Singapore's journey to success

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Singapore's journey to success

Warm-up

Have you ever been to Singapore? (No, I haven't, but I want to!)

Vocabulary Match

literacy •• removed from
survival •• living standards
main •• staying power
conditions •• primary
forced out •• reading ability
corruption •• dishonesty

Vocabulary Answers

literacyreading ability
survivalstaying power
mainprimary
conditionsliving standards
forced outremoved from
corruptiondishonesty

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In 1965, Singapore faced a big problem. It was ________ of Malaysia, had no army, and lacked resources and fresh water. Most of the 2 million people lived in poor ________. Lee Kuan Yew, a strong leader, changed everything.

First, he focused on ________ by building a strong military. He said, "If you want to be friends, that's great. But if you don't, we're ready." Then, he improved education by making English the ________ language and sending top students abroad.

By 1990, Singapore's economy grew a lot, and most people owned homes. ________ rates went up, and ________ was gone. Today, Singapore is very successful, with clean streets and high living standards. Lee's leadership showed that hard choices can lead to great results.

In 1965, Singapore faced a big problem. It was forced out of Malaysia, had no army, and lacked resources and fresh water. Most of the 2 million people lived in poor conditions. Lee Kuan Yew, a strong leader, changed everything.

First, he focused on survival by building a strong military. He said, "If you want to be friends, that's great. But if you don't, we're ready." Then, he improved education by making English the main language and sending top students abroad.

By 1990, Singapore's economy grew a lot, and most people owned homes. literacy rates went up, and corruption was gone. Today, Singapore is very successful, with clean streets and high living standards. Lee's leadership showed that hard choices can lead to great results.

Quiz

  1. What problem did Singapore face in 1965?
  2. What did Lee Kuan Yew focus on first?
  3. What did Lee Kuan Yew do to improve education?
  4. What had Singapore achieved by 1990?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Singapore was forced out of Malaysia, had no army, and lacked resources and fresh water.
  2. First, he focused on survival by building a strong military.
  3. He made English the main language and sent top students abroad.
  4. Singapore's economy grew a lot, and most people owned homes. Literacy rates went up, and corruption was gone.

True or False

  1. Almost 2 million people lived in poor conditions. T F
  2. Lee Kuan Yew said, "If you want to be friends, we're ready. But if you don't, that's great." T F
  3. Singapore today is known for its clean streets and high living standards. T F

True or False Answers

  1. True
  2. False
  3. True

Conversation

A:Grandma, what was Singapore like when you were young?
B:Oh, it was very different. Life was quite hard.
A:Really? What changed to make Singapore so successful now?
B:Lee Kuan Yew worked hard to improve everything here.
A:Like what? What improvements did he make for people?
B:Better housing, education, and clean streets for everyone.

Discussion

  1. Do you think learning English is important?
  2. What would you do if your country had no resources?
  3. Would you like to lead a country? Why or why not?
  4. What's the hardest choice you've ever made?

Further Reading

https://x.com/theoscarhoole/status/1861062707467657693

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