 percent of income tax to a specific NGO in Slovakia. The letter should be at least five paragraphs, have a clear introduction (stating the point of the letter and giving a brief background of the organization), a clear middle (with supporting points for why people should donate to that particular NGO) and a clear conclusion (wrapping up all of the main points). (15-20 minutes)
If students do not finish writing their letters in class, they should finish them for homework for credit. It is up to teachers to decide how many points they want the assignment to be worth.
This exercise is published as part of Spectator College, a programme created by The Slovak Spectator with the support of Sugarbooks, a distributor of foreign language books. The author works at the Evanjelické lýceum in Bratislava as an English-language instructor.
