All of Taiwan has been having more droughts and warmer weather, which has affected not only the Tsou people's rituals but also their jobs. Without typhoons, which bring water to the island, crops can fail. Farmers like Jui-Chiao Chung have had to change how they farm because of the continuous droughts. Ms. Chung has noticed that her coffee beans are darker, which means it's hotter. If she has one bad harvest, it can really hurt her income, so she's thinking about growing something else to deal with climate change.
The Tsou people's ceremonies can't use any other flower instead of the God Flower. Elder Gao Desheng is worried that the flower might disappear. He shows a big jar with the dry remains of what used to be a beautiful God Flower. The flower is super important for their ceremonies, especially during the three-day Mayasvi festival. The Tsou men put the leaves of the golden orchid on their hats to show they're Tsou and to ask for blessings from the war god Iafafeoi.
The Tsou tribe has lived on the island of Taiwan for thousands of years. They mainly live in the Alishan mountains, where the God Flower grows. Elder Gao is worried about what will happen to his tribe and hopes the government will help. But he feels like politicians aren't taking climate change seriously and how it's affecting the Tsou people's way of life. Greenpeace also says that the people running for president in Taiwan don't have good plans for the environment.
The God Flower is disappearing fast, and the Tsou people are running out of time.
Original news source: Taiwan: The 'God Flower' vanishing because of climate change (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: Have students read the article and then summarize the main points in their own words. They can do this individually or in pairs. Afterward, have a class discussion to compare and discuss the different summaries.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a different question related to the article. For example, "Do you think the government should do more to protect the God Flower and the Tsou people's way of life?" Have the groups discuss their opinions and then present their findings to the class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Provide a list of key vocabulary words from the article and have students work in pairs or small groups. Each group must select a word and create a drawing that represents the word. The rest of the class must guess what word is being depicted.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups and assign one group to argue the pros of taking action to protect the God Flower and the Tsou people, and the other group to argue the cons. Give them time to prepare their arguments and then have a class debate.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have students work in pairs or small groups and discuss what they think will happen in the future regarding the God Flower and the Tsou people. They should consider the impact of climate change and potential actions that could be taken. Each group can then share their predictions with the class.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
Climate change is causing the disappearance of the Dendrobium orchid in the mountains of Alishan.
The Tsou people depend on the God Flower for their ceremonies because they believe that if it's gone, the gods won't be able to find them.
Climate change has made the temperatures in autumn and winter warmer, which makes it hard for the buds to grow and bloom in the spring. As a result, the God Flower is no longer available near Tsou homes and they have to go deeper into the forests to find it.
Climate change has caused more droughts and warmer weather in Taiwan, which has affected the Tsou people's jobs. Without typhoons, which bring water to the island, crops can fail. This means that farmers like Jui-Chiao Chung have had to change how they farm to adapt to the continuous droughts.
The continuous droughts have affected farmers like Jui-Chiao Chung by causing their crops to fail. For example, Ms. Chung has noticed that her coffee beans are darker, which means it's hotter. If she has one bad harvest, it can really hurt her income. As a result, she is considering growing something else to deal with climate change.
The Tsou people can't use any other flower for their ceremonies because the God Flower is considered sacred and has a special significance in their rituals. It is believed that only the God Flower can be used to ask for blessings from the war god Iafafeoi.
During the Mayasvi festival, the Tsou men put the leaves of the golden orchid on their hats to show they're Tsou and to ask for blessings from the war god Iafafeoi. The God Flower holds great importance in their ceremonies, especially during this three-day festival.
Elder Gao is worried about the future of his tribe because the God Flower is disappearing fast. He hopes that the government will help address the issue of climate change and its impact on the Tsou people's way of life. However, he feels that politicians aren't taking climate change seriously, and he is concerned about the lack of good plans for the environment from the people running for president in Taiwan.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
The Dendrobium orchid, also called the God , is disappearing from the mountains of Alishan in because of climate change. The Tsou , who are an indigenous tribe, depend on this flower for their ceremonies and believe that if it's gone, the gods won't be able to find them. Before, the God Flower was everywhere near Tsou homes, but now they have to go deeper into the forests to find it. Climate change has made the temperatures in autumn and winter , which makes it hard for the buds to grow and bloom in the spring. All of Taiwan has been having more droughts and warmer weather, which has affected not only the Tsou people's rituals but also their jobs. Without typhoons, which bring to the island, crops can fail. Farmers like Jui-Chiao have had to change how they farm because of the continuous droughts. Ms. Chung has noticed that her coffee beans are darker, which it's hotter. If she has one bad , it can really hurt her income, so she's thinking about growing something else to deal with climate change. The Tsou people's ceremonies can't use any other flower instead of the God Flower. Elder Gao is that the flower might disappear. He a big jar with the dry remains of what used to be a beautiful God Flower. The flower is super important for their ceremonies, especially during the three-day Mayasvi festival. The Tsou men put the leaves of the orchid on their hats to show they're Tsou and to ask for blessings from the war god Iafafeoi. The Tsou tribe has lived on the island of Taiwan for thousands of years. They mainly live in the Alishan mountains, where the God Flower grows. Elder Gao is worried about what will happen to his and hopes the government will help. But he like politicians aren't taking climate change seriously and how it's affecting the Tsou people's way of life. also says that the people running for president in Taiwan don't have good plans for the . The God Flower is disappearing fast, and the Tsou people are running out of time.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is the God Flower and why is it important to the Tsou people?
2. How do the Tsou people feel about the God Flower disappearing?
3. How do you think the Tsou people's ceremonies will be affected if the God Flower disappears completely?
4. How would you feel if something that was important to your culture or traditions started disappearing?
5. Do you think the government should help the Tsou people protect the God Flower? Why or why not?
6. What other ways do you think climate change is affecting the Tsou people's way of life?
7. Do you think politicians in your country take climate change seriously? Why or why not?
8. How do you think climate change is affecting farmers like Ms. Chung?
9. What other crops do you think farmers like Ms. Chung could grow to adapt to climate change?
10. How do you think the Tsou people can raise awareness about the importance of the God Flower and the impact of climate change?
11. What do you think Greenpeace means when they say the presidential candidates don't have good plans for the environment?
12. How do you think the Tsou people can preserve their traditions and way of life despite the challenges of climate change?
13. How would you feel if something that was important to your cultural identity started disappearing?
14. Do you think it's important for governments to prioritize protecting the environment? Why or why not?
15. How do you think climate change will continue to impact indigenous tribes and their traditions around the world?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
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Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
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