The UK is closing its last coal power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, near Nottingham. This is important because coal is very bad for the environment. It makes a lot of pollution when burned. The UK wants to use cleaner energy to help fight climate change.

The UK used to be famous for using coal power. Now, it is the first big country to stop using coal completely. Coal was important for giving electricity to homes and businesses. But now, the UK is using more wind and solar power, which are better for the planet.

Even though closing the last coal station is a big step, there are still challenges. The UK needs to make sure there is always enough electricity. Wind and solar power depend on the weather, so new battery technology is important. The UK is working on making better batteries to keep the electricity stable and green.

Original news source: UK to finish with coal power after 142 years (BBC)

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down key words from the article on small pieces of paper (e.g., coal, environment, pollution, wind power, solar power, climate change). Have students pick a word and act it out without speaking while the others guess what word it is based on their actions.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Have each group discuss their opinion on the UK closing its last coal power station. Provide some guiding questions like “Do you think it’s a good decision?” or “What are the benefits of using wind and solar power?” Then, have each group share their opinions with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g., coal, pollution, electricity, wind power). Have students take turns coming to the board to draw a quick sketch of the word while the others guess what it is. This activity helps reinforce vocabulary retention.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student will be the news reporter and the other the interviewee. The news reporter will ask questions related to the article (e.g., Why is the UK closing its last coal power station? What are the challenges with using wind and solar power?). Encourage students to use the vocabulary from the article in their role-play.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and have each group create a catchy headline related to the UK closing its last coal power station. Encourage students to include key information from the article in their headlines. After a few minutes, have each group share their headline with the class and discuss the different angles they took.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why is it important that the UK is closing its last coal power station?
2. What makes coal bad for the environment?
3. What kind of energy is the UK using more of now instead of coal?
4. Why is it a challenge for the UK to rely on wind and solar power?
5. What is the UK working on to help keep the electricity stable and green?
6. What was coal used for in the UK before wind and solar power became more popular?
7. Why is it a big deal that the UK is the first big country to stop using coal completely?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The UK is closing its last (1)______ power (2)______, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, near Nottingham. This is important because coal is very bad for the environment. It makes a lot of pollution when burned. The UK (3)______ to use cleaner energy to help (4)______ climate change.

The UK used to be famous for (5)______ coal power. Now, it is the first big country to stop using coal completely. (6)______ was important for giving electricity to homes and businesses. But now, the UK is using more wind and solar power, which are better for the planet.

Even though (7)______ the (8)______ coal station is a big (9)______, there are still challenges. The UK needs to make sure there is always enough (10)______. Wind and solar power depend on the weather, so new (11)______ technology is important. The UK is (12)______ on making better batteries to keep the electricity stable and green.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is coal and why is it bad for the environment?
2. How would you feel if your country stopped using coal power to help the planet?
3. Do you like the idea of using wind and solar power instead of coal? Why or why not?
4. What do you think are the benefits of using cleaner energy sources like wind and solar power?
5. Why is it important for countries to find ways to make sure there is always enough electricity?
6. Do you think it’s a good idea for the UK to work on making better batteries for storing electricity from wind and solar power? Why or why not?
7. How do you think using more wind and solar power can help fight climate change?
8. What are some other ways countries can reduce pollution and help the environment?
9. Why do you think it’s important for big countries like the UK to lead the way in using cleaner energy sources?
10. How can individuals like us help in using cleaner energy sources in our daily lives?
11. Do you think other countries will follow the UK’s example and stop using coal power in the future? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the world will be different if more countries switch to using cleaner energy sources like wind and solar power?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. coal
2. pollution
3. environment
4. electricity
5. wind
6. solar
7. planet
8. challenges
9. technology
10. stable
11. green
12. battery

Meanings:
(A) Another word for Earth
(B) Tools and machines that help us do things
(C) The natural world around us, like trees, air, and water
(D) A black rock that is burned for energy
(E) Moving air that can be used to make power
(F) Power that makes lights and machines work
(G) Good for nature and the Earth
(H) A device that stores energy for later use
(I) Energy from the sun
(J) Difficulties or problems to solve
(K) Dirty or harmful things in the air, water, or ground
(L) Not changing, staying the same
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why is the UK closing its last coal power station?
(a) Coal is cheap
(b) Coal is bad for the environment
(c) Coal is good for the environment
(d) Coal is easy to find

2. What is the UK using more of instead of coal for energy?
(a) Oil and gas
(b) Nuclear power
(c) Wind and solar power
(d) Coal from other countries

3. What is a challenge the UK faces with using wind and solar power?
(a) Making sure there is always enough electricity
(b) Making sure coal is used more
(c) Making sure there is less pollution
(d) Making sure there is more rain

4. What is the UK working on to keep electricity stable and green?
(a) More coal power stations
(b) More pollution
(c) More wind turbines
(d) Better batteries

5. Why is using wind and solar power better for the planet?
(a) They produce more pollution
(b) They produce less pollution
(c) They are cheaper
(d) They are easier to find

6. What was coal important for in the UK?
(a) Making the air cleaner
(b) Helping the environment
(c) Giving electricity to homes and businesses
(d) Producing less pollution

7. Which country is the first big country to stop using coal completely?
(a) China
(b) USA
(c) Russia
(d) The UK

8. What is the UK trying to fight by using cleaner energy?
(a) Climate change
(b) Pollution
(c) More coal power stations
(d) More wind turbines

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Coal was important for giving electricity to homes and businesses.
2. The UK is now using more wind and solar power, which are better for the planet.
3. Now, the UK is the first big country to stop using coal completely.
4. Coal is bad for the environment because it makes a lot of pollution when burned.
5. The UK is not closing its last coal power station near Nottingham.
6. The UK used to be infamous for using coal power.
7. The UK is not working on making better batteries to keep the electricity stable and green.
8. The UK is not interested in using cleaner energy to help fight climate change.
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 is the UK closing its last coal power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar?
2. What are some examples of cleaner energy sources the UK is using instead of coal?
3. Why is coal bad for the environment?
4. What is one challenge the UK faces when using wind and solar power for electricity?
5. What is the UK doing to solve the challenge of keeping electricity stable when using wind and solar power?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why is it important that the UK is closing its last coal power station?
It is important because coal is very bad for the environment, and using cleaner energy can help fight climate change.

2. What makes coal bad for the environment?
Coal is bad for the environment because it makes a lot of pollution when it is burned.

3. What kind of energy is the UK using more of now instead of coal?
The UK is using more wind and solar power, which are better for the planet.

4. Why is it a challenge for the UK to rely on wind and solar power?
Wind and solar power depend on the weather, so it can be a challenge to make sure there is always enough electricity.

5. What is the UK working on to help keep the electricity stable and green?
The UK is working on making better batteries to store extra energy from wind and solar power.

6. What was coal used for in the UK before wind and solar power became more popular?
Coal was used to give electricity to homes and businesses in the UK before wind and solar power became more popular.

7. Why is it a big deal that the UK is the first big country to stop using coal completely?
It’s a big deal because it shows other countries that it is possible to switch to cleaner energy sources and help the environment.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) coal
(2) station
(3) wants
(4) fight
(5) using
(6) Coal
(7) closing
(8) last
(9) step
(10) electricity
(11) battery
(12) working
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. coal
Answer: (D) A black rock that is burned for energy

2. pollution
Answer: (K) Dirty or harmful things in the air, water, or ground

3. environment
Answer: (C) The natural world around us, like trees, air, and water

4. electricity
Answer: (F) Power that makes lights and machines work

5. wind
Answer: (E) Moving air that can be used to make power

6. solar
Answer: (I) Energy from the sun

7. planet
Answer: (A) Another word for Earth

8. challenges
Answer: (J) Difficulties or problems to solve

9. technology
Answer: (B) Tools and machines that help us do things

10. stable
Answer: (L) Not changing, staying the same

11. green
Answer: (G) Good for nature and the Earth

12. battery
Answer: (H) A device that stores energy for later use
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why is the UK closing its last coal power station?
Answer: (b) Coal is bad for the environment

2. What is the UK using more of instead of coal for energy?
Answer: (c) Wind and solar power

3. What is a challenge the UK faces with using wind and solar power?
Answer: (a) Making sure there is always enough electricity

4. What is the UK working on to keep electricity stable and green?
Answer: (d) Better batteries

5. Why is using wind and solar power better for the planet?
Answer: (b) They produce less pollution

6. What was coal important for in the UK?
Answer: (c) Giving electricity to homes and businesses

7. Which country is the first big country to stop using coal completely?
Answer: (d) The UK

8. What is the UK trying to fight by using cleaner energy?
Answer: (a) Climate change
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Coal was important for giving electricity to homes and businesses. (Answer: True)
2. The UK is now using more wind and solar power, which are better for the planet. (Answer: True)
3. Now, the UK is the first big country to stop using coal completely. (Answer: True)
4. Coal is bad for the environment because it makes a lot of pollution when burned. (Answer: True)
5. The UK is not closing its last coal power station near Nottingham. (Answer: False)
6. The UK used to be infamous for using coal power. (Answer: False)
7. The UK is not working on making better batteries to keep the electricity stable and green. (Answer: False)
8. The UK is not interested in using cleaner energy to help fight climate change. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧