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In Surrey Hills, there is a special program that helps young people feel better by working on a farm. At Pondtail Farm, kids do fun farm jobs like herding cows and building pens for animals. This project, called the Care Farm, helps them feel more confident and less anxious. Many kids, like 17-year-old Ronnie, love being outside and say it’s like “heaven on earth.”
The Care Farm helps not just the kids, but also their families. By doing things like collecting eggs and tagging cattle, kids learn new skills and try things they haven’t done before. Some even think about working in farming when they grow up. The program helps kids who feel sad or worried by letting them enjoy nature and find new interests.
The Care Farm got money from special funds to help with mental health, totaling Β£65,900. Kids like Thea, who is going to an agricultural college, and Bethany, who loves the animals, show how the farm changes lives. As they get more confident and enjoy being outside, they feel happier and might even choose jobs in farming or gardening.
Original news source: Helping on the farm reaps mental health benefits (BBC)
π§ Listen:
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π Vocabulary:
| 1 | program | A plan or activity with a specific goal |
| 2 | herding | Gathering and moving animals together |
| 3 | pens | Enclosures or small fenced areas for animals |
| 4 | confident | Feeling sure of oneself |
| 5 | anxious | Feeling worried or nervous |
| 6 | tagging | Putting labels or marks on animals |
| 7 | agricultural | Related to farming |
| 8 | mental health | How your mind feels, like being happy or sad |
| 9 | totaling | Adding up to a certain amount |
| 10 | skills | Things you can do well |
| 11 | interests | Things you like to do or learn about |
| 12 | gardening | Growing plants and taking care of a garden |
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– CHARADES
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns acting out different farm-related activities mentioned in the article (e.g., herding cows, collecting eggs). The other groups will guess what they are acting out.
– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Prepare a few questions related to the article, such as “Do you think working on a farm can help young people feel better?” or “What job would you like to do on a farm?” Students will walk around the class and ask their classmates these questions, recording their answers.
– MIND MAP
Instructions: On the board, draw a large circle and write βCare Farmβ in it. Ask students to contribute words or phrases related to the article, such as βanimals,β βconfidence,β βoutdoors,β etc. Connect these words to the main circle to create a mind map together.
– VOCABULARY PICTIONARY
Instructions: Choose key vocabulary words from the article (e.g., farm, confidence, animals). One student will draw the word on the board without using letters or numbers, while the rest of the class guesses the word.
– TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
Instructions: Students will write down two true statements and one false statement about the Care Farm and its activities. They will then take turns sharing their statements with a partner, who will try to guess which statement is the lie.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the name of the special program in Surrey Hills that helps young people?
2. What kind of jobs do kids do at Pondtail Farm?
3. How does the Care Farm help kids feel better?
4. Can you name two activities kids do at the Care Farm?
5. How much money did the Care Farm receive to help with mental health?
6. What do some kids think about doing when they grow up after working on the farm?
7. How do kids like Thea and Bethany show that the farm changes lives?
Go to answers β©
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
In Surrey Hills, there is a special program that helps young (1)______ feel better by working on a farm. At (2)______ Farm, kids do fun farm jobs like herding (3)______ and building pens for animals. This project, called the Care Farm, helps them feel more confident and less anxious. Many (4)______, like 17-year-old (5)______, (6)______ being outside and say it’s like “heaven on earth.”
The Care Farm helps not just the kids, but also their families. By doing things like collecting eggs and tagging cattle, kids learn new skills and try things they haven’t done before. Some even think about working in farming when they (7)______ up. The program (8)______s kids who (9)______ sad or worried by letting them enjoy nature and find new interests.
The Care Farm got money from special funds to help with mental health, totaling Β£65,900. Kids like Thea, who is going to an agricultural college, and Bethany, who (10)______ the animals, (11)______ how the farm changes lives. As they get more confident and enjoy being outside, they feel happier and might even choose jobs in (12)______ or gardening.
Go to answers β©
π¬ Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is your favorite outdoor activity?
2. How would you feel if you got to work on a farm for a day?
3. Do you like animals? Why or why not?
4. What is a job you would like to try when you grow up?
5. How do you think being outside can help people feel better?
6. Do you think it is important to learn new skills? Why?
7. Have you ever felt sad or worried? What helps you feel better?
8. What is a fun thing you do with your friends or family?
9. How would you feel if you got to take care of animals?
10. Do you think nature is important for our happiness? Why or why not?
11. What is a special place you like to go to relax?
12. How would you feel if you helped someone feel better?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. program
2. herding
3. pens
4. confident
5. anxious
6. tagging
7. agricultural
8. mental health
9. totaling
10. skills
11. interests
12. gardening
Meanings:
(A) A plan or activity with a specific goal
(B) Putting labels or marks on animals
(C) Growing plants and taking care of a garden
(D) Enclosures or small fenced areas for animals
(E) Things you like to do or learn about
(F) Adding up to a certain amount
(G) Feeling sure of oneself
(H) Gathering and moving animals together
(I) Related to farming
(J) Feeling worried or nervous
(K) How your mind feels, like being happy or sad
(L) Things you can do well
Go to answers β©
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What is the name of the special program in Surrey Hills?
(a) Happy Farm
(b) Care Farm
(c) Fun Farm
(d) Kids Farm
2. What do kids do at Pondtail Farm?
(a) Cook food
(b) Build houses
(c) Herd cows
(d) Drive cars
3. How does the Care Farm help kids feel?
(a) More confident
(b) More tired
(c) More hungry
(d) More bored
4. What do kids learn to do at the Care Farm?
(a) Play video games
(b) Collect eggs
(c) Ride bikes
(d) Sing songs
5. How much money did the Care Farm get for mental health?
(a) Β£50,000
(b) Β£100,000
(c) Β£30,000
(d) Β£65,900
6. What do some kids think about doing when they grow up?
(a) Becoming doctors
(b) Traveling the world
(c) Working in farming
(d) Playing sports
7. What do kids like Thea and Bethany show?
(a) How to cook food
(b) How to build houses
(c) How to play games
(d) How the farm changes lives
8. What do kids feel when they enjoy being outside?
(a) Happier
(b) Sadder
(c) Angrier
(d) Sleepier
Go to answers β©
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
1. There is a program in Surrey Hills that helps young people improve their well-being by working on a farm.
2. Kids at the farm do fun jobs like herding cows and building pens for animals.
3. Some kids who work at the farm want to have careers in agriculture when they grow up.
4. The program is called the Support Farm.
5. Many kids enjoy being outside and think it is wonderful.
6. The program received Β£65,900 to help with mental health.
7. The farm is named Lakefront Farm.
8. The Care Farm helps kids feel more confident and less anxious.
Go to answers β©
π 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 do kids do at Pondtail Farm to feel better?
2. How does the Care Farm help kids and their families?
3. What are some fun jobs kids do on the farm?
4. How much money did the Care Farm get to help with mental health?
5. Why do some kids think about working in farming when they grow up?
β Answers
π€β Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What is the name of the special program in Surrey Hills that helps young people?
The name of the special program is the Care Farm.
2. What kind of jobs do kids do at Pondtail Farm?
Kids do fun jobs like herding cows and building pens for animals.
3. How does the Care Farm help kids feel better?
The Care Farm helps kids feel better by making them more confident and less anxious.
4. Can you name two activities kids do at the Care Farm?
Kids collect eggs and tag cattle at the Care Farm.
5. How much money did the Care Farm receive to help with mental health?
The Care Farm received Β£65,900 to help with mental health.
6. What do some kids think about doing when they grow up after working on the farm?
Some kids think about working in farming when they grow up.
7. How do kids like Thea and Bethany show that the farm changes lives?
Thea is going to an agricultural college, and Bethany loves the animals, showing how the farm helps them grow and feel happier.
Go back to questions β§
π§βοΈβ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) people
(2) Pondtail
(3) cows
(4) kids
(5) Ronnie
(6) love
(7) grow
(8) help
(9) feel
(10) loves
(11) show
(12) farming
Go back to questions β§
ππβ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. program
Answer: (A) A plan or activity with a specific goal
2. herding
Answer: (H) Gathering and moving animals together
3. pens
Answer: (D) Enclosures or small fenced areas for animals
4. confident
Answer: (G) Feeling sure of oneself
5. anxious
Answer: (J) Feeling worried or nervous
6. tagging
Answer: (B) Putting labels or marks on animals
7. agricultural
Answer: (I) Related to farming
8. mental health
Answer: (K) How your mind feels, like being happy or sad
9. totaling
Answer: (F) Adding up to a certain amount
10. skills
Answer: (L) Things you can do well
11. interests
Answer: (E) Things you like to do or learn about
12. gardening
Answer: (C) Growing plants and taking care of a garden
Go back to questions β§
π‘β Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What is the name of the special program in Surrey Hills?
Answer: (b) Care Farm
2. What do kids do at Pondtail Farm?
Answer: (c) Herd cows
3. How does the Care Farm help kids feel?
Answer: (a) More confident
4. What do kids learn to do at the Care Farm?
Answer: (b) Collect eggs
5. How much money did the Care Farm get for mental health?
Answer: (d) Β£65,900
6. What do some kids think about doing when they grow up?
Answer: (c) Working in farming
7. What do kids like Thea and Bethany show?
Answer: (d) How the farm changes lives
8. What do kids feel when they enjoy being outside?
Answer: (a) Happier
Go back to questions β§
π΅οΈβ True or False Answers:
1. There is a program in Surrey Hills that helps young people improve their well-being by working on a farm. (Answer: False)
2. Kids at the farm do fun jobs like herding cows and building pens for animals. (Answer: True)
3. Some kids who work at the farm want to have careers in agriculture when they grow up. (Answer: False)
4. The program is called the Support Farm. (Answer: False)
5. Many kids enjoy being outside and think it is wonderful. (Answer: True)
6. The program received Β£65,900 to help with mental health. (Answer: True)
7. The farm is named Lakefront Farm. (Answer: False)
8. The Care Farm helps kids feel more confident and less anxious. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions β§
