Trees in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil are being cut down less this year. There are about half as many trees cut down as last year. This is the smallest number in five years. But it’s still a lot, more than six times bigger than New York City. Brazil’s president wants to stop cutting down trees in the Amazon by 2030.

A group in Brazil that watches the Earth from space said 5,153 square kilometers of forest were cut down in 2023. This is less than in 2022. The president of Brazil is working hard to make the forest healthy again and stop people who hurt the environment. When another man was president, more trees were cut down than in the last 12 years. The government in Brazil says they are just starting to stop cutting down trees and will keep fighting against it.

People who take care of the environment in Brazil are working harder to check the forest. This is why fewer trees are being cut down. The environment minister says this shows they are doing a good job. The Amazon rainforest is very important for the air and for fighting climate change. It has lots of different plants and animals and people who have always lived there. Most of the Amazon rainforest is in Brazil.

Original news source: Amazon rainforest: Deforestation rate halved in 2023 (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. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Ask the groups to read the article and summarize the main points in their own words.
4. After a designated time, have each group share their summary with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Write the following question on the board: “Do you think it is important to protect the Amazon rainforest? Why or why not?”
2. Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to write their answer to the question.
3. Collect the papers and mix them up.
4. Read each answer out loud and have the class guess who wrote it.
5. After all the answers have been read, lead a class discussion about the different opinions on protecting the rainforest.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. rainforest, environment, president, cut down).
2. Divide the class into pairs.
3. Give each pair a piece of paper and a pen.
4. Choose one student from each pair to be the “drawer” and the other student to be the “guesser.”
5. Call out a vocabulary word and have the “drawer” from each pair quickly draw a picture to represent the word.
6. The “guesser” must try to guess the word based on the drawing.
7. Repeat with different words until all the vocabulary has been practiced.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into two groups.
2. Assign one group to be “protection of the Amazon rainforest” and the other group to be “cutting down trees in the Amazon.”
3. Give each group a few minutes to brainstorm and write down as many reasons as they can think of to support their assigned position.
4. After the brainstorming time is up, have each group take turns sharing their reasons with the class.
5. Facilitate a class discussion, allowing students to respond to each other’s points and express their own opinions on the topic.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions:
1. Ask the students to think about the following question: “What can individuals do to help protect the Amazon rainforest?”
2. Pair up the students and ask them to share their ideas with their partner.
3. After a few minutes, bring the class back together and have a few pairs share their ideas with the whole group.
4. Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to build on each other’s ideas and come up with a comprehensive list of actions that individuals can take to protect the rainforest.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. How many trees were cut down in the Amazon rainforest this year?
2. Is the number of trees being cut down this year more or less than last year?
3. How does the number of trees cut down this year compare to the number cut down in the last five years?
4. Is the number of trees cut down in the Amazon rainforest bigger or smaller than the number of trees in New York City?
5. When does Brazil’s president want to stop cutting down trees in the Amazon?
6. How many square kilometers of forest were cut down in 2023?
7. Why are fewer trees being cut down in the Amazon rainforest?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Trees in the Amazon rainforest in (1)______ are being cut down less this (2)______. There are about half as many trees cut down as last year. This is the smallest number in five years. But it’s still a lot, more than six times (3)______ than New York City. Brazil’s president wants to stop cutting down trees in the (4)______ by 2030.

A (5)______ in Brazil that watches the Earth from space said 5,153 square kilometers of (6)______ were cut down in 2023. This is less than in 2022. The president of Brazil is working hard to make the forest healthy again and stop people who hurt the environment. When another man was president, more (7)______ were cut down than in the last 12 years. The government in Brazil says they are just starting to stop cutting down trees and will keep fighting against it.

People who take (8)______ of the environment in Brazil are working harder to (9)______ the forest. This is why fewer trees are being cut down. The environment minister (10)______ this (11)______ they are doing a good job. The Amazon rainforest is very important for the air and for fighting climate change. It has lots of different (12)______ and animals and people who have always lived there. Most of the Amazon rainforest is in Brazil.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is the Amazon rainforest?
2. How would you feel if someone cut down the trees in your neighborhood?
3. Do you like plants and animals? Why or why not?
4. What do you think would happen if all the trees in the Amazon rainforest were cut down?
5. How do you think the president of Brazil feels about cutting down trees?
6. What can people do to help protect the environment?
7. Why do you think it’s important to have forests?
8. What do you think the environment minister’s job is?
9. Have you ever seen a rainforest before? What was it like?
10. Do you think it’s good or bad that fewer trees are being cut down in the Amazon? Why?
11. What can you do to help take care of the environment?
12. How would you feel if you lived in the Amazon rainforest and someone cut down the trees around your home?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Amazon
2. environment
3. square kilometers
4. president
5. healthy
6. environment
7. minister
8. climate
9. plants
10. animals
11. rainforest
12. fighting

Meanings:
(A) Trying very hard to win or get something done
(B) Creatures that move and breathe, like dogs, birds, and fish
(C) Things that grow in the ground, like flowers, trees, and vegetables
(D) A big rainforest in South America that has lots of trees and wildlife
(E) The air, water, and land where people, animals, and plants live
(F) A person in the government who is in charge of a certain area, like forests or schools
(G) A big area with lots of trees where it often rains
(H) A way to measure a big area of land, like a lot of football fields put together
(I) The leader of a country
(J) The air, water, and land where people, animals, and plants live
(K) In good shape, not sick
(L) The weather and temperature of the Earth over a long time
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How many trees were cut down in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil this year?
(a) The same as last year
(b) Half as many as last year
(c) Twice as many as last year
(d) Three times as many as last year

2. How does the number of trees cut down this year compare to the number cut down in the last five years?
(a) The smallest number in five years
(b) The largest number in five years
(c) The same as the number cut down in the last five years
(d) Four times bigger than the number cut down in the last five years

3. How does the number of trees cut down in the Amazon rainforest compare to the size of New York City?
(a) More than six times bigger
(b) The same size
(c) Half the size
(d) One-tenth the size

4. When does Brazil’s president want to stop cutting down trees in the Amazon?
(a) By 2025
(b) By 2040
(c) By 2030
(d) By 2050

5. How many square kilometers of forest were cut down in 2023?
(a) 2,022 square kilometers
(b) 12,345 square kilometers
(c) 1,000 square kilometers
(d) 5,153 square kilometers

6. Who is working hard to make the forest healthy again and stop people who hurt the environment?
(a) The environment minister
(b) The group in Brazil that watches the Earth from space
(c) The government in Brazil
(d) The president of Brazil

7. Why are fewer trees being cut down in the Amazon rainforest?
(a) The government in Brazil has stopped cutting down trees completely
(b) The president of Brazil is planting more trees in the Amazon rainforest
(c) People who take care of the environment are working harder to check the forest
(d) The environment minister is cutting down trees in a different part of Brazil

8. Why is the Amazon rainforest important for fighting climate change?
(a) It is the largest rainforest in the world
(b) It has lots of different plants and animals
(c) It provides clean air
(d) It is home to people who have always lived there

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The number of trees being cut down in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has decreased this year.
2. The amount of trees cut down is more than six times the size of New York City.
3. Brazil’s president aims to completely stop cutting down trees in the Amazon by 2030.
4. Last year, there were half as many trees cut down compared to this year.
5. The previous president of Brazil allowed more trees to be cut down than in the past 12 years.
6. A group in Brazil that observes the Earth from space reported that 5,153 square kilometers of forest were preserved in 2023.
7. This year’s number of trees being cut down is the highest in the past five years.
8. The government in Brazil is not taking any action to prevent deforestation and is not committed to continuing their efforts.
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 happening to the number of trees being cut down in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil?
2. How does the number of trees cut down this year compare to last year?
3. What is the goal of Brazil’s president regarding cutting down trees in the Amazon?
4. What did a group in Brazil that watches the Earth from space say about the amount of forest cut down in 2023?
5. Why is it important to protect the Amazon rainforest?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. How many trees were cut down in the Amazon rainforest this year?
5,153 square kilometers of forest were cut down in the Amazon rainforest this year.

2. Is the number of trees being cut down this year more or less than last year?
The number of trees being cut down this year is less than last year.

3. How does the number of trees cut down this year compare to the number cut down in the last five years?
The number of trees cut down this year is the smallest in the last five years.

4. Is the number of trees cut down in the Amazon rainforest bigger or smaller than the number of trees in New York City?
The number of trees cut down in the Amazon rainforest is more than six times bigger than the number of trees in New York City.

5. When does Brazil’s president want to stop cutting down trees in the Amazon?
Brazil’s president wants to stop cutting down trees in the Amazon by 2030.

6. How many square kilometers of forest were cut down in 2023?
5,153 square kilometers of forest were cut down in 2023.

7. Why are fewer trees being cut down in the Amazon rainforest?
Fewer trees are being cut down in the Amazon rainforest because people who take care of the environment in Brazil are working harder to check the forest and the government is fighting against it.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Brazil
(2) year
(3) bigger
(4) Amazon
(5) group
(6) forest
(7) trees
(8) care
(9) check
(10) says
(11) shows
(12) plants
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Amazon
Answer: (D) A big rainforest in South America that has lots of trees and wildlife

2. environment
Answer: (E) The air, water, and land where people, animals, and plants live

3. square kilometers
Answer: (H) A way to measure a big area of land, like a lot of football fields put together

4. president
Answer: (I) The leader of a country

5. healthy
Answer: (K) In good shape, not sick

6. environment
Answer: (E) The air, water, and land where people, animals, and plants live

7. minister
Answer: (F) A person in the government who is in charge of a certain area, like forests or schools

8. climate
Answer: (L) The weather and temperature of the Earth over a long time

9. plants
Answer: (C) Things that grow in the ground, like flowers, trees, and vegetables

10. animals
Answer: (B) Creatures that move and breathe, like dogs, birds, and fish

11. rainforest
Answer: (G) A big area with lots of trees where it often rains

12. fighting
Answer: (A) Trying very hard to win or get something done
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How many trees were cut down in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil this year?
Answer: (b) Half as many as last year

2. How does the number of trees cut down this year compare to the number cut down in the last five years?
Answer: (a) The smallest number in five years

3. How does the number of trees cut down in the Amazon rainforest compare to the size of New York City?
Answer: (a) More than six times bigger

4. When does Brazil’s president want to stop cutting down trees in the Amazon?
Answer: (c) By 2030

5. How many square kilometers of forest were cut down in 2023?
Answer: (d) 5,153 square kilometers

6. Who is working hard to make the forest healthy again and stop people who hurt the environment?
Answer: (d) The president of Brazil

7. Why are fewer trees being cut down in the Amazon rainforest?
Answer: (c) People who take care of the environment are working harder to check the forest

8. Why is the Amazon rainforest important for fighting climate change?
Answer: (b) It has lots of different plants and animals
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The number of trees being cut down in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has decreased this year. (Answer: True)
2. The amount of trees cut down is more than six times the size of New York City. (Answer: True)
3. Brazil’s president aims to completely stop cutting down trees in the Amazon by 2030. (Answer: True)
4. Last year, there were half as many trees cut down compared to this year. (Answer: False)
5. The previous president of Brazil allowed more trees to be cut down than in the past 12 years. (Answer: True)
6. A group in Brazil that observes the Earth from space reported that 5,153 square kilometers of forest were preserved in 2023. (Answer: False)
7. This year’s number of trees being cut down is the highest in the past five years. (Answer: False)
8. The government in Brazil is not taking any action to prevent deforestation and is not committed to continuing their efforts. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧