Bamboo is a plant that is very good for building things. A school in Bali made a big building out of bamboo. Bamboo grows fast and helps the air stay clean. But in places like Europe and America, people don’t use bamboo much for big buildings. They mostly use it for floors and parts of the kitchen.

People who know how to build things are learning more about bamboo. They are finding out that bamboo is very strong. In some places, bamboo is easy to get and doesn’t cost much. But in Europe, it might cost more money right now. If more people start using bamboo, it might get cheaper.

Some people in Europe are trying to grow lots of bamboo. They want to make new things out of bamboo for people in Europe. But they need to make rules about how to use bamboo for building. In California, a company is making walls out of bamboo and wood. These walls can be used for big and small buildings.

Original news source: Can bamboo be big in construction? (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into teams. Give each team a word or phrase related to bamboo (e.g. “building”, “fast-growing”, “strong”). One person from each team will act out the word or phrase without speaking, while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article aloud to the class. Then, have the students work in pairs or small groups to write a summary of the article. Encourage them to use their own words and focus on the main points. Afterward, have a few groups share their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask the students to form pairs. Give each pair a list of questions related to bamboo (e.g. “Do you think bamboo is a good material for building? Why or why not?”). Have the students take turns asking and answering the questions, recording their partner’s opinions. Afterward, have a class discussion where students share their partner’s opinions and discuss any differences.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. “bamboo”, “building”, “cost”). Divide the class into teams. One person from each team will come up to the board and try to draw a picture to represent one of the words. Their team will then try to guess the word. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about the following question: “Do you think more people should use bamboo for building? Why or why not?” Give them a few minutes to think, then have them pair up with a partner and share their thoughts. Finally, have a few pairs share their opinions with the whole class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is bamboo?
2. Why is bamboo good for building things?
3. Where did a school in Bali make a big building out of bamboo?
4. What do people in Europe and America mostly use bamboo for?
5. Why are people who know how to build things learning more about bamboo?
6. Why might bamboo cost more money in Europe right now?
7. What are some new things that people in Europe want to make out of bamboo?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Bamboo is a plant that is very good for building things. A school in (1)______ made a big building out of (2)______. Bamboo grows fast and helps the air stay clean. But in places like Europe and America, people don’t use bamboo much for big (3)______. They mostly use it for floors and parts of the kitchen.

People who know how to build things are learning (4)______ about bamboo. They are finding out that bamboo is very strong. In some places, bamboo is easy to get and doesn’t cost much. But in Europe, it might cost more money right now. If more (5)______ start using bamboo, it might get cheaper.

Some people in Europe are trying to grow lots of bamboo. They want to (6)______ new things out of bamboo for people in (7)______. But they need to make rules about how to use bamboo for building. In California, a company is making (8)______ out of bamboo and wood. These walls can be used for big and small buildings.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is bamboo?
2. How would you feel if you lived in a house made of bamboo?
3. Do you like the idea of using bamboo for building things? Why or why not?
4. What do people in Europe and America mostly use bamboo for?
5. How do you think bamboo helps the air stay clean?
6. Do you think bamboo is strong? Why or why not?
7. What do people in Europe need to do if they want to use bamboo for building?
8. What are some things that people in Europe could make out of bamboo?
9. How do you think bamboo walls are different from regular walls?
10. Do you think it’s a good idea to grow lots of bamboo in Europe? Why or why not?
11. What are some other things that could be made out of bamboo?
12. How do you think using more bamboo could make it cheaper?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. bamboo
2. plant
3. building
4. Europe
5. strong
6. rules
7. walls
8. kitchen

Meanings:
(a) The sides of a room that keep it separate from other rooms
(b) A continent with many different countries
(c) A type of tall grass that grows quickly
(d) Something that grows in the ground
(e) Having a lot of power and not easily broken
(f) A structure made of materials like wood or metal
(g) The part of the house where you cook and prepare food
(h) Instructions that tell you what you can and cannot do
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is bamboo good for?
(a) Building things
(b) Painting pictures
(c) Cooking food
(d) Playing music

2. Where did a school in Bali make a big building out of bamboo?
(a) Europe
(b) America
(c) Bali
(d) California

3. Why don’t people in Europe and America use bamboo for big buildings?
(a) They don’t like the color of bamboo
(b) Bamboo is too expensive in Europe and America
(c) They mostly use it for floors and parts of the kitchen
(d) Bamboo doesn’t grow in Europe and America

4. What are people learning about bamboo?
(a) It is very soft
(b) It is very strong
(c) It is very heavy
(d) It is very small

5. Why might bamboo get cheaper if more people start using it?
(a) Because more people will grow bamboo
(b) Because bamboo is not popular
(c) Because bamboo is not strong
(d) Because bamboo is too expensive

6. What are some people in Europe trying to do with bamboo?
(a) Sell lots of bamboo
(b) Grow lots of bamboo
(c) Burn lots of bamboo
(d) Eat lots of bamboo

7. What are some people in California making out of bamboo and wood?
(a) Chairs
(b) Cars
(c) Computers
(d) Walls

8. What can the walls made of bamboo and wood be used for?
(a) Only big buildings
(b) Only small buildings
(c) Only houses
(d) Big and small buildings

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Bamboo is a plant that is not good for building things.
2. Some people in Europe are not trying to grow lots of bamboo.
3. In Europe and America, people use bamboo a lot for big buildings.
4. A school in Bali made a big building out of bamboo.
5. People who know how to build things are learning more about bamboo.
6. Bamboo grows slow and doesn’t help the air stay clean.
7. In California, a company is making walls out of bamboo and wood.
8. Bamboo is very strong.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What is bamboo good for building?
2. Where did a school in Bali make a big building out of bamboo?
3. Why don’t people in Europe and America use bamboo for big buildings?
4. What are some things that people in Europe use bamboo for?
5. What are some new things that people in Europe want to make out of bamboo?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is bamboo?
Bamboo is a type of plant.

2. Why is bamboo good for building things?
Bamboo is good for building things because it grows fast and is very strong.

3. Where did a school in Bali make a big building out of bamboo?
A school in Bali made a big building out of bamboo.

4. What do people in Europe and America mostly use bamboo for?
People in Europe and America mostly use bamboo for floors and parts of the kitchen.

5. Why are people who know how to build things learning more about bamboo?
People who know how to build things are learning more about bamboo because they are finding out that it is very strong and can be used for building.

6. Why might bamboo cost more money in Europe right now?
Bamboo might cost more money in Europe right now because it is not as easy to get as in other places.

7. What are some new things that people in Europe want to make out of bamboo?
Some new things that people in Europe want to make out of bamboo are walls for big and small buildings.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Bali
(2) bamboo
(3) buildings
(4) more
(5) people
(6) make
(7) Europe
(8) walls
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. bamboo
Answer: (c) A type of tall grass that grows quickly

2. plant
Answer: (d) Something that grows in the ground

3. building
Answer: (f) A structure made of materials like wood or metal

4. Europe
Answer: (b) A continent with many different countries

5. strong
Answer: (e) Having a lot of power and not easily broken

6. rules
Answer: (h) Instructions that tell you what you can and cannot do

7. walls
Answer: (a) The sides of a room that keep it separate from other rooms

8. kitchen
Answer: (g) The part of the house where you cook and prepare food
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is bamboo good for?
Answer: (a) Building things

2. Where did a school in Bali make a big building out of bamboo?
Answer: (c) Bali

3. Why don’t people in Europe and America use bamboo for big buildings?
Answer: (c) They mostly use it for floors and parts of the kitchen

4. What are people learning about bamboo?
Answer: (b) It is very strong

5. Why might bamboo get cheaper if more people start using it?
Answer: (a) Because more people will grow bamboo

6. What are some people in Europe trying to do with bamboo?
Answer: (b) Grow lots of bamboo

7. What are some people in California making out of bamboo and wood?
Answer: (d) Walls

8. What can the walls made of bamboo and wood be used for?
Answer: (d) Big and small buildings
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Bamboo is a plant that is not good for building things. (Answer: False)
2. Some people in Europe are not trying to grow lots of bamboo. (Answer: False)
3. In Europe and America, people use bamboo a lot for big buildings. (Answer: False)
4. A school in Bali made a big building out of bamboo. (Answer: True)
5. People who know how to build things are learning more about bamboo. (Answer: True)
6. Bamboo grows slow and doesn’t help the air stay clean. (Answer: False)
7. In California, a company is making walls out of bamboo and wood. (Answer: True)
8. Bamboo is very strong. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧