The world is getting very hot this year. It might be the hottest year we have ever had. The ice at the bottom of the world is not as big as it should be. Big storms and hot weather are happening in many places. Scientists think the hot weather is because of something called El Niño and because there is less dirt in the air to block the sun.

People who know a lot about the weather are worried. They say the world could get hotter faster than we thought. This is because we have put too much gas that warms the air into the sky. We need to stop using things that make this gas. Soon, people from many countries will meet to talk about how to make the world cooler.

Original news source: Climate change: Is the world warming faster than expected? (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades

Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down several words related to the article on slips of paper (e.g. hot weather, storms, El Niño, dirt in the air, gas that warms the air). One student from each team will come to the front of the class and choose a slip of paper. They must then act out the word or phrase without speaking, while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue until all the words have been acted out or a set time limit has been reached.

– News Summary

Instructions: Have the class read the article individually or in pairs. Then, ask each student to write a summary of the article in their own words. After they have finished, have them share their summaries with a partner and compare their answers. Finally, have a few students share their summaries with the whole class and discuss any differences or similarities.

– Vocabulary Pictionary

Instructions: Create a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. hot, ice, storms, air, gas). Divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of vocabulary words. One student from each group will choose a word and draw a picture on the board to represent that word, while their group tries to guess what it is. The first group to guess correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students and words until all the vocabulary words have been used.

– Speed Summarizing

Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student will be the “speaker” and the other student will be the “listener”. Give the speaker one minute to summarize the main points of the article to their partner. After one minute, the listener must try to summarize what they heard in their own words. Then, switch roles and repeat the activity with a different article or topic.

– Future Predictions

Instructions: Discuss with the class the idea of the world getting hotter. Ask them to think about what might happen in the future if the world continues to get hotter. Have each student write down three predictions about what they think might happen. Then, have them share their predictions with a partner and discuss their ideas. Finally, have a few students share their predictions with the whole class and discuss any similarities or differences.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Why is the world getting hot this year?
2. What is happening to the ice at the bottom of the world?
3. Why are there big storms and hot weather in many places?
4. What do scientists think is causing the hot weather?
5. Why are people who know a lot about the weather worried?
6. Why could the world get hotter faster than we thought?
7. What will people from many countries meet to talk about?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The world is (1)______ very hot this year. It might be the hottest year we have ever had. The ice at the bottom of the world is not as big as it should be. Big (2)______ and hot (3)______ are happening in many places. (4)______ think the hot weather is because of something called El Niño and because there is less dirt in the air to block the sun.

People who (5)______ a lot about the weather are worried. They say the world could get hotter faster than we (6)______. This is because we have put too much gas that warms the air into the sky. We need to stop (7)______ things that make this gas. Soon, (8)______ from many countries will meet to talk about how to make the world cooler.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What do you think about the weather getting hotter?
2. How would you feel if it was always hot outside?
3. Do you like big storms? Why or why not?
4. What do you think El Niño is?
5. Why do you think there is less dirt in the air?
6. Are you worried about the world getting hotter? Why or why not?
7. What do you think about people meeting to talk about making the world cooler?
8. How can we stop using things that make the air warmer?
9. Do you think the world will get hotter faster than we thought? Why or why not?
10. What can we do to help make the world cooler?
11. How do you think the weather affects the animals and plants?
12. What do you think will happen if the ice at the bottom of the world melts?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. hot
2. year
3. big
4. storms
5. weather
6. dirt
7. gas
8. cooler

Meanings:
(a) A period of 365 days
(b) Strong winds and rain
(c) Not as warm as before
(d) The condition of the atmosphere
(e) Soil or dust
(f) Very warm
(g) Large in size
(h) A substance that can make the air warm
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why is the world getting very hot this year?
(a) Because of too much rain
(b) Because of too many clouds in the sky
(c) Because of something called El Niño and less dirt in the air
(d) Because of too much ice at the bottom of the world

2. What is happening to the ice at the bottom of the world?
(a) It is not as big as it should be
(b) It is getting bigger and bigger
(c) It is melting very quickly
(d) It is turning into water

3. What is causing the hot weather and big storms?
(a) Too much rain
(b) Something called El Niño and less dirt in the air
(c) Too many clouds in the sky
(d) Too much ice at the bottom of the world

4. Why are scientists worried about the hot weather?
(a) They think the world will stay the same temperature
(b) They think the world could get hotter faster than we thought
(c) They think the world will get colder
(d) They think the world will get less hot

5. Why do we need to stop using things that make gas?
(a) Because the gas cools the air too much
(b) Because the gas makes the air cleaner
(c) Because the gas warms the air too much
(d) Because the gas makes the air dirtier

6. What are people from many countries going to do?
(a) Meet to talk about how to make the world hotter
(b) Meet to talk about how to make the world rainier
(c) Meet to talk about how to make the world cloudier
(d) Meet to talk about how to make the world cooler

7. What is the main reason for the hot weather?
(a) Too much rain
(b) Too many clouds in the sky
(c) Too much ice at the bottom of the world
(d) Something called El Niño and less dirt in the air

8. What is the main problem with the gas in the sky?
(a) It warms the air too much
(b) It cools the air too much
(c) It makes the air cleaner
(d) It makes the air dirtier

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The ice at the bottom of the world is as big as it should be.
2. There is less dirt in the air to block the sun.
3. The world is getting cooler this year.
4. There are big storms and hot weather happening in many places.
5. We have put too little gas that warms the air into the sky.
6. Scientists do not think the hot weather is because of something called El Niño.
7. People from many countries will meet to talk about how to make the world cooler.
8. People who know a lot about the weather are worried.
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 is the world getting very hot this year?
2. What is happening to the ice at the bottom of the world?
3. Why are scientists worried about the hot weather?
4. What is the gas that warms the air called?
5. What do people need to do to make the world cooler?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why is the world getting hot this year?
The world is getting hot this year because of something called El Niño and because there is less dirt in the air to block the sun.

2. What is happening to the ice at the bottom of the world?
The ice at the bottom of the world is not as big as it should be.

3. Why are there big storms and hot weather in many places?
There are big storms and hot weather in many places because of the hot weather caused by El Niño and less dirt in the air to block the sun.

4. What do scientists think is causing the hot weather?
Scientists think the hot weather is caused by something called El Niño and because there is less dirt in the air to block the sun.

5. Why are people who know a lot about the weather worried?
People who know a lot about the weather are worried because the world could get hotter faster than we thought.

6. Why could the world get hotter faster than we thought?
The world could get hotter faster than we thought because we have put too much gas that warms the air into the sky.

7. What will people from many countries meet to talk about?
People from many countries will meet to talk about how to make the world cooler.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) getting
(2) storms
(3) weather
(4) Scientists
(5) know
(6) thought
(7) using
(8) people
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. hot
Answer: (f) Very warm

2. year
Answer: (a) A period of 365 days

3. big
Answer: (g) Large in size

4. storms
Answer: (b) Strong winds and rain

5. weather
Answer: (d) The condition of the atmosphere

6. dirt
Answer: (e) Soil or dust

7. gas
Answer: (h) A substance that can make the air warm

8. cooler
Answer: (c) Not as warm as before
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why is the world getting very hot this year?
Answer: (c) Because of something called El Niño and less dirt in the air

2. What is happening to the ice at the bottom of the world?
Answer: (a) It is not as big as it should be

3. What is causing the hot weather and big storms?
Answer: (b) Something called El Niño and less dirt in the air

4. Why are scientists worried about the hot weather?
Answer: (b) They think the world could get hotter faster than we thought

5. Why do we need to stop using things that make gas?
Answer: (c) Because the gas warms the air too much

6. What are people from many countries going to do?
Answer: (d) Meet to talk about how to make the world cooler

7. What is the main reason for the hot weather?
Answer: (d) Something called El Niño and less dirt in the air

8. What is the main problem with the gas in the sky?
Answer: (a) It warms the air too much
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The ice at the bottom of the world is as big as it should be. (Answer: False)
2. There is less dirt in the air to block the sun. (Answer: True)
3. The world is getting cooler this year. (Answer: False)
4. There are big storms and hot weather happening in many places. (Answer: True)
5. We have put too little gas that warms the air into the sky. (Answer: False)
6. Scientists do not think the hot weather is because of something called El Niño. (Answer: False)
7. People from many countries will meet to talk about how to make the world cooler. (Answer: True)
8. People who know a lot about the weather are worried. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧