Some smart people in the UK are worried that the trees and animals in the forests might all go away in 50 years. Trees in other places are already getting hurt by wind, fire, bugs, and sickness. But these smart people say if we do something now, we can save the forests for kids and grandkids.

The trees in the UK are having a hard time because of the weather getting hotter, too many animals that hurt the trees, and not enough people to take care of the forests. They say we should plant different kinds of trees that can handle bad weather and are good for animals. They also say we need to think about how people need water, new bugs that can hurt trees, and big storms that make it hard to take care of the forests. They want everyone to help now so the forests can stay healthy and be there for a long, long time.

Original news source: UK forests face ‘catastrophic ecosystem collapse’ (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down different elements from the article (e.g., trees, animals, forests, wind, fire, bugs, sickness, weather, water, storms) on slips of paper. Students take turns acting out these elements without speaking while their classmates guess the word. This activity helps students associate vocabulary with physical concepts and actions.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a piece of paper and ask them to draw a scene related to the article’s theme, such as a healthy forest, a forest being harmed by wind or fire, or people planting trees. Afterward, have each group present their drawing to the class and explain the connection to the article. This encourages comprehension and vocabulary usage through visual representation.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Ask the students to create a newspaper headline that captures the main idea of the article. Encourage creativity and simplicity, as they are beginners. This helps them summarize the content and practice using key vocabulary words in a meaningful context.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write a key term from the article (e.g., “forests”) on the board. Students take turns saying a word that they associate with the key term. If a student hesitates too long or repeats a word, they sit down. Continue until one student remains. This activity encourages quick thinking and vocabulary expansion.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Conduct a simple opinion poll among students regarding the topic. For example, ask “Do you think it’s important to save the forests?” or “Can planting different trees save the forests?” Students can raise their hand to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Then, ask a few students to explain their opinion using phrases from the article. This encourages students to express their thoughts and practice using new language in context.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What are the smart people in the UK worried about?
2. What has been hurting the trees in other places?
3. How long do the smart people think the trees and animals might go away if we don’t help?
4. Why are the trees in the UK having a hard time?
5. What do the smart people say we should plant?
6. What do the smart people want us to think about to help the forests?
7. What do the smart people want everyone to do for the forests?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some smart (1)______ in the UK are worried that the trees and animals in the (2)______ might all go away in 50 years. Trees in other places are already getting hurt by wind, fire, bugs, and sickness. But these smart people say if we do something now, we can save the forests for (3)______ and grandkids.

The trees in the UK are having a hard time because of the (4)______ getting hotter, too many animals that hurt the trees, and not enough people to take care of the forests. They say we should (5)______ different (6)______ of trees that can handle bad weather and are good for animals. They also say we need to think about how people need water, new bugs that can hurt trees, and big storms that make it hard to take care of the forests. They (7)______ everyone to help now so the forests can stay healthy and be there for a long, long (8)______.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a forest?
2. Do you like trees? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if there were no more trees?
4. Do you think animals are important for forests? Why?
5. What is your favorite animal that lives in the forest?
6. Have you ever planted a tree? Was it fun?
7. Why do you think trees can get sick?
8. What can we do to help trees feel better?
9. Do you think hot weather is bad for trees? Why or why not?
10. How do you think we can take care of forests?
11. Would you like to help save the forests? Why or why not?
12. Do you think it’s important for kids and grandkids to see forests? Why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. trees
2. animals
3. forests
4. weather
5. plants
6. people
7. water
8. storms

Meanings:
(a) Places with lots of trees and animals
(b) Something we need to drink to stay alive
(c) Green things that grow in the ground
(d) Big, strong winds and rain in the sky
(e) What the sky is like, if it’s sunny or rainy
(f) Living things like cats and dogs
(g) Tall things that grow in the ground
(h) You and me and everyone else
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What are some of the things that are hurting the trees in the forests?
(a) Rain, snow, birds, and flowers
(b) Sun, clouds, rocks, and rivers
(c) Cars, bikes, boats, and trains
(d) Wind, fire, bugs, and sickness

2. Why are the trees in the UK having a hard time?
(a) The weather is getting hotter, there are too many animals, and not enough people to take care of the forests
(b) The weather is getting colder, there are too many people, and not enough animals to take care of the forests
(c) The weather is staying the same, there are not enough animals, and too many people to take care of the forests
(d) The weather is getting wetter, there are too many bugs, and not enough trees to take care of the forests

3. What do the smart people in the UK say we should do to save the forests?
(a) Plant different kinds of trees that can handle bad weather and are good for animals
(b) Cut down all the trees and build houses
(c) Leave the forests alone and let the animals take care of them
(d) Make the forests smaller so it’s easier to take care of them

4. What do the smart people want everyone to do to help the forests?
(a) Ignore the forests and let them die
(b) Help now so the forests can stay healthy and be there for a long, long time
(c) Wait and see if the forests get better on their own
(d) Tell the animals to take care of the forests

5. Why do the smart people want to plant different kinds of trees?
(a) Because they don’t like the trees that are already there
(b) To make the forests look different
(c) To see if the animals will like the new trees
(d) So they can handle bad weather and are good for animals

6. What are some of the things that people need to think about when taking care of the forests?
(a) Food, toys, and games
(b) Cars, bikes, and trains
(c) Water, new bugs that can hurt trees, and big storms
(d) Books, pencils, and paper

7. What do the smart people want to save the forests for?
(a) Themselves
(b) The animals
(c) Kids and grandkids
(d) The government

8. What are some of the things hurting trees in other places?
(a) Rain, snow, birds, and flowers
(b) Wind, fire, bugs, and sickness
(c) Sun, clouds, rocks, and rivers
(d) Cars, bikes, boats, and trains

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The trees in other places are getting nurtured by wind, fire, bugs, and sickness.
2. They want the forests to be absent for a long, long time.
3. The trees in the UK are having a hard time because of the weather getting hotter.
4. The smart people say if we do nothing now, we can save the forests for kids and grandkids.
5. Some smart people in the UK are worried about the trees and animals in the forests.
6. They also want to think about how people need water and new bugs that can hurt trees.
7. The smart people say we need to hinder now so the forests can stay unhealthy.
8. They want to plant different kinds of trees that can handle bad weather and are good for animals.
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 are the smart people in the UK worried about?
2. What bad things are happening to the trees?
3. Why are the trees having a hard time?
4. What do the smart people say we should do to help the trees?
5. Why do they want us to help the trees now?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What are the smart people in the UK worried about?
The smart people are worried that the trees and animals in the forests might go away in 50 years.

2. What has been hurting the trees in other places?
Wind, fire, bugs, and sickness have been hurting the trees.

3. How long do the smart people think the trees and animals might go away if we don’t help?
They think the trees and animals might go away in 50 years if we don’t help.

4. Why are the trees in the UK having a hard time?
The trees are having a hard time because it’s getting hotter, there are too many animals that hurt the trees, and not enough people to take care of the forests.

5. What do the smart people say we should plant?
They say we should plant different kinds of trees that can handle bad weather and are good for animals.

6. What do the smart people want us to think about to help the forests?
They want us to think about water, new bugs that can hurt trees, and big storms that make it hard to take care of the forests.

7. What do the smart people want everyone to do for the forests?
They want everyone to help now so the forests can stay healthy and be there for a long, long time.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) people
(2) forests
(3) kids
(4) weather
(5) plant
(6) kinds
(7) want
(8) time
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. trees
Answer: (g) Tall things that grow in the ground

2. animals
Answer: (f) Living things like cats and dogs

3. forests
Answer: (a) Places with lots of trees and animals

4. weather
Answer: (e) What the sky is like, if it’s sunny or rainy

5. plants
Answer: (c) Green things that grow in the ground

6. people
Answer: (h) You and me and everyone else

7. water
Answer: (b) Something we need to drink to stay alive

8. storms
Answer: (d) Big, strong winds and rain in the sky
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What are some of the things that are hurting the trees in the forests?
Answer: (d) Wind, fire, bugs, and sickness

2. Why are the trees in the UK having a hard time?
Answer: (a) The weather is getting hotter, there are too many animals, and not enough people to take care of the forests

3. What do the smart people in the UK say we should do to save the forests?
Answer: (a) Plant different kinds of trees that can handle bad weather and are good for animals

4. What do the smart people want everyone to do to help the forests?
Answer: (b) Help now so the forests can stay healthy and be there for a long, long time

5. Why do the smart people want to plant different kinds of trees?
Answer: (d) So they can handle bad weather and are good for animals

6. What are some of the things that people need to think about when taking care of the forests?
Answer: (c) Water, new bugs that can hurt trees, and big storms

7. What do the smart people want to save the forests for?
Answer: (c) Kids and grandkids

8. What are some of the things hurting trees in other places?
Answer: (b) Wind, fire, bugs, and sickness
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The trees in other places are getting nurtured by wind, fire, bugs, and sickness. (Answer: False)
2. They want the forests to be absent for a long, long time. (Answer: False)
3. The trees in the UK are having a hard time because of the weather getting hotter. (Answer: True)
4. The smart people say if we do nothing now, we can save the forests for kids and grandkids. (Answer: False)
5. Some smart people in the UK are worried about the trees and animals in the forests. (Answer: True)
6. They also want to think about how people need water and new bugs that can hurt trees. (Answer: True)
7. The smart people say we need to hinder now so the forests can stay unhealthy. (Answer: False)
8. They want to plant different kinds of trees that can handle bad weather and are good for animals. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧