The people who watch the money in the United Kingdom say that the country will not have as much money as they thought in the next two years. Things will cost more for longer, and people will not have as much money as they did before everyone got sick until after a long time. They think the country will make a little bit more money in 2024 and a bit more in 2025, but not as much as they said before. They also say that the cost of things will go down very slowly.
The United Kingdom is having a hard time because things cost a lot, and it’s hard for people to buy stuff. The bank that decides about money says that the country will not make much more money in the next two years. They made it more expensive to borrow money to try to make things cost less. But this can make it hard for people to pay for their homes and for businesses to make new things. The man who takes care of the country’s money said he wants to help businesses and make it easier for them to grow. But another group of people who help run the country says the leaders made bad choices, and people are having a hard time because of it.
Original news source: UK economy growth forecasts slashed for next two years (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down key words from the article on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat. One student from each team will take turns picking a word from the hat and acting it out without speaking. Their team members will try to guess the word.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of vocabulary words from the article. One student will draw a picture of one of the words while the other student tries to guess what it is. They can only communicate through drawing and guessing.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: Give each student a headline from the article (e.g. “UK Faces Economic Challenges”). In pairs or small groups, students will discuss and create a short news headline based on the given headline. They can use their own words or the words from the article.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write down a statement related to the article on the board (e.g. “The UK economy will improve in 2024”). Have students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates for their opinion on the statement. They can use simple questions like “Do you agree or disagree?” or “What do you think?”
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have students read the article individually. Then, ask them to think about one thing they found interesting or surprising. Pair them up and have them share their thoughts with their partner. Finally, ask a few pairs to share their discussions with the whole class.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What did the people who watch the money in the United Kingdom say about the country’s money in the next two years?
2. Will things cost more or less in the next two years?
3. Will people have more or less money than before everyone got sick?
4. When do the people think the country will make a little bit more money?
5. What did the bank that decides about money do to try to make things cost less?
6. Why can it be hard for people to pay for their homes?
7. What did the man who takes care of the country’s money say he wants to do to help businesses?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
The people who watch the money in the United Kingdom say that the country will not have as much money as they thought in the (1)______ two years. Things will cost (2)______ for longer, and people will not have as much money as they did before everyone got sick until after a long time. They think the country will make a little bit more money in 2024 and a bit more in 2025, but not as much as they said before. They also say that the cost of (3)______ will go down very slowly.
The United Kingdom is having a hard (4)______ because things cost a lot, and it’s hard for people to buy stuff. The bank that decides about money says that the country will not make much more money in the next two years. They made it more (5)______ to borrow money to try to make things cost less. But this can make it hard for (6)______ to pay for their homes and for businesses to make new things. The man who takes care of the (7)______’s money said he wants to help businesses and make it easier for them to grow. But another (8)______ of people who help run the country says the leaders made bad choices, and people are having a hard time because of it.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What do you think it means when the article says “things will cost more for longer”?
2. How would you feel if you didn’t have as much money as you did before?
3. Do you like it when things cost a lot?
4. Do you think it’s good or bad when the cost of things goes down slowly? Why or why not?
5. What is a bank?
6. How do you think it feels when it’s hard for people to buy stuff?
7. Do you think it’s important for businesses to be able to make new things? Why or why not?
8. What do you think it means when the article says “the leaders made bad choices”?
9. How do you think the man who takes care of the country’s money can help businesses?
10. How do you think it feels when it’s hard for people to pay for their homes?
11. What do you think it means to borrow money?
12. Why do you think the bank made it more expensive to borrow money?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. money
2. cost
3. years
4. country
5. people
6. hard
7. time
8. businesses
Meanings:
(a) When something happens or takes a while
(b) The humans who live in a place
(c) Difficult or not easy
(d) A place where a lot of people live
(e) Places where people make and sell things
(f) A long time, like when you’re a grown-up
(g) How much something costs
(h) The thing that you use to buy things
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Who says that the United Kingdom will not have as much money in the next two years?
(a) The people who watch the weather
(b) The people who watch the animals
(c) The people who watch the money
(d) The people who watch the movies
2. What will happen to the cost of things in the United Kingdom?
(a) It will go up very quickly
(b) It will go down very slowly
(c) It will stay the same
(d) It will disappear completely
3. Why is the United Kingdom having a hard time?
(a) Things cost very little
(b) Things are free
(c) Things are too big
(d) Things cost a lot
4. What did the bank do to try to make things cost less?
(a) They made it cheaper to borrow money
(b) They gave money away for free
(c) They made it more expensive to borrow money
(d) They stopped giving money to people
5. Who wants to help businesses and make it easier for them to grow?
(a) The man who takes care of the country’s food
(b) The man who takes care of the country’s animals
(c) The man who takes care of the country’s buildings
(d) The man who takes care of the country’s money
6. Who says that the leaders made bad choices?
(a) Another group of people who help run the zoo
(b) Another group of people who help run the country
(c) Another group of people who help run the school
(d) Another group of people who help run the movies
7. What is the prediction for how much money the United Kingdom will make in 2024?
(a) A little bit more
(b) A lot more
(c) The same amount
(d) No money at all
8. What is the prediction for how much money the United Kingdom will make in 2025?
(a) A bit more
(b) A lot more
(c) The same amount
(d) No money at all
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. The United Kingdom will not have as much money as they thought in the next two years.
2. Things will cost less for a shorter period, and people will have more money than before.
3. It is more expensive to borrow money, which can make it hard for people to pay for their homes and businesses to make new things.
4. The cost of things will go up very rapidly.
5. It is hard for people in the United Kingdom to buy stuff because things cost a lot.
6. The leaders made bad choices, and people are having a hard time because of it.
7. The country will not make any more money in 2024 and will make even less in 2025, compared to before.
8. The bank that decides about money says the country will make much more money in the next two years.
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 who watch the money in the United Kingdom say?
2. Will things cost more or less in the next two years?
3. Will people have more or less money than before?
4. When do the people think the country will make more money?
5. What did the bank do to try to make things cost less?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What did the people who watch the money in the United Kingdom say about the country’s money in the next two years?
They said the country will not have as much money as they thought in the next two years.
2. Will things cost more or less in the next two years?
Things will cost more in the next two years.
3. Will people have more or less money than before everyone got sick?
People will have less money than before everyone got sick.
4. When do the people think the country will make a little bit more money?
The people think the country will make a little bit more money in 2024.
5. What did the bank that decides about money do to try to make things cost less?
The bank made it more expensive to borrow money to try to make things cost less.
6. Why can it be hard for people to pay for their homes?
It can be hard for people to pay for their homes because borrowing money is more expensive.
7. What did the man who takes care of the country’s money say he wants to do to help businesses?
He said he wants to help businesses and make it easier for them to grow.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) next
(2) more
(3) things
(4) time
(5) expensive
(6) people
(7) country
(8) group
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. money
Answer: (h) The thing that you use to buy things
2. cost
Answer: (g) How much something costs
3. years
Answer: (f) A long time, like when you’re a grown-up
4. country
Answer: (d) A place where a lot of people live
5. people
Answer: (b) The humans who live in a place
6. hard
Answer: (c) Difficult or not easy
7. time
Answer: (a) When something happens or takes a while
8. businesses
Answer: (e) Places where people make and sell things
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. Who says that the United Kingdom will not have as much money in the next two years?
Answer: (c) The people who watch the money
2. What will happen to the cost of things in the United Kingdom?
Answer: (b) It will go down very slowly
3. Why is the United Kingdom having a hard time?
Answer: (d) Things cost a lot
4. What did the bank do to try to make things cost less?
Answer: (c) They made it more expensive to borrow money
5. Who wants to help businesses and make it easier for them to grow?
Answer: (d) The man who takes care of the country’s money
6. Who says that the leaders made bad choices?
Answer: (b) Another group of people who help run the country
7. What is the prediction for how much money the United Kingdom will make in 2024?
Answer: (a) A little bit more
8. What is the prediction for how much money the United Kingdom will make in 2025?
Answer: (a) A bit more
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. The United Kingdom will not have as much money as they thought in the next two years. (Answer: True)
2. Things will cost less for a shorter period, and people will have more money than before. (Answer: False)
3. It is more expensive to borrow money, which can make it hard for people to pay for their homes and businesses to make new things. (Answer: True)
4. The cost of things will go up very rapidly. (Answer: False)
5. It is hard for people in the United Kingdom to buy stuff because things cost a lot. (Answer: True)
6. The leaders made bad choices, and people are having a hard time because of it. (Answer: True)
7. The country will not make any more money in 2024 and will make even less in 2025, compared to before. (Answer: False)
8. The bank that decides about money says the country will make much more money in the next two years. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
