There is no snow in a place called Kashmir in India, and this is making people who live there very sad and worried. People who have hotels are not happy because travelers are not coming to play in the snow and stay in their rooms. Many people in Kashmir make money when travelers come to visit, but now they can’t because there is no snow. Farmers need the snow too, because when it melts, it gives them water for their plants. Without snow, there might not be enough water for everyone.

People who know a lot about the Earth say the reason there is no snow is because the weather is changing. It is warmer now, and it did not rain much when it was supposed to. This is bad for people who want to see the snow, but also for people who need water to make electricity and grow food. There is another place close to Kashmir called Ladakh, and they don’t have snow either. This is very serious, and some people think it might not rain for a long time.

Original news source: Kashmir’s rare snowless winter sets off alarm bells (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Each team will take turns acting out a winter activity or object, such as skiing, snowman, or snowball fight, without using any words. The other team must guess what the activity or object is within a certain time limit. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and a pen. Choose winter-related vocabulary words from the article, such as snow, water, or electricity, and write each word on a separate piece of paper. Have the students take turns choosing a word and drawing a picture to represent that word. The other students must guess what the word is based on the drawing.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Discuss with the class the impact of the changing weather on Kashmir. Ask the students to make predictions about what might happen in the future if the weather continues to change. For example, they could predict that there will be less tourism, or that there will be a shortage of water. Encourage the students to use their imagination and explain their predictions in complete sentences.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Have each group discuss and share their opinions on the situation in Kashmir. For example, they could discuss whether they think the changing weather is a serious problem, or whether they think there are any solutions to the lack of snow. After the discussion, have each group present their opinions to the class and explain their reasoning.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “snow” on the board. Have the students take turns saying a word that is related to snow, such as cold, winter, or ski. The next student must then say a word that is related to the previous word. Continue the game until no more related words can be thought of. This activity helps to build vocabulary and word associations.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why are people in Kashmir sad and worried?
2. Why are hotel owners not happy?
3. Why do farmers need snow?
4. What happens when the snow melts?
5. Why do some people think it might not rain for a long time?
6. What do people who know a lot about the Earth say is the reason for no snow?
7. Why is it bad for people who want to see the snow?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

There is no snow in a place called Kashmir in India, and this is making people who live there very sad and worried. People who have hotels are not (1)______ because travelers are not coming to (2)______ in the snow and stay in their rooms. Many people in Kashmir (3)______ money when travelers come to visit, but now they can’t because there is no snow. Farmers need the snow too, because when it melts, it gives them (4)______ for their plants. Without snow, there might not be enough water for everyone.

People who know a lot about the Earth say the (5)______ there is no snow is because the weather is changing. It is warmer now, and it did not rain much when it was (6)______ to. This is bad for people who want to see the snow, but also for people who need water to make electricity and grow (7)______. There is another (8)______ close to Kashmir called Ladakh, and they don’t have snow either. This is very serious, and some people think it might not rain for a long time.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is snow?
2. How would you feel if you couldn’t see snow anymore?
3. Do you like playing in the snow? Why or why not?
4. What do people do in hotels?
5. How do people make money when travelers come to visit?
6. How do farmers use snow to help their plants?
7. Why is it bad if there is not enough water for everyone?
8. What is the weather like in Kashmir now?
9. Why do some people think it might not rain for a long time?
10. What do people need water for?
11. How does snow help make electricity?
12. How does snow help grow food?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Kashmir
2. travelers
3. hotels
4. farmers
5. plants
6. Earth
7. weather
8. electricity
9. Ladakh
10. serious

Meanings:
(A) Things that are green and grow in the dirt, they need water and light.
(B) Another place with mountains, but also without the white cold fluffy stuff.
(C) A place where there are mountains and trees, but no white cold fluffy stuff right now.
(D) The power that makes lights turn on and machines work.
(E) People who go to different places for fun.
(F) People who grow food in the ground.
(G) The big round home we all live on, with land and water and sky.
(H) When something is very important and you need to think about it a lot.
(I) If it’s hot or cold, rainy or sunny outside.
(J) Big houses with many rooms where you can sleep when you are not at home.
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why are people in Kashmir sad and worried?
(a) There are too many travelers
(b) The hotels are full
(c) The farmers have too much water
(d) There is no snow

2. What do people in Kashmir do when travelers come to visit?
(a) They go on vacation
(b) They stay in their rooms
(c) They play in the snow
(d) They make money

3. Why do farmers need the snow?
(a) It gives them water for their plants
(b) It makes the weather cold
(c) It helps them make money
(d) It is fun to play in

4. Why is there no snow in Kashmir?
(a) The hotels are full
(b) The travelers are not coming
(c) The weather is changing
(d) The farmers have too much water

5. What do people who know a lot about the Earth say about the weather?
(a) It is getting colder
(b) It is raining a lot
(c) It is getting warmer
(d) It is snowing a lot

6. Why is the changing weather bad for people who want to see the snow?
(a) There is no snow
(b) The hotels are full
(c) The travelers are not coming
(d) The farmers have too much water

7. What do people need water for?
(a) Playing in the snow
(b) Making electricity and growing food
(c) Going on vacation
(d) Staying in their rooms

8. What do some people think might happen if it does not rain for a long time?
(a) There will be too much water
(b) There might not be enough water for everyone
(c) The hotels will be full
(d) The travelers will come to visit

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Farmers need the snow to have enough water for their plants.
2. People in Kashmir are happy because there is no snow.
3. Some people think it might not rain for a long time.
4. The weather is changing and it is warmer now.
5. The lack of snow is bad for people who need water for electricity and growing food.
6. People who have hotels are happy because travelers are coming.
7. Ladakh, another place close to Kashmir, also has snow.
8. It rained a lot when it was supposed to.
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. Why are people in Kashmir sad and worried?
2. Why are the people who have hotels not happy?
3. What do farmers need the snow for?
4. Why is there no snow in Kashmir and Ladakh?
5. Why is it bad for people who need water to make electricity and grow food?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why are people in Kashmir sad and worried?
People in Kashmir are sad and worried because there is no snow and it is making things difficult for them.

2. Why are hotel owners not happy?
Hotel owners are not happy because travelers are not coming to play in the snow and stay in their rooms, so they are not making money.

3. Why do farmers need snow?
Farmers need snow because when it melts, it gives them water for their plants to grow.

4. What happens when the snow melts?
When the snow melts, it turns into water and helps plants grow. It also gives people water to drink and use.

5. Why do some people think it might not rain for a long time?
Some people think it might not rain for a long time because the weather is changing and it is getting warmer, so there might not be enough rain.

6. What do people who know a lot about the Earth say is the reason for no snow?
People who know a lot about the Earth say that the reason for no snow is because the weather is changing and it is getting warmer.

7. Why is it bad for people who want to see the snow?
It is bad for people who want to see the snow because without snow, they cannot play in it and have fun.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) happy
(2) play
(3) make
(4) water
(5) reason
(6) supposed
(7) food
(8) place
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Kashmir
Answer: (C) A place where there are mountains and trees, but no white cold fluffy stuff right now.

2. travelers
Answer: (E) People who go to different places for fun.

3. hotels
Answer: (J) Big houses with many rooms where you can sleep when you are not at home.

4. farmers
Answer: (F) People who grow food in the ground.

5. plants
Answer: (A) Things that are green and grow in the dirt, they need water and light.

6. Earth
Answer: (G) The big round home we all live on, with land and water and sky.

7. weather
Answer: (I) If it’s hot or cold, rainy or sunny outside.

8. electricity
Answer: (D) The power that makes lights turn on and machines work.

9. Ladakh
Answer: (B) Another place with mountains, but also without the white cold fluffy stuff.

10. serious
Answer: (H) When something is very important and you need to think about it a lot.
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why are people in Kashmir sad and worried?
Answer: (d) There is no snow

2. What do people in Kashmir do when travelers come to visit?
Answer: (d) They make money

3. Why do farmers need the snow?
Answer: (a) It gives them water for their plants

4. Why is there no snow in Kashmir?
Answer: (c) The weather is changing

5. What do people who know a lot about the Earth say about the weather?
Answer: (c) It is getting warmer

6. Why is the changing weather bad for people who want to see the snow?
Answer: (a) There is no snow

7. What do people need water for?
Answer: (b) Making electricity and growing food

8. What do some people think might happen if it does not rain for a long time?
Answer: (b) There might not be enough water for everyone
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Farmers need the snow to have enough water for their plants. (Answer: True)
2. People in Kashmir are happy because there is no snow. (Answer: False)
3. Some people think it might not rain for a long time. (Answer: True)
4. The weather is changing and it is warmer now. (Answer: True)
5. The lack of snow is bad for people who need water for electricity and growing food. (Answer: True)
6. People who have hotels are happy because travelers are coming. (Answer: False)
7. Ladakh, another place close to Kashmir, also has snow. (Answer: False)
8. It rained a lot when it was supposed to. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧