The Panama Canal is a very important water path that ships use to move goods quickly between places. Lately, it hasn’t rained enough, so there’s not enough water for the canal to work as usual. Because of this, fewer ships can go through the canal each day, and they can’t carry as much stuff. This is causing problems for businesses around the world because a lot of them depend on this canal to send their products to different places.

To fix this problem, the people who take care of the canal plan to spend a lot of money on projects that will help save water. They want to use water more than once and build big tanks to store more water. They are also thinking about taking salt out of sea water so they can use it in the canal and trying to make it rain more. But, these ideas will take time to start, and they need to get permission and money to do them.

The trouble with the Panama Canal shows how changes in the weather can make it hard to do business like we used to. If it doesn’t rain enough, it could cause big problems for the canal in the future. Right now, they are hoping it will rain in May so more ships can go through. But, they really need to find a good way to make sure the canal can keep working even if the weather changes.

Original news source: Can the Panama Canal save itself? (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will read the article and write a one-sentence summary of the main idea. They will then share their summaries with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into teams. Give each team a vocabulary word from the article. They will have three minutes to draw a picture representing the word. The other teams will try to guess the word based on the drawing.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: In pairs, students will discuss the pros and cons of the proposed solutions to fix the Panama Canal problem. They will then share their ideas with the class.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Students will individually think about and write down their ideas for alternative solutions to fix the Panama Canal problem. They will then pair up with a classmate and discuss their ideas. Finally, they will share their best ideas with the whole class.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “Panama Canal” on the board. Students will take turns saying a word that is associated with the canal, such as “water,” “ships,” or “business.” The game continues until no one can think of any more related words.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the Panama Canal used for?
2. Why are there problems with the Panama Canal right now?
3. How are the people in charge of the canal planning to fix the problem?
4. Why do businesses around the world depend on the Panama Canal?
5. How can changes in the weather make it hard to do business?
6. What are the people in charge of the canal hoping for in May?
7. Why is it important to find a good way to keep the canal working even if the weather changes?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The Panama Canal is a very important (1)______ (2)______ that ships use to move goods quickly between places. Lately, it hasn’t rained enough, so there’s not enough water for the canal to work as usual. Because of this, fewer ships can go through the canal each day, and they can’t carry as much (3)______. This is causing problems for (4)______ around the world because a lot of them depend on this (5)______ to send their products to different places.

To fix this problem, the people who take care of the canal plan to spend a lot of money on projects that will (6)______ save water. They want to use water more than once and build big tanks to store (7)______ water. They are also thinking about taking salt out of sea water so they can use it in the canal and trying to make it rain more. But, these ideas will take time to start, and they need to get permission and money to do them.

The trouble with the Panama (8)______ shows how changes in the (9)______ can make it hard to do business like we (10)______ to. If it doesn’t rain enough, it could cause big problems for the canal in the future. Right now, they are hoping it will rain in May so more ships can go through. But, they really need to (11)______ a (12)______ way to make sure the canal can keep working even if the weather changes.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is the Panama Canal and why is it important?
2. How do ships use the Panama Canal to move goods quickly?
3. How do you think businesses around the world are affected by the problems with the canal?
4. Do you think it’s a good idea to spend a lot of money on projects to save water in the canal? Why or why not?
5. How would you feel if you had to wait longer for your products to be delivered because of the problems with the canal?
6. What do you think about the idea of using water more than once in the canal? Why or why not?
7. Do you like the idea of building big tanks to store more water in the canal? Why or why not?
8. How do you think taking salt out of sea water could help with the canal’s water problem?
9. Do you think it’s possible to make it rain more in the area of the canal? Why or why not?
10. How would you feel if you were in charge of finding a solution to the canal’s water problem?
11. What do you think could happen if it doesn’t rain enough in May?
12. Do you think it’s important to find a good way to make sure the canal can keep working even if the weather changes? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. canal
2. goods
3. depend
4. projects
5. tanks
6. permission
7. weather
8. business
9. salt
10. future
11. hoping
12. changes

Meanings:
(A) Plans or tasks that are designed to achieve a goal
(B) Saying it’s okay to do something
(C) Things that are made or grown to be sold or used
(D) Buying, selling, or trading things
(E) A white crystal used to make food taste better or to preserve it
(F) Wanting something to happen very much
(G) Making something different from what it was before
(H) Big containers that hold liquids
(I) To need something in order to work or be successful
(J) What it’s like outside, like if it’s sunny, raining, or snowing
(K) What will happen or exist after the present time
(L) A water path made by people for boats to travel
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why is the Panama Canal important?
(a) It helps ships move goods quickly between places.
(b) It is a popular tourist attraction.
(c) It is a famous fishing spot.
(d) It is a historical landmark.

2. What is causing problems for businesses around the world?
(a) Too much rain in the Panama Canal.
(b) The Panama Canal is closed for repairs.
(c) Not enough water in the Panama Canal.
(d) Ships are too big to fit through the Panama Canal.

3. What are the people who take care of the canal planning to do to save water?
(a) Use water more than once and build big tanks to store more water.
(b) Close the canal temporarily.
(c) Build a new canal in a different location.
(d) Stop ships from using the canal.

4. Why do the people who take care of the canal need permission and money for their ideas?
(a) Because they need to get permission from the government.
(b) Because the projects will take a long time to complete.
(c) Because they need to hire more workers.
(d) Because the projects will cost a lot of money.

5. What could happen to the canal if it doesn’t rain enough?
(a) It could become a popular tourist attraction.
(b) It could start leaking water.
(c) It could cause big problems for the canal in the future.
(d) It could become too crowded with ships.

6. When are they hoping it will rain so more ships can go through?
(a) June
(b) May
(c) July
(d) August

7. What do they need to find a good way to do?
(a) Make more money from the canal.
(b) Close the canal permanently.
(c) Build a new canal in a different location.
(d) Make sure the canal can keep working even if the weather changes.

8. What is the main problem with the Panama Canal right now?
(a) Too many ships going through the canal.
(b) Not enough water for the canal to work as usual.
(c) The canal is too narrow for big ships.
(d) The canal is closed for repairs.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. They are also considering adding salt to seawater to use in the canal and finding ways to decrease rainfall.
2. The canal is currently experiencing a water shortage due to lack of rainfall.
3. These projects include wasting water and building large tanks to store less water.
4. To ignore this matter, the caretakers of the canal plan to invest a lot of money in water-wasting projects.
5. The Panama Canal is an important waterway that ships use to transport goods quickly.
6. The reduced water levels are causing problems for businesses worldwide that rely on the canal to transport their products.
7. The situation with the Panama Canal demonstrates how changes in weather cannot impact business operations and the lack of need to find solutions to ensure the canal’s functionality in the future.
8. However, implementing these ideas will take time and require permission and funding.
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 Panama Canal important for moving goods between places?
2. What is the problem with the Panama Canal right now?
3. How are businesses around the world being affected by the problem with the canal?
4. What are some ideas to fix the problem with the canal?
5. Why is it important to find a good way to keep the canal working even if the weather changes?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the Panama Canal used for?
The Panama Canal is used for ships to move goods quickly between places.

2. Why are there problems with the Panama Canal right now?
There are problems with the Panama Canal right now because there hasn’t been enough rain, so there’s not enough water for the canal to work as usual.

3. How are the people in charge of the canal planning to fix the problem?
The people in charge of the canal are planning to fix the problem by using water more than once, building big tanks to store more water, taking salt out of sea water, and trying to make it rain more.

4. Why do businesses around the world depend on the Panama Canal?
Businesses around the world depend on the Panama Canal because they use it to send their products to different places quickly.

5. How can changes in the weather make it hard to do business?
Changes in the weather can make it hard to do business because if it doesn’t rain enough, there might not be enough water for the canal to work properly, which can cause problems for businesses.

6. What are the people in charge of the canal hoping for in May?
The people in charge of the canal are hoping for rain in May so that more ships can go through the canal.

7. Why is it important to find a good way to keep the canal working even if the weather changes?
It is important to find a good way to keep the canal working even if the weather changes because if the canal can’t work properly, it can cause big problems for businesses around the world that depend on it.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) water
(2) path
(3) stuff
(4) businesses
(5) canal
(6) help
(7) more
(8) Canal
(9) weather
(10) used
(11) find
(12) good
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. canal
Answer: (L) A water path made by people for boats to travel

2. goods
Answer: (C) Things that are made or grown to be sold or used

3. depend
Answer: (I) To need something in order to work or be successful

4. projects
Answer: (A) Plans or tasks that are designed to achieve a goal

5. tanks
Answer: (H) Big containers that hold liquids

6. permission
Answer: (B) Saying it’s okay to do something

7. weather
Answer: (J) What it’s like outside, like if it’s sunny, raining, or snowing

8. business
Answer: (D) Buying, selling, or trading things

9. salt
Answer: (E) A white crystal used to make food taste better or to preserve it

10. future
Answer: (K) What will happen or exist after the present time

11. hoping
Answer: (F) Wanting something to happen very much

12. changes
Answer: (G) Making something different from what it was before
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why is the Panama Canal important?
Answer: (a) It helps ships move goods quickly between places.

2. What is causing problems for businesses around the world?
Answer: (c) Not enough water in the Panama Canal.

3. What are the people who take care of the canal planning to do to save water?
Answer: (a) Use water more than once and build big tanks to store more water.

4. Why do the people who take care of the canal need permission and money for their ideas?
Answer: (d) Because the projects will cost a lot of money.

5. What could happen to the canal if it doesn’t rain enough?
Answer: (c) It could cause big problems for the canal in the future.

6. When are they hoping it will rain so more ships can go through?
Answer: (b) May

7. What do they need to find a good way to do?
Answer: (d) Make sure the canal can keep working even if the weather changes.

8. What is the main problem with the Panama Canal right now?
Answer: (b) Not enough water for the canal to work as usual.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. They are also considering adding salt to seawater to use in the canal and finding ways to decrease rainfall. (Answer: False)
2. The canal is currently experiencing a water shortage due to lack of rainfall. (Answer: True)
3. These projects include wasting water and building large tanks to store less water. (Answer: False)
4. To ignore this matter, the caretakers of the canal plan to invest a lot of money in water-wasting projects. (Answer: False)
5. The Panama Canal is an important waterway that ships use to transport goods quickly. (Answer: True)
6. The reduced water levels are causing problems for businesses worldwide that rely on the canal to transport their products. (Answer: True)
7. The situation with the Panama Canal demonstrates how changes in weather cannot impact business operations and the lack of need to find solutions to ensure the canal’s functionality in the future. (Answer: False)
8. However, implementing these ideas will take time and require permission and funding. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧