In Brazil and Colombia, leaders are working hard to save trees in big forests. In Brazil, they saved lots of trees because new leaders think saving trees is very important. Colombia did a great job too, saving even more trees than Brazil. But in some other places like Bolivia and Nicaragua, more trees are being cut down and it’s a big problem. Even with the good work in Brazil and Colombia, there are still too many trees being cut down all over the world.

Trees are very important because they help keep our air clean. When too many trees are cut down, it’s bad for our planet. Leaders in Brazil and Colombia are showing that when they make good rules and work together, they can save lots of trees. But we need more leaders to do the same thing so we can save even more trees. It’s very important to keep working hard to save our forests.

Original news source: Dramatic drop in logging in key Amazon countries (BBC)

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write the names of different actions related to the article on small pieces of paper (e.g. cutting down trees, saving trees, working together). Each team takes turns choosing a paper and acting out the action without speaking. The other team has to guess what action they are acting out.

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article aloud to the class. After reading, ask the students to summarize the main points of the article in their own words. Encourage them to use simple sentences and vocabulary they have learned. Discuss their summaries as a class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write two statements on the board related to the article (e.g. “Saving trees is important” and “Cutting down trees is necessary for development”). Have the students stand on opposite sides of the room depending on whether they agree or disagree with each statement. Ask a few students from each side to explain their opinion.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write key vocabulary words from the article on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team comes up and chooses a word from the hat. They have one minute to draw a picture representing the word while their team tries to guess what it is.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about what they can do to help save trees. After a few minutes, have them pair up and share their ideas with their partner. Then, have a few students share their partner’s ideas with the rest of the class. Discuss as a class the different ways they can contribute to saving trees.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why are leaders in Brazil and Colombia working hard to save trees?
2. What happens when too many trees are cut down?
3. What did leaders in Brazil and Colombia show?
4. Why do we need more leaders to save trees?
5. What is the problem in Bolivia and Nicaragua?
6. Why is it important to keep working hard to save our forests?
7. What do trees do to help keep our air clean?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In (1)______ and Colombia, leaders are working hard to save trees in big (2)______. In Brazil, they saved lots of trees because new leaders think saving trees is very important. Colombia did a great job too, saving even more trees than Brazil. But in some other places like Bolivia and (3)______, more trees are being cut down and it’s a big problem. Even with the good work in Brazil and (4)______, there are still too many trees being cut down all over the world.

Trees are very important because they help (5)______ our air clean. When too many (6)______ are cut down, it’s bad for our planet. Leaders in Brazil and Colombia are showing that when they make (7)______ rules and work together, they can save lots of trees. But we need more (8)______ to do the same thing so we can save even more trees. It’s very important to keep working hard to save our forests.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What are trees?
2. How would you feel if all the trees were cut down?
3. Do you like forests? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important to save trees? Why or why not?
5. What do trees do to help keep our air clean?
6. How do you think leaders in Brazil and Colombia saved lots of trees?
7. Do you think it’s good that Brazil and Colombia saved lots of trees? Why or why not?
8. What can we do to save more trees?
9. How can we make sure that leaders in other countries also save trees?
10. What do you think will happen if we don’t save our forests?
11. Do you know any other ways that trees are important?
12. How can we work together to save our forests?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Brazil
2. Colombia
3. forests
4. leaders
5. important
6. problem
7. planet
8. rules
9. working
10. save

Meanings:
(A) Big areas full of trees
(B) Doing a job or a task
(C) Something that is not good and needs fixing
(D) To keep something safe from being hurt or lost
(E) Ideas that tell us what we can or cannot do
(F) A big place with lots of trees and animals
(G) A country where people are trying to keep trees safe
(H) Something we need to care about a lot
(I) The big round home we all live on
(J) People who make decisions for us
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why are leaders in Brazil and Colombia working hard to save trees?
(a) They want to cut down more trees.
(b) They think saving trees is important.
(c) They don’t care about trees.
(d) They want to make the air dirty.

2. Which country has saved more trees, Brazil or Colombia?
(a) Brazil
(b) Bolivia
(c) Nicaragua
(d) Colombia

3. Why is cutting down too many trees bad for our planet?
(a) It helps keep the air clean.
(b) It doesn’t affect the planet.
(c) It makes the air dirty.
(d) It helps the trees grow.

4. What are leaders in Brazil and Colombia showing?
(a) That they don’t care about trees.
(b) That they want to cut down more trees.
(c) That they want to make the air dirty.
(d) That they can save lots of trees.

5. What do we need more leaders to do?
(a) Cut down more trees.
(b) Make the air dirty.
(c) Save trees.
(d) Stop working hard.

6. What is the main message of the article?
(a) It’s important to save trees.
(b) It’s not important to save trees.
(c) It’s important to cut down trees.
(d) It’s important to make the air dirty.

7. Which countries are cutting down more trees?
(a) Brazil and Colombia
(b) Bolivia and Nicaragua
(c) Brazil and Bolivia
(d) Colombia and Nicaragua

8. What do we need to keep doing to save our forests?
(a) Keep working hard.
(b) Stop working hard.
(c) Cut down more trees.
(d) Make the air dirty.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Brazil and Colombia have destroyed lots of trees because their new leaders think it’s important.
2. Colombia has saved even more trees than Brazil.
3. Leaders in Brazil and Colombia are not making efforts to save trees in big forests.
4. In Bolivia and Nicaragua, fewer trees are being cut down and it’s not a big problem.
5. When too many trees are cut down, it’s bad for our planet.
6. We need more leaders to make good rules and work together to save lots of trees.
7. Trees are important because they help keep our air clean.
8. Even with the questionable work in Brazil and Colombia, there are still too few trees being cut down all over the world.
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 are the leaders in Brazil and Colombia trying to save?
2. Why is it bad for our planet when too many trees are cut down?
3. What do trees help keep clean?
4. What do the leaders in Brazil and Colombia show when they work together?
5. Why is it important to keep working hard to save our forests?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why are leaders in Brazil and Colombia working hard to save trees?
They think saving trees is very important.

2. What happens when too many trees are cut down?
It’s bad for our planet.

3. What did leaders in Brazil and Colombia show?
They showed that when they make good rules and work together, they can save lots of trees.

4. Why do we need more leaders to save trees?
So we can save even more trees.

5. What is the problem in Bolivia and Nicaragua?
More trees are being cut down.

6. Why is it important to keep working hard to save our forests?
To keep our air clean.

7. What do trees do to help keep our air clean?
They help keep our air clean.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Brazil
(2) forests
(3) Nicaragua
(4) Colombia
(5) keep
(6) trees
(7) good
(8) leaders
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Brazil
Answer: (F) A big place with lots of trees and animals

2. Colombia
Answer: (G) A country where people are trying to keep trees safe

3. forests
Answer: (A) Big areas full of trees

4. leaders
Answer: (J) People who make decisions for us

5. important
Answer: (H) Something we need to care about a lot

6. problem
Answer: (C) Something that is not good and needs fixing

7. planet
Answer: (I) The big round home we all live on

8. rules
Answer: (E) Ideas that tell us what we can or cannot do

9. working
Answer: (B) Doing a job or a task

10. save
Answer: (D) To keep something safe from being hurt or lost
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why are leaders in Brazil and Colombia working hard to save trees?
Answer: (b) They think saving trees is important.

2. Which country has saved more trees, Brazil or Colombia?
Answer: (d) Colombia

3. Why is cutting down too many trees bad for our planet?
Answer: (c) It makes the air dirty.

4. What are leaders in Brazil and Colombia showing?
Answer: (d) That they can save lots of trees.

5. What do we need more leaders to do?
Answer: (c) Save trees.

6. What is the main message of the article?
Answer: (a) It’s important to save trees.

7. Which countries are cutting down more trees?
Answer: (b) Bolivia and Nicaragua

8. What do we need to keep doing to save our forests?
Answer: (a) Keep working hard.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Brazil and Colombia have destroyed lots of trees because their new leaders think it’s important. (Answer: False)
2. Colombia has saved even more trees than Brazil. (Answer: True)
3. Leaders in Brazil and Colombia are not making efforts to save trees in big forests. (Answer: False)
4. In Bolivia and Nicaragua, fewer trees are being cut down and it’s not a big problem. (Answer: False)
5. When too many trees are cut down, it’s bad for our planet. (Answer: True)
6. We need more leaders to make good rules and work together to save lots of trees. (Answer: True)
7. Trees are important because they help keep our air clean. (Answer: True)
8. Even with the questionable work in Brazil and Colombia, there are still too few trees being cut down all over the world. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧