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Scotland’s New Tea Industry and Future Farming

Scotland's climate may benefit future farming and tea growing.
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In Scotland, Susie Walker-Munro is growing tea on her family farm. The special soil there is perfect for making high-quality tea. Her tea packets are very expensive, costing around £40 each. Climate changes, like more rain or dryness, are hard for tea farmers all over the world. But Scotland's stable weather might be an advantage.

As the season ends, Susie picks the last tea leaves for her special Kinnettles Gold tea. She believes Scotland's location might stop them from growing all year like other countries. But more rain can help produce more tea, so she thinks Scotland might be a good place to grow tea after all. Other people say greenhouses can grow more plants like vegetables.

The James Hutton Institute in Scotland is using greenhouses to test different crops. They are experimenting with beans that can handle different weather conditions. These scientists are also focusing on how climate change will affect Scottish farming. They want to help farmers choose crops that can survive these challenges.

Original news source: More tea? How Scotland's crops of the future could be set to change – BBC News (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

📖 Vocabulary:

1. soil
2. packets
3. stable
4. advantage
5. location
6. greenhouses
7. experimenting
8. conditions
9. focusing
10. climate
11. survive
12. challenges

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

1. Describe the weather today in your city.
2. Name three things that are grown on farms.
3. What is your favorite drink?
4. Have you ever visited a farm?
5. What do you know about Scotland?

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is Susie Walker-Munro?

2. What makes Susie's tea farm special?

3. How much do Susie's tea packets cost?

4. Why is climate change challenging for tea farmers?

5. What helps Scotland potentially be a good place for tea farming?

6. What is the James Hutton Institute doing?

7. What are scientists at the James Hutton Institute focusing on?

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In , Susie Walker-Munro is growing tea on her family farm. The special soil there is perfect for making high-quality tea. Her tea are very , costing around £40 each. Climate changes, like more rain or dryness, are hard for tea farmers all over the world. But Scotland's stable weather might be an advantage. As the season ends, Susie picks the last tea leaves for her special Kinnettles tea. She believes Scotland's location might stop them from growing all other countries. But more rain can help more tea, so she thinks Scotland might be a place to grow tea all. Other people say greenhouses can grow more plants like vegetables. The James Hutton Institute in Scotland is using greenhouses to test different crops. They are experimenting with that can handle different weather conditions. These scientists are also focusing on how climate change will affect Scottish farming. They to help farmers choose crops that can survive these .

💬 Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think climate change is a problem for farmers?
2. Would you be willing to pay more for high-quality tea? Why or why not?
3. Do you think stable weather is important for farming? Why?
4. Have you ever seen a greenhouse? What did it look like?
5. Why do you think greenhouses are useful for farming?
6. How might climate change affect the place where you live?
7. Why do you think scientists are focusing on weather-resistant crops?
8. How would you feel about living on a farm? Why?
9. Do you think farming is an easy or hard job? Why?
10. What other crops could people try to grow in a greenhouse?
11. How could farming change in the future?
12. What do you think is the best place to grow tea? Why?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.

Words

1. soil
2. packets
3. stable
4. advantage
5. location
6. greenhouses
7. experimenting
8. conditions
9. focusing
10. climate
11. survive
12. challenges

Meanings

(A) small packages
(B) not changing much
(C) a place or position
(D) a benefit or gain
(E) concentrating on something
(F) situations or environments
(G) the ground where plants grow
(H) to continue living
(I) buildings for growing plants
(J) trying new things to learn
(K) difficult tasks or problems
(L) the usual weather in a place

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is Susie Walker-Munro growing in Scotland?
(a) Coffee
(b) Wheat
(c) Rice
(d) Tea
2. Why is the soil special on Susie's farm?
(a) It's good for coffee
(b) It's rocky
(c) It's bad for growing
(d) It's perfect for high-quality tea
3. How much do Susie's tea packets cost?
(a) £40 each
(b) £25 each
(c) £10 each
(d) £5 each
4. What are climate changes making difficult for tea farmers?
(a) More sunshine
(b) More rain or dryness
(c) More fog
(d) Higher mountains
5. What does the James Hutton Institute use to test crops?
(a) Dirty soil
(b) Greenhouses
(c) Old barns
(d) River water
6. Why might Scotland be a good place for growing tea?
(a) Sunny days
(b) Cold winters
(c) Stable weather
(d) Snowy mountains
7. What are scientists at the James Hutton Institute focusing on?
(a) Climate change effects
(b) Singing songs
(c) Fishing in lakes
(d) Drawing pictures
8. What do scientists want to help farmers with?
(a) Building large barns
(b) Making tasty bread
(c) Choosing crops that survive challenges
(d) Painting landscapes

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Scotland's stable weather might help tea farming.
2. Susie Walker-Munro grows coffee on her family farm in Scotland.
3. Climate change benefits tea farmers worldwide.
4. The James Hutton Institute is in Scotland.
5. They focus on how climate change affects farming.
6. Susie's tea packets cost around £10 each.
7. Greenhouses can help grow more plants like vegetables.
8. Scientists are ignoring weather-resistant beans.

Writing Questions:

1. Write about a time you went to a farm.
2. Explain why you think weather is important for farming.
3. Describe what you would grow if you had a garden.
4. Write about a place you think has perfect weather.
5. Imagine you are a farmer, what would your day look like?

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