Some scientists think they know why some people’s heads hurt when they drink a little bit of red wine. They say something in the red grapes called quercetin might be the reason. Quercetin is in a lot of red wines, especially the ones that cost a lot and come from places with lots of sun. But not everyone agrees that quercetin is the problem. Some people think other things in wine might make heads hurt, too.

The scientists want to do a test to see if quercetin really makes heads hurt. They would give some people who get headaches from red wine a pill with quercetin and some people a pill without it, and then give them all a drink that is not wine to see what happens. They want to start this test soon. But they also say that drinking too much alcohol is very bad for your body. It can hurt your liver and make you very sick.

Original news source: Red-wine headache explained – and it is not about volume (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Draw a picture representing the word “quercetin” on the board without writing any letters or words. Students must guess the word you are drawing. After they guess correctly, explain the meaning and use it in a sentence related to the article.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Split the class into pairs. One student is the news reporter, and the other is a scientist. The reporter interviews the scientist about the new findings on why red wine causes headaches, focusing on the role of quercetin. Swap roles after a few minutes.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Play a game of hangman using keywords from the article such as “quercetin,” “red wine,” “headaches,” “scientists,” “alcohol,” and “liver.” This will help students remember and spell these new words.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Pose a question to the class: “Do you think quercetin causes headaches?” Students first think about their answer individually, then pair up to discuss their thoughts, and finally share their conclusions with the class.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Create a line in the classroom with one end labeled “Strongly Agree” and the other end labeled “Strongly Disagree.” Make a statement like “Red wine is the only alcoholic drink that causes headaches.” Students should place themselves along the spectrum according to their opinion and then discuss their reasoning with their classmates.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What do some scientists think makes people’s heads hurt when they drink red wine?
2. What is quercetin?
3. Where is quercetin found a lot?
4. Do all people think quercetin is what makes heads hurt?
5. What test do the scientists want to do?
6. What will the scientists give to some people in the test?
7. Why do the scientists say drinking too much is bad?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some (1)______ think they know why some people’s heads hurt when they drink a little bit of red wine. They say something in the red grapes called quercetin might be the (2)______. Quercetin is in a lot of red wines, especially the ones that cost a lot and come from (3)______ with lots of sun. But not everyone agrees that (4)______ is the problem. Some people think other things in wine might make heads hurt, too.

The scientists want to do a test to see if quercetin really makes heads hurt. They would give some people who get (5)______ from red wine a (6)______ with quercetin and some people a pill without it, and then give them all a drink that is not wine to see what happens. They (7)______ to start this test soon. But they also say that drinking too (8)______ alcohol is very bad for your body. It can hurt your liver and make you very sick.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a headache?
2. How do you feel when your head hurts?
3. Do you like to drink grape juice?
4. What is your favorite drink?
5. Do you think it’s good to take a pill when your head hurts? Why or why not?
6. Have you ever felt sick after eating or drinking something? What was it?
7. Do you think the sun is important for plants? Why?
8. What do you do to feel better when you are sick?
9. Do you like to try new foods and drinks?
10. How do you think scientists find answers to questions?
11. Do you think drinking a lot of any drink is good or bad for you? Why?
12. What do you do to stay healthy?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. scientists
2. heads
3. hurt
4. red wine
5. quercetin
6. test
7. pill
8. alcohol

Meanings:
(a) Something you swallow to make you feel better
(b) When something doesn’t feel good
(c) Something in red wine that might make heads hurt
(d) The part of your body where you think
(e) An experiment to see if something is true
(f) A type of drink that can make you sick
(g) People who study and learn about things
(h) A type of drink made from grapes
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What do scientists think might be the reason some people’s heads hurt when they drink red wine?
(a) Something in the white grapes called quercetin
(b) Something in the red grapes called vitamin C
(c) Something in the white grapes called vitamin C
(d) Something in the red grapes called quercetin

2. Where is quercetin found?
(a) In white grapes
(b) In red grapes
(c) In apples
(d) In oranges

3. Which type of red wine usually has more quercetin?
(a) Expensive red wine
(b) Cheap red wine
(c) Red wine from cold places
(d) Red wine from places with lots of sun

4. What do some people think might also make heads hurt in wine?
(a) Other things in wine
(b) Other things in beer
(c) Other things in soda
(d) Other things in water

5. What do the scientists want to do to test if quercetin makes heads hurt?
(a) Give everyone a pill with quercetin and then give them a drink that is not wine
(b) Give everyone a pill without quercetin and then give them a drink that is not wine
(c) Give some people a pill with quercetin and some people a pill without it, and then give them a drink that is not wine
(d) Give everyone a pill with quercetin and then give them a drink that is wine

6. Why do the scientists say drinking too much alcohol is bad for your body?
(a) It can hurt your brain and make you very smart
(b) It can hurt your liver and make you very sick
(c) It can hurt your heart and make you very happy
(d) It can hurt your stomach and make you very hungry

7. What is the main purpose of the test the scientists want to do?
(a) To see if quercetin really makes heads happy
(b) To see if quercetin really makes heads sleepy
(c) To see if quercetin really makes heads hungry
(d) To see if quercetin really makes heads hurt

8. What is the article mainly about?
(a) Some scientists think they know why some people’s heads hurt when they drink a lot of red wine
(b) Some scientists think they know why some people’s heads hurt when they drink a little bit of white wine
(c) Some scientists think they know why some people’s heads hurt when they drink a little bit of red wine
(d) Some scientists think they know why some people’s heads hurt when they drink a lot of white wine

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Quercetin is not present in expensive red wines that come from sunny places.
2. Some scientists think they know why some people’s heads hurt when they drink red wine.
3. The scientists want to do a test to see if quercetin really makes heads hurt.
4. The scientists also say that drinking too much alcohol is bad for your body and can make you very sick.
5. But not everyone agrees that quercetin is not the problem.
6. Some people think other things in wine might also make heads hurt.
7. They think something in the red grapes, other than quercetin, might be the reason.
8. They would give all people a pill with quercetin and no one a pill without it, and then give them a non-alcoholic drink to see what happens.
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 do some people’s heads hurt when they drink red wine?
2. What is in the red grapes that might make heads hurt?
3. Do all scientists think quercetin is what makes heads hurt?
4. What test do the scientists want to do?
5. Why is drinking too much alcohol bad for you?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What do some scientists think makes people’s heads hurt when they drink red wine?
Some scientists think a thing called quercetin in red wine makes people’s heads hurt.

2. What is quercetin?
Quercetin is something found in red grapes that is also in red wine.

3. Where is quercetin found a lot?
Quercetin is found a lot in red wines, especially the expensive ones from sunny places.

4. Do all people think quercetin is what makes heads hurt?
No, not everyone thinks quercetin is what makes heads hurt from wine.

5. What test do the scientists want to do?
The scientists want to test if quercetin really makes heads hurt by giving some people a pill with quercetin and others a pill without it, and then a drink that is not wine.

6. What will the scientists give to some people in the test?
The scientists will give some people a pill with quercetin.

7. Why do the scientists say drinking too much is bad?
The scientists say drinking too much alcohol is bad because it can hurt your liver and make you very sick.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) scientists
(2) reason
(3) places
(4) quercetin
(5) headaches
(6) pill
(7) want
(8) much
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. scientists
Answer: (g) People who study and learn about things

2. heads
Answer: (d) The part of your body where you think

3. hurt
Answer: (b) When something doesn’t feel good

4. red wine
Answer: (h) A type of drink made from grapes

5. quercetin
Answer: (c) Something in red wine that might make heads hurt

6. test
Answer: (e) An experiment to see if something is true

7. pill
Answer: (a) Something you swallow to make you feel better

8. alcohol
Answer: (f) A type of drink that can make you sick
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What do scientists think might be the reason some people’s heads hurt when they drink red wine?
Answer: (d) Something in the red grapes called quercetin

2. Where is quercetin found?
Answer: (b) In red grapes

3. Which type of red wine usually has more quercetin?
Answer: (a) Expensive red wine

4. What do some people think might also make heads hurt in wine?
Answer: (a) Other things in wine

5. What do the scientists want to do to test if quercetin makes heads hurt?
Answer: (c) Give some people a pill with quercetin and some people a pill without it, and then give them a drink that is not wine

6. Why do the scientists say drinking too much alcohol is bad for your body?
Answer: (b) It can hurt your liver and make you very sick

7. What is the main purpose of the test the scientists want to do?
Answer: (d) To see if quercetin really makes heads hurt

8. What is the article mainly about?
Answer: (c) Some scientists think they know why some people’s heads hurt when they drink a little bit of red wine
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Quercetin is not present in expensive red wines that come from sunny places. (Answer: False)
2. Some scientists think they know why some people’s heads hurt when they drink red wine. (Answer: True)
3. The scientists want to do a test to see if quercetin really makes heads hurt. (Answer: True)
4. The scientists also say that drinking too much alcohol is bad for your body and can make you very sick. (Answer: True)
5. But not everyone agrees that quercetin is not the problem. (Answer: False)
6. Some people think other things in wine might also make heads hurt. (Answer: True)
7. They think something in the red grapes, other than quercetin, might be the reason. (Answer: False)
8. They would give all people a pill with quercetin and no one a pill without it, and then give them a non-alcoholic drink to see what happens. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧