The person who wrote the review, Julian Glover, is excited about the progress and the extra money. He thinks national parks are important for making us feel good and helping both people and nature. But Dr. Rose O'Neill, who runs the Campaign for National Parks, is worried about the money problems that the current parks have. Since 2010, they have had 40% less money. Even though the new money will help a bit, she is still worried about future problems.
Kevin Bishop, who runs Dartmoor National Park, is happy about the new national park but has some concerns. He thinks the current parks need more money for everyday costs, like paying staff. He is grateful for the Β£15m for big projects, but he thinks it's also important to have money for smaller projects that help nature and people.
The government promised to make a new national park in England in their plan, and next year is the 75th anniversary of the law that made national parks possible. Wales and Scotland are also thinking about making new national parks. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Barclay, made the announcement, but it will take up to five years to make the new park. The government will give an extra Β£5m this year and Β£10m next year to help national parks and stop nature from getting worse.
The government is also giving Β£2.5m to help young people who don't have a lot of money go to the countryside. They are also giving Β£750,000 for research on protecting England's temperate rainforests. They will make 34 new projects to help nature and make food in a good way. The Labour Party's Shadow Environment Secretary, Steve Reed, said the Conservatives are to blame for nature getting worse in the UK. He said the UK is one of the countries with the least nature left.
Original news source: England to get new national park as part of nature plan (BBC)
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a few minutes to read the article. Then, ask each group to summarize the main points of the article in a few sentences. Have each group share their summary with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write two statements on the board: "Creating a new national park is a positive step for the environment" and "The government should focus on funding existing national parks instead of creating new ones." Have students stand in a designated area of the classroom to indicate whether they agree or disagree with each statement. Ask a few students to explain their reasoning.
– Sketch It
Instructions: In pairs, have students take turns describing a scene from a national park. Their partner must listen and sketch what they hear. After a few minutes, have students compare their sketches to see how well they captured the scene.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write key vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper and place them in a bag. Divide the class into teams. One student from each team will pick a word from the bag and draw a picture representing the word while their team tries to guess the word. The team that guesses correctly earns a point.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, have students discuss and make predictions about the future of national parks in England. They should consider factors such as funding, environmental concerns, and public access. After a few minutes, ask a few pairs to share their predictions with the class.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
The purpose of creating a new national park in England is to protect and provide more access to the countryside.
Some people are worried about the government's funding for national parks because there have been cuts in services and staff due to less money being given to them.
The review that led to the government's decision to give money to national parks was written by Julian Glover.
Dr. Rose O'Neill's main concern about the current national parks is the lack of money they have been receiving, which has led to cuts in funding and services.
Kevin Bishop believes that the current parks need more money for everyday costs, such as paying staff, as well as for smaller projects that help nature and people.
Next year is significant for the creation of a new national park in England because it marks the 75th anniversary of the law that made national parks possible.
It will take up to five years to create the new national park in England.
The government has announced initiatives to help nature and young people, including giving Β£2.5m to help young people from low-income backgrounds go to the countryside and providing Β£750,000 for research on protecting England's temperate rainforests. They will also implement 34 new projects to support nature and promote sustainable food production.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
is going to have a new park to protect and give people more access to the countryside. England will look at different places like the Chilterns, the Cotswolds, and Dorset to decide where the park will be. Some people who care about the environment are happy about this news, but they are because the government has been giving less money to national parks. This has led to cuts in services and staff. The government has also said they will give Β£15m to the current national parks and protected areas. They are doing this because a review in 2019 said that the way these places are managed and is not good. The person who wrote the review, Julian , is excited about the progress and the extra money. He thinks national parks are important for making us feel good and helping both people and . But Dr. Rose O'Neill, who runs the Campaign for National Parks, is worried about the money problems that the current parks have. Since 2010, they have had 40% less money. Even though the new money will help a bit, she is still worried about future problems. Kevin , who runs Dartmoor National Park, is happy about the new national park but has some concerns. He thinks the current parks need more money for everyday costs, like paying staff. He is grateful for the Β£15m for big projects, but he thinks it's also important to have money for projects that help nature and . The government promised to make a new national park in England in their plan, and next year is the 75th anniversary of the law that made national parks possible. and are also thinking about making new national parks. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Barclay, made the announcement, but it will take up to five years to make the new park. The will give an Β£5m this year and Β£10m next year to help national parks and stop nature from getting worse. The government is also giving Β£2.5m to help young people who don't have a lot of money go to the countryside. They are also giving Β£750,000 for research on protecting England's temperate rainforests. They will make 34 new projects to help nature and make food in a good way. The Labour Party's Shadow Environment Secretary, Steve Reed, said the are to blame for nature getting worse in the UK. He said the UK is one of the with the least nature left.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a national park and why are they important?
2. How would you feel if there was a new national park in your country?
3. Do you like spending time in nature? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it's important to protect the environment? Why or why not?
5. What do you think about the government giving less money to national parks?
6. How do you think the cuts in services and staff will affect the current national parks?
7. Why do you think the government decided to give Β£15m to the current national parks and protected areas?
8. What do you think about the review that said the way national parks are managed and funded is not good?
9. How do you think national parks make people feel good?
10. What do you think about the concerns Dr. Rose O'Neill has about the money problems of the current parks?
11. Why do you think Kevin Bishop believes the current parks need more money for everyday costs?
12. Do you think it's important to have money for smaller projects that help nature and people? Why or why not?
13. How do you feel about the government's promise to make a new national park in England?
14. What do you think about the government giving money to help young people go to the countryside?
15. Do you agree with the statement that the UK is one of the countries with the least nature left? 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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