A big cold wind has made the UK very chilly, bringing snow to places like Scotland and Northern Ireland. It’s going to be a very cold weekend with lots of snow and strong winds. People are being warned to stay safe and warm, especially those who might get sick easily. The NHS says to stay indoors in the early morning because the ground is icy. There are warnings for snow and ice in many parts of the UK from Saturday to Monday.

Before this, the weather was warmer, even on Christmas Day. Now, it’s much colder than usual for January. The cold is hard for older people and those who are already sick. People are worried about paying for heating to stay warm. Snow is expected in many places, and it could be very deep in some areas. This cold weather comes after lots of rain and flooding in some places.

Original news source: Temperatures drop across UK as arctic blast brings more snow (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Students take turns acting out words or phrases related to winter weather (e.g., “snow,” “cold,” “wind,” “sick”) without speaking, while others guess what they are.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Students move around the classroom and ask each other if they like cold weather or warm weather. They should record their classmates’ opinions and then share the results with the class.

– VOCABULARY PICTIONARY
Instructions: Divide students into two teams. One student from each team draws a word related to the article (e.g., “snow,” “ice,” “wind”) on the board while their team guesses the word.

– THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Instructions: Students think about how they feel about winter weather. They pair up to discuss their feelings and then share their partner’s thoughts with the class.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: In small groups, students create a catchy headline for the article that summarizes the main idea. Each group will then present their headline to the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What has made the UK very chilly?
2. Which places are getting snow?
3. What should people do to stay safe and warm?
4. Why is the ground icy in the morning?
5. How was the weather before it got cold?
6. Who might find the cold weather hard?
7. What is expected to happen with the snow in some areas?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big cold (1)______ has made the UK very chilly, bringing snow to places like Scotland and (2)______ Ireland. It’s going to be a very cold weekend with lots of snow and strong winds. People are being warned to stay safe and warm, especially those who might get (3)______ easily. The NHS says to stay indoors in the early morning because the ground is icy. There are warnings for (4)______ and ice in many parts of the UK from Saturday to Monday.

Before this, the (5)______ was warmer, even on Christmas Day. Now, it’s much colder than usual for (6)______. The cold is hard for older people and those who are already sick. People are worried about paying for (7)______ to stay warm. Snow is expected in many places, and it could be very deep in some areas. This (8)______ weather comes after lots of rain and flooding in some places.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your favorite thing to do in the snow?
2. How would you feel if it snowed every day?
3. Do you like cold weather? Why or why not?
4. What do you wear when it is very cold outside?
5. Do you think it is fun to play in the snow? Why?
6. How do you stay warm when it is cold?
7. What is your favorite warm drink?
8. Have you ever seen snow? What did you think?
9. How would you feel if you had to stay inside all day?
10. Do you think it is important to stay warm? Why?
11. What is a fun game to play in the snow?
12. How do you feel when it is sunny and warm outside?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. chilly
2. snow
3. weekend
4. warned
5. icy
6. indoors
7. heating
8. flooding
9. deep
10. worried

Meanings:
(A) Making a place warm
(B) Feeling scared or nervous about something
(C) Saturday and Sunday
(D) Going far down
(E) White, fluffy stuff that falls from the sky when it’s cold
(F) When too much water covers the land
(G) Told to be careful
(H) A little bit cold
(I) Very slippery and cold
(J) Inside a building or house
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the weather like in the UK now?
(a) Very hot
(b) Very cold
(c) Very rainy
(d) Very sunny

2. Where is it snowing?
(a) Scotland
(b) Australia
(c) Brazil
(d) Egypt

3. What should people do to stay warm?
(a) Go outside
(b) Stay indoors
(c) Open windows
(d) Take a shower

4. Who is worried about the cold?
(a) Older people
(b) Babies
(c) Cats
(d) Dogs

5. What did the weather use to be like?
(a) Colder
(b) Windy
(c) Snowy
(d) Warmer

6. What does NHS tell people to do in the morning?
(a) Go for a walk
(b) Play outside
(c) Stay inside
(d) Jump in puddles

7. What can happen because of the cold weather?
(a) Flowers
(b) Ice cream
(c) Snow
(d) Sunshine

8. What came before the cold weather?
(a) Snow and ice
(b) Wind and sun
(c) Heat and light
(d) Rain and flooding

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Many places have rain and flooding before the snow.
2. There are warnings for snow and ice.
3. Snow is not falling in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
4. The ground is not icy in the morning.
5. The UK is very cold now.
6. It was warmer before, even on Christmas Day.
7. People should not stay safe and warm.
8. Older people do not find the cold hard.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
Check your answers with our free English writing assistant!

1. What is the weather like in the UK now?
2. Where is there snow in the UK?
3. Why should people stay indoors in the morning?
4. Who is having a hard time with the cold weather?
5. What happened before the cold weather?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What has made the UK very chilly?
A big cold wind has made the UK very chilly.

2. Which places are getting snow?
Places like Scotland and Northern Ireland are getting snow.

3. What should people do to stay safe and warm?
People should stay indoors and keep warm.

4. Why is the ground icy in the morning?
The ground is icy in the morning because it is very cold.

5. How was the weather before it got cold?
The weather was warmer before it got cold.

6. Who might find the cold weather hard?
Older people and those who are already sick might find the cold hard.

7. What is expected to happen with the snow in some areas?
Snow is expected to be very deep in some areas.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) wind
(2) Northern
(3) sick
(4) snow
(5) weather
(6) January
(7) heating
(8) cold
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. chilly
Answer: (H) A little bit cold

2. snow
Answer: (E) White, fluffy stuff that falls from the sky when it’s cold

3. weekend
Answer: (C) Saturday and Sunday

4. warned
Answer: (G) Told to be careful

5. icy
Answer: (I) Very slippery and cold

6. indoors
Answer: (J) Inside a building or house

7. heating
Answer: (A) Making a place warm

8. flooding
Answer: (F) When too much water covers the land

9. deep
Answer: (D) Going far down

10. worried
Answer: (B) Feeling scared or nervous about something
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the weather like in the UK now?
Answer: (b) Very cold

2. Where is it snowing?
Answer: (a) Scotland

3. What should people do to stay warm?
Answer: (b) Stay indoors

4. Who is worried about the cold?
Answer: (a) Older people

5. What did the weather use to be like?
Answer: (d) Warmer

6. What does NHS tell people to do in the morning?
Answer: (c) Stay inside

7. What can happen because of the cold weather?
Answer: (c) Snow

8. What came before the cold weather?
Answer: (d) Rain and flooding
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Many places have rain and flooding before the snow. (Answer: True)
2. There are warnings for snow and ice. (Answer: True)
3. Snow is not falling in Scotland and Northern Ireland. (Answer: False)
4. The ground is not icy in the morning. (Answer: False)
5. The UK is very cold now. (Answer: True)
6. It was warmer before, even on Christmas Day. (Answer: True)
7. People should not stay safe and warm. (Answer: False)
8. Older people do not find the cold hard. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧