Last month, it rained a lot in the UK. Because of the rain and a big storm named Babet, not many people went shopping at the places where you can buy things. The people who count how many shoppers there are said there were fewer people by almost 6 out of 100 than last year. This is because people did not want to go out in the rain and they don’t have as much money to spend on big things.

Now, it is a very important time for shops because Christmas is coming and people buy a lot of things. But it is hard for shops because people don’t have as much money and they are careful about how they spend it. The shops need to make their websites better and make shopping fun so people will come and buy things. In one place called Yorkshire, even fewer people went shopping. The shops need to work hard to get people to buy things for Christmas.

Original news source: Rain hits shops ahead of key Christmas season (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down several verbs and nouns related to shopping and weather on pieces of paper (e.g., ‘buy’, ‘shop’, ‘rain’, ‘storm’). Students take turns drawing a piece of paper and acting out the word without speaking, while the rest of the class guesses 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., ‘big storm’, ‘Christmas’, ‘spend money’) and ask them to draw a picture that represents this word or phrase. Afterward, groups show their pictures to the class, and classmates try to guess what the word or phrase is.

– Word Association
Instructions: Start with the word ‘shopping’ and go around the class with each student saying a word that they associate with ‘shopping’. If a student hesitates or repeats a word, they sit down. The game continues until one student remains standing.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Prepare a list of statements about shopping and weather, such as “I like shopping in the rain,” or “Online shopping is better than going to stores.” Students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates whether they ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ with each statement, tallying the results to see which opinion is most popular in the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down vocabulary words from the article on cards (e.g., ‘rain’, ‘storm’, ‘shops’, ‘Christmas’). Students take turns drawing a card and then drawing the word on the board without writing any letters or speaking. The rest of the class must guess the word in English.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened last month in the UK that made it wet outside?
2. What was the name of the big storm?
3. How many fewer people went shopping than last year?
4. Why did people stay home instead of going to buy things?
5. What special time is coming that makes people want to buy a lot of things?
6. Why is it hard for shops right now?
7. What do shops need to do to make people want to come and buy things?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Last month, it (1)______ed a lot in the UK. Because of the rain and a big storm named Babet, not many people went shopping at the places where you can buy things. The people who count how many shoppers there are said there (3)______ fewer people by almost 6 out of 100 than last year. This is because people did not want to go out in the rain and they don’t have as much money to (4)______ on big things.

Now, it is a very important time for shops because Christmas is coming and people buy a lot of things. But it is hard for shops because people don’t have as much (5)______ and they are careful about how they spend it. The shops (6)______ to make their websites better and make shopping fun so people will come and buy things. In one place called Yorkshire, even fewer people went shopping. The (7)______ need to (8)______ hard to get people to buy things for Christmas.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is rain?
2. Do you like going out in the rain? Why or why not?
3. How do you feel when it storms?
4. What is a shop?
5. Do you like shopping? Why or why not?
6. What do you like to buy when you go shopping?
7. How do you feel when you don’t have money to buy things?
8. What is Christmas?
9. Do you buy gifts for Christmas? What kind of gifts?
10. Do you think shopping should be fun? Why or why not?
11. Have you ever shopped on a computer or phone?
12. What can shops do to make you want to buy things?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. rain
2. storm
3. shoppers
4. Christmas
5. money
6. websites
7. Yorkshire
8. shops

Meanings:
(a) Coins and paper that you use to buy things
(b) A place in the UK
(c) Places on the internet where you can buy things
(d) Places where you can buy things
(e) People who go to buy things
(f) A big, strong wind with rain
(g) Water that falls from the sky
(h) A special holiday in December
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did fewer people go shopping in the UK last month?
(a) It rained a lot and there was a big storm
(b) They didn’t want to buy anything
(c) They were too busy
(d) They were all on vacation

2. What was the name of the big storm in the UK last month?
(a) Charlie
(b) Babet
(c) Daisy
(d) Emma

3. What time of year is it important for shops in the UK?
(a) Halloween is coming
(b) Valentine’s Day is coming
(c) Christmas is coming
(d) Easter is coming

4. Why do shops need to make their websites better?
(a) To show off their new products
(b) So people will come and buy things
(c) To make more money
(d) Because they are bored

5. What do people buy a lot of during Christmas?
(a) Lots of food
(b) Lots of presents
(c) Lots of clothes
(d) Lots of things

6. Where did even fewer people go shopping?
(a) Yorkshire
(b) London
(c) Manchester
(d) Birmingham

7. Why do people not have as much money to spend on big things?
(a) They don’t like big things
(b) They are too busy
(c) They need to save money
(d) They have too much money

8. What do shops need to do to get people to buy things for Christmas?
(a) Close down
(b) Do nothing
(c) Go on vacation
(d) Work hard

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The people who count shoppers said there were fewer people than last year.
2. People in Yorkshire went shopping even less than other places.
3. Shops don’t need to make their websites better.
4. Shops need to work hard to get people to buy things for Christmas.
5. Many people went shopping because of the rain.
6. A small storm named Babet happened.
7. Last month, it didn’t rain a lot in the UK.
8. Christmas is coming and people buy a lot of things.
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 did not many people go shopping last month in the UK?
2. What was the name of the big storm?
3. How many fewer people went shopping compared to last year?
4. Why is it important for shops that people buy things now?
5. What can shops do to make people want to come and buy things?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened last month in the UK that made it wet outside?
It rained a lot.

2. What was the name of the big storm?
The big storm was named Babet.

3. How many fewer people went shopping than last year?
Almost 6 out of 100 fewer people went shopping.

4. Why did people stay home instead of going to buy things?
People stayed home because it was raining and they don’t have a lot of money.

5. What special time is coming that makes people want to buy a lot of things?
Christmas is coming.

6. Why is it hard for shops right now?
It is hard for shops because people don’t have much money and they are being careful with it.

7. What do shops need to do to make people want to come and buy things?
Shops need to make their websites better and make shopping fun.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) rain
(2) rained
(3) were
(4) spend
(5) money
(6) need
(7) shops
(8) work
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. rain
Answer: (g) Water that falls from the sky

2. storm
Answer: (f) A big, strong wind with rain

3. shoppers
Answer: (e) People who go to buy things

4. Christmas
Answer: (h) A special holiday in December

5. money
Answer: (a) Coins and paper that you use to buy things

6. websites
Answer: (c) Places on the internet where you can buy things

7. Yorkshire
Answer: (b) A place in the UK

8. shops
Answer: (d) Places where you can buy things
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did fewer people go shopping in the UK last month?
Answer: (a) It rained a lot and there was a big storm

2. What was the name of the big storm in the UK last month?
Answer: (b) Babet

3. What time of year is it important for shops in the UK?
Answer: (c) Christmas is coming

4. Why do shops need to make their websites better?
Answer: (b) So people will come and buy things

5. What do people buy a lot of during Christmas?
Answer: (d) Lots of things

6. Where did even fewer people go shopping?
Answer: (a) Yorkshire

7. Why do people not have as much money to spend on big things?
Answer: (c) They need to save money

8. What do shops need to do to get people to buy things for Christmas?
Answer: (d) Work hard
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The people who count shoppers said there were fewer people than last year. (Answer: True)
2. People in Yorkshire went shopping even less than other places. (Answer: True)
3. Shops don’t need to make their websites better. (Answer: False)
4. Shops need to work hard to get people to buy things for Christmas. (Answer: True)
5. Many people went shopping because of the rain. (Answer: False)
6. A small storm named Babet happened. (Answer: False)
7. Last month, it didn’t rain a lot in the UK. (Answer: False)
8. Christmas is coming and people buy a lot of things. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧