The Met Office says the UK is having more extreme weather. In 2023, there were more hot days, with temperatures over 28°C. Almost all of England and Wales are seeing more of these hot days. There are also more “pleasant” days with temperatures over 20°C and more sunshine.

But this weather change can be dangerous. There are more very wet days now, with heavy rain happening more often. In 2023, storms like Storm Babet caused flooding and damage. These weather changes can hurt communities and make it hard for hospitals and roads.

The report says climate change is making these weather events worse. 2023 was the second warmest year ever in the UK. Heatwaves and heavy rain are happening more because of human activities. The Met Office warns that if we don’t reduce pollution, these weather problems will get worse.

Original news source: UK getting more hot and more wet days – Met Office (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Students will act out different types of weather (e.g., hot day, heavy rain, storm) without speaking, while the rest of the class guesses what they are. This will help them learn and remember vocabulary related to weather.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Students will walk around the classroom and ask each other simple questions about extreme weather (e.g., “Do you like hot weather?” “What do you think about heavy rain?”). They will then report back to the class with the results of their polls.

– VOCABULARY PICTIONARY
Instructions: Divide students into teams. One student from each team will draw a word related to the article (e.g., “flood,” “heatwave,” “storm”) on the board while their team guesses what it is. This will help reinforce vocabulary in a fun way.

– THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Instructions: Students will think about how climate change affects their own country or community. They will then pair up to discuss their thoughts before sharing with the class. This will encourage them to practice speaking and sharing ideas.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: In small groups, students will create a catchy headline for the article based on its main points. They will then present their headlines to the class. This will help them focus on the main ideas and improve their summarizing skills.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What does the Met Office say about the weather in the UK?
2. How many hot days were there in 2023 with temperatures over 28°C?
3. What kind of days are called “pleasant” days?
4. What problems can heavy rain and storms cause for people?
5. Why is 2023 special in terms of temperature in the UK?
6. What is causing the weather changes according to the report?
7. What does the Met Office say we need to do to help with the weather problems?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The Met (1)______ says the UK is having more extreme weather. In 2023, there (2)______ more hot (3)______, with temperatures over 28°C. Almost all of England and Wales are seeing more of these hot days. There are also (4)______ “pleasant” days with (5)______ over 20°C and more sunshine.

But this weather change can be dangerous. There are more very wet days now, with heavy (6)______ happening more often. In 2023, storms like Storm (7)______ caused flooding and (8)______. These weather (9)______ can hurt communities and make it hard for hospitals and roads.

The report says climate change is making these weather events worse. 2023 was the second warmest year ever in the UK. Heatwaves and heavy rain are happening more because of (10)______ activities. The Met Office warns that if we don’t (11)______ pollution, these (12)______ problems will get worse.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your favorite type of weather? Why do you like it?
2. How would you feel if it was very hot every day?
3. Do you think climate change is a big problem? Why or why not?
4. What do you do on a rainy day?
5. How would you feel if there was a big storm near your home?
6. Do you like sunny days? What activities do you enjoy on sunny days?
7. What is a heatwave? Have you ever experienced one?
8. Do you think people should do more to help the environment? Why?
9. How would you feel if you had to stay inside because of bad weather?
10. Do you like to play outside when it is hot? Why or why not?
11. What is your favorite season? What is the weather like in that season?
12. How do you think we can reduce pollution?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. extreme
2. temperatures
3. pleasant
4. dangerous
5. flooding
6. communities
7. climate
8. heatwaves
9. pollution
10. reduce
11. events
12. activities

Meanings:
(A) To make something smaller or less
(B) The usual weather in a place over a long time
(C) Nice and enjoyable
(D) Harmful things in the air, water, or ground
(E) Things that happen
(F) Very intense or severe
(G) Things people do
(H) Very hot weather that lasts for a long time
(I) Not safe, could cause harm
(J) How hot or cold something is
(K) When water covers land that is usually dry
(L) Groups of people living in the same area
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What does the Met Office say about the weather in the UK?
(a) It is getting colder
(b) It is having more extreme weather
(c) It is staying the same
(d) It is always sunny

2. How many hot days were there in the UK in 2023?
(a) Fewer than before
(b) The same as before
(c) More than before
(d) No hot days

3. What temperature is considered a “hot day” in the article?
(a) Over 20°C
(b) Over 30°C
(c) Over 28°C
(d) Over 25°C

4. What kind of days are increasing in the UK besides hot days?
(a) Cold days
(b) Pleasant days
(c) Snowy days
(d) Windy days

5. What kind of weather events can be dangerous, according to the article?
(a) Heavy rain and storms
(b) Sunny days
(c) Snowflakes
(d) Light breezes

6. What was the second warmest year ever in the UK?
(a) 2022
(b) 2021
(c) 2020
(d) 2023

7. What does the Met Office say is making weather events worse?
(a) Cold weather
(b) Less sunshine
(c) More snow
(d) Climate change

8. What does the Met Office warn about pollution?
(a) It needs to be reduced
(b) It is not important
(c) It is getting better
(d) It is not a problem

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Most of England and Wales are having fewer hot days.
2. Heavy rain and very wet days are happening more often now.
3. The Met Office says we need to reduce pollution to help with these weather problems.
4. Climate change is making the weather events worse in the UK.
5. The UK is experiencing less extreme weather according to the Met Office.
6. In 2023, there were many hot days with temperatures over 28°C.
7. Storms like Storm Catherina caused flooding and damage in 2023.
8. There are also fewer nice days with temperatures over 20°C.
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 kind of weather is the UK having more of in 2023?
2. What temperature is considered a “hot day” in the UK?
3. Why can the new weather changes be dangerous for people?
4. What happened during Storm Babet in 2023?
5. What does the Met Office say we need to do to help with the weather problems?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What does the Met Office say about the weather in the UK?
The Met Office says the UK is having more extreme weather with more hot days and heavy rain.

2. How many hot days were there in 2023 with temperatures over 28°C?
In 2023, there were more hot days than before, but the article does not say an exact number.

3. What kind of days are called “pleasant” days?
“Pleasant” days are days with temperatures over 20°C and more sunshine.

4. What problems can heavy rain and storms cause for people?
Heavy rain and storms can cause flooding, damage to homes, and problems for hospitals and roads.

5. Why is 2023 special in terms of temperature in the UK?
2023 was special because it was the second warmest year ever in the UK.

6. What is causing the weather changes according to the report?
The report says that human activities and climate change are causing the weather changes.

7. What does the Met Office say we need to do to help with the weather problems?
The Met Office says we need to reduce pollution to help with the weather problems.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Office
(2) were
(3) days
(4) more
(5) temperatures
(6) rain
(7) Babet
(8) damage
(9) changes
(10) human
(11) reduce
(12) weather
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. extreme
Answer: (F) Very intense or severe

2. temperatures
Answer: (J) How hot or cold something is

3. pleasant
Answer: (C) Nice and enjoyable

4. dangerous
Answer: (I) Not safe, could cause harm

5. flooding
Answer: (K) When water covers land that is usually dry

6. communities
Answer: (L) Groups of people living in the same area

7. climate
Answer: (B) The usual weather in a place over a long time

8. heatwaves
Answer: (H) Very hot weather that lasts for a long time

9. pollution
Answer: (D) Harmful things in the air, water, or ground

10. reduce
Answer: (A) To make something smaller or less

11. events
Answer: (E) Things that happen

12. activities
Answer: (G) Things people do
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What does the Met Office say about the weather in the UK?
Answer: (b) It is having more extreme weather

2. How many hot days were there in the UK in 2023?
Answer: (c) More than before

3. What temperature is considered a “hot day” in the article?
Answer: (c) Over 28°C

4. What kind of days are increasing in the UK besides hot days?
Answer: (b) Pleasant days

5. What kind of weather events can be dangerous, according to the article?
Answer: (a) Heavy rain and storms

6. What was the second warmest year ever in the UK?
Answer: (d) 2023

7. What does the Met Office say is making weather events worse?
Answer: (d) Climate change

8. What does the Met Office warn about pollution?
Answer: (a) It needs to be reduced
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Most of England and Wales are having fewer hot days. (Answer: False)
2. Heavy rain and very wet days are happening more often now. (Answer: True)
3. The Met Office says we need to reduce pollution to help with these weather problems. (Answer: True)
4. Climate change is making the weather events worse in the UK. (Answer: True)
5. The UK is experiencing less extreme weather according to the Met Office. (Answer: False)
6. In 2023, there were many hot days with temperatures over 28°C. (Answer: True)
7. Storms like Storm Catherina caused flooding and damage in 2023. (Answer: False)
8. There are also fewer nice days with temperatures over 20°C. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧