Wide-spread riots broke out in London, England last week.
People ran into the streets, breaking store windows and stealing merchandise (known as “looting”), and setting fires to buildings and cars.
Hundreds of people have been arrested and at least five people died in the riots.
There are many different reasons people joined the riots. Some people looted because they thought they could get away with it in the crowds. Some rioted because everyone else around them was doing it or they considered it fun. Others rioted because they have lived for a long time without enough money and it was a way to express their frustration. Many people rioted because they are angry with the police and the British government.
The riots began after police shot and killed a young black man named Mark Duggan, on Aug. 6, in a town called Tottenham, just north of London.
The incident sparked anger and resentment that had been building, particularly by young people. But it quickly spread beyond young, black people to people of nearly all ages, races and walks of life in England’s capital city and suburbs.
The rioting went on for days, as police tried–but were unable–to contain it.
It has been a very complicated and troubling time for one of the world’s best-loved cities.
London is slated to host next summer’s Olympic Games.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Kathleen Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
The article poses several suggestions as to why people in London, England rioted. What are some other reasons that you can think of as to why they would act in this destructive way?
One reason that is widely believed is that many young people in London are angry because they have a lack of money and jobs. Instead of rioting, in what other ways could they get out their frustrations and try to change their situation?
Reading Prompt
Both London, England and Vancouver, Canada are well-known cities and are well-loved. However, both of these cities took a turn for the worse this year when people rioted in the streets, breaking into stores, stealing from shops and setting cars on fire.
TKN featured a story on the Vancouver riot on June 20, 2011 (http://bit.ly/pjBbjH).
Read both of the articles and compare these two riots. How are they similar and how are they different?
Junior
Extend understand of texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them (OME, Reading: 1.6).
Intermediate
Extend understand of texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them (OME, Reading: 1.6).
Grammar Feature: Commas in a list
When more than two items are written in a list, each item needs to be separated by a comma.
For example: “People ran into the streets, breaking store windows and stealing merchandise (known as “looting”), and setting fires to buildings and cars.”
Read the sentences below and insert commas where needed.
1. When Sally went to the grocery store, she bought cereal bread milk eggs and oranges.
2. The sports that students play in gym class are basketball volleyball soccer and baseball.
3. Eric Mohammed Jessica Taylor and Eden went to the community center to go swimming.
4. English Math History Science and Social Studies are learned by all students in Elementary and Middle School.
5. The rainbow revealed itself after the storm and shone indigo purple green yellow orange and red.
