Shops are now getting ready for a very important time when people buy a lot for Christmas and look for deals on Black Friday. But it's a hard time because people don't feel like spending much money. The shops are being told to make their websites better and to make shopping in their stores more fun, so people will want to come and buy things.
In one part of the UK, called Yorkshire and the Humber, shops had the fewest people come by, with 10.2% fewer than last year. The city of Leeds had even fewer people shopping. Even though it's tough, shops are trying to find new ways to get people to come in and buy things, especially now when many people are looking for Christmas gifts.
Original news source: Rain hits shops ahead of key Christmas season (BBC)
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students pair up, with one acting as a news reporter and the other as a shop owner affected by the storm Babet. The reporter interviews the shop owner about the impact of the weather on shopping behavior and preparations for the holiday season.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements about consumer behavior and shopping trends from the article (e.g., "Bad weather makes people shop less", "People are spending less on big purchases"). Students walk around the classroom and poll their classmates to agree or disagree with each statement, tallying up the results to discuss as a class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article on slips of paper (e.g., storm, visitors, spending, deals, Christmas, Black Friday). Students take turns drawing the word on the board without speaking, while the rest of the class tries to guess the word.
– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Choose keywords from the article (e.g., weather, shops, visitors, spending, Christmas). Play a game of hangman with your students, using these words. Each time a word is guessed, discuss its meaning and use in the context of the article.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Discuss the article briefly and then ask students to write down their predictions for the shopping trends in the UK for the upcoming Christmas period. They can consider factors such as weather, economic conditions, and new strategies by shops. Share and compare predictions in small groups or as a class discussion.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
Last month, it rained a lot and there was a big storm named Babet, so people did not want to go outside to the shops.
The number of people shopping went down by 5.7% from last year.
Things cost more money now, so people are thinking more before they buy, especially expensive things.
Shops are getting ready for Christmas and Black Friday, when lots of people buy things.
Shops are being told to make their websites better and to make shopping more fun so that people will want to come and shop.
Yorkshire and the Humber had the biggest drop, with 10.2% fewer shoppers than last year.
The city where even fewer people went shopping is Leeds.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Last month, it a lot in the UK, and a big storm called made people go out to shop. Because of the bad weather, people didn't want to leave their homes, and shops saw 5.7% fewer visitors than last year. Also, things cost more now, so people are careful about spending money, especially on big things. are now getting for a very important time when people buy a lot for Christmas and look for on Black Friday. But it's a hard time because people don't feel like spending much money. The shops are being to their websites better and to make shopping in their stores more fun, so people will want to come and buy things. In one part of the UK, Yorkshire and the Humber, shops had the fewest people come by, with 10.2% fewer than year. The city of Leeds had even fewer people shopping. Even though it's tough, shops are trying to find new ways to get people to in and buy things, especially now when many people are looking for gifts.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a storm?
2. How would you feel if a big storm made it hard to go outside?
3. Do you like going shopping when it is raining a lot? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about shopping online instead of going to the store?
5. How do you feel when things in the store cost more money?
6. What is your favorite thing to buy for Christmas?
7. Do you think Black Friday has good deals? Why or why not?
8. What makes shopping fun for you?
9. Have you ever gone to a store and seen it very empty? How did that make you feel?
10. Do you like to look for gifts for other people? Why or why not?
11. What is something special you would go to a shop to buy even if the weather is bad?
12. Do you think it's important for stores to have good websites? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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