In India, people have been making carpets by hand for a very long time. They used to follow a special code to know how to make the designs. But now, they use computers to help them see the designs better and fix any mistakes before they happen. Some smart computer programs are learning this old code to help the carpet makers even more. This is good because more people want to buy these special carpets that look nice, last a long time, and are easy to take care of.

The people who make carpets in India have to be really good at what they do because there are other countries like Turkey and China that also make carpets. A big carpet company is using new machines to help make carpets better, but they still make them by hand because people like that. They also have a special tag to show that the carpets are really made by hand in Kashmir. This is important to keep the old ways of making carpets alive. A man named Feroz Ahmad Bhat, who makes carpets, is happy because these new ideas are helping them make carpets faster and keep up with what people want to buy.

Original news source: India’s ancient carpet weaving industry meets AI (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Split the class into two teams. Give each team a set of cards with words related to the article (e.g. carpet, design, computer, handmade). One person from each team will act out a word without speaking, and their team has to guess the word within a certain time limit. The team that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “carpet” on the board. Ask students to brainstorm as many words as they can that are associated with carpets (e.g. design, handmade, India). Encourage them to think creatively and make connections between the words. After a few minutes, go around the class and have each student share one word they came up with.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. code, computer, machine). One person from each pair will choose a word and draw a picture of it on the board, while their partner tries to guess the word. Set a time limit for each round, and rotate roles after each word. The pair with the most correct guesses wins.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: In groups of three or four, ask students to create a catchy headline for the article. Encourage them to think about the main ideas and key points from the article. After a few minutes, have each group share their headline and explain why they chose it.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to think about how the use of computers and technology might continue to impact the carpet-making industry in the future. In pairs or small groups, have them discuss and make predictions about what changes they think will happen. Then, have each group share their predictions with the class. Encourage them to use vocabulary and phrases from the article to support their ideas.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. How do people in India make carpets?
2. What do the computers help the carpet makers do?
3. Why is it good that the computers are learning the old code?
4. Why do more people want to buy these special carpets?
5. What are some other countries that also make carpets?
6. Why do the people in India still make carpets by hand?
7. Why is it important to have a special tag on the carpets?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In India, people have been making carpets by hand for a very long time. They used to follow a special code to know how to (1)______ the designs. But now, they use computers to (2)______ them see the designs better and fix any mistakes before they happen. Some smart computer programs are learning this old code to help the carpet makers even (3)______. This is good because more people want to buy these special carpets that look nice, last a long time, and are easy to take care of.

The people who make carpets in India (4)______ to be really good at what they do because there are other (5)______ like Turkey and China that also make carpets. A big carpet company is using new machines to help make carpets better, but they still make them by hand because people like that. They also have a special tag to (6)______ that the carpets are really (7)______ by hand in Kashmir. This is important to keep the old ways of making carpets alive. A man named Feroz (8)______ Bhat, who makes carpets, is happy because these new ideas are helping them make carpets faster and keep up with what people want to buy.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a carpet?
2. How would you feel if you had to make carpets by hand?
3. Do you like the idea of using computers to help make carpets?
4. Do you think it’s important to keep the old ways of making carpets alive? Why or why not?
5. What do you think makes a carpet special?
6. How would you feel if you saw a carpet that was made by hand in Kashmir?
7. Do you think it’s good to use new machines to help make carpets better? Why or why not?
8. What do you think is the hardest part about making carpets?
9. Have you ever seen a carpet from India, Turkey, or China? What did it look like?
10. How would you feel if you had a carpet that lasted a long time?
11. Do you think more people will want to buy carpets if they are easy to take care of? Why or why not?
12. What do you think the special code for making carpet designs is like?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. carpets
2. designs
3. computers
4. mistakes
5. programs
6. code
7. machines
8. tag
9. Kashmir
10. ideas

Meanings:
(A) A place far away where some people live
(B) Secret language or special steps to follow to do something right
(C) Big helpers that can do a lot of work fast
(D) Smart helpers inside computers that can learn and do tasks
(E) New thoughts on how to do something better
(F) Oopsies or boo-boos that we didn’t mean to make
(G) Pretty patterns that make things look nice
(H) A little sticker or label that tells you something special
(I) Soft things you put on the floor to walk on
(J) Magic boxes that can do lots of smart things
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🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How do people in India make carpets?
(a) By hand
(b) With computers
(c) With new machines
(d) By using a special code

2. Why do people in India use computers to help make carpets?
(a) To make the carpets faster
(b) To keep up with what people want to buy
(c) To make the carpets look nicer
(d) To see the designs better and fix mistakes

3. What are some reasons why people want to buy the special carpets from India?
(a) They are made by hand in Kashmir
(b) They look nice, last a long time, and are easy to take care of
(c) They have a special tag on them
(d) They are made with new machines

4. Which countries also make carpets?
(a) France and Germany
(b) Japan and Australia
(c) Turkey and China
(d) Spain and Russia

5. Why is it important to keep the old ways of making carpets alive?
(a) To make the carpets faster
(b) To see the designs better and fix mistakes
(c) To show that the carpets are really made by hand in Kashmir
(d) To keep up with what people want to buy

6. Who is Feroz Ahmad Bhat?
(a) The owner of a big carpet company
(b) The inventor of the special code for making carpets
(c) A computer programmer
(d) A man who makes carpets

7. What is the special tag on the carpets for?
(a) To make the carpets look nicer
(b) To show that the carpets are really made by hand in Kashmir
(c) To keep up with what people want to buy
(d) To see the designs better and fix mistakes

8. How are the new ideas helping the carpet makers in India?
(a) They are helping them make carpets faster and keep up with what people want to buy
(b) They are helping them see the designs better and fix mistakes
(c) They are helping them make the carpets look nicer
(d) They are helping them make the carpets with new machines

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. People in India have not been making carpets by hand for a long time.
2. Other countries like Turkey and China also make carpets.
3. The carpets made in Kashmir do not have a special tag to show that they are made by hand.
4. Smart computer programs are not learning the old code to help the carpet makers even more.
5. More people want to buy these special carpets because they look nice, last a long time, and are easy to take care of.
6. They used to use a special code to make the designs, but now they use computers to help them.
7. A big carpet company is not using new machines to make carpets better, but they still make them by hand because people like that.
8. The new ideas are helping carpet makers make carpets faster and keep up with what people want to buy.
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. How do people in India make carpets?
2. What do they use computers for when making carpets?
3. Why is it important for the carpets to be made by hand in Kashmir?
4. Who else makes carpets besides India?
5. How are the new ideas helping carpet makers in India?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. How do people in India make carpets?
They make carpets by hand.

2. What do the computers help the carpet makers do?
The computers help them see the designs better and fix any mistakes.

3. Why is it good that the computers are learning the old code?
It’s good because it helps the carpet makers even more.

4. Why do more people want to buy these special carpets?
More people want to buy these special carpets because they look nice, last a long time, and are easy to take care of.

5. What are some other countries that also make carpets?
Some other countries that also make carpets are Turkey and China.

6. Why do the people in India still make carpets by hand?
The people in India still make carpets by hand because people like that.

7. Why is it important to have a special tag on the carpets?
It is important to have a special tag on the carpets to show that they are really made by hand in Kashmir and to keep the old ways of making carpets alive.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) make
(2) help
(3) more
(4) have
(5) countries
(6) show
(7) made
(8) Ahmad
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📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. carpets
Answer: (I) Soft things you put on the floor to walk on

2. designs
Answer: (G) Pretty patterns that make things look nice

3. computers
Answer: (J) Magic boxes that can do lots of smart things

4. mistakes
Answer: (F) Oopsies or boo-boos that we didn’t mean to make

5. programs
Answer: (D) Smart helpers inside computers that can learn and do tasks

6. code
Answer: (B) Secret language or special steps to follow to do something right

7. machines
Answer: (C) Big helpers that can do a lot of work fast

8. tag
Answer: (H) A little sticker or label that tells you something special

9. Kashmir
Answer: (A) A place far away where some people live

10. ideas
Answer: (E) New thoughts on how to do something better
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How do people in India make carpets?
Answer: (a) By hand

2. Why do people in India use computers to help make carpets?
Answer: (d) To see the designs better and fix mistakes

3. What are some reasons why people want to buy the special carpets from India?
Answer: (b) They look nice, last a long time, and are easy to take care of

4. Which countries also make carpets?
Answer: (c) Turkey and China

5. Why is it important to keep the old ways of making carpets alive?
Answer: (c) To show that the carpets are really made by hand in Kashmir

6. Who is Feroz Ahmad Bhat?
Answer: (d) A man who makes carpets

7. What is the special tag on the carpets for?
Answer: (b) To show that the carpets are really made by hand in Kashmir

8. How are the new ideas helping the carpet makers in India?
Answer: (a) They are helping them make carpets faster and keep up with what people want to buy
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. People in India have not been making carpets by hand for a long time. (Answer: False)
2. Other countries like Turkey and China also make carpets. (Answer: True)
3. The carpets made in Kashmir do not have a special tag to show that they are made by hand. (Answer: False)
4. Smart computer programs are not learning the old code to help the carpet makers even more. (Answer: False)
5. More people want to buy these special carpets because they look nice, last a long time, and are easy to take care of. (Answer: True)
6. They used to use a special code to make the designs, but now they use computers to help them. (Answer: True)
7. A big carpet company is not using new machines to make carpets better, but they still make them by hand because people like that. (Answer: False)
8. The new ideas are helping carpet makers make carpets faster and keep up with what people want to buy. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧