Aki Ra Changing Lives One land mine at a time

 It is a listening activity and then a writing activity.  Here is an outline of what we will be doing: 1. Brainstorm vocabulary 2. Share vocabulary 3. Listen to the paragraphs 4. Listen to the paragraphs again – taking notes and words 5. Listen to the paragraphs – try to write down more words and phrases (filling in the missing pieces) 6. With a partner, rewrite the paragraphs as close to the original as possible.  It is a listening/writing activity to help increase your writing ability.  It can help you identify key language objectives that you can use in your own writing.  You don’t have to rewrite the paragraphs perfectly.  Mistakes are okay (as always but do try your best).  Don’t be afraid to share your brainstorming and writing.

Do not write anything down.

This time write down notes to help you re-write the passage. Do not try to copy everything down. Notes and words are okay.

Write down more words and notes to help you complete the passage. You are trying to re-write the passage the best you can. It does not have to be perfect, but you should try to get as much down as you can.

 After the final reading, in pairs, rewrite the passage as close as possible to the original using your notes  The writer has given us three reasons why Aki Ra is a hero. Identify these reasons and write three bullet points to explain them  At your tables, identify three persuasive techniques that you feel are very effective and justify your reasons for choosing them  Be ready to discuss the effective uses of persuasive language with the class

He was a child soldier in Cambodia. He fought in three armies and knew nothing except war until he was in his early 20s. The Khmer Rouge killed his family, took him to live with them, and taught him how lay the silent, sleeping, deadly monsters that upon waking devour the limbs of bodies, children of families, parents of children. He didn’t know the difference between right and wrong. He was taught to hate. No one is perfect. All of us are flawed and in need of redemption in one way or another. Some of our indiscretions are small and usually an apology can set things right. But other acts are so painful that redemption seems nearly impossible. In such cases, it takes the strength of a hero, a champion, brave enough to try to right a wrong. This is what Aki Ra does every day in Cambodia. He quietly walks through the villages searching the ground, getting on his hands and knees to clear landmines. Landmines that he was forced to bury as a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge. How has this child soldier filled with hate become a defender of children? Growing up, he witnessed numerous children being hurt by landmines. The physical and emotional scars of this country thirst for his care, for his love. This man is helping rebuild his country, one land mine at a time, one child at a time. So far, he has removed a staggering 50,000 mines. But that is not all he does. When he walks through the villages, he meets children who have lost limbs and parents to mines. So he built a home for 30 orphans, and said, “I will love you as my own”. Every child who is brought in to the center will have a better life. Is it possible to erase the past? Can the skeletons in our closets escape our minds, souls? Last year his organization put 2,400 people back on land they had been killing in the past. He cleared 63,000 meters of land. With every land mine destroyed, a life is saved. Redemption is beautiful, dangerous and never-ending work and a hero never fears it.

Why is Aki Ra a hero? He was a child soldier, he fought in three armies, and he knew nothing except war until he was in his early 20s. The Khmer Rouge killed his family, took him to live with them, and taught him how lay the silent, sleeping but deadly monsters that upon waking tear limbs from bodies, children from families, parents from children. He didn’t know the difference between right and wrong. He was taught to hate. No one is perfect. All of us are flawed and in need of redemption in one way or another. Some of our indiscretions are small and usually an apology can set things right. But other acts are so painful that redemption seems nearly impossible. In such cases, it takes the strength of a hero, a champion, brave enough to try to right a wrong. This is what Aki Ra does every day in Cambodia. He quietly walks through the villages searching the ground, getting on his hands and knees to clear landmines. Landmines that he was forced to bury as a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge. How has this child soldier filled with hate become a defender of children? Growing up, he witnessed numerous children being hurt by landmines. The physical and emotional scars of this country thirst for his care, for his love. This man is helping rebuild his country, one land mine at a time, one child at a time. So far, he has removed a staggering 50,000 mines. But that is not all he does. When he walks through the villages, he meets children who have lost limbs and parents to mines. So he built a home for 30 orphans, and said, “I will love you as my own”. Every child who is brought in to the center will have a better life. Is it possible to erase the past? Can the skeletons in our closets escape our minds, souls? Last year his organization put 2,400 people back on land they had been killing in the past. He cleared 63,000 meters of land. With every land mine destroyed, a life is saved. Redemption is beautiful, dangerous and never-ending work and a hero never fears it. Aki Ra, a former Khmer Rouge child soldier turned landmine activist: hero.

Persuasive techniques He was a child soldier, he fought in three armies, and he knew nothing except war until he was in his early 20s. The Khmer Rouge killed his family, took him to live with them, and taught him how lay the silent, sleeping but deadly monsters that upon waking tear limbs from bodies, children from families, parents from children. He didn’t know the difference between right and wrong. Like an angry dog, he was taught to hate.** No one is perfect. All of us are flawed and in need of redemption in one way or another. Some of our indiscretions are small and usually an apology can set things right. But other acts are so painful that redemption seems nearly impossible. In such cases, it takes the strength of a hero, a champion, brave enough to try to right a wrong. This is what Aki Ra does every day in Cambodia. He quietly walks through the villages searching the ground, getting on his hands and knees to clear landmines. Landmines that he was forced to bury as a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge. How has this child soldier filled with hate become a defender of children? Growing up, he witnessed numerous children being hurt by landmines. The physical and emotional scars of this country thirst for his care, for his love.** This man is helping rebuild his country, one landmine at a time, one child at a time. So far, he has removed a staggering 50,000 mines. But that is not all he does. When he walks through the villages, he meets children who have lost limbs and parents to mines. So he built a home for 30 orphans, and said, “I will love you as my own”. Every child who is brought in to the center will have a better life. Is it possible to erase the past? Can the skeletons in our closets escape our minds, souls? Last year his organization put 2,400 people back on land they had been killing in the past. He cleared 63,000 meters of land. With every land mine destroyed, a life is saved. Redemption is beautiful, dangerous and never-ending work and a hero never fears it. Aki Ra, a former Khmer Rouge child soldier turned landmine activist: hero.  Repetition with words, structuresCard stacking (careful selection of facts)  Personification **Compare and contrast  Metaphor** Exaggeration  Rhetorical questionSimile