Apples from Kashmir in India are having big problems. Bad things like fungus, strange weather, and money issues are hurting the apple trees. This year, many apples are not very good. Bad weather is also making it hard to move the apples to other places.

A lot of people in Kashmir work with apples. They are worried because the apples are not selling for much money. Apples from Iran are cheaper, and apples from America don’t have an extra cost. Farmers want the government to help them.

When farmers don’t make much money from apples, it’s bad for everyone in Kashmir. People use the money from apples to buy things they need. If farmers have less money, they buy less, and that’s not good for other businesses. People hope the government will do something to make things better.

Original news source: Kashmir’s famed apples face extreme weather and economic crisis (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of vocabulary words related to the article (e.g. apples, fungus, weather, money, farmers). One person from each team will act out a word without speaking, and their team members have to guess the word within a certain time limit. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner. They should try to include key details such as the problems facing the apple industry in Kashmir, the impact on farmers and the economy, and the hope for government intervention. After both partners have summarized the article, they can discuss their thoughts and opinions on the topic.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article, such as “The government should provide financial assistance to apple farmers” or “Consumers should prioritize buying locally grown produce.” Have students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates for their opinions on each statement. They should record their classmates’ answers and be prepared to share the results with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group is given a set of vocabulary words from the article. One student from each group will choose a word and draw a picture to represent it, while their group members try to guess the word. The student who is drawing cannot speak or write any words. The group that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Students individually think about and write down two possible solutions to the problems faced by apple farmers in Kashmir. Then, they pair up with a partner and discuss their ideas, explaining the reasons behind their choices. Finally, pairs share their ideas with the whole class, and a class discussion ensues to analyze the different solutions and their potential effectiveness.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What are some of the problems that apple trees in Kashmir are facing?
2. Why are the apples not very good this year?
3. Why is it difficult to move the apples to other places?
4. Why are people in Kashmir worried about the apples not selling for much money?
5. Why is it bad for everyone in Kashmir when farmers don’t make much money from apples?
6. How do people in Kashmir use the money from apples?
7. What do people hope the government will do to make things better?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Apples from Kashmir in India are (1)______ big problems. Bad things like fungus, strange weather, and money issues are (2)______ the (3)______ trees. This year, many apples are not very good. Bad weather is also making it (4)______ to move the (5)______ to other places.

A lot of people in Kashmir work with apples. They are worried because the apples are not (6)______ for much money. Apples from Iran are cheaper, and apples from America don’t have an extra cost. Farmers want the government to (7)______ them.

When farmers don’t (8)______ much money from apples, it’s bad for everyone in (9)______. People use the money from apples to buy (10)______ they (11)______. If farmers have less money, they buy less, and that’s not (12)______ for other businesses. People hope the government will do something to make things better.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What are some of the problems that apple trees in Kashmir are facing?
2. How do you think the farmers in Kashmir feel about the apples not selling for much money?
3. Do you like apples? Why or why not?
4. How do you think the bad weather is affecting the movement of the apples?
5. What do people in Kashmir use the money from apples for?
6. How do you think it would feel if you had less money to buy things you need?
7. Do you think the government should help the farmers? Why or why not?
8. What are some other businesses that might be affected if farmers have less money?
9. Have you ever tried apples from Kashmir? How did they taste?
10. How would you feel if you were a farmer in Kashmir and your apples were not selling well?
11. What do you think the government could do to make things better for the farmers?
12. Do you think the problems with the apple trees in Kashmir will get better in the future? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. fungus
2. strange
3. hurting
4. weather
5. move
6. selling
7. cheaper
8. extra
9. cost
10. government
11. businesses
12. hope

Meanings:
(A) To feel positive about something happening in the future
(B) A type of plant disease that can damage things like fruit and trees
(C) The amount of money you need to pay for something
(D) Something that is added and makes the price higher
(E) Giving something to someone in exchange for money
(F) The group of people who make rules and decisions for a country or area
(G) Not normal or usual
(H) Causing harm or pain
(I) Companies or stores that sell things to people
(J) Not as expensive as something else
(K) The condition of the air outside, like if it’s sunny or rainy
(L) To take something from one place to another
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What are some of the problems facing apple trees in Kashmir?
(a) Bugs, hot weather, and transportation issues
(b) Lack of water, earthquakes, and high taxes
(c) Pollution, snowstorms, and labor shortages
(d) Fungus, strange weather, and money issues

2. Why are apples from Iran cheaper than apples from Kashmir?
(a) Because they taste better
(b) Because they cost less to produce
(c) Because they are bigger in size
(d) Because they are grown in a different climate

3. How does bad weather affect the transportation of apples?
(a) It makes it difficult to move the apples to other places
(b) It makes the apples taste bad
(c) It causes the apples to rot quickly
(d) It makes the apples more expensive to transport

4. Why are farmers in Kashmir worried about the low selling price of apples?
(a) Because they have too many apples to sell
(b) Because they don’t like selling apples
(c) Because they won’t make much money
(d) Because they want to switch to growing a different crop

5. How does the low selling price of apples affect other businesses in Kashmir?
(a) People have more money to buy things they want
(b) People have more money to invest in new businesses
(c) People have less money to spend on vacations
(d) People have less money to buy things they need

6. What do people hope the government will do to help the farmers?
(a) Take action to improve the apple industry
(b) Buy all the apples from the farmers
(c) Close down the apple farms in Kashmir
(d) Start growing apples in a different region

7. Why is it important for farmers to make money from apples?
(a) So they can buy things they want
(b) So they can start their own businesses
(c) So they can buy things they need
(d) So they can travel to different countries

8. What is the main problem facing apple trees in Kashmir?
(a) Strange weather
(b) Fungus
(c) Money issues
(d) Lack of water

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Apples from America do not have any extra cost.
2. Bad weather is making it difficult to transport the apples to other places.
3. Many people in Kashmir work with apples and they are happy because the apples are selling for a lot of money.
4. Apples from Kashmir in India are not facing problems like fungus and strange weather.
5. The apple trees in Kashmir are producing good apples this year.
6. People in Kashmir hope that the government will help improve the situation.
7. When farmers make a lot of money from apples, it affects everyone in Kashmir positively.
8. Apples from Iran are cheaper than the ones from Kashmir.
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 are some of the problems that apple trees in Kashmir are facing?
2. Why is it difficult to move the apples to other places?
3. Why are the apples from Iran cheaper than the ones from Kashmir?
4. How does the lack of money from apple sales affect the people in Kashmir?
5. What do the farmers in Kashmir want the government to do to help them?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What are some of the problems that apple trees in Kashmir are facing?
The apple trees in Kashmir are facing problems like fungus, strange weather, and money issues.

2. Why are the apples not very good this year?
The apples are not very good this year because of the bad weather and the fungus affecting the trees.

3. Why is it difficult to move the apples to other places?
It is difficult to move the apples to other places because the bad weather makes transportation challenging.

4. Why are people in Kashmir worried about the apples not selling for much money?
People in Kashmir are worried because when the apples don’t sell for much money, farmers have less money to buy things they need. This affects other businesses and the economy.

5. Why is it bad for everyone in Kashmir when farmers don’t make much money from apples?
When farmers don’t make much money from apples, they have less money to spend on other things. This means they buy less, which affects other businesses and the overall economy of Kashmir.

6. How do people in Kashmir use the money from apples?
People in Kashmir use the money from apples to buy things they need, such as food, clothes, and other daily necessities.

7. What do people hope the government will do to make things better?
People hope that the government will help the farmers by providing assistance and finding solutions to the problems faced by the apple industry. They want the government to take steps to improve the situation and support the farmers in Kashmir.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) having
(2) hurting
(3) apple
(4) hard
(5) apples
(6) selling
(7) help
(8) make
(9) Kashmir
(10) things
(11) need
(12) good
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. fungus
Answer: (B) A type of plant disease that can damage things like fruit and trees

2. strange
Answer: (G) Not normal or usual

3. hurting
Answer: (H) Causing harm or pain

4. weather
Answer: (K) The condition of the air outside, like if it’s sunny or rainy

5. move
Answer: (L) To take something from one place to another

6. selling
Answer: (E) Giving something to someone in exchange for money

7. cheaper
Answer: (J) Not as expensive as something else

8. extra
Answer: (D) Something that is added and makes the price higher

9. cost
Answer: (C) The amount of money you need to pay for something

10. government
Answer: (F) The group of people who make rules and decisions for a country or area

11. businesses
Answer: (I) Companies or stores that sell things to people

12. hope
Answer: (A) To feel positive about something happening in the future
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What are some of the problems facing apple trees in Kashmir?
Answer: (d) Fungus, strange weather, and money issues

2. Why are apples from Iran cheaper than apples from Kashmir?
Answer: (b) Because they cost less to produce

3. How does bad weather affect the transportation of apples?
Answer: (a) It makes it difficult to move the apples to other places

4. Why are farmers in Kashmir worried about the low selling price of apples?
Answer: (c) Because they won’t make much money

5. How does the low selling price of apples affect other businesses in Kashmir?
Answer: (d) People have less money to buy things they need

6. What do people hope the government will do to help the farmers?
Answer: (a) Take action to improve the apple industry

7. Why is it important for farmers to make money from apples?
Answer: (c) So they can buy things they need

8. What is the main problem facing apple trees in Kashmir?
Answer: (b) Fungus
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Apples from America do not have any extra cost. (Answer: True)
2. Bad weather is making it difficult to transport the apples to other places. (Answer: True)
3. Many people in Kashmir work with apples and they are happy because the apples are selling for a lot of money. (Answer: False)
4. Apples from Kashmir in India are not facing problems like fungus and strange weather. (Answer: False)
5. The apple trees in Kashmir are producing good apples this year. (Answer: False)
6. People in Kashmir hope that the government will help improve the situation. (Answer: True)
7. When farmers make a lot of money from apples, it affects everyone in Kashmir positively. (Answer: False)
8. Apples from Iran are cheaper than the ones from Kashmir. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧