Money in some places in Africa is not worth as much as it used to be. This makes things cost more, like food and bus rides. People there have to spend more money to buy the same things. It’s hard for stores to sell things because they cost more.

When money is not worth much, it’s tough for everyone. People who make things have to spend more money to get what they need. This means they have to charge more money for what they sell. Sometimes, they can’t keep making things because it costs too much.

People are trying to fix this problem. They want to make it easier to buy and sell things in Africa. They hope this will help make money worth more again. But they need to do more to make things better.

Original news source: Weak currencies force up cost of living in Sub-Saharan Africa (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Ask students to summarize the article’s main points in their own words. They should try to do this in just two or three sentences, focusing on the essential information: money losing value, the impact on prices and difficulties for producers and sellers, and efforts to solve the problem.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write a few statements about the article on the board (e.g., “The value of money is important for daily life,” “It’s easy to solve economic problems”). Students walk around the classroom and poll their classmates to agree or disagree with each statement. Afterward, discuss the results as a class to see the range of opinions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article (e.g., “currency,” “inflation,” “economy,” “goods,” “market”). Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will draw the word on the board without speaking or writing letters or numbers, while their team tries to guess the word.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Have the students work in small groups to list the pros and cons of potential solutions to the problem described in the article, such as government intervention or changes in trade policies. This encourages them to think critically about the issue and use language related to problem-solving and economics.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask the students to imagine they are economists and to make predictions about the future of money and economy in Africa based on the article. They can write down their predictions and share them with the class. This activity helps with the practice of future tense and speculative language.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happens to the value of money in some places in Africa?
2. What are two examples of things that cost more now?
3. Why is it hard for stores to sell things?
4. What happens to people who make things when money is not worth much?
5. Why might some people stop making things?
6. What are people trying to do to fix the money problem in Africa?
7. What do people hope will happen if it becomes easier to buy and sell things?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Money in some places in Africa is not (1)______ as much as it used to be. This (2)______ things cost (3)______, like food and bus rides. People there have to spend more money to buy the same (4)______. It’s hard for stores to sell things because they cost more.

When money is not worth much, it’s (5)______ for everyone. People who make things have to (6)______ more money to get what they (7)______. This means they have to charge more money for what they sell. Sometimes, they can’t (8)______ making things because it costs too much.

(9)______ are trying to fix this (10)______. They want to make it easier to buy and sell things in (11)______. They hope this will (12)______ make money worth more again. But they need to do more to make things better.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is money?
2. How would you feel if the money you have buys less food than before?
3. Do you like shopping? Why or why not?
4. What do you think you can do if things become too expensive?
5. Have you ever seen prices go up for things like toys or candy?
6. Why do you think things cost more money sometimes?
7. How do you decide what to buy when you go to a store?
8. Do you think it’s important to save money? Why or why not?
9. What is something you really want to buy but is too expensive?
10. If you had a store, how would you feel if things cost more to make?
11. Do you think it’s hard for people when they can’t buy what they need?
12. What do you think could help make money worth more?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Africa
2. money
3. worth
4. cost
5. buy
6. sell
7. problem
8. better

Meanings:
(a) Something that needs to be solved or fixed
(b) To give something in exchange for money
(c) Coins and bills that people use to buy things
(d) To acquire something by paying money for it
(e) To improve or make something more satisfactory
(f) A continent with many countries, including Egypt and Kenya
(g) How much something is valued or how important it is
(h) The amount of money needed to purchase something
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why are things like food and bus rides more expensive in some places in Africa?
(a) People don’t want to sell things
(b) Stores are closed
(c) Money is not worth as much as it used to be
(d) People are not hungry

2. What happens when money is not worth much?
(a) People have to spend less money to buy things
(b) Stores have to sell things for less money
(c) Stores have to sell things for more money
(d) People have to spend more money to buy things

3. Why is it hard for stores to sell things when money is not worth much?
(a) People don’t want to buy things
(b) Stores are closed
(c) Stores sell things for less money
(d) Things cost more so people can’t afford to buy them

4. What happens when people who make things have to spend more money to get what they need?
(a) They have to charge less money for what they sell
(b) They stop making things
(c) They have to charge more money for what they sell
(d) They start making more things

5. What are people in Africa trying to do to fix the problem?
(a) Make it easier to buy and sell things
(b) Make it harder to buy and sell things
(c) Make money worth less
(d) Make money worth more

6. What do people hope will happen if it becomes easier to buy and sell things in Africa?
(a) Money will become worth more again
(b) Money will become worth less
(c) People will stop buying things
(d) People will start selling things

7. What do people need to do more of to make things better?
(a) Buy more things
(b) It is not mentioned in the article
(c) Sell more things
(d) Close more stores

8. What is the main problem in some places in Africa?
(a) People don’t want to buy things
(b) Money is not worth as much as it used to be
(c) Stores are closed
(d) People are not hungry

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Money in some places in Africa is not worth as much as it used to be.
2. This makes things like food and bus rides less expensive.
3. Sometimes, they can’t keep making things because it costs too much.
4. It’s easy for stores to sell things because they cost less.
5. This means they have to charge less money for what they sell.
6. People have to spend more money to buy the same things.
7. People are trying to make it harder to buy and sell things in Africa to help make money worth less again.
8. People who make things have to spend more money to get what they need.
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 happens to the price of things like food and bus rides in some places in Africa?
2. Why is it hard for stores to sell things now?
3. What happens to people who make things when money is not worth much?
4. Can the people who make things always keep making them? Why or why not?
5. What are people trying to do to fix the money problem in Africa?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happens to the value of money in some places in Africa?
The value of money goes down, which means it does not buy as much as before.

2. What are two examples of things that cost more now?
Food and bus rides cost more now.

3. Why is it hard for stores to sell things?
It’s hard because things are more expensive, so people can’t buy as much.

4. What happens to people who make things when money is not worth much?
They have to spend more money to make things, so they have to charge more.

5. Why might some people stop making things?
They might stop because it costs too much to make things and they can’t afford it.

6. What are people trying to do to fix the money problem in Africa?
People are trying to make it easier to buy and sell things to help make money worth more.

7. What do people hope will happen if it becomes easier to buy and sell things?
They hope that money will become worth more again.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) worth
(2) makes
(3) more
(4) things
(5) tough
(6) spend
(7) need
(8) keep
(9) People
(10) problem
(11) Africa
(12) help
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Africa
Answer: (f) A continent with many countries, including Egypt and Kenya

2. money
Answer: (c) Coins and bills that people use to buy things

3. worth
Answer: (g) How much something is valued or how important it is

4. cost
Answer: (h) The amount of money needed to purchase something

5. buy
Answer: (d) To acquire something by paying money for it

6. sell
Answer: (b) To give something in exchange for money

7. problem
Answer: (a) Something that needs to be solved or fixed

8. better
Answer: (e) To improve or make something more satisfactory
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why are things like food and bus rides more expensive in some places in Africa?
Answer: (c) Money is not worth as much as it used to be

2. What happens when money is not worth much?
Answer: (d) People have to spend more money to buy things

3. Why is it hard for stores to sell things when money is not worth much?
Answer: (d) Things cost more so people can’t afford to buy them

4. What happens when people who make things have to spend more money to get what they need?
Answer: (c) They have to charge more money for what they sell

5. What are people in Africa trying to do to fix the problem?
Answer: (a) Make it easier to buy and sell things

6. What do people hope will happen if it becomes easier to buy and sell things in Africa?
Answer: (a) Money will become worth more again

7. What do people need to do more of to make things better?
Answer: (b) It is not mentioned in the article

8. What is the main problem in some places in Africa?
Answer: (b) Money is not worth as much as it used to be
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Money in some places in Africa is not worth as much as it used to be. (Answer: True)
2. This makes things like food and bus rides less expensive. (Answer: False)
3. Sometimes, they can’t keep making things because it costs too much. (Answer: True)
4. It’s easy for stores to sell things because they cost less. (Answer: False)
5. This means they have to charge less money for what they sell. (Answer: False)
6. People have to spend more money to buy the same things. (Answer: True)
7. People are trying to make it harder to buy and sell things in Africa to help make money worth less again. (Answer: False)
8. People who make things have to spend more money to get what they need. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧