A place called Colombia is making new rules to help people use clean energy like wind and sun to make electricity. Right now, they don’t use much clean energy. The rules say that leaders of small towns and native people can work with big and small companies to make electricity in new ways. The boss of Colombia wants to use different kinds of energy so they don’t have to use big waterfalls that can hurt nature and people’s homes.

They want to build places to catch wind and sun to make electricity. They have plans for these but haven’t built them yet. Some companies from other countries stopped their plans because people didn’t want them. The bosses in Colombia are also trying to find places in the ocean to catch wind. They want to make the air cleaner and help people in small towns make money by making clean energy.

Original news source: Renewable energy drive for indigenous groups in Colombia (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a list of actions related to the article (e.g. “building wind turbines,” “catching sun rays”). One student from each team will come to the front of the class and act out the action without speaking. The first team to guess the action correctly earns a point.

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Have each pair read the article together and then summarize the main points in their own words. After a few minutes, ask a few pairs to share their summaries with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. “clean energy,” “wind turbines”). Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns choosing a word and drawing it on the board. The other groups must guess the word based on the drawing.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have the class think individually about the following question: “Why is it important to use clean energy?” After a few minutes, have the students pair up and share their thoughts with their partner. Finally, open up a class discussion and ask a few students to share their ideas with the whole group.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have the class discuss in pairs or small groups what they think the future of clean energy in Colombia will look like. Encourage them to use the information from the article as well as their own ideas. After a few minutes, ask a few groups to share their predictions with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What are the new rules in Colombia for?
2. Why do they want to use wind and sun to make electricity?
3. What kind of places do they want to build to make electricity?
4. Why did some companies from other countries stop their plans?
5. What are the bosses in Colombia trying to find in the ocean?
6. How will making clean energy help people in small towns?
7. What is the boss of Colombia trying to do to the air?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A place (1)______ Colombia is making new rules to help people use clean (2)______ like wind and sun to make electricity. Right now, they don’t use much clean energy. The rules say that leaders of small towns and native people can work with big and small companies to make (3)______ in new ways. The boss of (4)______ wants to use different kinds of energy so they don’t have to use big waterfalls that can hurt nature and people’s homes.

They want to build places to catch wind and sun to make electricity. They (5)______ plans for these but haven’t built them yet. Some companies from other countries (6)______ their plans because people didn’t want them. The bosses in Colombia are also trying to find places in the ocean to catch wind. They want to (7)______ the air cleaner and help people in small (8)______ make money by making clean energy.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is clean energy?
2. How would you feel if your town used wind and sun to make electricity?
3. Do you like big waterfalls? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important to use different kinds of energy? Why?
5. What do you think about building places to catch wind and sun?
6. Why do you think some companies stopped their plans in Colombia?
7. How do you think making the air cleaner can help people in small towns?
8. What do you think about the idea of making money by making clean energy?
9. Do you know any other ways to make electricity?
10. How can using clean energy help nature?
11. Do you think it’s a good idea for small towns and native people to work with big companies? Why or why not?
12. How would you feel if your country made new rules to use clean energy?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Colombia
2. electricity
3. energy
4. wind
5. sun
6. companies
7. native
8. waterfalls
9. ocean
10. air

Meanings:
(A) The power to do things, like when you run and play.
(B) Water that falls down from high rocks, like a big shower.
(C) The big place where water goes on and on and you can’t see the end of it.
(D) The power that makes things work, like your toys when you put batteries in them.
(E) A place where people live, like a big neighborhood with lots of houses and stores.
(F) The air moving fast outside that can push things, like leaves or a kite.
(G) The first people who lived in a place a long, long time ago.
(H) What we breathe in and out to stay alive.
(I) Groups of people who work together to make or sell things.
(J) The big bright ball in the sky that makes it light during the day.
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is Colombia trying to use to make electricity?
(a) Wind and sun
(b) Water and fire
(c) Earth and air
(d) Trees and rocks

2. Who can work with companies to make electricity in new ways?
(a) Doctors and teachers
(b) Leaders of small towns and native people
(c) Farmers and chefs
(d) Astronauts and scientists

3. Why does Colombia want to use different kinds of energy?
(a) So they can make more money
(b) So they can build more houses
(c) So they don’t have to use big waterfalls
(d) So they can grow more food

4. What are the bosses in Colombia trying to find in the ocean?
(a) Places to catch fish
(b) Places to catch waves
(c) Places to catch birds
(d) Places to catch wind

5. What do the bosses in Colombia want to make cleaner?
(a) The water
(b) The air
(c) The land
(d) The animals

6. Who do the bosses in Colombia want to help make money?
(a) People in big cities
(b) People in other countries
(c) People in outer space
(d) People in small towns

7. Why did some companies stop their plans in Colombia?
(a) Because people didn’t want them
(b) Because they ran out of money
(c) Because they found a better place
(d) Because they didn’t like the weather

8. What are the plans in Colombia for?
(a) Building places to catch rain and snow
(b) Building places to catch lightning and thunder
(c) Building places to catch wind and sun
(d) Building places to catch flowers and butterflies

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Colombia’s boss wants to continue using big waterfalls that can hurt nature and people’s homes instead of different kinds of energy.
2. Colombia wants to make the air more polluted and discourage people in small towns from making money by making clean energy.
3. Colombia wants to build places to catch wind and sun to make electricity, but they haven’t built them yet.
4. Some companies from other countries stopped their plans because people didn’t want them.
5. Colombia is not making new rules to use wind and sun to make electricity.
6. Right now, Colombia uses a lot of clean energy.
7. The rules say that leaders of small towns and native people can work with big and small companies to make electricity in new ways.
8. The bosses in Colombia are looking for places in the ocean to catch wind and make electricity.
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 new rules in Colombia for?
2. What kind of energy do they want to use in Colombia?
3. Why don’t they want to use big waterfalls to make electricity?
4. What are the bosses in Colombia trying to build?
5. How can making clean energy help people in small towns?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. The new rules in Colombia are for helping people use clean energy like wind and sun to make electricity.
2. They want to use wind and sun to make electricity because it is better for the environment and doesn’t hurt nature and people’s homes like big waterfalls can.
3. They want to build places to catch wind and sun to make electricity.
4. Some companies from other countries stopped their plans because people in Colombia didn’t want them.
5. The bosses in Colombia are trying to find places in the ocean to catch wind.
6. Making clean energy will help people in small towns make money.
7. The boss of Colombia is trying to make the air cleaner.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) called
(2) energy
(3) electricity
(4) Colombia
(5) have
(6) stopped
(7) make
(8) towns
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Colombia
Answer: (E) A place where people live, like a big neighborhood with lots of houses and stores.

2. electricity
Answer: (D) The power that makes things work, like your toys when you put batteries in them.

3. energy
Answer: (A) The power to do things, like when you run and play.

4. wind
Answer: (F) The air moving fast outside that can push things, like leaves or a kite.

5. sun
Answer: (J) The big bright ball in the sky that makes it light during the day.

6. companies
Answer: (I) Groups of people who work together to make or sell things.

7. native
Answer: (G) The first people who lived in a place a long, long time ago.

8. waterfalls
Answer: (B) Water that falls down from high rocks, like a big shower.

9. ocean
Answer: (C) The big place where water goes on and on and you can’t see the end of it.

10. air
Answer: (H) What we breathe in and out to stay alive.
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is Colombia trying to use to make electricity?
Answer: (a) Wind and sun

2. Who can work with companies to make electricity in new ways?
Answer: (b) Leaders of small towns and native people

3. Why does Colombia want to use different kinds of energy?
Answer: (c) So they don’t have to use big waterfalls

4. What are the bosses in Colombia trying to find in the ocean?
Answer: (d) Places to catch wind

5. What do the bosses in Colombia want to make cleaner?
Answer: (b) The air

6. Who do the bosses in Colombia want to help make money?
Answer: (d) People in small towns

7. Why did some companies stop their plans in Colombia?
Answer: (a) Because people didn’t want them

8. What are the plans in Colombia for?
Answer: (c) Building places to catch wind and sun
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Colombia’s boss wants to continue using big waterfalls that can hurt nature and people’s homes instead of different kinds of energy. (Answer: False)
2. Colombia wants to make the air more polluted and discourage people in small towns from making money by making clean energy. (Answer: False)
3. Colombia wants to build places to catch wind and sun to make electricity, but they haven’t built them yet. (Answer: True)
4. Some companies from other countries stopped their plans because people didn’t want them. (Answer: True)
5. Colombia is not making new rules to use wind and sun to make electricity. (Answer: False)
6. Right now, Colombia uses a lot of clean energy. (Answer: False)
7. The rules say that leaders of small towns and native people can work with big and small companies to make electricity in new ways. (Answer: True)
8. The bosses in Colombia are looking for places in the ocean to catch wind and make electricity. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧