People in Asia are making new things to help fix the Earth. A group in India made special dryers for farmers to use so they don’t waste their food. This helps the air stay clean. Asia has many places that can get hurt by the weather getting hotter and storms getting stronger. But people there are very good at thinking of new ways to stop the weather from getting too hot.

Another group in Hong Kong made a better battery for cars that don’t use gas. They will use prize money to make more batteries and sell them in different places. A group called WildAid helps stop people from fishing too much in the ocean. A man named Aadith helps farmers grow lots of different plants. The Earthshot Prize wants to make everyone excited to make the Earth better.

Original news source: Earthshot Prize: Asia leads the way in quest to repair planet (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down words from the article (e.g., Earth, dryer, farmers, battery, ocean) on slips of paper. Students take turns picking a slip of paper and acting out the word without speaking. The rest of the class has to guess the word in English.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a word or phrase from the article (e.g., “fix the Earth,” “clean air,” “weather getting hotter”). Each group has to draw a picture that represents their word or phrase. Afterward, each group shows their drawing to the class and explains it in English.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students work in pairs. One student is a reporter, and the other is an expert on one of the solutions mentioned in the article. The reporter asks questions in English about the solution and the expert answers. For example, the expert could explain how special dryers help farmers or how a new battery can help cars that don’t use gas.

– Word Association
Instructions: Say a word related to the article (e.g., “storm,” “prize,” “plants”). Students take turns saying the first word that comes to their mind in English that they associate with the given word. This continues in a chain, with each student building on the last word said.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Prepare cards with vocabulary words from the article (e.g., “Asia,” “dryers,” “battery,” “fishing,” “Earthshot Prize”). Students take turns drawing a card without showing it to the class and drawing the word on the board. The other students guess the word in English.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did a group in India make for farmers?
2. Why did they make these special dryers?
3. What are two bad things happening to the weather in Asia?
4. What did a group in Hong Kong invent?
5. What will they do with the prize money?
6. What does WildAid help stop in the ocean?
7. What does Aadith help farmers do with plants?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

People in (1)______ are making new (2)______ to help fix the Earth. A group in India made special dryers for farmers to use so they don’t waste their food. This helps the air stay clean. Asia has many places that can get hurt by the weather getting hotter and storms getting (3)______. But people there are very good at thinking of new (4)______ to stop the weather from getting too hot.

Another group in Hong Kong made a better battery for (5)______ that don’t use gas. They will use prize money to make more batteries and sell them in different places. A group (6)______ WildAid helps (7)______ people from fishing too much in the ocean. A man named Aadith helps farmers grow lots of different plants. The Earthshot (8)______ wants to make everyone excited to make the Earth better.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a dryer?
2. Do you like to help the Earth? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you saw a farmer wasting food?
4. What is a storm? Have you seen one?
5. Can you think of a way to stop the weather from getting too hot?
6. Do you know what a battery is? What does it do?
7. Do you like cars that don’t use gas? Why?
8. What is a prize? Have you ever won a prize?
9. Why should we not fish too much in the ocean?
10. What is a plant? Do you have a favorite plant?
11. How do you feel when you see lots of different plants growing?
12. Do you think it is important to make the Earth better? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Asia
2. India
3. farmers
4. food
5. battery
6. cars
7. ocean
8. plants

Meanings:
(a) A thing that makes a car go
(b) People who grow fruits and vegetables
(c) Living things that grow in the ground and give us food
(d) A big body of water with fish and other animals
(e) A country in Asia with lots of people
(f) Things that people drive on the road
(g) A big continent with many countries in it
(h) Something you eat to make you strong and healthy
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did a group in India make to help farmers?
(a) Cars
(b) Batteries
(c) Food
(d) Special dryers

2. What does using the special dryers help with?
(a) Making the weather hotter
(b) Keeping the air clean
(c) Making storms stronger
(d) Wasting food

3. What did a group in Hong Kong make for cars?
(a) Special dryers
(b) Food
(c) Better batteries
(d) Prize money

4. What will the group in Hong Kong do with the prize money?
(a) Help farmers grow plants
(b) Stop people from fishing in the ocean
(c) Use it for themselves
(d) Make more batteries and sell them

5. What does WildAid help stop people from doing?
(a) Making the weather hotter
(b) Fishing too much in the ocean
(c) Using gas in cars
(d) Growing plants

6. Who helps farmers grow lots of different plants?
(a) WildAid
(b) The group in Hong Kong
(c) Aadith
(d) The group in India

7. What does the Earthshot Prize want to make everyone excited about?
(a) Making the Earth better
(b) Using gas in cars
(c) Fishing in the ocean
(d) Growing plants

8. Where did the group in India make the special dryers?
(a) In India
(b) In Hong Kong
(c) In Russia
(d) In Spain

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The Earthshot Prize wants to make everyone excited to make the Earth better.
2. Another group in Hong Kong made a better battery for cars that don’t use gas.
3. Asia has many places that can get hurt by the weather getting hotter and storms getting stronger.
4. This helps the air stay clean.
5. They will use prize money to make fewer batteries and sell them in different places.
6. A group in India made special dryers for farmers to use so they waste their food.
7. People in Asia are not good at thinking of new ways to stop the weather from getting too hot.
8. People in Asia are not making new things to help fix the Earth.
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 did the people in India make for farmers?
2. Why did they make this special thing for farmers?
3. What are some bad things happening to the weather in Asia?
4. What did the group in Hong Kong create?
5. What is the Earthshot Prize trying to do?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did a group in India make for farmers?
They made special dryers for the farmers.

2. Why did they make these special dryers?
They made them so farmers don’t waste food and to keep the air clean.

3. What are two bad things happening to the weather in Asia?
The weather is getting hotter and the storms are getting stronger.

4. What did a group in Hong Kong invent?
They made a better battery for cars that don’t use gas.

5. What will they do with the prize money?
They will make more batteries and sell them in different places.

6. What does WildAid help stop in the ocean?
WildAid helps stop people from fishing too much.

7. What does Aadith help farmers do with plants?
Aadith helps farmers grow lots of different plants.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Asia
(2) things
(3) stronger
(4) ways
(5) cars
(6) called
(7) stop
(8) Prize
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Asia
Answer: (g) A big continent with many countries in it

2. India
Answer: (e) A country in Asia with lots of people

3. farmers
Answer: (b) People who grow fruits and vegetables

4. food
Answer: (h) Something you eat to make you strong and healthy

5. battery
Answer: (a) A thing that makes a car go

6. cars
Answer: (f) Things that people drive on the road

7. ocean
Answer: (d) A big body of water with fish and other animals

8. plants
Answer: (c) Living things that grow in the ground and give us food
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did a group in India make to help farmers?
Answer: (d) Special dryers

2. What does using the special dryers help with?
Answer: (b) Keeping the air clean

3. What did a group in Hong Kong make for cars?
Answer: (c) Better batteries

4. What will the group in Hong Kong do with the prize money?
Answer: (d) Make more batteries and sell them

5. What does WildAid help stop people from doing?
Answer: (b) Fishing too much in the ocean

6. Who helps farmers grow lots of different plants?
Answer: (c) Aadith

7. What does the Earthshot Prize want to make everyone excited about?
Answer: (a) Making the Earth better

8. Where did the group in India make the special dryers?
Answer: (a) In India
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True or False Answers:

1. The Earthshot Prize wants to make everyone excited to make the Earth better. (Answer: True)
2. Another group in Hong Kong made a better battery for cars that don’t use gas. (Answer: True)
3. Asia has many places that can get hurt by the weather getting hotter and storms getting stronger. (Answer: True)
4. This helps the air stay clean. (Answer: True)
5. They will use prize money to make fewer batteries and sell them in different places. (Answer: False)
6. A group in India made special dryers for farmers to use so they waste their food. (Answer: False)
7. People in Asia are not good at thinking of new ways to stop the weather from getting too hot. (Answer: False)
8. People in Asia are not making new things to help fix the Earth. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧