Last year was the hottest year we have ever had. It was even hotter than when people started using a lot of oil and gas. In the UK, it was almost the hottest year they ever had. The weather is changing because of what people do and something called El Niño.

Hot weather was everywhere last year. It made things like big fires, not enough rain, and too much rain happen. There was also not much ice at the North and South Poles, and the ocean got very warm. People are worried that next year might get even hotter.

Even though El Niño can make some years hotter, it’s mostly because of people that the Earth is getting warmer. Last year showed that we need to stop using so much oil and gas. Even though leaders didn’t make strong rules to fix this, there is hope. New kinds of energy and cars that don’t need gas might help stop the Earth from getting too hot. Every little bit of heat we can stop will help a lot.

Original news source: 2023 confirmed as world’s hottest year on record (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, have students read the article and write a summary of the key points. Encourage them to use their own words and focus on the main ideas. Afterward, have each group share their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a statement related to the article, such as “Using renewable energy is the best way to combat climate change.” Have students discuss the statement and share their opinions within their group. Then, conduct a class poll where students vote on whether they agree or disagree with each statement. Encourage them to explain their reasoning.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write key vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper and place them in a hat or container. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team takes turns picking a word and silently drawing it on the board while their team tries to guess the word. The team that guesses correctly earns a point.

– Sketch It
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, have students choose a scene or image from the article and sketch it on a piece of paper. Encourage them to include details and labels. Afterward, have each group present their sketches to the class, explaining what they drew and why.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask students to individually think about and write down their thoughts on the following question: “What can individuals do to help prevent further climate change?” After a few minutes, have students pair up and share their ideas with each other. Then, open up a class discussion where students share their thoughts and ideas with the whole group.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened last year that made it the hottest year ever?
2. How did the hot weather affect things like fires and rain?
3. What happened to the ice at the North and South Poles?
4. Why are people worried about next year’s weather?
5. What is El Niño and how does it make some years hotter?
6. Why is it mostly because of people that the Earth is getting warmer?
7. What are some things that might help stop the Earth from getting too hot?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Last year was the hottest year we have ever had. It was even hotter than when people (1)______ using a lot of oil and gas. In the UK, it was almost the hottest year they ever had. The (2)______ is (3)______ because of what people do and something called El (4)______.

Hot weather was everywhere last year. It made (5)______ like big fires, not (6)______ rain, and too much rain happen. There was also not much ice at the North and South Poles, and the ocean got very warm. People are worried that next (7)______ might get even hotter.

Even though El Niño can make some years hotter, it’s mostly because of people that the Earth is (8)______ warmer. Last year showed that we need to (9)______ using so much oil and gas. Even though leaders didn’t (10)______ strong rules to fix this, there is hope. New (11)______ of (12)______ and cars that don’t need gas might help stop the Earth from getting too hot. Every little bit of heat we can stop will help a lot.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is the hottest year we have ever had?
2. How do you think the weather is changing?
3. Do you like hot weather? Why or why not?
4. What are some things that happened because of the hot weather last year?
5. How do you think people feel about next year possibly being even hotter?
6. What is El Niño and how does it make some years hotter?
7. Do you think it’s mostly because of people that the Earth is getting warmer? Why or why not?
8. What do you think can help stop the Earth from getting too hot?
9. How do you think new kinds of energy and cars that don’t need gas can help?
10. Do you think every little bit of heat we can stop will make a big difference? Why or why not?
11. How would you feel if you had to live in a place with really hot weather all the time?
12. What do you think we can do to help the Earth stay cool?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. climate
2. emissions
3. fossil fuels
4. greenhouse gases
5. renewable
6. sustainability
7. deforestation
8. biodiversity
9. ecosystem
10. conservation
11. pollutants
12. carbon footprint

Meanings:
(A) Things that make the air, water, or land dirty
(B) Energy from things that won’t run out, like the sun or wind
(C) Old remains of plants and animals used for energy, like coal or oil
(D) Stuff that goes into the air, which can be bad for the Earth
(E) Cutting down a lot of trees in a forest
(F) Gases that trap heat and make the Earth warmer
(G) Protecting nature and wildlife
(H) Using things in a way that doesn’t waste them and keeps them for the future
(I) The amount of bad air stuff you make by doing things like driving a car
(J) A community of living things and the place they live
(K) The usual weather in a place over a long time
(L) All the different kinds of living things in a place
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What was the weather like last year?
(a) Cold
(b) Rainy
(c) Snowy
(d) Hot

2. Why is the weather changing?
(a) Because of the animals
(b) Because of the moon
(c) Because of what people do and something called El Niño
(d) Because of the sun

3. What are some things that happened because of the hot weather?
(a) Snowstorms and hailstorms
(b) Earthquakes and tornadoes
(c) Thunderstorms and hurricanes
(d) Big fires, not enough rain, and too much rain

4. What happened to the ice at the North and South Poles?
(a) There was not much ice
(b) There was a lot of ice
(c) The ice melted completely
(d) The ice froze even more

5. Why are people worried about next year?
(a) They are worried it might get even colder
(b) They are worried it might get even hotter
(c) They are worried it might rain too much
(d) They are worried it might snow too much

6. What is El Niño?
(a) Something that can make some years hotter
(b) A type of animal
(c) A type of food
(d) A type of car

7. Who is mostly responsible for the Earth getting warmer?
(a) Animals
(b) Trees
(c) People
(d) The sun

8. What might help stop the Earth from getting too hot?
(a) Using more oil and gas
(b) New kinds of energy and cars that don’t need gas
(c) Cutting down more trees
(d) Using more plastic bags

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The UK experienced one of its hottest years as well.
2. The North and South Poles had more ice than usual, and the ocean got very cool.
3. People are hopeful that next year might be even colder.
4. Hot weather caused big fires, lack of rain, and too much rain last year.
5. While El Niño can make some years colder, it is mostly because of natural factors that the Earth is getting cooler.
6. The weather is changing because of natural occurrences and something called El Niño.
7. New types of energy and cars that don’t need gas might help prevent the Earth from getting too hot.
8. Last year was the hottest year ever recorded.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What happened last year that made it the hottest year ever?
2. How did the hot weather affect the environment?
3. What is El Niño and how does it contribute to the Earth getting warmer?
4. What can people do to help stop the Earth from getting too hot?
5. Why is it important to use new kinds of energy and cars that don’t need gas?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened last year that made it the hottest year ever?
Last year was the hottest year ever because the Earth got really hot.

2. How did the hot weather affect things like fires and rain?
The hot weather made big fires happen because it was so dry. It also made not enough rain happen in some places, and too much rain happen in other places.

3. What happened to the ice at the North and South Poles?
There was not much ice at the North and South Poles because it got very warm.

4. Why are people worried about next year’s weather?
People are worried about next year’s weather because they think it might get even hotter than last year.

5. What is El Niño and how does it make some years hotter?
El Niño is something that happens in the ocean. It can make some years hotter because it makes the ocean warmer, and that makes the weather hotter too.

6. Why is it mostly because of people that the Earth is getting warmer?
The Earth is getting warmer mostly because people use a lot of oil and gas, and that makes the Earth hotter.

7. What are some things that might help stop the Earth from getting too hot?
Some things that might help stop the Earth from getting too hot are using new kinds of energy, like wind and solar power, and using cars that don’t need gas, like electric cars.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) started
(2) weather
(3) changing
(4) Niño
(5) things
(6) enough
(7) year
(8) getting
(9) stop
(10) make
(11) kinds
(12) energy
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. climate
Answer: (K) The usual weather in a place over a long time

2. emissions
Answer: (D) Stuff that goes into the air, which can be bad for the Earth

3. fossil fuels
Answer: (C) Old remains of plants and animals used for energy, like coal or oil

4. greenhouse gases
Answer: (F) Gases that trap heat and make the Earth warmer

5. renewable
Answer: (B) Energy from things that won’t run out, like the sun or wind

6. sustainability
Answer: (H) Using things in a way that doesn’t waste them and keeps them for the future

7. deforestation
Answer: (E) Cutting down a lot of trees in a forest

8. biodiversity
Answer: (L) All the different kinds of living things in a place

9. ecosystem
Answer: (J) A community of living things and the place they live

10. conservation
Answer: (G) Protecting nature and wildlife

11. pollutants
Answer: (A) Things that make the air, water, or land dirty

12. carbon footprint
Answer: (I) The amount of bad air stuff you make by doing things like driving a car
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What was the weather like last year?
Answer: (d) Hot

2. Why is the weather changing?
Answer: (c) Because of what people do and something called El Niño

3. What are some things that happened because of the hot weather?
Answer: (d) Big fires, not enough rain, and too much rain

4. What happened to the ice at the North and South Poles?
Answer: (a) There was not much ice

5. Why are people worried about next year?
Answer: (b) They are worried it might get even hotter

6. What is El Niño?
Answer: (a) Something that can make some years hotter

7. Who is mostly responsible for the Earth getting warmer?
Answer: (c) People

8. What might help stop the Earth from getting too hot?
Answer: (b) New kinds of energy and cars that don’t need gas
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The UK experienced one of its hottest years as well. (Answer: True)
2. The North and South Poles had more ice than usual, and the ocean got very cool. (Answer: False)
3. People are hopeful that next year might be even colder. (Answer: False)
4. Hot weather caused big fires, lack of rain, and too much rain last year. (Answer: True)
5. While El Niño can make some years colder, it is mostly because of natural factors that the Earth is getting cooler. (Answer: False)
6. The weather is changing because of natural occurrences and something called El Niño. (Answer: False)
7. New types of energy and cars that don’t need gas might help prevent the Earth from getting too hot. (Answer: True)
8. Last year was the hottest year ever recorded. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧