Yesterday, demonstrators clashed with police in Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine.
The demonstrators had set up tents in Kyiv’s Independence Square.
Since November, people have been protesting the government’s increasingly close ties with Russia. They believe Ukrainians would be better off if the country was not so closely allied to Russia.
The people are also protesting against President Viktor F. Yanukovych, who they say is dishonest. He was elected in 2010 but since that time he has become very wealthy, while many Ukrainian citizens are not able to make ends meet. He is widely “reviled” (hated) now by the people, according to the New York Times newspaper.
One protester spoke with CBC Radio. He estimated there were about 50,000 people in Independence Square.
A few days ago, the situation in Ukraine seemed to be getting better; the two sides had come to an agreement.
Then, the government accepted some more money from Russia and indicated that they would support a new candidate for prime minister–one who has ties to Russia.
This sparked increased protest and the violence grew.
The protesters have vowed to stay in the square. One protester called it their “island of freedom,” according to The Globe and Mail newspaper.
In the square, Ukrainian priests prayed for peace. Representatives from many countries around the world are asking the Ukraine government and the protesters to end the violence.
Thank you to Marsha Skrypuch for her assistance with this article.
Related link
For more information about the situation in Ukraine, read this TKN article from Jan. 29.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Solving disagreements is an issue that all people face. Everyone experiences conflict. How do you resolve your conflicts with others? How could that strategy be useful in Ukraine, right now?
Reading Prompt: Demonstrating Understanding
What is the main topic of today’s article and what are the supporting details? Create a mind map to illustrate how the supporting details are attached to the main topic.
Junior
Demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts by summarizing important ideas and citing supporting details (OME, Reading: 1.4).
Intermediate
Demonstrate understanding of increasingly complex texts by summarizing important ideas and citing a variety of details that support the main idea (OME, Reading: 1.4).
Grammar Feature: BIG words
Today’s article contains several big words, and I don’t mean complicated ones only. Quite a few of the words in today’s article were over 10 letters, like “demonstrator,” and “independence.” One word even had 15 letters, “representatives.”
What’s are the biggest words that you know? Write down the 5 biggest words you know and challenge a classmate. Here’s a game: Grab your list. share the first word on your lists. See whose word has more letters and score points for the difference. Continue through all 5 rounds and tally scores at the end. The player with the highest score wins.
