The world is getting very hot this year. It might be the hottest year we have ever known. The air is warmer than before because we use cars and factories that make smoke. It is so warm that it might be the hottest it has been in a very, very long time. Because it is so hot, some places are too dry, some places have too much water, and it is hard for people.

People from all over the world are going to meet to talk about the hot air. They want to find ways to make it cooler. The meeting will start on November 30. It is very important because the world is getting hotter and hotter. If it keeps getting hotter, there might be big fires and other bad things.

Original news source: Global heat: Extreme autumn sets up 2023 to break records (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Show students the article and ask them to create an attention-grabbing headline that summarizes the main idea. They can use simple words they know and the teacher can write them on the board. Each student can then share their headline with the class.

– Word Association
Instructions: Say a word related to the article, such as “hot,” “air,” “meeting,” or “world.” Students must then say a word that they associate with it. This can help them recall vocabulary from the article and make connections between words in English.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the students into small groups. Give each group a piece of the article to read and ask them to draw a picture of what they read. They can draw things like thermometers for hot, cars and factories for pollution, and people talking for the meeting. Afterward, they can explain their drawings to the rest of the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask students a question related to the article, such as “Do you think it is important for people to meet and talk about the hot air?” Have students raise their hands to vote for ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Count the votes and then encourage a brief discussion where students can express their opinions using simple sentences.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask the students to think about what will happen if the world keeps getting hotter. Provide them with sentence starters like “If the world keeps getting hotter, there will be…” and let them complete the sentence. Encourage them to use vocabulary from the article and their own ideas. Share the predictions with the class and discuss.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is happening to the world this year?
2. Why is the air warmer than before?
3. What happens because it is so warm?
4. Where are people going to meet?
5. Why do people want to meet?
6. When will the meeting start?
7. What might happen if it keeps getting hotter?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The world is getting very hot this year. It might be the hottest year we have ever (1)______. The air is warmer than before because we use cars and (2)______ that make smoke. It is so warm that it might be the (3)______ it has been in a very, very long time. Because it is so hot, some places are too dry, some places (4)______ too much water, and it is (5)______ for people.

People from all over the world are going to (6)______ to talk about the hot air. They want to find ways to make it cooler. The meeting will start on November 30. It is very important because the (7)______ is getting hotter and hotter. If it keeps getting hotter, there might be big (8)______ and other bad things.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is hot weather?
2. Do you like hot days? Why or why not?
3. How do you feel when it is very, very hot?
4. What can you do to stay cool on a hot day?
5. Have you ever seen a big fire? What was it like?
6. Why do you think cars and factories make the air hot?
7. What happens when there is no rain and it is too dry?
8. What happens when there is too much water in a place?
9. Do you think it is good for people to meet and talk about the hot air? Why?
10. Can you think of one thing to make the air cooler?
11. Have you ever been to a very dry or very wet place? What was it like?
12. Do you think it is important to take care of our world? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. hot
2. air
3. water
4. cooler
5. meeting
6. November
7. fires
8. important

Meanings:
(a) Something that matters a lot
(b) Something we drink
(c) Big, scary things with flames
(d) The opposite of hot
(e) What we breathe
(f) The 11th month of the year
(g) The opposite of cold
(h) When people come together to talk
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why is the air getting warmer?
(a) Because of bicycles and parks
(b) Because of boats and beaches
(c) Because of trains and forests
(d) Because of cars and factories

2. What are people going to talk about at the meeting?
(a) What to wear in the hot weather
(b) How to make the air cooler
(c) How to make more smoke
(d) What to cook for dinner

3. When will the meeting start?
(a) November 30
(b) December 25
(c) October 15
(d) January 1

4. Why is it important to have the meeting?
(a) Because people want to go on vacation
(b) Because the world is getting hotter
(c) Because it’s fun to talk about the weather
(d) Because they want to have a party

5. What might happen if the world keeps getting hotter?
(a) Snow and ice cream
(b) Rainbows and unicorns
(c) Flowers and sunshine
(d) Big fires and other bad things

6. What are some places experiencing because of the hot air?
(a) Some places have too much ice cream, some places have too many toys
(b) Some places have too many flowers, some places have too many rainbows
(c) Some places are too dry, some places have too much water
(d) Some places have too much snow, some places have too much sunshine

7. What are some things that make the air warmer?
(a) Cars and factories
(b) Bicycles and parks
(c) Boats and beaches
(d) Trains and forests

8. What do people want to find ways to do at the meeting?
(a) Make the air warmer
(b) Make the air smell better
(c) Make the air cooler
(d) Make the air more colorful

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. People from all over the world are going to meet to talk about the hot air.
2. If it keeps getting hotter, there might not be big fires and other bad things.
3. The world is not getting very hot this year.
4. The air is cooler than before because we use cars and factories that make smoke.
5. They want to find ways to make it cooler.
6. The meeting will not start on November 30.
7. Some places are too dry, and some places have too much water because of the heat.
8. It might be the hottest year we have ever known.
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 happening to the world this year?
2. Why is the air warmer than before?
3. What problems happen because it is so hot?
4. When are people going to talk about the hot air?
5. Why do they want to make the air cooler?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is happening to the world this year?
The world is getting very hot this year.

2. Why is the air warmer than before?
The air is warmer because we use cars and factories that make smoke.

3. What happens because it is so warm?
Some places are too dry, some places have too much water, and it is hard for people.

4. Where are people going to meet?
People are going to meet all over the world.

5. Why do people want to meet?
People want to meet to find ways to make the world cooler.

6. When will the meeting start?
The meeting will start on November 30.

7. What might happen if it keeps getting hotter?
There might be big fires and other bad things.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) known
(2) factories
(3) hottest
(4) have
(5) hard
(6) meet
(7) world
(8) fires
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. hot
Answer: (g) The opposite of cold

2. air
Answer: (e) What we breathe

3. water
Answer: (b) Something we drink

4. cooler
Answer: (d) The opposite of hot

5. meeting
Answer: (h) When people come together to talk

6. November
Answer: (f) The 11th month of the year

7. fires
Answer: (c) Big, scary things with flames

8. important
Answer: (a) Something that matters a lot
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why is the air getting warmer?
Answer: (d) Because of cars and factories

2. What are people going to talk about at the meeting?
Answer: (b) How to make the air cooler

3. When will the meeting start?
Answer: (a) November 30

4. Why is it important to have the meeting?
Answer: (b) Because the world is getting hotter

5. What might happen if the world keeps getting hotter?
Answer: (d) Big fires and other bad things

6. What are some places experiencing because of the hot air?
Answer: (c) Some places are too dry, some places have too much water

7. What are some things that make the air warmer?
Answer: (a) Cars and factories

8. What do people want to find ways to do at the meeting?
Answer: (c) Make the air cooler
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. People from all over the world are going to meet to talk about the hot air. (Answer: True)
2. If it keeps getting hotter, there might not be big fires and other bad things. (Answer: False)
3. The world is not getting very hot this year. (Answer: False)
4. The air is cooler than before because we use cars and factories that make smoke. (Answer: False)
5. They want to find ways to make it cooler. (Answer: True)
6. The meeting will not start on November 30. (Answer: False)
7. Some places are too dry, and some places have too much water because of the heat. (Answer: True)
8. It might be the hottest year we have ever known. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧