The Ladakh region in northern India is facing a big problem: climate change. In the past, Ladakh had lots of sunny days and hardly any rain, so floods were very rare. But now, because of climate change, there have been terrible floods. They used to happen once every 70 years, but now they happen four times in less than 10 years. The changing climate has also caused unpredictable snowfall and the melting of glaciers, which means there isn’t enough water and it’s affecting the people who live there.

Because there isn’t enough water, the meadows where farmers keep their pashmina goats are getting smaller. This means it’s not worth it for the farmers to keep so many goats, so they’re giving up their traditional jobs and moving to other parts of India to find different work. The people who grow apricots are also struggling to find water for their crops, so they’re leaving Ladakh too. The changing landscape and lack of water are really affecting the lives of the people in Ladakh.

But there is some hope for Ladakh. An engineer named Sonam Wangchuk came up with a clever idea to help with the water shortage. He and his team made ice stupas, which are big cones of ice. They can be over 100 feet tall and they provide water for the community during the dry spring season. The ice stupas are not only helpful, but they’re also fun. People have competitions to see who can make the tallest stupa every year.

Wangchuk says that just having new inventions isn’t enough to solve the problem of climate change. He wants to use the ice stupas to make people aware of the need to change their behavior and to show that it’s not fair that the people in Ladakh are suffering because of pollution caused by other countries. Climate change is a problem for the whole world, so it’s really important for countries to work together to fight it and protect places like Ladakh.

Original news source: Climate change: The villagers building 100ft ice towers (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Each pair will read the article together and then summarize the main points in a news format. They can take turns being the news anchor and the reporter. After they have prepared their news summary, they will present it to the rest of the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into groups of four. Each group will discuss the following question: “Do you think it is important for countries to work together to fight climate change? Why or why not?” After discussing, each group will take turns presenting their opinions to the class. The rest of the class can ask questions or provide counterarguments.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Prepare a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. climate change, floods, glaciers, meadows, inventions). Divide the class into pairs. One student from each pair will choose a word from the list and draw a picture to represent it, while the other student guesses the word. They can switch roles after each word. The pair with the most correct guesses wins.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article. Set a timer for 3 minutes. Each pair will take turns summarizing the article to their partner within the time limit. After 3 minutes, they will switch roles. The pair with the most accurate and concise summary wins.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In small groups, students will discuss and make predictions about the future of Ladakh and other regions affected by climate change. They can discuss potential solutions, challenges, and possible outcomes. Each group will present their predictions to the class and engage in a group discussion.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What problem is the Ladakh region in northern India facing?
2. How often did floods used to happen in Ladakh?
3. How often do floods happen now in Ladakh?
4. What has caused the floods and other changes in Ladakh?
5. Why are farmers in Ladakh giving up their traditional jobs?
6. Why are people who grow apricots leaving Ladakh?
7. What are ice stupas and how do they help with the water shortage?
8. What does Sonam Wangchuk want to use the ice stupas for?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The Ladakh region in northern India is facing a big problem: (1)______ change. In the past, Ladakh had lots of sunny days and hardly any rain, so floods were very rare. But now, because of climate change, there have been terrible floods. They used to happen once every 70 years, but now they happen four (2)______ in less than 10 years. The (3)______ climate has also caused unpredictable (4)______ and the melting of glaciers, which means there isn’t enough water and it’s affecting the people who live there.

Because there isn’t enough water, the meadows where (5)______ keep their pashmina goats are (6)______ smaller. This means it’s not worth it for the farmers to keep so many goats, so they’re giving up their traditional jobs and moving to (7)______ parts of India to find different work. The people who grow apricots are also (8)______ to find water for their crops, so they’re leaving Ladakh too. The changing landscape and lack of water are really affecting the lives of the people in Ladakh.

But there is some hope for Ladakh. An engineer (9)______ Sonam (10)______ came up with a clever idea to help with the water shortage. He and his team made ice (11)______, which are big cones of ice. They can be over 100 feet tall and they provide water for the (12)______ during the dry spring season. The ice stupas are not only helpful, but they’re also fun. People have competitions to see who can make the tallest stupa every year.

Wangchuk says that just (13)______ new inventions isn’t enough to solve the problem of climate change. He wants to use the ice stupas to make (14)______ aware of the need to change their behavior and to show that it’s not fair that the people in (15)______ are suffering because of pollution caused by other countries. Climate change is a problem for the whole world, so it’s really important for countries to work together to fight it and protect (16)______ like Ladakh.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is climate change and why is it a problem?
2. How do you think the floods in Ladakh have affected the people who live there?
3. Do you think it is fair that the people in Ladakh are suffering because of pollution caused by other countries? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you had to give up your traditional job and move to a different place for work?
5. Do you think it’s important for countries to work together to fight climate change? Why or why not?
6. What do you think about the idea of making ice stupas to help with the water shortage in Ladakh?
7. How do you think the ice stupas are helpful to the community in Ladakh?
8. Why do you think people have competitions to see who can make the tallest stupa every year?
9. Do you think inventions alone can solve the problem of climate change? Why or why not?
10. How do you think the changing landscape and lack of water are affecting the lives of the people in Ladakh?
11. What other ways do you think people can raise awareness about climate change?
12. How do you think the meadows getting smaller is affecting the farmers and their pashmina goats?
13. If you were living in Ladakh, what would you do to cope with the water shortage?
14. Do you like the idea of the ice stupas being both helpful and fun? Why or why not?
15. How do you think the melting of glaciers is affecting the water supply in Ladakh?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Ladakh
2. floods
3. climate change
4. glaciers
5. water shortage
6. engineer
7. ice stupas
8. pollution

Meanings:
(a) Large masses of ice that are melting
(b) The problem of the Earth getting hotter
(c) A person who designs and builds things
(d) Not enough water available
(e) Cones made of ice that provide water
(f) Harmful substances in the air, water, or soil
(g) A region in northern India facing climate change
(h) Natural disasters caused by too much water
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the main problem that Ladakh is facing?
(a) Climate change
(b) Overpopulation
(c) Lack of resources
(d) Political unrest

2. How often did floods used to occur in Ladakh?
(a) Once every 10 years
(b) Once every 5 years
(c) Once every 100 years
(d) Once every 70 years

3. What is causing the meadows to shrink in Ladakh?
(a) Overgrazing
(b) Pollution
(c) Lack of water
(d) Soil erosion

4. Why are farmers giving up their traditional jobs in Ladakh?
(a) Better job opportunities in other parts of India
(b) Lack of water for their goats
(c) Decrease in demand for pashmina goats
(d) Climate change affecting their crops

5. What is the purpose of the ice stupas in Ladakh?
(a) To provide water during the dry spring season
(b) To create a tourist attraction
(c) To cool down the region during hot summers
(d) To prevent floods caused by melting glaciers

6. How tall can the ice stupas in Ladakh be?
(a) Over 50 feet
(b) Over 200 feet
(c) Over 20 feet
(d) Over 100 feet

7. What does Sonam Wangchuk want to achieve with the ice stupas?
(a) Provide entertainment for the community
(b) Raise awareness about climate change
(c) Solve the water shortage problem completely
(d) Encourage other countries to take responsibility for climate change

8. Why is it important for countries to work together to fight climate change?
(a) It will create more job opportunities
(b) It will make Ladakh a popular tourist destination
(c) Climate change affects the whole world
(d) It will prevent future floods in Ladakh

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Farmers in Ladakh are giving up their traditional jobs of raising pashmina goats due to the shrinking meadows caused by the water shortage.
2. An engineer named Sonam Wangchuk came up with the idea of ice stupas to worsen the water shortage in Ladakh.
3. Previously, floods in Ladakh occurred once every 70 years, but now they happen four times in more than 10 years.
4. Apricot growers in Ladakh are thriving to find water for their crops and are leaving the region.
5. Climate change has caused predictable snowfall and the freezing of glaciers in Ladakh.
6. Wangchuk believes that addressing climate change requires not only new inventions but also a change in behavior and international cooperation to protect places like Ladakh.
7. The changing climate has resulted in a water shortage in Ladakh, affecting the lives of the people who live there.
8. The Ladakh region in northern India is experiencing more frequent and severe floods due to climate change.
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 is the problem that the Ladakh region in northern India is facing?
2. How often did floods used to happen in Ladakh before climate change?
3. Why are farmers in Ladakh giving up their traditional jobs?
4. What is the solution that engineer Sonam Wangchuk came up with to help with the water shortage?
5. Why does Wangchuk think it’s important for countries to work together to fight climate change?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What problem is the Ladakh region in northern India facing?
The Ladakh region is facing the problem of climate change.

2. How often did floods used to happen in Ladakh?
Floods used to happen once every 70 years in Ladakh.

3. How often do floods happen now in Ladakh?
Now, floods happen four times in less than 10 years in Ladakh.

4. What has caused the floods and other changes in Ladakh?
Climate change has caused the floods and other changes in Ladakh.

5. Why are farmers in Ladakh giving up their traditional jobs?
Farmers in Ladakh are giving up their traditional jobs because there isn’t enough water for their pashmina goats, which makes it not worth it to keep so many goats.

6. Why are people who grow apricots leaving Ladakh?
People who grow apricots are leaving Ladakh because they are struggling to find water for their crops.

7. What are ice stupas and how do they help with the water shortage?
Ice stupas are big cones of ice that can be over 100 feet tall. They help with the water shortage by providing water for the community during the dry spring season.

8. What does Sonam Wangchuk want to use the ice stupas for?
Sonam Wangchuk wants to use the ice stupas to make people aware of the need to change their behavior and to show that it’s not fair that the people in Ladakh are suffering because of pollution caused by other countries.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) climate
(2) times
(3) changing
(4) snowfall
(5) farmers
(6) getting
(7) other
(8) struggling
(9) named
(10) Wangchuk
(11) stupas
(12) community
(13) having
(14) people
(15) Ladakh
(16) places
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Ladakh
Answer: (g) A region in northern India facing climate change

2. floods
Answer: (h) Natural disasters caused by too much water

3. climate change
Answer: (b) The problem of the Earth getting hotter

4. glaciers
Answer: (a) Large masses of ice that are melting

5. water shortage
Answer: (d) Not enough water available

6. engineer
Answer: (c) A person who designs and builds things

7. ice stupas
Answer: (e) Cones made of ice that provide water

8. pollution
Answer: (f) Harmful substances in the air, water, or soil
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the main problem that Ladakh is facing?
Answer: (a) Climate change

2. How often did floods used to occur in Ladakh?
Answer: (d) Once every 70 years

3. What is causing the meadows to shrink in Ladakh?
Answer: (c) Lack of water

4. Why are farmers giving up their traditional jobs in Ladakh?
Answer: (b) Lack of water for their goats

5. What is the purpose of the ice stupas in Ladakh?
Answer: (a) To provide water during the dry spring season

6. How tall can the ice stupas in Ladakh be?
Answer: (d) Over 100 feet

7. What does Sonam Wangchuk want to achieve with the ice stupas?
Answer: (b) Raise awareness about climate change

8. Why is it important for countries to work together to fight climate change?
Answer: (c) Climate change affects the whole world
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Farmers in Ladakh are giving up their traditional jobs of raising pashmina goats due to the shrinking meadows caused by the water shortage. (Answer: True)
2. An engineer named Sonam Wangchuk came up with the idea of ice stupas to worsen the water shortage in Ladakh. (Answer: False)
3. Previously, floods in Ladakh occurred once every 70 years, but now they happen four times in more than 10 years. (Answer: False)
4. Apricot growers in Ladakh are thriving to find water for their crops and are leaving the region. (Answer: False)
5. Climate change has caused predictable snowfall and the freezing of glaciers in Ladakh. (Answer: False)
6. Wangchuk believes that addressing climate change requires not only new inventions but also a change in behavior and international cooperation to protect places like Ladakh. (Answer: True)
7. The changing climate has resulted in a water shortage in Ladakh, affecting the lives of the people who live there. (Answer: True)
8. The Ladakh region in northern India is experiencing more frequent and severe floods due to climate change. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧