Last year was very, very hot. It was the hottest year we have ever seen. The people who watch the weather in Europe said it was much hotter than a long time ago. In the United Kingdom, it was almost the hottest year too. The world is getting warmer because of people and something called El Niño.

The hot year made the weather go crazy. It was too hot in many places. This made big fires, not enough rain, and too much water in some places. The ice at the top and bottom of the world melted a lot. People are worried it will get even hotter next year.

People do things that make the Earth warmer. Last year was so hot because we use things that hurt the air. People from all over the world talked about this, but they did not make strong rules to stop it. Still, we are making some good changes, like using sun and wind to make power and driving cars that don’t need gas. We need to be very careful to keep our world from getting too hot.

Original news source: 2023 confirmed as world’s hottest year on record (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of cards with words related to the article (e.g. hot, weather, fire, rain). One student from each group will act out the word without speaking, while the rest of the group guesses what word it is.

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the class read the article together. After reading, ask each student to summarize the main points of the article in their own words. Encourage them to use simple sentences and vocabulary.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Choose a few key words from the article (e.g. hot, weather, fire, rain) and write them on the board. Divide the class into pairs. One student from each pair will choose a word and draw a picture to represent it, while the other student guesses the word based on the drawing.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Have each group discuss the pros and cons of using sun and wind to make power, as mentioned in the article. Encourage them to think of as many reasons as possible for each side. After the discussion, each group can share their ideas with the class.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask the class to think about what might happen if the world continues to get hotter. Have them write down or discuss their predictions in pairs or small groups. Afterward, ask a few students to share their predictions with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Was last year very hot?
2. Why was last year so hot?
3. What happened because it was too hot in many places?
4. What melted because of the hot year?
5. Are people worried it will get even hotter next year?
6. Do people do things that make the Earth warmer?
7. Are people making changes to help keep the Earth from getting too hot?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Last year was very, very hot. It was the hottest year we have ever seen. The people who watch the weather in Europe (1)______ it was much (2)______ than a long time ago. In the United Kingdom, it was almost the hottest year too. The world is getting (3)______ because of people and something called El Niño.

The hot year made the weather go (4)______. It was too hot in many places. This made big fires, not enough rain, and too much water in some places. The ice at the top and bottom of the world melted a lot. People are worried it will get even hotter next (5)______.

People do things that make the (6)______ warmer. Last year was so hot because we use things that hurt the air. People from all over the world talked about this, but they did not make strong rules to stop it. Still, we are making some good changes, like using sun and wind to make power and driving cars that don’t (7)______ gas. We need to be very careful to (8)______ our world from getting too hot.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is the weather like when it is very, very hot?
2. How would you feel if it was too hot where you live?
3. Do you like hot weather? Why or why not?
4. What happens when the weather gets too hot?
5. What happens when there is not enough rain?
6. What happens when there is too much water in some places?
7. What happens when the ice at the top and bottom of the world melts?
8. Do you think it is good or bad that the world is getting warmer? Why or why not?
9. What are some things that people do that make the Earth warmer?
10. Do you think people should make strong rules to stop things that hurt the air? Why or why not?
11. What are some good changes that people are making to help the Earth?
12. Why do we need to be very careful to keep our world from getting too hot?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. difficult
2. weather
3. Europe
4. United Kingdom
5. El Niño
6. fires
7. rain
8. melted
9. Earth
10. power

Meanings:
(A) Water that falls from the sky
(B) What happens when ice turns into water
(C) Big, hot, orange things that can burn trees and houses
(D) What makes things work, like lights or cars
(E) Hard to do or understand
(F) What it’s like outside, like if it’s sunny or rainy
(G) A place with castles and queens where people drink tea
(H) A place with lots of countries where it can be cold or warm
(I) A name for warm water in the ocean that can change the weather
(J) The big round home we all live on that spins in space
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What was last year like?
(a) Very hot
(b) Very cold
(c) Very rainy
(d) Very windy

2. Why is the world getting warmer?
(a) Because of animals and something called El Niño
(b) Because of plants and something called El Niño
(c) Because of rocks and something called El Niño
(d) Because of people and something called El Niño

3. What happened because it was too hot in many places?
(a) Big fires, too much rain, and not enough water
(b) Big fires, not enough rain, and too much water
(c) Big snowstorms, not enough rain, and too much water
(d) Big earthquakes, not enough rain, and too much water

4. What melted a lot because of the hot year?
(a) The trees at the top and bottom of the world
(b) The buildings at the top and bottom of the world
(c) The animals at the top and bottom of the world
(d) The ice at the top and bottom of the world

5. Why was last year so hot?
(a) Because people use things that help the air
(b) Because people use things that hurt the air
(c) Because people use things that hurt the water
(d) Because people use things that help the water

6. What are some good changes people are making?
(a) Using sun and wind to make power and driving cars that don’t need gas
(b) Using sun and wind to make power and driving cars that need gas
(c) Using rain and snow to make power and driving cars that don’t need gas
(d) Using rain and snow to make power and driving cars that need gas

7. What do people need to be to keep the world from getting too hot?
(a) Very careless
(b) Very happy
(c) Very careful
(d) Very sad

8. What are people worried about for next year?
(a) That it will get even colder
(b) That it will get even rainier
(c) That it will get even hotter
(d) That it will get even windier

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The United Kingdom was almost the coldest year too.
2. The weather in Europe was much hotter than a long time ago.
3. The world is getting colder because of people and something called El Niño.
4. We are making some good changes, like using sun and wind to make power and driving cars that don’t need gas.
5. The ice at the middle and sides of the world melted a lot.
6. The hot year made the weather go crazy, with big fires and not enough rain.
7. People use things that hurt the air and make the Earth warmer.
8. Last year was the coldest year ever.
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 happened last year that made the weather very hot?
2. Why are people worried that it will get even hotter next year?
3. What are some things that people do that make the Earth warmer?
4. What are some good changes that people are making to help stop the Earth from getting too hot?
5. Why is it important for us to be careful and not let the world get too hot?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Was last year very hot?
Yes.

2. Why was last year so hot?
Because of people and something called El Niño.

3. What happened because it was too hot in many places?
There were big fires, not enough rain, and too much water in some places.

4. What melted because of the hot year?
The ice at the top and bottom of the world melted a lot.

5. Are people worried it will get even hotter next year?
Yes.

6. Do people do things that make the Earth warmer?
Yes.

7. Are people making changes to help keep the Earth from getting too hot?
Yes.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) said
(2) hotter
(3) warmer
(4) crazy
(5) year
(6) Earth
(7) need
(8) keep
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. difficult
Answer: (E) Hard to do or understand

2. weather
Answer: (F) What it’s like outside, like if it’s sunny or rainy

3. Europe
Answer: (H) A place with lots of countries where it can be cold or warm

4. United Kingdom
Answer: (G) A place with castles and queens where people drink tea

5. El Niño
Answer: (I) A name for warm water in the ocean that can change the weather

6. fires
Answer: (C) Big, hot, orange things that can burn trees and houses

7. rain
Answer: (A) Water that falls from the sky

8. melted
Answer: (B) What happens when ice turns into water

9. Earth
Answer: (J) The big round home we all live on that spins in space

10. power
Answer: (D) What makes things work, like lights or cars
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What was last year like?
Answer: (a) Very hot

2. Why is the world getting warmer?
Answer: (d) Because of people and something called El Niño

3. What happened because it was too hot in many places?
Answer: (b) Big fires, not enough rain, and too much water

4. What melted a lot because of the hot year?
Answer: (d) The ice at the top and bottom of the world

5. Why was last year so hot?
Answer: (b) Because people use things that hurt the air

6. What are some good changes people are making?
Answer: (a) Using sun and wind to make power and driving cars that don’t need gas

7. What do people need to be to keep the world from getting too hot?
Answer: (c) Very careful

8. What are people worried about for next year?
Answer: (c) That it will get even hotter
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The United Kingdom was almost the coldest year too. (Answer: False)
2. The weather in Europe was much hotter than a long time ago. (Answer: True)
3. The world is getting colder because of people and something called El Niño. (Answer: False)
4. We are making some good changes, like using sun and wind to make power and driving cars that don’t need gas. (Answer: True)
5. The ice at the middle and sides of the world melted a lot. (Answer: False)
6. The hot year made the weather go crazy, with big fires and not enough rain. (Answer: True)
7. People use things that hurt the air and make the Earth warmer. (Answer: True)
8. Last year was the coldest year ever. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧