Wind power has been used more than gas in the UK for the first time. In the first three months of this year, wind farms made one third of the country’s electricity. This is what a study from Imperial College London showed. The National Grid also said that last month, there was a new record for solar energy made.
The UK wants to have all of its electricity make no pollution by 2035. Iain Staffell, an energy researcher, said that wind making more power than gas is a big step. But there are still many things to do before there is no pollution from energy.
Most of the UK’s wind power comes from big wind farms in the sea. Since 2015, it has been hard to build new wind turbines on land. But the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in December that this will change to make it easier to build new wind turbines.
Using wind and sun power is important to help the Earth. Last year, the UK had its hottest year ever. In the first three months of 2023, 42% of the UK’s electricity came from wind and sun power. But there are still many things that need energy, like heating our homes and cars. Right now, most UK homes use gas for heating. The government wants people to use electricity instead.
Original news source: Wind is main source of UK electricity for first time (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Wind Power Charades
Instructions: Divide the students into two teams. Have one student from each team come up to the front of the class. Show them a word or phrase related to the article (e.g., wind power, solar energy, pollution, wind farm, turbine) and have them act it out for their team to guess. The team that guesses correctly first earns a point. Continue with different students and words until each student has had a turn.
– Energy Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Provide each group with a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. Give them a list of vocabulary words related to the article (e.g., wind power, gas, pollution, wind farm, solar energy). Students should take turns drawing a picture to represent the word while their partner or group members try to guess the word. Encourage students to use simple drawings and not to write any words or letters on their paper.
– Environmental Bingo
Instructions: Create a simple 3×3 or 4×4 bingo grid for each student, and fill the squares with vocabulary words from the article (e.g., wind power, gas, pollution, wind farm, solar energy). Call out the words one at a time, and have students mark the corresponding square on their grid. The first student to complete a row, column, or diagonal and shouts “Bingo!” is the winner. You can play multiple rounds if desired.
– Sentence Scramble
Instructions: Write several sentences from the article on the board or on slips of paper, with the words scrambled. Divide the students into pairs or small groups, and have them work together to unscramble the sentences and write them correctly on a piece of paper. The first team to correctly unscramble all the sentences wins.
– Energy Ball Toss
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams and have them stand on opposite sides of the room. Give one team a soft ball or bean bag. Call out a vocabulary word related to the article (e.g., wind power, gas, pollution, wind farm, solar energy), and the team with the ball must use the word in a sentence. Once they have done so, they can toss the ball to the other team, who must then do the same with a new word. Continue until all the vocabulary words have been used in sentences.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What made one third of the UK’s electricity in the first three months of this year?
2. What is the UK’s goal for electricity and pollution by 2035?
3. Which power was used more than gas in the UK for the first time?
4. Where does most of the UK’s wind power come from?
5. What did the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak say about building new wind turbines?
6. Why is using wind and sun power important?
7. In the first three months of 2023, what percent of the UK’s electricity came from wind and sun power?
8. What does the government want people to use for heating their homes instead of gas?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Wind power has been used more than gas in the UK for the first time. In the first three months of this year, wind farms made one third of the country’s electricity. This is what a study from (1)______ College London showed. The National Grid also said that last month, there was a new record for (2)______ energy made.
The UK wants to have all of its electricity make no pollution by 2035. Iain Staffell, an energy researcher, said that wind making more power than gas is a big step. But there are still many things to do before there is no pollution from energy.
Most of the UK’s wind power comes from big wind farms in the (3)______. Since 2015, it has been hard to build new wind turbines on land. But the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in December that this will change to make it easier to build new wind turbines.
Using wind and sun power is important to help the Earth. Last year, the UK had its hottest year ever. In the first three months of (4)______, 42% of the UK’s electricity came from wind and sun power. But there are still many things that need energy, like heating our homes and cars. Right now, most UK homes use gas for heating. The government wants people to use (5)______ instead.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is wind power?
2. Do you like wind farms?
3. How does the sun make energy?
4. Which is better, wind or gas?
5. What is pollution?
6. How can we make less pollution?
7. Have you seen a wind turbine?
8. Where do we use electricity?
9. Can wind power help the Earth?
10. Was last year very hot?
11. What do we use to heat our homes?
12. Do you like solar energy?
13. How can we use more wind power?
14. What is the UK’s goal for 2035?
15. Can wind power help cars go?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. wind power
2. gas
3. electricity
4. pollution
5. wind farms
6. solar energy
7. turbines
8. heating
Shuffled Meanings:
A) A way to make electricity using the wind
B) A type of energy that comes from the sun
C) A kind of fuel used for cooking and heating
D) Machines that use wind to make electricity
E) Bad things in the air, water, or ground that can harm living beings
F) Large areas with many machines that use wind to make electricity
G) Keeping our homes warm
H) Energy used to make things work, like lights and machines
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What kind of power was used more than gas in the UK for the first time?
(a) solar power
(b) wind power
(c) water power
(d) coal power
2. In the first three months of this year, what percentage of the UK’s electricity was made by wind farms?
(a) 25%
(b) 50%
(c) 10%
(d) 33%
3. What did the National Grid say about solar energy last month?
(a) It made a new record
(b) It was not used at all
(c) It caused pollution
(d) It was too expensive
4. When does the UK want to have all of its electricity make no pollution?
(a) 2035
(b) 2045
(c) 2055
(d) 2065
5. Where does most of the UK’s wind power come from?
(a) small wind turbines on land
(b) big wind farms in the sea
(c) solar panels
(d) water power plants
6. What did Prime Minister Rishi Sunak say in December?
(a) It will be harder to build wind turbines
(b) Wind power is not important
(c) It will be easier to build wind turbines
(d) Gas power is better than wind power
7. In the first three months of 2023, what percentage of the UK’s electricity came from wind and sun power?
(a) 30%
(b) 42%
(c) 55%
(d) 60%
8. What does the government want people to use for heating their homes instead of gas?
(a) coal
(b) water power
(c) solar power
(d) electricity
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Wind power is used more than gas in the UK.
2. Wind farms made half of the country’s electricity in the first three months of this year.
3. The UK wants to have all of its electricity make no pollution by 2035.
4. Most of the UK’s wind power comes from big wind farms in the sea.
5. It is very easy to build new wind turbines on land in the UK.
6. Last year, the UK had its coldest year ever.
7. In the first three months of 2023, 42% of the UK’s electricity came from wind and sun power.
8. Most UK homes use gas for heating.
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 made more electricity in the UK for the first time?
2. How much of the UK’s electricity came from wind farms in the first three months of this year?
3. What does the UK want to do by 2035?
4. Why is using wind and sun power important?
5. What do most UK homes use for heating?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What made one third of the UK’s electricity in the first three months of this year?
Wind farms made one third of the UK’s electricity.
2. What is the UK’s goal for electricity and pollution by 2035?
The UK wants all of its electricity to make no pollution by 2035.
3. Which power was used more than gas in the UK for the first time?
Wind power was used more than gas for the first time.
4. Where does most of the UK’s wind power come from?
Most of the UK’s wind power comes from big wind farms in the sea.
5. What did the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak say about building new wind turbines?
He said that it will become easier to build new wind turbines.
6. Why is using wind and sun power important?
Using wind and sun power is important to help the Earth.
7. In the first three months of 2023, what percent of the UK’s electricity came from wind and sun power?
42% of the UK’s electricity came from wind and sun power.
8. What does the government want people to use for heating their homes instead of gas?
The government wants people to use electricity for heating their homes instead of gas.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
1. Imperial
2. solar
3. sea
4. 2023
5. electricity
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. wind power
Answer: A) A way to make electricity using the wind
2. gas
Answer: C) A kind of fuel used for cooking and heating
3. electricity
Answer: H) Energy used to make things work, like lights and machines
4. pollution
Answer: E) Bad things in the air, water, or ground that can harm living beings
5. wind farms
Answer: F) Large areas with many machines that use wind to make electricity
6. solar energy
Answer: B) A type of energy that comes from the sun
7. turbines
Answer: D) Machines that use wind to make electricity
8. heating
Answer: G) Keeping our homes warm
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What kind of power was used more than gas in the UK for the first time?
Answer: (b) wind power
2. In the first three months of this year, what percentage of the UK’s electricity was made by wind farms?
Answer: (d) 33%
3. What did the National Grid say about solar energy last month?
Answer: (a) It made a new record
4. When does the UK want to have all of its electricity make no pollution?
Answer: (a) 2035
5. Where does most of the UK’s wind power come from?
Answer: (b) big wind farms in the sea
6. What did Prime Minister Rishi Sunak say in December?
Answer: (c) It will be easier to build wind turbines
7. In the first three months of 2023, what percentage of the UK’s electricity came from wind and sun power?
Answer: (b) 42%
8. What does the government want people to use for heating their homes instead of gas?
Answer: (d) electricity
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Wind power is used more than gas in the UK.
Answer: True
2. Wind farms made half of the country’s electricity in the first three months of this year.
Answer: False
3. The UK wants to have all of its electricity make no pollution by 2035.
Answer: True
4. Most of the UK’s wind power comes from big wind farms in the sea.
Answer: True
5. It is very easy to build new wind turbines on land in the UK.
Answer: False
6. Last year, the UK had its coldest year ever.
Answer: False
7. In the first three months of 2023, 42% of the UK’s electricity came from wind and sun power.
Answer: False
8. Most UK homes use gas for heating.
Answer: True
Go back to questions ⇧
