There is not enough rain in Spain, and it is making olive oil very expensive. Olive oil is a special kind of oil that comes from olives, and Spain makes more of it than any other country. Because there is not enough water, there are not enough olives, and the price to buy olive oil has gone up a lot. A big place in Spain that makes olive oil did not get many olives this year. People in other countries are also paying more for olive oil, but not as much as in Spain.

People in Spain are going to Portugal to buy olive oil because it costs a little less there. But even in Spain, people are buying less olive oil than before. The people who grow olives and make olive oil are not selling as much to other countries. The leaders in Spain are trying to save water. The farmers want help to get more water for their plants so they can grow more olives.

Original news source: Olive oil price skyrockets as Spanish drought bites (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of cards with different actions related to the article (e.g. watering plants, buying olive oil, saving water). One person from each team will come to the front of the class and silently act out the action on their card. The team members must guess the action within a time limit (e.g. 1 minute). The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students read the article individually or in pairs. Then, ask them to write a short summary of the article using their own words. Afterward, have a few students share their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will discuss and come up with their own opinions about the article (e.g. Should the government provide more water for olive farmers? Is olive oil worth the higher price?). Then, assign a spokesperson for each group to present their opinions to the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. olive oil, olives, water, expensive). Divide the class into pairs and give each pair a piece of paper. One student will choose a word from the list and draw a picture to represent it, while the other student tries to guess the word. They can switch roles after each word. The pair with the most correct guesses wins.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about and write down their own ideas on how to solve the problem of water scarcity for olive farmers. Then, pair them up and have them share their ideas with their partner. Finally, have a few students share their partner’s ideas with the whole class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is olive oil?
2. Why is olive oil getting more expensive in Spain?
3. Why are people in Spain going to Portugal to buy olive oil?
4. Are people in Spain buying more or less olive oil now?
5. What are the leaders in Spain trying to do to save water?
6. Why do the farmers want more water for their plants?
7. Where does most of the olive oil in the world come from?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

There is not enough (1)______ in Spain, and it is making olive oil very expensive. Olive oil is a special kind of oil that (2)______ from olives, and Spain makes more of it than any other country. Because there is not enough water, there are not enough olives, and the price to buy olive oil has gone up a lot. A big place in Spain that (3)______ olive oil did not get many olives this year. (4)______ in other countries are also paying more for olive oil, but not as much as in Spain.

People in Spain are going to Portugal to buy olive oil because it (5)______ a (6)______ less there. But even in Spain, people are buying less olive oil than before. The people who grow olives and make olive oil are not selling as much to other countries. The (7)______ in Spain are trying to save water. The farmers (8)______ help to get more water for their plants so they can grow more olives.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is olive oil?
2. How do you think people feel when the price of olive oil goes up?
3. Do you like olive oil? Why or why not?
4. What do you think happens when there is not enough rain for plants?
5. How would you feel if you couldn’t buy olive oil anymore?
6. Do you think it’s a good idea for people in Spain to go to Portugal to buy olive oil? Why or why not?
7. How do you think the farmers in Spain feel when they can’t sell as much olive oil?
8. What do you think the leaders in Spain can do to save water?
9. Do you think it’s important to help the farmers get more water for their plants? Why or why not?
10. What other foods do you know that come from plants?
11. How do you think the price of olive oil affects people’s lives?
12. Do you think the price of olive oil will go down in the future? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. expensive
2. olives
3. water
4. price
5. countries
6. Portugal
7. leaders
8. save
9. farmers
10. plants

Meanings:
(A) Costs a lot of money
(B) A country next to Spain
(C) People who are in charge
(D) People who grow food
(E) Places where people live, like Spain and Portugal
(F) Small, round fruits that are used to make oil
(G) To keep something for later
(H) How much something costs
(I) Clear liquid that you drink and swim in
(J) Things that grow in the ground, like flowers and trees
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the main problem in Spain?
(a) There is too much rain
(b) There are too many olives
(c) There is not enough rain
(d) There are too many plants

2. What is olive oil made from?
(a) Apples
(b) Bananas
(c) Tomatoes
(d) Olives

3. Which country makes the most olive oil?
(a) Portugal
(b) France
(c) Spain
(d) Italy

4. Why is olive oil more expensive now?
(a) There are not enough olives
(b) There are too many olives
(c) The price of water has gone up
(d) The price of olives has gone up

5. Where are people going to buy cheaper olive oil?
(a) Portugal
(b) France
(c) Italy
(d) Germany

6. Are people in Spain buying more or less olive oil now?
(a) More
(b) The same
(c) None of the above
(d) Less

7. What are the farmers in Spain asking for?
(a) More olives
(b) More water
(c) More plants
(d) More money

8. What are the leaders in Spain trying to save?
(a) Olives
(b) Water
(c) Money
(d) Plants

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. People in Spain are going to Portugal to buy olive oil because it’s a little cheaper there.
2. The leaders in Spain are not trying to save water to help the farmers grow more olives.
3. A big place in Spain that makes olive oil didn’t get many olives this year.
4. People in other countries are not paying as much for olive oil, but much more than in Spain.
5. Olive oil doesn’t come from olives, and Spain makes the least of it.
6. Even in Spain, people are buying less olive oil than before.
7. Spain has enough rain, so olive oil is not getting more expensive.
8. Because there aren’t enough olives, the price of olive oil has gone up 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 making olive oil very expensive in Spain?
2. Where does olive oil come from?
3. Why are there not enough olives in Spain?
4. Why are people in Spain buying less olive oil?
5. What are the farmers in Spain asking for to help them grow more olives?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is olive oil?
Olive oil is a special kind of oil that comes from olives.

2. Why is olive oil getting more expensive in Spain?
Olive oil is getting more expensive in Spain because there is not enough rain, so there are not enough olives to make the oil.

3. Why are people in Spain going to Portugal to buy olive oil?
People in Spain are going to Portugal to buy olive oil because it costs a little less there.

4. Are people in Spain buying more or less olive oil now?
People in Spain are buying less olive oil now.

5. What are the leaders in Spain trying to do to save water?
The leaders in Spain are trying to save water by finding ways to use less water.

6. Why do the farmers want more water for their plants?
The farmers want more water for their plants so they can grow more olives and make more olive oil.

7. Where does most of the olive oil in the world come from?
Most of the olive oil in the world comes from Spain.
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) rain
(2) comes
(3) makes
(4) People
(5) costs
(6) little
(7) leaders
(8) want
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. expensive
Answer: (A) Costs a lot of money

2. olives
Answer: (F) Small, round fruits that are used to make oil

3. water
Answer: (I) Clear liquid that you drink and swim in

4. price
Answer: (H) How much something costs

5. countries
Answer: (E) Places where people live, like Spain and Portugal

6. Portugal
Answer: (B) A country next to Spain

7. leaders
Answer: (C) People who are in charge

8. save
Answer: (G) To keep something for later

9. farmers
Answer: (D) People who grow food

10. plants
Answer: (J) Things that grow in the ground, like flowers and trees
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the main problem in Spain?
Answer: (c) There is not enough rain

2. What is olive oil made from?
Answer: (d) Olives

3. Which country makes the most olive oil?
Answer: (c) Spain

4. Why is olive oil more expensive now?
Answer: (a) There are not enough olives

5. Where are people going to buy cheaper olive oil?
Answer: (a) Portugal

6. Are people in Spain buying more or less olive oil now?
Answer: (d) Less

7. What are the farmers in Spain asking for?
Answer: (b) More water

8. What are the leaders in Spain trying to save?
Answer: (b) Water
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True or False Answers:

1. People in Spain are going to Portugal to buy olive oil because it’s a little cheaper there. (Answer: True)
2. The leaders in Spain are not trying to save water to help the farmers grow more olives. (Answer: False)
3. A big place in Spain that makes olive oil didn’t get many olives this year. (Answer: True)
4. People in other countries are not paying as much for olive oil, but much more than in Spain. (Answer: False)
5. Olive oil doesn’t come from olives, and Spain makes the least of it. (Answer: False)
6. Even in Spain, people are buying less olive oil than before. (Answer: True)
7. Spain has enough rain, so olive oil is not getting more expensive. (Answer: False)
8. Because there aren’t enough olives, the price of olive oil has gone up a lot. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧