A company in Sweden made the tallest wooden windmill tower. It is very tall, as tall as a 50-story building. The tower is made from a special kind of wood that is strong and used to build things. The company wants to make even bigger wooden windmills and make lots of them every year.

Wooden windmills are different from the ones made of metal. Metal windmills are heavy and hard to move, especially to places that are not easy to reach. But wooden windmills can be made in small parts that are easy to carry. Some people think wooden windmills can be good to use with metal ones, but others say they might need more trucks and people to put them together.

Wooden windmills are better for the air and the Earth. They don’t make bad air like metal ones do when they are made. Trees for the windmills take bad air out of the sky, and if we don’t burn the wood, the bad air stays inside it. The company wants to make many wooden windmills in the next 10 years.

Original news source: World’s tallest wooden wind turbine starts turning (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Assign each group a specific section of the article (e.g. the company’s goal, the advantages of wooden windmills, etc.).
3. Instruct the groups to read and discuss their assigned section.
4. Each group will then need to summarize their section in 2-3 sentences.
5. Have each group share their summary with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Write two statements on the board related to the article (e.g. “Wooden windmills are better for the environment than metal windmills” and “Building wooden windmills requires more resources than metal windmills”).
2. Divide the class into two groups and assign each group a statement.
3. Give the groups a few minutes to discuss and come up with reasons to support their statement.
4. Have each group share their opinions and reasons with the class.
5. Conduct a class vote to see which statement has more support.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Select 5-10 key vocabulary words from the article (e.g. windmill, tower, metal, etc.).
2. Write each word on a separate slip of paper and place them in a bag or container.
3. Divide the class into two teams.
4. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and take turns drawing a slip of paper from the container.
5. Without using any words, the student must draw a picture to represent the vocabulary word.
6. The team members must guess the word within a certain time limit (e.g. 30 seconds).
7. The team that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Write the following question on the board: “What are the advantages and disadvantages of using wooden windmills?”
2. Divide the class into small groups.
3. Instruct each group to brainstorm and discuss as many pros and cons as they can think of.
4. After a few minutes, have each group share their ideas with the class.
5. Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to add to or challenge each other’s ideas.

– Future Predictions
Instructions:
1. Write the following prompt on the board: “What do you think the future of wind energy will look like?”
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Instruct the students to discuss and make predictions about how wind energy, specifically wooden windmills, may develop in the future.
4. Give the groups a few minutes to share their predictions with each other.
5. Select a few groups to share their most interesting or unique predictions with the class. Encourage discussion and debate.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did a company in Sweden make that is very tall?
2. What is the tallest wooden windmill tower made from?
3. Why are wooden windmills easier to move than metal windmills?
4. What do some people think about using wooden windmills with metal ones?
5. Why are wooden windmills better for the air and the Earth?
6. What do trees for the windmills do to the bad air in the sky?
7. How many wooden windmills does the company want to make in the next 10 years?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A company in Sweden made the (1)______ (2)______en windmill tower. It is very tall, as tall as a 50-story building. The tower is made from a special kind of wood that is strong and used to build (3)______. The company wants to make even bigger wooden (4)______ and make lots of them every year.

Wooden windmills are different from the ones made of (5)______. Metal windmills are heavy and hard to move, especially to places that are not easy to reach. But (6)______ windmills can be made in small parts that are (7)______ to carry. Some people think wooden windmills can be good to use with metal ones, but others say they might need (8)______ trucks and people to put them together.

(9)______ windmills are better for the air and the Earth. They don’t make bad air like metal (10)______ do when they are made. Trees for the windmills take bad air out of the sky, and if we don’t (11)______ the wood, the bad air stays inside it. The company wants to make (12)______ wooden windmills in the next 10 years.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a windmill?
2. How would you feel if you saw a really tall wooden windmill tower?
3. Do you like the idea of wooden windmills? Why or why not?
4. What do you think is the advantage of making windmills out of wood instead of metal?
5. Do you think it’s important to protect the air and the Earth? Why or why not?
6. Have you ever seen a windmill before? Where was it?
7. What do you think about using wooden windmills together with metal ones?
8. How do you think they put the wooden windmills together?
9. Would you like to live near a wooden windmill? Why or why not?
10. Do you think making more wooden windmills is a good idea? Why or why not?
11. Have you ever seen a wooden windmill before? Where was it?
12. What do you think the world will be like in 10 years with all the wooden windmills?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Sweden
2. windmill
3. tower
4. special
5. company
6. metal
7. heavy
8. parts
9. trucks
10. Earth
11. trees
12. decade

Meanings:
(A) A shiny, hard material that is often used to make machines or buildings
(B) Pieces that something is made of
(C) A tall, narrow building or structure
(D) A period of ten years
(E) Not usual, different from others
(F) Big plants with a trunk, branches, and leaves that grow in the ground
(G) A country in Northern Europe
(H) The planet we live on
(I) A group of people who work together to sell things or services
(J) Big vehicles used for carrying things
(K) Weighing a lot, not easy to lift
(L) A machine that uses wind to make power
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the tallest wooden windmill tower made by the company in Sweden?
(a) As tall as a 10-story building
(b) As tall as a 100-story building
(c) As tall as a 50-story building
(d) As tall as a 20-story building

2. What is the special kind of wood used to build the wooden windmill tower?
(a) Strong wood
(b) Soft wood
(c) Heavy wood
(d) Light wood

3. Why are wooden windmills easier to move compared to metal windmills?
(a) They can be made in small parts that are easy to carry
(b) They are lighter in weight
(c) They can be easily transported by trucks
(d) They can be easily assembled by people

4. What is one advantage of using wooden windmills instead of metal windmills?
(a) They are more durable and long-lasting
(b) They produce more electricity
(c) They are cheaper to build
(d) They don’t make bad air when they are made

5. What do trees for the windmills do to the bad air in the sky?
(a) Make it worse
(b) Take it out of the sky
(c) Keep it inside the wood
(d) Turn it into good air

6. What is the company’s plan for the next 10 years?
(a) To make metal windmills instead
(b) To stop making windmills
(c) To make many wooden windmills
(d) To make smaller windmills

7. What do some people think about using wooden windmills with metal ones?
(a) They think it could be a bad idea
(b) They think it would make the windmills heavier
(c) They think it would make the windmills more expensive
(d) They think it could be a good idea

8. What is the purpose of the wooden windmill tower made by the company in Sweden?
(a) To provide shade
(b) To generate electricity
(c) To attract tourists
(d) To test the strength of wood

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Wooden windmills are easier to move than metal ones.
2. The company doesn’t plan to make even bigger wooden windmills in the future.
3. A company in Sweden built the tallest wooden windmill tower.
4. The company does not aim to build many wooden windmills in the next 10 years.
5. Wooden windmills are better for the air and the Earth than metal ones.
6. Some people don’t think wooden windmills can be used together with metal ones.
7. The wooden windmill tower is not as tall as a 50-story building.
8. The tower is made from a special kind of strong wood.
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 is special about the wooden windmill tower made by the company in Sweden?
2. How does the company want to make even bigger wooden windmills?
3. How are wooden windmills different from metal windmills?
4. Why do some people think wooden windmills can be good to use with metal ones?
5. Why are wooden windmills better for the air and the Earth?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did a company in Sweden make that is very tall?
A company in Sweden made the tallest wooden windmill tower.

2. What is the tallest wooden windmill tower made from?
The tallest wooden windmill tower is made from a special kind of strong wood.

3. Why are wooden windmills easier to move than metal windmills?
Wooden windmills are easier to move because they can be made in small parts that are easy to carry.

4. What do some people think about using wooden windmills with metal ones?
Some people think using wooden windmills with metal ones might need more trucks and people to put them together.

5. Why are wooden windmills better for the air and the Earth?
Wooden windmills are better for the air and the Earth because they don’t make bad air when they are made. Trees for the windmills take bad air out of the sky, and if we don’t burn the wood, the bad air stays inside it.

6. What do trees for the windmills do to the bad air in the sky?
Trees for the windmills take bad air out of the sky.

7. How many wooden windmills does the company want to make in the next 10 years?
The company wants to make many wooden windmills in the next 10 years.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) tallest
(2) wood
(3) things
(4) windmills
(5) metal
(6) wooden
(7) easy
(8) more
(9) Wooden
(10) ones
(11) burn
(12) many
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Sweden
Answer: (G) A country in Northern Europe

2. windmill
Answer: (L) A machine that uses wind to make power

3. tower
Answer: (C) A tall, narrow building or structure

4. special
Answer: (E) Not usual, different from others

5. company
Answer: (I) A group of people who work together to sell things or services

6. metal
Answer: (A) A shiny, hard material that is often used to make machines or buildings

7. heavy
Answer: (K) Weighing a lot, not easy to lift

8. parts
Answer: (B) Pieces that something is made of

9. trucks
Answer: (J) Big vehicles used for carrying things

10. Earth
Answer: (H) The planet we live on

11. trees
Answer: (F) Big plants with a trunk, branches, and leaves that grow in the ground

12. decade
Answer: (D) A period of ten years
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the tallest wooden windmill tower made by the company in Sweden?
Answer: (c) As tall as a 50-story building

2. What is the special kind of wood used to build the wooden windmill tower?
Answer: (a) Strong wood

3. Why are wooden windmills easier to move compared to metal windmills?
Answer: (a) They can be made in small parts that are easy to carry

4. What is one advantage of using wooden windmills instead of metal windmills?
Answer: (d) They don’t make bad air when they are made

5. What do trees for the windmills do to the bad air in the sky?
Answer: (b) Take it out of the sky

6. What is the company’s plan for the next 10 years?
Answer: (c) To make many wooden windmills

7. What do some people think about using wooden windmills with metal ones?
Answer: (d) They think it could be a good idea

8. What is the purpose of the wooden windmill tower made by the company in Sweden?
Answer: (b) To generate electricity
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Wooden windmills are easier to move than metal ones. (Answer: True)
2. The company doesn’t plan to make even bigger wooden windmills in the future. (Answer: False)
3. A company in Sweden built the tallest wooden windmill tower. (Answer: True)
4. The company does not aim to build many wooden windmills in the next 10 years. (Answer: False)
5. Wooden windmills are better for the air and the Earth than metal ones. (Answer: True)
6. Some people don’t think wooden windmills can be used together with metal ones. (Answer: False)
7. The wooden windmill tower is not as tall as a 50-story building. (Answer: False)
8. The tower is made from a special kind of strong wood. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧