The Reading / Listening - Free School Meals - Level 0

The UK voted against giving children free school lunches in the holidays. There was an idea to give children a $20 food voucher every week. In the summer, a Manchester United footballer got the UK government to U-turn and give school lunches to poorer children. He wants this to happen again.

British people are angry. Many children will not eat lunch in the holidays. The UK leader said he would not U-turn. He said he "totally understands" hunger. People said this was not true because he is rich. People are also angry that COVID-19 workers in the UK get over $8,000 a day, but a child cannot get a free lunch.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Free School Meals - Level 1,  Free School Meals - Level 2   or  Free School Meals - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/oct/25/no-10-under-growing-pressure-to-u-turn-over-free-school-meals
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/uk-doctors-demand-free-meals-for-kids-as-covid-fuels-hunger/2020/10/25/d133c606-16c6-11eb-8bda-814ca56e138b_story.html
  • https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/tories-misunderstood-mood-nation-free-school-meals-bernard-jenkin-boris-johnson-marcus-rashford-737047


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. school lunches
  2. There was an
  3. a $20 food voucher
  4. In the
  5. got the UK government
  6. school
  7. poorer
  8. He wants this to
  1. summer
  2. children
  3. in the holidays
  4. happen again
  5. every week
  6. to U-turn
  7. lunches
  8. idea

Paragraph 2

  1. British people are
  2. Many children will not eat lunch
  3. The UK leader said he would
  4. he totally
  5. this was not true because
  6. COVID-19 workers
  7. get over
  8. get a free
  1. he is rich
  2. angry
  3. lunch
  4. $8,000 a day
  5. not U-turn
  6. understands hunger
  7. in the UK
  8. in the holidays

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The UK (1) ___________________ children free school lunches in the holidays. There (2) ___________________ to give children a $20 food (3) ___________________. In the summer, a Manchester United footballer (4) ___________________ government to U-turn and (5) ___________________ to poorer children. He wants this (6) ___________________.

British (7) ___________________. Many children will not eat lunch in the holidays. The UK leader (8) ___________________ not U-turn. He said he (9) ___________________. People said this was not true because (10) ___________________. People are also angry that COVID-19 workers in the (11) ___________________ $8,000 a day, but a child (12) ___________________ free lunch.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheUKvotedagainstgivingchildrenfreeschoollunchesintheholidays.T
herewasanideatogivechildrena$20foodvouchereveryweek.Inthesu
mmer,aManchesterUnitedfootballergottheUKgovernmenttoU-turna
ndgiveschoollunchestopoorerchildren.Hewantsthistohappenagain.
Britishpeopleareangry.Manychildrenwillnoteatlunchintheholidays.T
heUKleadersaidhewouldnotU-turn.Hesaidhe"totallyunderstands"h
unger.Peoplesaidthiswasnottruebecauseheisrich.Peoplearealsoang
rythatCOVID-19workersintheUKgetover$8,000aday,butachildca
nnotgetafreelunch.

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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