A big oil place in Lagos, Nigeria got a lot of oil to start making its own gas and flying fuel. Nigeria has lots of oil in the ground but needed to buy gas from other places, which cost more money. A very rich man made the oil place, and it cost a lot of money. When it’s ready, it will make lots of gas for cars and other things. Nigeria will not need to buy gas from other places anymore and might even sell some to other countries.

Nigeria is a big country with lots of people and oil, but sometimes it’s hard to get gas. The price of gas is a big deal for everyone. The leader of Nigeria said no more extra help to make gas cheaper, so now it costs more money. Some people who work are not happy, but the leader says it will be better later. The money saved will help make things better for everyone in Nigeria.

Original news source: Nigeria takes major step towards once again producing refined oil (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team will come to the front of the class and act out a word or phrase related to the article, without speaking. The rest of the team members will try to guess what the word or phrase is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students from each team until all the words or phrases have been acted out.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. Assign each student a word or phrase from the article and ask them to draw a picture that represents that word or phrase. Once everyone is finished, have the students take turns showing their drawings to the class and asking their classmates to guess what word or phrase it represents.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a headline related to the article, such as “Nigeria Becomes Self-Sufficient in Gas Production” or “New Oil Plant in Lagos to Reduce Gas Prices.” In their groups, students should discuss and come up with a short news article based on the headline. They can use the information from the article as well as their own ideas. After a few minutes, have each group share their headline and article with the rest of the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write the following question on the board: “Do you think Nigeria’s new oil plant will have a positive impact on the country?” Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to write “yes” or “no” as their answer to the question. Collect the papers and tally the results on the board. Then, ask students to share their reasons for their answer, encouraging them to use the vocabulary and phrases from the article.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask students to think about the following question: “What are some advantages and disadvantages of Nigeria’s new oil plant?” Give them a few minutes to think on their own, and then have them pair up with a partner to discuss their thoughts. After a few minutes, bring the class back together and ask some pairs to share their ideas with the whole group. Discuss as a class the different perspectives and ideas that were shared.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is happening at the big oil place in Lagos, Nigeria?
2. Why did Nigeria need to buy gas from other places?
3. Who made the oil place in Nigeria?
4. What will the oil place make lots of for cars and other things?
5. Why is the price of gas a big deal in Nigeria?
6. What did the leader of Nigeria say about extra help to make gas cheaper?
7. How will the money saved help everyone in Nigeria?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big oil place in Lagos, Nigeria got a lot of oil to start making its own gas and flying fuel. Nigeria has (1)______ of oil in the ground but needed to buy gas from other places, which (2)______ more money. A very rich man made the oil place, and it cost a lot of money. When it’s ready, it will make lots of gas for cars and other (3)______. (4)______ will not need to buy gas from other places anymore and might even sell some to other (5)______.

Nigeria is a big country with lots of people and oil, but sometimes it’s hard to get gas. The (6)______ of gas is a big deal for everyone. The leader of Nigeria said no more extra help to make gas cheaper, so now it costs (7)______ money. Some people who work are not happy, but the (8)______ says it will be better later. The money saved will help make things better for everyone in Nigeria.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is oil?
2. How would you feel if you had to buy gas from other places and it cost a lot of money?
3. Do you like cars? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s a good idea for Nigeria to make its own gas? Why or why not?
5. What do you think will happen if Nigeria can sell gas to other countries?
6. What is a leader?
7. How would you feel if the price of gas went up and you had to pay more money?
8. Do you think it’s fair for the leader of Nigeria to say no more extra help to make gas cheaper? Why or why not?
9. How do you think the money saved will help make things better for everyone in Nigeria?
10. Have you ever seen an oil place before? What did it look like?
11. What do you think is the most important thing about having gas for cars and other things?
12. How would you feel if you were the leader of Nigeria and had to make a big decision about gas prices?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. oil
2. gas
3. Nigeria
4. ground
5. money
6. leader
7. people
8. help
9. cheaper
10. better

Meanings:
(A) A type of fuel that makes cars go
(B) The humans who live in a place
(C) A big country in Africa
(D) The dirt and soil that is under our feet
(E) A thick, black liquid that comes from the ground and can be used to make fuel
(F) When something is improved and becomes nicer
(G) The thing we use to buy things
(H) When something costs less money
(I) The person who tells everyone what to do
(J) When someone does something to make things easier for you
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where is the big oil place located?
(a) Lagos, Nigeria
(b) Paris, France
(c) London, England
(d) Berlin, Germany

2. Why did Nigeria need to buy gas from other places?
(a) They wanted to support other countries
(b) They wanted to save money
(c) They wanted to sell gas to other countries
(d) They didn’t have enough gas of their own

3. Who made the oil place in Nigeria?
(a) The leader of Nigeria
(b) A very rich man
(c) People from other countries
(d) The workers in Nigeria

4. What will the oil place make?
(a) Lots of oil for cars and other things
(b) Lots of food for cars and other things
(c) Lots of water for cars and other things
(d) Lots of gas for cars and other things

5. Why did the price of gas go up in Nigeria?
(a) The leader of Nigeria said they needed more gas
(b) The leader of Nigeria said no more extra help
(c) The leader of Nigeria said they needed to save money
(d) The leader of Nigeria said they needed to sell gas

6. How do some people feel about the higher gas prices?
(a) They are very happy
(b) They don’t care
(c) They are not happy
(d) They are confused

7. What will the money saved from not buying gas be used for?
(a) To make things better for everyone in Nigeria
(b) To buy more gas from other places
(c) To make things worse for everyone in Nigeria
(d) To give to other countries

8. What does Nigeria have a lot of?
(a) People and gas
(b) Cars and oil
(c) People and oil
(d) Cars and gas

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Nigeria is a big country with lots of people and oil, but sometimes it’s hard to get gas.
2. Nigeria has no oil in the ground, but they used to sell gas to other places.
3. The leader of Nigeria said no more extra help to make gas cheaper, so now it costs more money.
4. Nigeria will not need to buy gas from other places anymore and might even sell some to other countries.
5. There is a small oil place in Lagos, Nigeria that is not going to make its own gas and flying fuel.
6. The price of gas is not a big deal for anyone in Nigeria.
7. A very poor man made the oil place, and it cost a little money.
8. When the oil place is ready, it will make lots of gas for cars and other things.
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 the big oil place in Lagos, Nigeria going to make?
2. Why did Nigeria need to buy gas from other places?
3. Who made the oil place in Lagos, Nigeria?
4. Why will Nigeria not need to buy gas from other places anymore?
5. Why are some people not happy about the price of gas in Nigeria?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is happening at the big oil place in Lagos, Nigeria?
They are starting to make their own gas and flying fuel.

2. Why did Nigeria need to buy gas from other places?
Because they didn’t have enough gas in their own country.

3. Who made the oil place in Nigeria?
A very rich man made it.

4. What will the oil place make lots of for cars and other things?
It will make lots of gas for cars and other things.

5. Why is the price of gas a big deal in Nigeria?
Because it costs a lot of money and affects everyone.

6. What did the leader of Nigeria say about extra help to make gas cheaper?
The leader said no more extra help to make gas cheaper.

7. How will the money saved help everyone in Nigeria?
The money saved will help make things better for everyone in Nigeria.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) lots
(2) cost
(3) things
(4) Nigeria
(5) countries
(6) price
(7) more
(8) leader
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. oil
Answer: (E) A thick, black liquid that comes from the ground and can be used to make fuel

2. gas
Answer: (A) A type of fuel that makes cars go

3. Nigeria
Answer: (C) A big country in Africa

4. ground
Answer: (D) The dirt and soil that is under our feet

5. money
Answer: (G) The thing we use to buy things

6. leader
Answer: (I) The person who tells everyone what to do

7. people
Answer: (B) The humans who live in a place

8. help
Answer: (J) When someone does something to make things easier for you

9. cheaper
Answer: (H) When something costs less money

10. better
Answer: (F) When something is improved and becomes nicer
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where is the big oil place located?
Answer: (a) Lagos, Nigeria

2. Why did Nigeria need to buy gas from other places?
Answer: (d) They didn’t have enough gas of their own

3. Who made the oil place in Nigeria?
Answer: (b) A very rich man

4. What will the oil place make?
Answer: (d) Lots of gas for cars and other things

5. Why did the price of gas go up in Nigeria?
Answer: (b) The leader of Nigeria said no more extra help

6. How do some people feel about the higher gas prices?
Answer: (c) They are not happy

7. What will the money saved from not buying gas be used for?
Answer: (a) To make things better for everyone in Nigeria

8. What does Nigeria have a lot of?
Answer: (c) People and oil
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Nigeria is a big country with lots of people and oil, but sometimes it’s hard to get gas. (Answer: True)
2. Nigeria has no oil in the ground, but they used to sell gas to other places. (Answer: False)
3. The leader of Nigeria said no more extra help to make gas cheaper, so now it costs more money. (Answer: True)
4. Nigeria will not need to buy gas from other places anymore and might even sell some to other countries. (Answer: True)
5. There is a small oil place in Lagos, Nigeria that is not going to make its own gas and flying fuel. (Answer: False)
6. The price of gas is not a big deal for anyone in Nigeria. (Answer: False)
7. A very poor man made the oil place, and it cost a little money. (Answer: False)
8. When the oil place is ready, it will make lots of gas for cars and other things. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧