In India, there is a special red spice that is very hard to make. The place where they grow this spice is having trouble because the weather is changing and there are more buildings and houses. The ground is too dry and there is not enough rain for the little purple flowers that make the spice. There used to be a lot of land for the flowers, but now there is not much. The people who grow the spice need more help to learn how to make more of it.

Some smart people are trying to make the flowers stronger so they can grow even when the weather is not good. They use a special way to change the little parts inside the flowers to make them better. Other people tell the farmers to plant nut trees with the flowers so the ground is cooler. Some farmers are trying a new way to grow the flowers in big metal boxes with water instead of soil. They are trying very hard to keep making the special red spice.

Original news source: Red gold’: Why saffron production is dwindling in India (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down key words from the article on separate pieces of paper and put them in a hat. One student from each team will take turns picking a word from the hat and acting it out without speaking. The first team to guess the word correctly gets a point. The team with the most points at the end wins.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and a pen. Choose key words from the article and write them on the board. One at a time, call out a word and the students have to draw a picture to represent that word. The first student to guess the correct word gets a point. The student with the most points at the end wins.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a different key word from the article. In their groups, the students have to create a headline using that word. Encourage them to be creative and use their imagination. After a few minutes, have each group share their headline with the class.

– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: Have each student write down two true statements and one false statement about themselves related to the article. They should not reveal which statement is false. One at a time, have each student share their statements with the class. The rest of the class has to guess which statement is the lie.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have the students think about the article for a minute. Then, pair them up with a partner and have them discuss their thoughts about the article. After a few minutes, have each pair share their thoughts with the rest of the class. Encourage the students to use English as much as possible during the discussion.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the special red spice called in India?
2. Why are the people who grow the spice having trouble?
3. What are some ways that the smart people are trying to make the flowers stronger?
4. What do some people suggest the farmers plant with the flowers?
5. How are some farmers trying a new way to grow the flowers?
6. Why are the farmers trying so hard to keep making the special red spice?
7. What is happening to the land where the flowers used to grow?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In India, there is a special red spice that is very (1)______ to make. The place where they grow this spice is having trouble because the weather is changing and there are (2)______ buildings and houses. The ground is too dry and there is not enough rain for the little purple flowers that make the spice. There used to be a lot of land for the flowers, but now there is not much. The (3)______ who grow the spice (4)______ more help to learn how to make more of it.

Some smart people are trying to make the flowers stronger so they can grow even when the weather is not good. They use a special way to change the little parts inside the flowers to make them (5)______. Other people (6)______ the farmers to plant nut trees with the flowers so the ground is cooler. Some farmers are trying a new way to grow the flowers in big (7)______ boxes with water instead of (8)______. They are trying very hard to keep making the special red spice.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a spice?
2. How do you think the farmers feel when they can’t grow enough flowers?
3. Do you like spicy food? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if your favorite spice was very hard to find?
5. What do you think the smart people are doing to make the flowers stronger?
6. Do you think planting nut trees with the flowers is a good idea? Why or why not?
7. How do you think the farmers feel when they try new ways to grow the flowers?
8. Have you ever seen a purple flower? What did it look like?
9. What do you think the metal boxes with water look like?
10. How do you think the farmers feel when they are able to make the special red spice?
11. Do you think it’s important to protect plants and flowers? Why or why not?
12. How would you feel if you could help the farmers grow more flowers?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. India
2. red
3. spice
4. weather
5. flowers
6. land
7. farmers
8. help

Meanings:
(a) People who take care of the flowers and spice
(b) The way the sky looks and feels outside
(c) The color of the special spice
(d) The place where they grow the special spice
(e) Pretty plants that have different colors
(f) The ground where the flowers and spice grow
(g) Something that makes things easier or better
(h) Something that makes food taste good
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the problem with growing the special red spice in India?
(a) The ground is too wet and there is too much rain.
(b) The weather is changing and there are more buildings and houses.
(c) The flowers are too big and cannot grow properly.
(d) The farmers do not know how to grow the spice.

2. What are the farmers trying to do to make the flowers stronger?
(a) Plant more nut trees.
(b) Grow the flowers in big metal boxes.
(c) Change the little parts inside the flowers.
(d) Stop growing the flowers altogether.

3. What are some farmers doing to keep making the special red spice?
(a) Planting more nut trees with the flowers.
(b) Changing the little parts inside the flowers.
(c) All of the above.
(d) Growing the flowers in big metal boxes with water instead of soil.

4. Why is the ground too dry for the little purple flowers?
(a) There is too much rain.
(b) There is not enough rain.
(c) The flowers are too big.
(d) The weather is not good.

5. What is the special red spice made from?
(a) Little purple flowers.
(b) Nut trees.
(c) Big metal boxes.
(d) Rainwater.

6. What do some people tell the farmers to do to help the flowers grow?
(a) Change the little parts inside the flowers.
(b) Grow the flowers in big metal boxes.
(c) Plant nut trees with the flowers.
(d) Stop growing the flowers altogether.

7. Why do the farmers need more help?
(a) They do not know how to grow the spice.
(b) The weather is changing and there are more buildings and houses.
(c) The ground is too dry and there is not enough rain.
(d) The flowers are not strong enough.

8. What is the problem with the land for the flowers?
(a) The land is too wet and the flowers cannot grow.
(b) The land is too dry and the flowers cannot grow.
(c) The land is too big and the flowers cannot grow.
(d) There used to be a lot of land, but now there is not much.

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Some smart people are trying to make the flowers stronger so they can grow even when the weather is not good.
2. In India, there is a special red spice that is hard to make.
3. The ground is too wet and there is too much rain for the little purple flowers that make the spice.
4. Other people suggest planting nut trees with the flowers to keep the ground cooler.
5. The place where they grow the spice is having trouble because of the changing weather and more buildings and houses.
6. Some farmers are trying to grow the flowers in small wooden boxes with soil instead of water.
7. The people who harvest the spice need more help to learn how to make less of it.
8. There used to be very little land for the flowers, but now there is a lot.
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 problem that the people who grow the red spice are facing?
2. Why can’t the little purple flowers grow well anymore?
3. How are some smart people trying to make the flowers stronger?
4. What do other people suggest the farmers do to help the flowers grow?
5. What is one new way that some farmers are trying to grow the flowers?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the special red spice called in India?
The special red spice is called saffron.

2. Why are the people who grow the spice having trouble?
The people who grow the spice are having trouble because the weather is changing and there are more buildings and houses. The ground is too dry and there is not enough rain for the little purple flowers that make the spice.

3. What are some ways that the smart people are trying to make the flowers stronger?
Some ways that the smart people are trying to make the flowers stronger are by changing the little parts inside the flowers to make them better.

4. What do some people suggest the farmers plant with the flowers?
Some people suggest the farmers plant nut trees with the flowers.

5. How are some farmers trying a new way to grow the flowers?
Some farmers are trying a new way to grow the flowers by using big metal boxes with water instead of soil.

6. Why are the farmers trying so hard to keep making the special red spice?
The farmers are trying so hard to keep making the special red spice because it is very important to their country and they want to continue making it.

7. What is happening to the land where the flowers used to grow?
The land where the flowers used to grow is being taken up by more buildings and houses, so there is not much space left for the flowers.
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) hard
(2) more
(3) people
(4) need
(5) better
(6) tell
(7) metal
(8) soil
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. India
Answer: (d) The place where they grow the special spice

2. red
Answer: (c) The color of the special spice

3. spice
Answer: (h) Something that makes food taste good

4. weather
Answer: (b) The way the sky looks and feels outside

5. flowers
Answer: (e) Pretty plants that have different colors

6. land
Answer: (f) The ground where the flowers and spice grow

7. farmers
Answer: (a) People who take care of the flowers and spice

8. help
Answer: (g) Something that makes things easier or better
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the problem with growing the special red spice in India?
Answer: (b) The weather is changing and there are more buildings and houses.

2. What are the farmers trying to do to make the flowers stronger?
Answer: (c) Change the little parts inside the flowers.

3. What are some farmers doing to keep making the special red spice?
Answer: (d) Growing the flowers in big metal boxes with water instead of soil.

4. Why is the ground too dry for the little purple flowers?
Answer: (b) There is not enough rain.

5. What is the special red spice made from?
Answer: (a) Little purple flowers.

6. What do some people tell the farmers to do to help the flowers grow?
Answer: (c) Plant nut trees with the flowers.

7. Why do the farmers need more help?
Answer: (a) They do not know how to grow the spice.

8. What is the problem with the land for the flowers?
Answer: (d) There used to be a lot of land, but now there is not much.
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Some smart people are trying to make the flowers stronger so they can grow even when the weather is not good. (Answer: True)
2. In India, there is a special red spice that is hard to make. (Answer: True)
3. The ground is too wet and there is too much rain for the little purple flowers that make the spice. (Answer: False)
4. Other people suggest planting nut trees with the flowers to keep the ground cooler. (Answer: True)
5. The place where they grow the spice is having trouble because of the changing weather and more buildings and houses. (Answer: True)
6. Some farmers are trying to grow the flowers in small wooden boxes with soil instead of water. (Answer: False)
7. The people who harvest the spice need more help to learn how to make less of it. (Answer: False)
8. There used to be very little land for the flowers, but now there is a lot. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧