England has added 27 new places where people can swim in nature, like rivers and lakes. This is the biggest increase ever. But just because a place is marked for swimming doesn't mean it's clean. Some rivers on the list are still dirty. People like Alison Biddulph are happy but know the water might still be bad because of things like farms and sewage.
Last year, most swimming places in England were okay, but fewer were excellent, and more were bad. The government checks these places often and shares the results online. If a place is bad for five years in a row, it loses its special status. Some people are upset because cleaning the water is taking too long. But marking a place for swimming can help get it cleaned up faster.
Original news source: 27 new wild swimming sites for England – but are they clean? (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Read the article aloud to the class.
2. Explain that the students will need to summarize the main points of the article in their own words.
3. Divide the class into pairs or small groups and give each group a few minutes to discuss and come up with a summary.
4. Have each group share their summary with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Write the following question on the board: "Do you think it's important to have clean swimming places in nature? Why or why not?"
2. Explain that the students will need to discuss and form their own opinions on the question.
3. Divide the class into pairs or small groups and give them a few minutes to discuss and share their opinions.
4. As a class, conduct an opinion poll by asking each student to share their opinion and briefly explain their reasoning.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write a list of key vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. swim, nature, dirty, farms, sewage, etc.).
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups and give each group a few vocabulary words.
3. Explain that each group will take turns sending one student to the board to draw a picture representing one of the words, while the rest of the group tries to guess the word.
4. Continue until all the words have been drawn and guessed.
– Synonym Challenge
Instructions:
1. Write a list of key vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. swim, nature, dirty, farms, sewage, etc.).
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups and give each group a few vocabulary words.
3. Instruct the students to come up with as many synonyms as they can for each word on their list.
4. After a few minutes, have each group share their synonyms with the class.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions:
1. Write the following prompt on the board: "What are some possible solutions for cleaning up dirty swimming places in nature?"
2. Explain that the students will need to think individually, discuss with a partner, and then share their ideas with the class.
3. Give the students a few minutes to think and jot down their ideas.
4. Pair up the students and give them a few minutes to discuss their ideas.
5. Ask each pair to share their ideas with the class.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
England added 27 new places for people to swim in nature like rivers and lakes.
No, not all the swimming places are clean.
Some rivers might still be dirty because of things like farms and sewage.
Yes, most swimming places in England were okay last year.
If a place is bad for five years in a row, it loses its special status.
Some people are upset because cleaning the water is taking too long.
Marking a place for swimming can help get it cleaned up faster because it shows that people want to swim there, so the government will try to clean it up.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
England has added 27 new where people can swim in , like rivers and lakes. This is the biggest increase ever. But just because a place is marked for swimming doesn't mean it's . Some rivers on the list are still dirty. People like Alison are happy but know the water might still be bad because of things like farms and sewage. Last year, most places in were okay, but fewer were excellent, and more were bad. The government checks these places often and shares the results online. If a place is bad for five years in a row, it loses its special status. Some are upset because cleaning the water is taking too long. But a place for swimming can help get it cleaned up faster.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is swimming in nature?
2. How would you feel if you went swimming in a dirty river?
3. Do you like swimming in lakes?
4. Do you think it's important for swimming places to be clean? Why or why not?
5. How do you think farms and sewage can make the water dirty?
6. What does it mean if a swimming place loses its special status?
7. Have you ever gone swimming in a river or lake? How was it?
8. Do you think the government should clean the water faster? Why or why not?
9. What can happen if you swim in dirty water?
10. How can marking a place for swimming help get it cleaned up faster?
11. What do you think the government should do to make sure swimming places are clean?
12. Would you like to swim in a river or lake? 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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