This year might be the hottest year we have ever known. In October, it was very hot, even hotter than the old record from 2019. The air all over the world was warmer by a little bit because we use things that make the air dirty, and because of something called El Niño. Some months, like July and September, were super hot, and July might have been the hottest in a very, very long time.

Because it’s so hot, there are big problems like too much heat, not enough water, and too much water in some places. These problems make people suffer. The heat comes from dirty air made when we use oil and gas, and El Niño is making it worse. This year, it’s been much warmer than it was a long time ago before we started making the air dirty, and scientists are worried that more bad weather might come.

There’s a big meeting starting on November 30 where people from all over the world talk about the weather and how to take care of our planet. They need to find ways to stop the world from getting too hot. It’s very important because the weather is getting worse in many places like the UK, Italy, and Japan. If it keeps getting hotter, there might be more fires and other bad things happening.

Original news source: Global heat: Extreme autumn sets up 2023 to break records (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student plays the role of a news reporter covering the story of the year’s extreme heat, and the other student plays the role of a scientist or a local person affected by the heat. They should use information from the article to create a short news interview, practicing the past simple tense and weather-related vocabulary.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article on slips of paper (e.g., hottest, record, El Niño, suffer, climate, meeting, planet). Students take turns picking a word and drawing it on the board without speaking. Their teammates must guess the word within a set time limit.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements about climate change and its effects, based on the article. Students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates whether they agree or disagree with each statement. They should use phrases like “Do you think that…” or “In your opinion, is it true that…”. Afterward, discuss the results as a class and practice using expressions of agreement and disagreement.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask a question related to the article, such as “What can we do to prevent the planet from getting too hot?” Students first think about the question individually, then pair up to discuss their ideas. Finally, pairs share their conclusions with the rest of the class, encouraging the use of new vocabulary and expressions learned from the article.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Students use the information from the article to make predictions about the future of the world’s climate. They can start sentences with “If the world keeps getting hotter, I predict that…” or “In the future, there might be…”. Encourage them to use modal verbs of prediction such as “might,” “could,” and “will.” Discuss as a class whether these predictions are optimistic or pessimistic and why.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What might this year be the hottest of?
2. Which month was even hotter than the record from 2019?
3. What are two reasons the air all over the world was warmer?
4. Name two problems that happen because it’s so hot.
5. What causes the dirty air that makes the heat?
6. When does the big meeting about the weather start?
7. What are some of the places where the weather is getting worse?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

This year might be the hottest year we have ever (1)______. In October, it was very hot, even hotter than the old record from 2019. The air all over the world was warmer by a little bit because we use (2)______ that (3)______ the air dirty, and because of something called El Niño. Some months, like July and September, were super hot, and July might have been the hottest in a very, very (4)______ time.

Because it’s so hot, there are big problems like too much heat, not enough (5)______, and too much water in some places. These problems make (6)______ suffer. The heat comes from dirty air made when we use oil and gas, and El Niño is making it worse. This year, it’s been much warmer than it was a long (7)______ ago before we (8)______ making the air (9)______, and scientists are worried that more bad weather might come.

There’s a big meeting starting on November 30 where people from all over the world talk about the weather and how to take care of our planet. They (10)______ to find ways to stop the world from getting too hot. It’s very (11)______ because the weather is getting worse in (12)______ places like the UK, Italy, and Japan. If it keeps getting hotter, there might be more fires and other bad things happening.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is the hottest weather you have ever felt? How did it make you feel?
2. Do you like hot weather? Why or why not?
3. How do you stay cool when it is very hot outside?
4. What are some things that make the air dirty? Do you think this is a big problem?
5. Have you ever heard of El Niño? What do you think it is?
6. Why do you think too much heat can be a problem for people?
7. What can happen if there is not enough water in some places?
8. Have you seen or heard about big weather problems like too much rain or big fires on TV or the internet?
9. Do you think it is important for countries to work together to take care of our planet? Why or why not?
10. Can you think of some ways to stop the world from getting too hot?
11. Have you ever been in a place where the weather changed a lot and it caused problems? What happened?
12. Do you think we should worry about the weather getting worse in the future? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. hottest
2. air
3. El Niño
4. problems
5. dirty
6. November
7. planet
8. important

Meanings:
(a) The most high temperature
(b) Not clean
(c) The world we live on
(d) Something that matters a lot
(e) Difficulties or troubles
(f) The stuff we breathe
(g) The eleventh month of the year
(h) A thing that makes the weather different
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is making the air warmer?
(a) Too many trees and plants
(b) People using umbrellas
(c) Eating ice cream
(d) Things that make the air dirty and El Niño

2. Which month might have been the hottest this year?
(a) December
(b) July
(c) March
(d) October

3. What is causing big problems like too much heat and not enough water?
(a) Too many clouds
(b) People using too much water
(c) Too many trees
(d) Dirty air and El Niño

4. What is the big meeting about?
(a) The weather and how to take care of our planet
(b) The best ice cream flavors
(c) How to make more air dirty
(d) How to make the world hotter

5. What are scientists worried about?
(a) Too many sunny days
(b) Too much rain
(c) More bad weather coming
(d) Too much snow

6. In which countries is the weather getting worse?
(a) UK, Italy, and Japan
(b) USA, Canada, and Mexico
(c) China, India, and Australia
(d) Brazil, Argentina, and Chile

7. What might happen if it keeps getting hotter?
(a) More ice cream parties
(b) More fires and other bad things happening
(c) More snow days
(d) More rainbows in the sky

8. What do people need to find ways to stop?
(a) The world from getting too cold
(b) The world from getting too windy
(c) The world from getting too hot
(d) The world from getting too dry

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The heat is causing big problems like too much heat, not enough water, and too much water in some places.
2. Scientists are not worried that more bad weather might come because this year has been much cooler than before.
3. People from all over the world are having a big meeting starting on November 30 to talk about the weather and how to take care of our planet.
4. This year has been very hot, and it might be the hottest year ever.
5. In October, the temperature was even colder than the previous record from 2019.
6. Some months, like July and September, were extremely cold, and July might have been the coldest in a very long time.
7. The air all over the world has been a little warmer because of dirty air and something called El Niño.
8. The clean air comes from using oil and gas, and El Niño is making the situation better.
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 might happen this year because of how hot it is?
2. What made October a special month for the weather?
3. Why is the air getting warmer?
4. What are some of the big problems caused by the heat?
5. What will people talk about at the big meeting on November 30?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What might this year be the hottest of?
This year might be the hottest year we have ever had.

2. Which month was even hotter than the record from 2019?
October was even hotter than the record from 2019.

3. What are two reasons the air all over the world was warmer?
The air was warmer because we use things that make the air dirty and because of El Niño.

4. Name two problems that happen because it’s so hot.
Two problems are that there is too much heat and not enough water in some places, and too much water in other places.

5. What causes the dirty air that makes the heat?
The dirty air is caused by using oil and gas.

6. When does the big meeting about the weather start?
The big meeting starts on November 30.

7. What are some of the places where the weather is getting worse?
The weather is getting worse in places like the UK, Italy, and Japan.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) known
(2) things
(3) make
(4) long
(5) water
(6) people
(7) time
(8) started
(9) dirty
(10) need
(11) important
(12) many
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. hottest
Answer: (a) The most high temperature

2. air
Answer: (f) The stuff we breathe

3. El Niño
Answer: (h) A thing that makes the weather different

4. problems
Answer: (e) Difficulties or troubles

5. dirty
Answer: (b) Not clean

6. November
Answer: (g) The eleventh month of the year

7. planet
Answer: (c) The world we live on

8. important
Answer: (d) Something that matters a lot
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is making the air warmer?
Answer: (d) Things that make the air dirty and El Niño

2. Which month might have been the hottest this year?
Answer: (b) July

3. What is causing big problems like too much heat and not enough water?
Answer: (d) Dirty air and El Niño

4. What is the big meeting about?
Answer: (a) The weather and how to take care of our planet

5. What are scientists worried about?
Answer: (c) More bad weather coming

6. In which countries is the weather getting worse?
Answer: (a) UK, Italy, and Japan

7. What might happen if it keeps getting hotter?
Answer: (b) More fires and other bad things happening

8. What do people need to find ways to stop?
Answer: (c) The world from getting too hot
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The heat is causing big problems like too much heat, not enough water, and too much water in some places. (Answer: True)
2. Scientists are not worried that more bad weather might come because this year has been much cooler than before. (Answer: False)
3. People from all over the world are having a big meeting starting on November 30 to talk about the weather and how to take care of our planet. (Answer: True)
4. This year has been very hot, and it might be the hottest year ever. (Answer: True)
5. In October, the temperature was even colder than the previous record from 2019. (Answer: False)
6. Some months, like July and September, were extremely cold, and July might have been the coldest in a very long time. (Answer: False)
7. The air all over the world has been a little warmer because of dirty air and something called El Niño. (Answer: True)
8. The clean air comes from using oil and gas, and El Niño is making the situation better. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧