Black Gold: The Movie Mini-Debates

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Black Gold: The Movie Mini-Debates"

Virgil Page
6 years ago
Views:

1 1. Black Gold is a recent British documentary film about the international coffee industry. It exposes a situation in which small coffee farmers in developing countries receive very little for their back-breaking labor, while international coffee corporations make huge profits selling the farmers coffee to consumers in rich nations. 2. The film focuses on the efforts of Ethiopia s Tadesse Meskela to teach the world s coffee drinkers about the plight of small coffee farmers in Ethiopia, who make as little as three cents for each cup of coffee sold in the West. Meskela manages the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, which represents about 70,000 farmers. He wants farmer cooperatives like his to be able to negotiate better and fairer prices for their product. Pre-Reading Warm Up Questions 1. Do you enjoy watching documentary films? Have you heard of the British documentary called Black Gold? 2. Are you a coffee drinker? If so, do you go to cafes such as Starbucks very often? 3. How much do you usually pay for a cup of coffee? Do you know how much a specialty coffee such as a cappuccino or latte costs? 4. How much do you think a coffee farmer makes from a cup of coffee sold in the West? 5. How much profit do you think international coffee companies make each year? 6. Do you know what a co-operative farm is? 3. The film follows Meskala as he journeys to wealthy countries like the United States and England to try to convince coffee drinkers and those involved in the coffee trade to buy Ethiopian coffee for which Ethiopian farmers have been fairly paid. Although some argue that civil unrest in Ethiopia also affects its small coffee farmers, the film does not address this issue. 4. Viewers learn that the price paid to small coffee producers has fallen sharply since 1989, when coffee began to be traded on the New York commodity market. In 2001, coffee prices were the lowest in 30 years. In Ethiopia, some farmers either gave up farming or stopped growing coffee and started growing chat, a narcotic, in order to feed and clothe their families. Yet, over the last five years, international coffee corporations together have profited by as much as $80 billion a year. 5. Although the international price of coffee has risen in the last few years, small coffee farmers like those in Ethiopia are still poor and the coffee corporations are getting richer. The film s message is that it will take consumer education, political advocacy by ordinary citizens in rich nations, and the willingness of coffee corporations to change their policies to improve the plight of the world s small coffee growers. COMPREHENSION 1. What situation is exposed in the film, Black Gold? 2. What is Tadesse Meskela trying to do? 3. What happened in 1989 that affected the price of coffee paid to coffee producers? 4. What did some Ethiopian coffee farmers do when coffee prices fell sharply? 5. What will it take to improve the plight of the world s poor coffee farmers? Copyright 2013, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 1

VOCABULARY REVIEW A. Match the words on the left with the correct meaning on the right. 1. expose 2. labor 3. profit 4. consumer 5. focus 6. effort 7. plight 8. negotiate 9. wealthy 10. convince 11.

advocacy a) rich b) put attention on c) a drug that can cause addiction d) discuss in order to reach an agreement e) show, uncover f) persuade; make someone want or believe something g) working in

2 VOCABULARY REVIEW A. Match the words on the left with the correct meaning on the right. 1. expose 2. labor 3. profit 4. consumer 5. focus 6. effort 7. plight 8. negotiate 9. wealthy 10. convince 11. address 12. narcotic 13. advocacy a) rich b) put attention on c) a drug that can cause addiction d) discuss in order to reach an agreement e) show, uncover f) persuade; make someone want or believe something g) working in support of someone or something h) trying hard to do something i) speak about; deal with j) a person who uses something k) a very serious and difficult condition l) work m) money gained in business B. Choose the right word(s) from the left column above to complete the following sentences. 1. He is a very man. He owns four very expensive cars and a large boat. 2. Their business lost money the first year, but they hope to make a soon. 3. Heroin is a powerful that is illegal in most countries. 4. My neighbor is planning to buy my old car. He is coming over this afternoon to a price. 5. Mary is trying to her husband to go to Hawaii for their vacation, but but he would rather go skiing. DEBATE IT Below are two topics to debate in small groups or pairs. Your teacher will tell you if you will be debating for or against the idea. You will have ten minutes to prepare your arguments. Topic #1: Individuals in the West will improve the plight of the world s poor coffee farmers if they boycott coffee companies that refuse to buy and sell fair trade coffee. Topic #2: Coffee companies in the West should be required by law to only buy and sell fair trade coffee. DISCUSS IT Work with a partner or in small groups. Discuss the following questions. 1. Why do you think coffee companies such as Starbucks have grown so rapidly in recent years? 2. Why do you think coffee is referred to as Black Gold? 3. Have you seen coffee that is labeled fair trade? What do you think this means? Do you usually buy this kind of coffee? Why or why not? 4. Are you willing to pay more for coffee that you know is registered fair trade? If so, how much more are you willing to pay? 5. What measures can individuals in the West take to help improve the plight of poor coffee farmers around the world? 6. What measures can large coffee corporations take to help improve the plight of poor coffee farmers around the world? WRITE IT Choose one of the questions above and write a paragraph stating your own opinion. Copyright 2013, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 2

3 Teachers Notes ANSWER KEY Please note: The reading for this topic is also available in full-page format at the end of the lesson (page 4). Comprehension: 1. The film Black Gold exposes a situation in which small coffee farmers in developing countries receive very little for their back-breaking labor, while international coffee corporations make huge profits selling the farmers coffee to consumers in rich nations. 2. Tadesse Meskela is trying to teach the world s coffee drinkers about the plight of small coffee farmers in Ethiopia, who make as little as three cents for each cup of coffee sold in the West. 3. In 1989 coffee began to be traded on the New York commodity market. 4. Some farmers either gave up farming or stopped growing coffee and started growing chat, a narcotic, in order to feed and clothe their families. 5. It will take consumer education, political advocacy by ordinary citizens in rich nations, and the willingness of coffee corporations to change their policies to improve the plight of the world s small coffee growers. Vocabulary: A. Match the words 1. e 2. l 3. m 4. j 5. b 6. h 7. k 8. d 9. a 10. f 11. i 12. c 13. g B. Choose the correct word 1. wealthy 2. profit 3. narcotic 4. negotiate 5. convince Copyright 2013, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 3

4 Teachers Notes Useful Expressions and Transitions for Debating Agreeing and Disagreeing That doesn t take away from the fact that... That s beside the point. With all due respect... I agree with you there. I agree with ---- (name). I see your point, but... That may be true, but... We re going to have to agree to disagree. I get/see where you re coming from, but... I m afraid I disagree entirely. I m afraid I d have to disagree. I agree to some extent, but... I disagree with you there. Pardon me for disagreeing, but... Interrupting/Asking to Contribute I hate to interrupt, but... If I may come in here... I d like to add something. Would you like to contribute something? I d like to raise a point. If I could speak for a moment... I d like to cut in here. You haven t answered my question. Persuading Can you see where I m coming from? I challenge you to give this a try/chance. I want you to see it my way. Put yourself in my shoes. Am I getting through to you? Expressing an Opinion In my honest opinion... It is my belief that... From my experience... From where I look at it... From my point of view... Clarifying/Rephrasing Let s be clear here... I think you misunderstood what I said. What I said was... (repeat a point that was misunderstood or confused) What I meant to say was... (rephrase something in a way that is clearer) In other words... What I was trying to say before I was interrupted is that... Summarizing/Concluding So let me get this straight, you think... To conclude... I d just like to summarize by saying... Finally, I d like to reiterate that... It s time to take stock of what we ve heard today. Both sides have some valid points. The stronger argument/team today is... Copyright 2013, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 4

5 Black Gold 1. Black Gold is a recent British documentary film about the international coffee industry. It exposes a situation in which small coffee farmers in developing countries receive very little for their back-breaking labor, while international coffee corporations make huge profits selling the farmers coffee to consumers in rich nations. 2. The film focuses on the efforts of Ethiopia s Tadesse Meskela to teach the world s coffee drinkers about the plight of small coffee farmers in Ethiopia, who make as little as three cents for each cup of coffee sold in the West. Meskela manages the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, which represents about 70,000 farmers. He wants farmer cooperatives like his to be able to negotiate better and fairer prices for their product. 3. The film follows Meskala as he journeys to wealthy countries like the United States and England to try to convince coffee drinkers and those involved in the coffee trade to buy Ethiopian coffee for which Ethiopian farmers have been fairly paid. Although some argue that civil unrest in Ethiopia also affects its small coffee farmers, the film does not address this issue. 4. Viewers learn that the price paid to small coffee producers has fallen sharply since 1989, when coffee began to be traded on the New York commodity market. In 2001, coffee prices were the lowest in 30 years. In Ethiopia, some farmers either gave up farming or stopped growing coffee and started growing chat, a narcotic, in order to feed and clothe their families. Yet, over the last five years, international coffee corporations together have profited by as much as $80 billion a year. 5. Although the international price of coffee has risen in the last few years, small coffee farmers like those in Ethiopia are still poor and the coffee corporations are getting richer. The film s message is that it will take consumer education, political advocacy by ordinary citizens in rich nations, and the willingness of coffee corporations to change their policies to improve the plight of the world s small coffee growers. Copyright 2013, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 5

Darjeeling tea pickers continue strike

www.breaking News English.com Ready-to-use ESL / EFL Lessons Darjeeling tea pickers continue strike URL: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/0507/050717-tea-e.html Today s contents The Article 2 Warm-ups