Dr. Mike McKean, a big boss at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said it's not okay that kids in poor areas are more likely to be overweight. He said that two out of five kids leave primary school overweight, which can make them sick, sad, and not live as long. A person from the government said they want to make the number of very overweight kids half as much by 2030. They talked about putting money into school sports and programs like Healthy Start to help kids live healthier.
The study also showed a small increase in kids in Year 6 who are very underweight, with the number going up to 1.6% in 2022-23. Dr. McKean said this is because of not enough food and being poor. He said that food banks have too many people asking for food and teachers often see kids coming to school hungry. The study also showed that boys are more likely to be overweight than girls. The most very overweight kids in Year 6 were in the North East, West Midlands, and London, while the least were in the South West and South East.
Original news source: Childhood obesity shows slight fall in England (BBC)
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will read the article and write a summary of the main points. They should include information about the decrease in very overweight children, the difference between poor and rich areas, the government's goal for 2030, the increase in very underweight children, and the gender differences in overweight children. They should also include any other important details they find in the article.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: In groups of four, students will discuss their opinions on the topic of childhood obesity. They should take turns asking each other questions such as: "Do you think the government should invest more money in school sports and programs like Healthy Start?" and "What do you think can be done to reduce childhood obesity?" After discussing, each group will share their opinions with the class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns drawing pictures to represent vocabulary words from the article. The other student must guess the word based on the picture. They can use words like "overweight," "underweight," "primary school," "government," "sports," etc. They should try to use as many words from the article as possible.
– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner in 30 seconds or less. They should try to include information about the decrease in very overweight children, the difference between poor and rich areas, the government's goal for 2030, the increase in very underweight children, and the gender differences in overweight children. After each student has had a turn, they can compare their summaries and see if they missed any important details.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students will discuss and make predictions about the future of childhood obesity based on the information in the article. They should consider questions such as: "Do you think the number of very overweight children will continue to decrease?" and "Will the government be successful in their goal to reduce childhood obesity by 2030?" After discussing, each pair will share their predictions with the class.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
New information from a big study in England that less children are very . For kids aged 10 and 11, the of very overweight kids went down from 23.4% to 22.7% between 2021 and 2023. For younger kids aged 4 and 5, the number went down from 10.1% to 9.2%. But, the study also showed that kids in poor areas are more likely to be very overweight than kids in rich . Dr. Mike McKean, a big boss at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said it's not okay that kids in poor areas are more likely to be overweight. He said that two out of five kids primary overweight, which can make them sick, sad, and not live as long. A person from the government said they want to make the number of very overweight kids half as much by 2030. They about putting money into school sports and programs like Healthy Start to help kids live . The study also showed a increase in kids in Year 6 who are very underweight, with the number going up to 1.6% in 2022-23. Dr. McKean said this is because of not enough food and being poor. He said that food banks have too many people for food and teachers often see kids coming to school hungry. The also that boys are more likely to be overweight than girls. The most very overweight kids in Year 6 were in the North East, West Midlands, and London, while the least were in the South West and South East.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What does it mean to be very overweight?
2. How would you feel if you were very overweight?
3. Do you like playing sports and being active? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it's fair that kids in poor areas are more likely to be very overweight? Why or why not?
5. What do you think can be done to help kids live healthier?
6. Have you ever seen someone who is very underweight? How did it make you feel?
7. Why do you think some kids are very underweight?
8. Do you think it's important for schools to have sports programs? Why or why not?
9. How do you think being very overweight can make a person sick and sad?
10. Do you know anyone who goes to food banks? How do you think it feels to not have enough food?
11. Why do you think boys are more likely to be overweight than girls?
12. How can we help kids in poor areas have the same opportunities to be healthy as kids in rich areas?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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