Over 100 tractors came together at the Houses of Parliament in London because farmers are upset. They feel the government isn’t helping them enough with making food in the UK. The farmers brought signs and wanted to show that cheap food coming from other countries and not-so-good rules could make it hard for the UK to have enough food. This kind of protest has happened in other places in Europe too, where farmers are unhappy about similar things.

Farmers at the protest talked about how worried they are for their farms. One farmer, Colin Rayner, said things are so bad this might be their last time growing crops. He and others think the government cares more about nature projects than making sure there’s enough food. They say bad deals with other countries and not clear labels on food are making things worse for them.

The people protesting want big changes. They say if nothing is done, the UK might not be able to grow enough food for everyone. The government says it does support farmers and thinks about them when making deals with other countries. They also said they’ll try not to let too much farm land be used for things other than growing food.

Original news source: Tractors brought to Parliament in farmers’ protest (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary

Instructions:
1. Divide the students into pairs or small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Instruct students to read the article and summarize the main points in their own words.
4. After a designated time, have each group share their summaries with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary

Instructions:
1. Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board.
2. Divide the students into pairs.
3. Give each pair a piece of paper and a pen.
4. Instruct one student from each pair to choose a word from the list and draw a picture to represent it.
5. The other student must guess the word based on the drawing.
6. After a certain amount of time, have the pairs switch roles.

– Opinion Spectrum

Instructions:
1. Write the statement “The government is doing enough to support farmers” on the board.
2. Create a spectrum line on the board, with “Strongly Agree” on one end and “Strongly Disagree” on the other end.
3. Ask the students to stand up and place themselves on the spectrum line according to their opinion on the statement.
4. Once all students have placed themselves, ask a few students from different positions to share their reasons for their opinion.

– Headline Creation

Instructions:
1. Divide the students into pairs or small groups.
2. Instruct each group to create a catchy headline related to the article.
3. Encourage them to be creative and use their own words.
4. Give each group the opportunity to share their headlines with the class.

– Charades

Instructions:
1. Write a list of actions or words related to the article on separate pieces of paper.
2. Divide the students into two teams.
3. Choose one student from each team to come to the front of the class.
4. Show the chosen students a piece of paper with a word or action from the list.
5. They must act out or describe the word or action without speaking, while their team tries to guess what it is.
6. The team that guesses correctly earns a point.
7. Continue until all words or actions have been used, then switch students from each team.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why did the farmers bring tractors to the Houses of Parliament in London?
2. What are the farmers upset about?
3. What did the farmers say about their farms?
4. Why do the farmers think the government cares more about nature projects?
5. What changes do the people protesting want?
6. What does the government say about supporting farmers?
7. What did the government say about using farm land for things other than growing food?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Over 100 tractors came together at the Houses of Parliament in London because farmers are upset. They feel the government isn’t helping them enough with making food in the UK. The farmers brought (1)______ and wanted to show that (2)______ food coming from other countries and not-so-good (3)______ could make it hard for the UK to have enough (4)______. This kind of protest has happened in other places in (5)______ too, where farmers are unhappy about similar things.

Farmers at the protest talked about how worried they are for their (6)______. One farmer, Colin Rayner, said things are so bad this might be their last time growing crops. He and others think the government (7)______ more about nature projects than (8)______ sure there’s enough food. They say bad (9)______ with other countries and not clear labels on food are making things worse for them.

The people protesting want big changes. They say if nothing is done, the UK might not be (10)______ to grow enough food for everyone. The government says it does support farmers and thinks about them when making deals with other countries. They also said they’ll try not to let too much farm (11)______ be (12)______ for things other than growing food.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a protest?
2. How do you think the farmers feel about the government?
3. Do you like farming? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the idea of cheap food coming from other countries?
5. How would you feel if you were a farmer and couldn’t grow crops anymore?
6. Do you think the government should prioritize nature projects over making sure there’s enough food? Why or why not?
7. What do you think about bad deals with other countries and not clear labels on food?
8. How important do you think it is for a country to be able to grow enough food for everyone?
9. Do you think the government really supports farmers? Why or why not?
10. How would you feel if too much farm land was used for things other than growing food?
11. What changes do you think the protesters want to see?
12. How do you think the government can help farmers more?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Parliament
2. protest
3. farmers
4. crops
5. nature
6. labels
7. deals
8. government
9. support
10. regulations
11. imports
12. sustainability

Meanings:
(A) Agreements or arrangements, often between countries or companies
(B) People who grow food and take care of animals on farms
(C) Help or backing from someone or something
(D) Rules that are made to control how things are done
(E) Stickers or signs on things that tell you what they are or what’s in them
(F) The group of people who make decisions for a country
(G) Everything in the world that isn’t made by people, like trees, animals, and rivers
(H) Plants that are grown to be eaten or used
(I) Things bought from other countries
(J) Being able to keep something going over time without harming the future
(K) When people come together to say they don’t agree with something
(L) A place where laws are made and discussed in a country
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did over 100 tractors come together at the Houses of Parliament in London?
(a) The tractors needed a place to park.
(b) The farmers wanted to show off their tractors.
(c) Farmers are upset and feel the government isn’t helping them enough with making food in the UK.
(d) The government asked the farmers to bring their tractors.

2. What are the farmers upset about?
(a) The weather ruining their crops.
(b) The lack of tractors in the UK.
(c) The government caring too much about nature projects.
(d) Cheap food coming from other countries and not-so-good rules.

3. What did Colin Rayner say about the situation?
(a) The government is doing a great job supporting farmers.
(b) Things are so bad that this might be their last time growing crops.
(c) The farmers are happy with the deals with other countries.
(d) The labels on food are clear and helpful.

4. What do the protesters want?
(a) More tractors for the farmers.
(b) Big changes to ensure the UK can grow enough food for everyone.
(c) The government to focus on nature projects instead of farming.
(d) The government to make more deals with other countries.

5. What does the government say about supporting farmers?
(a) They do support farmers and think about them when making deals with other countries.
(b) They don’t care about farmers at all.
(c) They want to use all the farm land for things other than growing food.
(d) They think farmers should find a different job.

6. Why are the farmers worried about the future?
(a) They’re worried about the weather.
(b) They want to retire and travel the world.
(c) They’re concerned about the lack of tractors.
(d) They’re afraid the UK won’t be able to grow enough food for everyone.

7. What do the farmers say is making things worse for them?
(a) The government’s support and clear labels on food.
(b) The lack of tractors in the UK.
(c) Bad deals with other countries and not clear labels on food.
(d) The weather ruining their crops.

8. What did the farmers bring to the protest?
(a) Signs.
(b) Tractors.
(c) Food from other countries.
(d) Animals from their farms.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. One farmer named Colin Rayner said that things are so bad that this might be their last time growing crops.
2. Over 50 tractors came together at the Houses of Parliament in London for a concert by the farmers.
3. The people protesting want big changes to be made so that the UK can grow enough food for everyone.
4. The farmers brought signs to show that cheap food from other countries and unclear rules could make it difficult for the UK to have enough food.
5. The farmers believe that the government cares more about technology projects than ensuring there is enough food.
6. Farmers in the UK are content because they feel the government is doing enough to assist them with making food.
7. The government claims that it supports farmers and considers them when making deals with other countries.
8. Similar protests by activists have happened in other places in Asia.
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 did over 100 tractors come together at the Houses of Parliament in London?
2. What are the farmers upset about?
3. What did the farmers bring with them to the protest?
4. What did Colin Rayner say about the situation on his farm?
5. What changes do the people protesting want to see?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why did the farmers bring tractors to the Houses of Parliament in London?
The farmers brought tractors to show that they are upset and want the government to help them more with making food in the UK.

2. What are the farmers upset about?
The farmers are upset because they feel that the government is not helping them enough with making food in the UK. They are worried that cheap food from other countries and unclear rules are making it hard for the UK to have enough food.

3. What did the farmers say about their farms?
The farmers said that they are very worried about their farms. Some farmers even said that this might be their last time growing crops. They are concerned that the government cares more about nature projects than making sure there is enough food.

4. Why do the farmers think the government cares more about nature projects?
The farmers think the government cares more about nature projects because they believe that bad deals with other countries and unclear labels on food are making things worse for them. They think the government is focusing more on protecting the environment than supporting farmers.

5. What changes do the people protesting want?
The people protesting want big changes. They are worried that if nothing is done, the UK might not be able to grow enough food for everyone. They want the government to make better deals with other countries and have clear labels on food. They also want the government to prioritize supporting farmers.

6. What does the government say about supporting farmers?
The government says that it does support farmers and thinks about them when making deals with other countries. They want to make sure that farmers are not negatively affected by these deals. The government also said that it will try to prevent too much farm land from being used for things other than growing food.

7. What did the government say about using farm land for things other than growing food?
The government said that it will try not to let too much farm land be used for things other than growing food. They understand the importance of preserving farm land for farming and want to make sure that there is enough land available for growing food.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) signs
(2) cheap
(3) rules
(4) food
(5) Europe
(6) farms
(7) cares
(8) making
(9) deals
(10) able
(11) land
(12) used
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Parliament
Answer: (L) A place where laws are made and discussed in a country

2. protest
Answer: (K) When people come together to say they don’t agree with something

3. farmers
Answer: (B) People who grow food and take care of animals on farms

4. crops
Answer: (H) Plants that are grown to be eaten or used

5. nature
Answer: (G) Everything in the world that isn’t made by people, like trees, animals, and rivers

6. labels
Answer: (E) Stickers or signs on things that tell you what they are or what’s in them

7. deals
Answer: (A) Agreements or arrangements, often between countries or companies

8. government
Answer: (F) The group of people who make decisions for a country

9. support
Answer: (C) Help or backing from someone or something

10. regulations
Answer: (D) Rules that are made to control how things are done

11. imports
Answer: (I) Things bought from other countries

12. sustainability
Answer: (J) Being able to keep something going over time without harming the future
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did over 100 tractors come together at the Houses of Parliament in London?
Answer: (c) Farmers are upset and feel the government isn’t helping them enough with making food in the UK.

2. What are the farmers upset about?
Answer: (d) Cheap food coming from other countries and not-so-good rules.

3. What did Colin Rayner say about the situation?
Answer: (b) Things are so bad that this might be their last time growing crops.

4. What do the protesters want?
Answer: (b) Big changes to ensure the UK can grow enough food for everyone.

5. What does the government say about supporting farmers?
Answer: (a) They do support farmers and think about them when making deals with other countries.

6. Why are the farmers worried about the future?
Answer: (d) They’re afraid the UK won’t be able to grow enough food for everyone.

7. What do the farmers say is making things worse for them?
Answer: (c) Bad deals with other countries and not clear labels on food.

8. What did the farmers bring to the protest?
Answer: (a) Signs.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. One farmer named Colin Rayner said that things are so bad that this might be their last time growing crops. (Answer: True)
2. Over 50 tractors came together at the Houses of Parliament in London for a concert by the farmers. (Answer: False)
3. The people protesting want big changes to be made so that the UK can grow enough food for everyone. (Answer: True)
4. The farmers brought signs to show that cheap food from other countries and unclear rules could make it difficult for the UK to have enough food. (Answer: True)
5. The farmers believe that the government cares more about technology projects than ensuring there is enough food. (Answer: False)
6. Farmers in the UK are content because they feel the government is doing enough to assist them with making food. (Answer: False)
7. The government claims that it supports farmers and considers them when making deals with other countries. (Answer: True)
8. Similar protests by activists have happened in other places in Asia. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧