The Reading / Listening - Arctic Wildfires - Level 3

Hundreds of huge wildfires have broken out all across the Arctic Circle. Areas in the Arctic are warming twice as fast as anywhere else on the planet. There are so many fires and they are so big that the smoke from them can be seen from space. Meteorologists report that the Arctic is having its hottest June ever and is suffering its worst wildfire season on record. There are huge blazes covering large areas of Greenland, Siberia, Scandinavia and Alaska. In Alaska, there are as many as 400 fires burning out of control. In Greenland, melting on the vast Greenland ice sheet has started a month earlier than usual. The World Meteorological Organization has said the Arctic fires are "unprecedented".

Scientists say the fires and suffocating smoke could have an effect on global warming. Meteorologist Mark Parrington explained what is causing the wildfires. He said: "Temperatures in the Arctic have been increasing at a much faster rate than the global average, and warmer conditions encourage fires to grow and persist once they have been ignited." Dry ground, more lightning strikes and strong winds have caused the fires to spread very quickly. A lot of ice has melted and the flames have set fire to methane-filled earth below the ice. This is releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The fires have also caused serious habitat loss and have killed uncountable numbers of animals.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Arctic Wildfires - Level 0,  Arctic Wildfires - Level 1   or  Arctic Wildfires - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49125391
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/26/unprecedented-more-than-100-wildfires-burning-in-the-arctic-in-worst-ever-season
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/unprecedented-wildfires-are-ravaging-the-arctic-and-the-images-from-space-are-astonishing


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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. THE ARCTIC: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about the Arctic. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       wildfires / Arctic Circle / planet / smoke / space / meteorologists / Alaska / Siberia /
       global warming / temperatures / average / lightning / ice / methane / atmosphere
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. WILDFIRES: Students A strongly believe all countries should send resources to put out the Arctic Circle wildfires; Students B strongly believe that's not necessary.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. CLIMATE CHANGE: How serious are these problems? How can we deal with this? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

How Serious?

What We Can Do

Wildfires

 

 

Droughts

 

 

Hurricanes

 

 

Heatwaves

 

 

Rising sea levels

 

 

Melting glaciers

 

 
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. PLANET: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "planet". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. GLOBAL WARMING: Rank these with your partner. Put the biggest causes of global warming at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • factory farming
  • use of aerosols
  • overfishing
  • inability to change
  • wildfires
  • cars
  • deforestation
  • use of coal

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. huge a. A giant rock mass moving around a sun (like Earth or Mars).
      2. broken b. A very large or fiercely burning fire.
      3. planet c. Very, very, very big.
      4. suffering d. Something bad suddenly started.
      5. on record e. The state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship.
      6. blaze f. Ever.
      7. vast g. Of very great extent or quantity.

    Paragraph 2

      8. suffocating h. Continue doing something even if it is difficult.
      9. meteorologist i. Die or cause to die from lack of air or inability to breathe.
      10. temperature j. Give support, confidence, or hope to someone.
      11. encourage k. Became liquid or soft and runny because of heat.
      12. persist l. An expert in or student of the weather.
      13. melted m. The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
      14. habitat n. How hot or cold something is in Celsius (ºC) of Fahrenheit (ºF).

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The article said there are thousands of fires burning in the Arctic Circle.   T / F
  2. The Arctic Circle is warming at half the speed as the rest of the planet.    T / F
  3. This wildfire season is the worst ever for the Arctic Circle.     T / F
  4. The Greenland ice sheet started melting a month later than usual.     T / F
  5. The smoke from the fires will not affect global warming.     T / F
  6. Dry ground has caused the fires to spread more quickly.     T / F
  7. The fires have ignited methane in the earth below the ice.     T / F
  8. The article said the fires have killed uncountable numbers of animals.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. broken out
  2. suffering
  3. covering
  4. vast
  5. unprecedented
  6. suffocating
  7. rate
  8. ignited
  9. amounts
  10. habitat
  1. huge
  2. speed
  3. unheard of
  4. volume
  5. experiencing
  6. set alight
  7. started
  8. natural environment
  9. blanketing
  10. choking

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. Hundreds of huge wildfires have
  2. warming twice as fast as anywhere else
  3. huge blazes covering
  4. melting on the vast
  5. the Arctic fires are
  6. the fires and suffocating
  7. increasing at a much faster rate
  8. encourage fires to grow and persist once
  9. set fire to methane-
  10. The fires have also caused serious habitat
  1. large areas of Greenland
  2. loss
  3. "unprecedented"
  4. than the global average
  5. smoke
  6. on the planet
  7. filled earth below
  8. broken out
  9. they have been ignited
  10. Greenland ice sheet

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
twice
ever
covering
so
usual
huge
control
record

Hundreds of (1) ____________ wildfires have broken out all across the Arctic Circle. Areas in the Arctic are warming (2) ____________ as fast as anywhere else on the planet. There are so many fires and they are (3) ____________ big that the smoke from them can be seen from space. Meteorologists report that the Arctic is having its hottest June (4) ____________ and is suffering its worst wildfire season on (5) ____________. There are huge blazes (6) ____________ large areas of Greenland, Siberia, Scandinavia and Alaska. In Alaska, there are as many as 400 fires burning out of (7) ____________. In Greenland, melting on the vast Greenland ice sheet has started a month earlier than (8) ____________. The World Meteorological Organization has said the Arctic fires are "unprecedented".

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
rate
melted
loss
effect
atmosphere
causing
ignited
amounts

Scientists say the fires and suffocating smoke could have an (9) ____________ on global warming. Meteorologist Mark Parrington explained what is (10) ____________ the wildfires. He said: "Temperatures in the Arctic have been increasing at a much faster (11) ____________ than the global average, and warmer conditions encourage fires to grow and persist once they have been (12) ____________." Dry ground, more lightning strikes and strong winds have caused the fires to spread very quickly. A lot of ice has (13) ____________ and the flames have set fire to methane-filled earth below the ice. This is releasing huge (14) ____________ of carbon dioxide into the (15) ____________. The fires have also caused serious habitat (16) ____________ and have killed uncountable numbers of animals.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  Hundreds of huge wildfires have broken out ______ Arctic Circle
     a.  all a cross the
     b.  all a crossed the
     c.  all axis the
     d.  all across the
2)  the Arctic is having its hottest June ever and is suffering its worst wildfire ______
     a.  seasonal on record
     b.  season on record
     c.  seasoned on record
     d.  seasons on record
3)  In Alaska, there are as many as 400 fires burning ______
     a.  out of control
     b.  out off control
     c.  outer control
     d.  out a control
4)  melting on the vast Greenland ice sheet has started a month ______
     a.  earlier that usual
     b.  earlier then usual
     c.  earlier than usual
     d.  earlier that's usual
5)  he World Meteorological Organization has said the Arctic fires ______
     a.  are "un-presented"
     b.  are "a presented"
     c.  are "unprecedented"
     d.  are "up press indented"

6)  Scientists say the fires and suffocating smoke could ______
     a.  have an effect
     b.  have an affect
     c.  have an infect
     d.  have an reflect
7)  Temperatures in the Arctic have been increasing at a much faster rate than the ______
     a.  globe all average
     b.  globally average
     c.  globalise average
     d.  global average
8)  A lot of ice has melted and the flames have set fire to methane-______
     a.  fill dearth
     b.  filled earth
     c.  file dearth
     d.  filed dearth
9)  This is releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into ______
     a.  the atmospheres
     b.  the atmospherics
     c.  the atmosphere
     d.  the atmospherically
10)  The fires have also caused serious habitat loss and have killed uncountable ______
     a.  number of animals
     b.  numbers off animals
     c.  numbers of animal
     d.  numbers of animals

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Hundreds of huge wildfires have broken (1) ___________________ the Arctic Circle. Areas in the Arctic are warming twice as (2) ___________________ else on the planet. There are so many fires and they are so big that the smoke from them can be (3) ___________________. Meteorologists report that the Arctic is having its hottest June ever and is suffering its worst wildfire season on record. There are (4) ___________________ large areas of Greenland, Siberia, Scandinavia and Alaska. In Alaska, there are as many as 400 fires burning (5) ___________________. In Greenland, melting on the vast Greenland ice sheet has started a month (6) ___________________. The World Meteorological Organization has said the Arctic fires are "unprecedented".

Scientists say the fires and (7) ___________________ have an effect on global warming. Meteorologist Mark Parrington explained what is causing the wildfires. He said: "Temperatures in the Arctic have been increasing at a much (8) ___________________ the global average, and warmer conditions encourage fires to (9) ___________________ once they have been ignited." Dry ground, more lightning strikes and strong winds have caused the fires to spread very quickly. A lot of (10) ___________________ and the flames have set fire to methane-filled earth below the ice. This is releasing (11) ___________________ carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The fires have also caused serious habitat loss and have killed uncountable (12) ___________________.

Comprehension questions

  1. How many fires did the article say are burning in the Arctic Circle?
  2. What kind of season is the worst ever for the Arctic Circle?
  3. How many fires are burning out of control in Alaska?
  4. What has started melting a month earlier than usual?
  5. What did the World Meteorological Organization call the fires?
  6. What did scientists say could have an effect on global warming?
  7. What has been increasing at a much faster rate than the global average?
  8. What is spreading the fires besides lightning strikes and strong winds?
  9. What is burning methane releasing into the atmosphere?
  10. How many animals have the fires killed?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How many fires did the article say are burning in the Arctic Circle?
a) 182
b) thousands
c) dozens
d) hundreds
2) What kind of season is the worst ever for the Arctic Circle?
a) rainy season
b) its wildfire season
c) summer
d) autumn
3) How many fires are burning out of control in Alaska?
a) exactly 400
b) well over 400
c) as many as 400
d) about 400
4) What has started melting a month earlier than usual?
a) the Greenland ice sheet
b) the Siberian tundra
c) Norwegian fjords
d) ice cream
5) What did the World Meteorological Organization call the fires?
a) scary
b) a huge danger to the world
c) unprecedented
d) manageable

6) What did scientists say could have an effect on global warming?
a) traffic
b) fires and suffocating smoke
c) melting ice
d) rising sea levels
7) What has been increasing at a much faster rate than the global average?
a) global warming
b) sea levels
c) melting sea ice
d) temperatures in the Arctic
8) What is spreading the fires besides lightning strikes and strong winds?
a) dry ground
b) camp fires
c) ozone
d) arsonists
9) What is burning methane releasing into the atmosphere?
a) ash
b) smoke
c) carbon dioxide
d) nitrogen
10) How many animals have the fires killed?
a) millions
b) uncountable numbers
c) dozens
d) hundreds of thousands

Role play

Role  A – Wildfires
You think wildfires are the biggest causes of global warming. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): cars, deforestation or inability to change.

Role  B – Cars
You think cars the biggest causes of global warming. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): wildfires, deforestation or inability to change.

Role  C – Deforestation
You think deforestation is biggest cause of global warming. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): cars, wildfires or inability to change.

Role  D – Inability to Change
You think our inability to change is biggest cause of global warming. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): cars, deforestation or wildfires.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'wild'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'fire'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • effect
    • rate
    • grow
    • strong
    • methane
    • loss
    • broken
    • space
    • ever
    • huge
    • control
    • usual

    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 - Arctic wildfires visible from space

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'wildfire'?
    3. What do you know about the Arctic?
    4. What do you think of global warming?
    5. Why has this news got less attention than the Notre Dame fire?
    6. How can we stop the fires in the Arctic?
    7. How often are there wildfires in your country?
    8. What happens if the Greenland ice shelf melts?
    9. Why are there so many fires in the Arctic?
    10. How has the weather been recently in your country?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'Arctic'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you know about global warming?
    5. What would you do if you were caught in a wildfire?
    6. What do you know about the methane under the tundra in Siberia?
    7. What three adjectives best describe this story?
    8. What will the world's climate be like in 20, 50 and 100 years from now?
    9. How can we help animals in wildfires?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the meteorologists?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    Hundreds of huge wildfires have broken (1) ____ all across the Arctic Circle. Areas in the Arctic are warming (2) ____ as fast as anywhere else on the planet. There are so many fires and they are so big that the smoke from them can be (3) ____ from space. Meteorologists report that the Arctic is having its hottest June ever and is suffering its worst wildfire season (4) ____ record. There are huge blazes covering large areas of Greenland, Siberia, Scandinavia and Alaska. In Alaska, there are as many as 400 fires burning out of (5) ____. In Greenland, melting on the vast Greenland ice (6) ____ has started a month earlier than usual. The World Meteorological Organization has said the Arctic fires are "unprecedented".

    Scientists say the fires and suffocating smoke could have an effect (7) ____ global warming. Meteorologist Mark Parrington explained what is causing the wildfires. He said: "Temperatures in the Arctic have been increasing (8) ____ a much faster rate than the global average, and warmer conditions encourage fires to grow and persist once they have been ignited." Dry ground, more (9) ____ strikes and strong winds have caused the fires to spread very quickly. A lot of ice has (10) ____ and the flames have set fire to methane-filled earth below the ice. This is (11) ____ huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The fires have also caused serious habitat loss and have killed (12) ____ numbers of animals.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     in     (b)     out     (c)     up     (d)     down    
    2. (a)     double     (b)     twice     (c)     duo     (d)     two    
    3. (a)     sees     (b)     seeing     (c)     scene     (d)     seen    
    4. (a)     in     (b)     on     (c)     at     (d)     to    
    5. (a)     points     (b)     penalty     (c)     corner     (d)     control    
    6. (a)     cloth     (b)     blanket     (c)     sheet     (d)     quilt    
    7. (a)     on     (b)     to     (c)     as     (d)     in    
    8. (a)     on     (b)     of     (c)     at     (d)     up    
    9. (a)     lighten     (b)     light     (c)     lighter     (d)     lightning    
    10. (a)     melted     (b)     molten     (c)     molded     (d)     matted    
    11. (a)     releasing     (b)     release     (c)     releases     (d)     released    
    12. (a)     uncountable     (b)     counting     (c)     counted     (d)     counts

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. Hundreds of huge wildfires have onrkbe out
    2. anywhere else on the etpnla
    3. its worst wildfire esoans on record
    4. There are huge ebalsz
    5. started a month earlier than uslau
    6. fires are ncddeepenuert

    Paragraph 2

    1. fires and ffiacugotsn smoke
    2. have an feeftc on global warming
    3. at a much faster rate than the global earagev
    4. the femlsa have set fire to methane-filled earth
    5. athitba loss
    6. tcuunlebnao numbers of animals

    Put the text back together

    (...)  fast as anywhere else on the planet. There are so many fires and they are so big that the smoke from them can
    (...)  be seen from space. Meteorologists report that the Arctic is having its hottest June ever and is
    (...)  suffering its worst wildfire season on record. There are huge blazes covering large areas of Greenland,
    (...)  explained what is causing the wildfires. He said: "Temperatures in the Arctic have been increasing at a much faster
    (...)  the fires to spread very quickly. A lot of ice has melted and the flames have set fire to methane-
    (  1  ) Hundreds of huge wildfires have broken out all across the Arctic Circle. Areas in the Arctic are warming twice as
    (...)  rate than the global average, and warmer conditions encourage fires to grow and persist
    (...)  atmosphere. The fires have also caused serious habitat loss and have killed uncountable numbers of animals.
    (...)  once they have been ignited." Dry ground, more lightning strikes and strong winds have caused
    (...)  Scientists say the fires and suffocating smoke could have an effect on global warming. Meteorologist Mark Parrington
    (...)  control. In Greenland, melting on the vast Greenland ice sheet has started a month earlier than
    (...)  Siberia, Scandinavia and Alaska. In Alaska, there are as many as 400 fires burning out of
    (...)  usual. The World Meteorological Organization has said the Arctic fires are "unprecedented".
    (...)  filled earth below the ice. This is releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the

    Put the words in the right order

    1. the   Arctic   .   all   out   across   Wildfires   have   broken
    2. space   .   can   seen   from   from   Smoke   them   be
    3. is   June   hottest   having   its   The   Arctic   ever   .
    4. as   many   fires   burning   .   as   There   are   400
    5. sheet   Greenland   on   ice   started   .   has   Melting   the
    6. effect   warming   .   on   an   Smoke   have   global   could
    7. caused   winds   fires   the   Strong   have   to   spread   .
    8. below   methane-filled   to   fire   the   Set   ice   .   earth
    9. carbon   huge   releasing   dioxide   .   is   of   This   amounts
    10. habitat   The   loss   .   serious   have   also   fires   caused

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Hundreds of huge wildfires have broken up / out all across the Arctic Circle. Areas in the Arctic are warming twice as fast / faster as anywhere else on the planet. There are so many / much fires and they are so big that the smoke from them can be seeing / seen from space. Meteorologists report that the Arctic is having its hottest June ever and is suffered / suffering its worst wildfire season on record. There are huge emblazons / blazes covering large areas of Greenland, Siberia, Scandinavia and Alaska. In Alaska, there are as many as 400 fires burning out of control / controlling. In Greenland, melting on the vast / waste Greenland ice sheet has started a month earlier than usual / that. The World Meteorological Organization has said the Arctic fires are "unprecedented" / "unprotected".

    Scientists say the fires and scaffolding / suffocating smoke could have an effect on / in global warming. Meteorologist Mark Parrington explained what is caused / causing the wildfires. He said: "Temperatures in the Arctic have been increasing at a much fast / faster rate than the global average, and warmer conditions encourage fires to grow and persist twice / once they have been ignited." Dry ground, more lightning strokes / strikes and strong winds have caused the fires to spread very quickly. A lot of ice / icy has melted and the flames have wet / set fire to methane-filled earth below the ice. This is releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the / an atmosphere. The fires have also caused serious habitat loses / loss and have killed uncountable numbers of animals.

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    H_n d r_d s _f h_g_ w_l d f_r_s h_v_ b r_k_n __ t _l l _c r_s s t h_ A r c t_c C_r c l_. A r__ s _n t h_ A r c t_c _r_ w_r m_n g t w_c_ _s f_s t _s _n y w h_r_ _l s_ _n t h_ p l_n_t . T h_r_ _r_ s_ m_n y f_r_s _n d t h_y _r_ s_ b_g t h_t t h_ s m_k_ f r_m t h_m c_n b_ s__ n f r_m s p_c_. M_t__ r_l_g_s t s r_p_r t t h_t t h_ A r c t_c _s h_v_n g _t s h_t t_s t J_n_ _v_r _n d _s s_f f_r_n g _t s w_r s t w_l d f_r_ s__ s_n _n r_c_r d . T h_r_ _r_ h_g_ b l_z_s c_v_r_n g l_r g_ _r__ s _f G r__ n l_n d , S_b_r__ , S c_n d_n_v__ _n d A l_s k_. I n A l_s k_, t h_r_ _r_ _s m_n y _s 4 0 0 f_r_s b_r n_n g __ t _f c_n t r_l . I n G r__ n l_n d , m_l t_n g _n t h_ v_s t G r__ n l_n d _c_ s h__ t h_s s t_r t_d _ m_n t h __ r l__ r t h_n _s__ l . T h_ W_r l d M_t__ r_l_g_c_l O r g_n_z_t__ n h_s s__ d t h_ A r c t_c f_r_s _r_ "_n p r_c_d_n t_d " .

    S c__ n t_s t s s_y t h_ f_r_s _n d s_f f_c_t_n g s m_k_ c__ l d h_v_ _n _f f_c t _n g l_b_l w_r m_n g . M_t__ r_l_g_s t M_r k P_r r_n g t_n _x p l__ n_d w h_t _s c__ s_n g t h_ w_l d f_r_s . H_ s__ d : " T_m p_r_t_r_s _n t h_ A r c t_c h_v_ b__ n _n c r__ s_n g _t _ m_c h f_s t_r r_t_ t h_n t h_ g l_b_l _v_r_g_, _n d w_r m_r c_n d_t__ n s _n c__ r_g_ f_r_s t_ g r_w _n d p_r s_s t _n c_ t h_y h_v_ b__ n _g n_t_d . " D r y g r__ n d , m_r_ l_g h t n_n g s t r_k_s _n d s t r_n g w_n d s h_v_ c__ s_d t h_ f_r_s t_ s p r__ d v_r y q__ c k l y . A l_t _f _c_ h_s m_l t_d _n d t h_ f l_m_s h_v_ s_t f_r_ t_ m_t h_n_- f_l l_d __ r t h b_l_w t h_ _c_. T h_s _s r_l__ s_n g h_g_ _m__ n t s _f c_r b_n d__ x_d_ _n t_ t h_ _t m_s p h_r_. T h_ f_r_s h_v_ _l s_ c__ s_d s_r___s h_b_t_t l_s s _n d h_v_ k_l l_d _n c__ n t_b l_ n_m b_r s _f _n_m_l s .

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    hundreds of huge wildfires have broken out all across the arctic circle areas in the arctic are warming twice as fast as anywhere else on the planet there are so many fires and they are so big that the smoke from them can be seen from space meteorologists report that the arctic is having its hottest june ever and is suffering its worst wildfire season on record there are huge blazes covering large areas of greenland siberia scandinavia and alaska in alaska there are as many as 400 fires burning out of control in greenland melting on the vast greenland ice sheet has started a month earlier than usual the world meteorological organization has said the arctic fires are unprecedented

    scientists say the fires and suffocating smoke could have an effect on global warming meteorologist mark parrington explained what is causing the wildfires he said temperatures in the arctic have been increasing at a much faster rate than the global average and warmer conditions encourage fires to grow and persist once they have been ignited dry ground more lightning strikes and strong winds have caused the fires to spread very quickly a lot of ice has melted and the flames have set fire to methanefilled earth below the ice this is releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere the fires have also caused serious habitat loss and have killed uncountable numbers of animals.

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    HundredsofhugewildfireshavebrokenoutallacrosstheArcticCircle.Ar
    easintheArcticarewarmingtwiceasfastasanywhereelseontheplanet.
    Therearesomanyfiresandtheyaresobigthatthesmokefromthemcanb
    eseenfromspace.MeteorologistsreportthattheArcticishavingitshotte
    stJuneeverandissufferingitsworstwildfireseasononrecord.Thereare
    hugeblazescoveringlargeareasofGreenland,Siberia,Scandinaviaand
    Alaska.InAlaska,thereareasmanyas400firesburningoutofcontrol.In
    Greenland,meltingonthevastGreenlandicesheethasstartedamonthe
    arlierthanusual.TheWorldMeteorologicalOrganizationhassaidtheArc
    ticfiresare"unprecedented".Scientistssaythefiresandsuffocatingsm
    okecouldhaveaneffectonglobalwarming.MeteorologistMarkParringt
    onexplainedwhatiscausingthewildfires.Hesaid:"Temperaturesinthe
    Arctichavebeenincreasingatamuchfasterratethantheglobalaverage,
    andwarmerconditionsencouragefirestogrowandpersistoncetheyhav
    ebeenignited."Dryground,morelightningstrikesandstrongwindshav
    ecausedthefirestospreadveryquickly.Alotoficehasmeltedandthefla
    meshavesetfiretomethane-filledearthbelowtheice.Thisisreleasing
    hugeamountsofcarbondioxideintotheatmosphere.Thefireshavealso
    causedserioushabitatlossandhavekilleduncountablenumbersofanim
    als.

    Free writing

    Write about Arctic wildfires for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    People cared more about the Notre Dame fire than about the Arctic wildfires. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. THE ARCTIC: Make a poster about the Arctic. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. WILDFIRES: Write a magazine article about governments spending more money to fight wildfires. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. THE ARCTIC: Write a letter to an expert on the Arctic. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how we can protect it. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

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    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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