The Reading / Listening - Extinction Rebellion - Level 5

London police arrested more than 1,000 protestors last week. Many of central London's busiest areas were brought to a standstill as thousands of protestors staged peaceful protests on bridges and roads. The protestors are part of the Extinction Rebellion. This is a movement focused on getting the UK government to declare climate change as a global emergency. It wants the UK to reduce its carbon footprint. It has three main demands: for the government to "tell the truth about climate change"; to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2025; and to create a citizens' assembly to check any progress.

Sweden's 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg met leaders of the UK's political parties. She is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and started the global school protests. She told politicians that the future of the world's children had been "sold so that a small number of people can make unimaginable amounts of money". She added: "You don't listen to the science because you are only interested in the answers that will allow you to carry on as if nothing has happened." One protestor said: "I support Extinction Rebellion. Civil disobedience is important to show this is an emergency."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Extinction Rebellion - Level 4 or  Extinction Rebellion - Level 6

Sources
  • https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/22/climate-change-activists-turn-government-almost-1000-arrests-9283294/
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-48023800
  • https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/22/greta-thunberg-backs-general-strike-climate-change-environment


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. central London's busiest
  2. brought to a
  3. protestors staged
  4. declare climate change as
  5. reduce its carbon
  6. reduce carbon
  7. create a citizens'
  8. check any
  1. a global emergency
  2. assembly
  3. areas
  4. progress
  5. standstill
  6. peaceful protests
  7. emissions
  8. footprint

Paragraph 2

  1. leaders of the UK's political
  2. a Nobel Peace Prize
  3. make unimaginable
  4. You don't listen
  5. allow you to
  6. as if nothing has
  7. Civil disobedience is
  8. this is an
  1. emergency
  2. amounts of money
  3. carry on
  4. important
  5. parties
  6. nominee
  7. happened
  8. to the science

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

London police (1) ___________________ 1,000 protestors last week. Many of central London's busiest areas were brought (2) ___________________ as thousands of protestors staged (3) ___________________ bridges and roads. The protestors are part of the Extinction Rebellion. This is a movement focused on getting the UK government (4) ___________________ change as a global emergency. It wants the UK to reduce its carbon footprint. It has three main demands: for the government to "(5) ___________________ about climate change"; to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2025; and to (6) ___________________ assembly to check any progress.

Sweden's 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg (7) ___________________ the UK's political parties. She is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and started the global school protests. She (8) ___________________ the future of the world's children had been "sold so that a small number of people can make unimaginable (9) ___________________". She added: "You don't listen to the science because you are only interested (10) ___________________ that will allow you to carry (11) ___________________ nothing has happened." One protestor said: "I support Extinction Rebellion. (12) ___________________ important to show this is an emergency."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Londonpolicearrestedmorethan1,000protestorslastweek.Manyofce
ntralLondon'sbusiestareaswerebroughttoastandstillasthousandsof
protestorsstagedpeacefulprotestsonbridgesandroads.Theprotestor
sarepartoftheExtinctionRebellion.Thisisamovementfocusedongetti
ngtheUKgovernmenttodeclareclimatechangeasaglobalemergency.I
twantstheUKtoreduceitscarbonfootprint.Ithasthreemaindemands:f
orthegovernmentto"tellthetruthaboutclimatechange";toreducecarb
onemissionstozeroby2025;andtocreateacitizens'assemblytochecka
nyprogress.Sweden's16-year-oldactivistGretaThunbergmetleade
rsoftheUK'spoliticalparties.SheisaNobelPeacePrizenomineeandstart
edtheglobalschoolprotests.Shetoldpoliticiansthatthefutureofthewor
ld'schildrenhadbeen"soldsothatasmallnumberofpeoplecanmakeuni
maginableamountsofmoney".Sheadded:"Youdon'tlistentothescienc
ebecauseyouareonlyinterestedintheanswersthatwillallowyoutocarr
yonasifnothinghashappened."Oneprotestorsaid:"IsupportExtinctio
nRebellion.Civildisobedienceisimportanttoshowthisisanemergency.
"

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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