The Reading / Listening - Hottest Month - Level 3

We hear about climate change pretty much every day now. We see pictures of floods, fires and heatwaves on TV news. Scientists have just announced that July was the hottest month ever recorded. The scientists are from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the USA. A spokesperson from NOAA said: "July is typically the world's warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and hottest month ever." NOAA said Earth's land and ocean surface temperature in July was 0.93 degree Celsius higher than the 20th-century average of 15.8 degrees Celsius. The Northern Hemisphere was 1.54 degrees Celsius hotter than average.

The NOAA spokesperson said this new record was worrying. He said: "In this case, first place is the worst place to be." The announcement from NOAA comes a week after a 4,000-page report on climate change from the United Nations. Its report is from the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It clearly stated that humans had changed the climate. It wrote: "It is [clear] that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land." A total of 234 scientists from 66 countries worked on the report. It warns that extreme weather will continue to get worse. It says "every region" will experience "multiple changes" in weather, like sweltering heat and flooding.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Hottest Month - Level 0 Hottest Month - Level 1   or  Hottest Month - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.npr.org/2021/08/13/1027521725/july-hottest-month-in-recorded-human-history
  • https://weather.com/science/environment/news/2021-08-13-hottest-month-on-earth-july
  • https://www.huffpost.com/entry/july-2021-hottest-month-ugh_n_6116c197e4b07c140314d288


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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. HOT WEATHER: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about hot weather. 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?
       climate change / floods / fires / heatwaves / hottest / ocean / temperature / average /
       record / announcement / report / humans / influence / ocean / land / extreme / heat
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. LIFESTYLE: Students A strongly believe we all need to greatly change our lifestyles; Students B strongly believe we don't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. CLIMATE CHANGE: What can we do to limit the effects of climate change? What do you do? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What We Can Do

What I Do

Recycling

 

 

Transport

 

 

Food

 

 

Water

 

 

Travel

 

 

Technology

 

 

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. HOT: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "hot". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. WEATHER: Rank these with your partner. Put the worst weather at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Heatwave
  • Torrential rain
  • Blizzard
  • Freezing cold
  • Hurricane
  • Giant hailstones
  • Heavy snow
  • Tornadoes

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. pretty much a. Was more successful, bigger or greater than.
      2. flood b. Said something in public about a fact, plan, event, etc.
      3. announced c. Large amounts of water that cover the land and goes into houses.
      4. typically d. How hot or cold something is in ºC or ºF.
      5. outdid e. Almost
      6. surface f. Usually; in most cases.
      7. temperature g. The top (or top level) of something.

    Paragraph 2

      8. case h. The power to change or affect something.
      9. climate change i. Reaching a high or the highest degree; very great.
      10. clearly j. One of the five huge areas of water on Earth that are larger than a sea.
      11. influence k. The changes in weather patterns around the world.
      12. ocean l. Having or involving several parts, elements, or members.
      13. extreme m. Example; situation.
      14. multiple n. Very easy to see and understand.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. The article said we see floods on TV almost every day.     T / F
  2. The agency NOAA is from the USA.     T / F
  3. Earth's land and ocean surface temperature was 0.93 degree higher.     T / F
  4. The Southern Hemisphere was 1.54 degrees hotter than average.     T / F
  5. A NOAA spokesperson wasn't worried about the new record.     T / F
  6. The UN published a 5,000-page report on climate change.     T / F
  7. A total of 66 scientists helped to write a climate change report.     T / F
  8. The UN report said many regions would experience sweltering heat.     T / F

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

  1. pretty much
  2. announced
  3. typically
  4. outdid
  5. average
  6. worrying
  7. influence
  8. extreme
  9. region
  10. sweltering
  1. area
  2. usually
  3. boiling
  4. normal
  5. made it known
  6. severe
  7. disturbing
  8. almost
  9. effect
  10. exceeded

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

  1. pretty
  2. pictures of floods, fires
  3. July is typically the
  4. Earth's land and ocean
  5. 1.54 degrees Celsius
  6. first place is the
  7. human influence has warmed
  8. extreme weather will
  9. experience multiple
  10. sweltering
  1. world's warmest month
  2. continue to get worse
  3. hotter than average
  4. the atmosphere
  5. heat
  6. and heatwaves
  7. changes in weather
  8. surface temperature
  9. worst place to be
  10. much every day

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
typically
higher
pretty
average
outdid
scientists
surface
announced

We hear about climate change (1) _____________________ much every day now. We see pictures of floods, fires and heatwaves on TV news. Scientists have just (2) _____________________ that July was the hottest month ever recorded. The (3) _____________________ are from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the USA. A spokesperson from NOAA said: "July is (4) _____________________ the world's warmest month of the year, but July 2021 (5) _____________________ itself as the hottest July and hottest month ever." NOAA said Earth's land and ocean (6) _____________________ temperature in July was 0.93 degree Celsius (7) _____________________ than the 20th-century average of 15.8 degrees Celsius. The Northern Hemisphere was 1.54 degrees Celsius hotter than (8) _____________________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
place
influence
worrying
region
clearly
sweltering
week
total

The NOAA spokesperson said this new record was (9) _____________________. He said: "In this case, first place is the worst (10) _____________________ to be." The announcement from NOAA comes a (11) _____________________ after a 4,000-page report on climate change from the United Nations. Its report is from the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It (12) _____________________ stated that humans had changed the climate. It wrote: "It is [clear] that human (13) _____________________ has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land." A (14) _____________________ of 234 scientists from 66 countries worked on the report. It warns that extreme weather will continue to get worse. It says "every (15) _____________________" will experience "multiple changes" in weather, like (16) _____________________ heat and flooding.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) every day now. We see pictures of floods, ______
     a.  fire sand heatwaves
     b.  fires and heat weaves
     c.  fire sand heat weaves
     d.  fires and heatwaves
2)  July is typically the world's warmest month of the year, but July ______
     a.  2021 outdid herself
     b.  2021 outdid himself
     c.  2021 outdid myself
     d.  2021 outdid itself
3)  hottest month ever." NOAA said Earth's land and ocean ______
     a. surfaces temperature
     b. surface temperature
     c. surfaced temperature
     d. surf ice temperature
4)  July was 0.93 degree Celsius higher than the 20th-century average ______
     a.  of 15.8 degrees
     b.  of 15.18 degrees
     c.  of 18.8 degrees
     d.  of 18.5 degrees
5)  The Northern Hemisphere was 1.54 degrees Celsius ______
     a.  hotter than averaged
     b.  hotter than averaging
     c.  hotter than average
     d.  hotter than a verge

6)  The NOAA spokesperson said this new ______
     a.  recording was worrying
     b.  recorder was worrying
     c.  record was worrying
     d.  records was worrying
7)  He said in this case, first place is the worst ______
     a.  place to be
     b.  plaice to be
     c.  plays to be
     d.  places to be
8)  It is clear that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ______
     a.  oceans and land
     b.  ocean and land
     c.  ocean and lands
     d.  oceans and lands
9)  It warns that extreme weather will continue ______
     a.  to get worst
     b.  to get worse
     c.  to got worse
     d.  too get worse
10)  experience "multiple changes" in weather, like sweltering ______
     a.  heat and flood din
     b.  heat and flooded in
     c.  heat and floods in
     d.  heat and flooding

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

We hear about climate change (1) ____________________ day now. We see pictures of floods, (2) ____________________ on TV news. Scientists have just announced that July was the hottest month ever recorded. The scientists (3) ____________________ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the USA. A spokesperson from NOAA said: "July (4) ____________________ world's warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and hottest month ever." NOAA said Earth's (5) ____________________ surface temperature in July was 0.93 degree Celsius higher than the 20th-century average of 15.8 degrees Celsius. The Northern Hemisphere was 1.54 degrees Celsius (6) ____________________.

The NOAA spokesperson said this new (7) ____________________. He said: "In this case, first place is the (8) ____________________ be." The announcement from NOAA comes a week after a 4,000-page report on climate change from the United Nations. Its report is from the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It (9) ____________________ humans had changed the climate. It wrote: "It is [clear] that (10) ____________________ warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land." A total of 234 scientists from 66 countries worked on the report. It warns that (11) ____________________ continue to get worse. It says "every region" will experience "multiple changes" in weather, (12) ____________________ and flooding.

Comprehension questions

  1. Where do we see pictures of floods pretty much every day?
  2. Which month is usually the warmest?
  3. Which country is NOAA from?
  4. How much hotter than average were temperatures in July?
  5. What was 1.54 degrees Celsius hotter than average?
  6. Where did a NOAA spokesperson say was the worst place to be?
  7. How many pages did a U.N. report contain?
  8. What did the IPCC say had changed the climate?
  9. How many scientists contributed to the IPCC report?
  10. What kind of changes did the report say every region would experience?

Multiple choice quiz

1) Where do we see pictures of floods pretty much every day?
a) on TV
b) the Internet
c) in magazines
d) on the streets
2) Which month is usually the warmest?
a) September
b) June
c) July
d) August
3) Which country is NOAA from?
a) Pakistan
b) the USA
c) Norway
d) Switzerland
4) How much hotter than average were temperatures in July?
a) 0.90 degree Celsius
b) 0.91 degree Celsius
c) 0.92 degree Celsius
d) 0.93 degree Celsius
5)  What was 1.54 degrees Celsius hotter than average?
a) the Northern Hemisphere
b) the Equator
c) the South Pole
d) deserts

6) Where did a NOAA spokesperson say was the worst place to be?
a) last place
b) the Sahara Desert
c) out of place
d) first place
7) How many pages did a U.N. report contain?
a) 3,000
b) 4,000
c) 5,000
d) 2,000
8) What did the IPCC say had changed the climate?
a) plastic
b) ozone
c) trees
d) human influence
9) How many scientists contributed to the IPCC report?
a) 432
b) 324
c) 234
d) 423
10) What kind of changes did the report say every region would experience?
a) big changes
b) multiple changes
c) serious changes
d) tiny changes

Role play

Role  A – Heatwave
You think a heatwave is the worst weather event. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their events aren't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): torrential rain, freezing cold or giant hailstones.

Role  B – Torrential Rain
You think torrential rain is the worst weather event. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their events aren't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): heatwave, freezing cold or giant hailstones.

Role  C – Freezing Cold
You think freezing cold is the worst weather event. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their events aren't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): torrential rain, heatwave or giant hailstones.

Role  D – Giant Hailstones
You think giant hailstones is the worst weather event. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their events aren't as bad. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): torrential rain, freezing cold or heatwave.

After reading / listening

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

'hot'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'month'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • 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:

    • pretty
    • fires
    • typically
    • itself
    • surface
    • 1.54
    • worrying
    • worst
    • clearly
    • total
    • worse
    • multiple

    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 - Hottest Month

    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 'hot'?
    3. What do you think of hot weather?
    4. Do you prefer hot or cold weather?
    5. What are the best things to do when it's hot?
    6. How is the weather changing in your country?
    7. How worried are you that July was the hottest weather?
    8. What do you think is causing climate change?
    9. How has climate change affected your life?
    10. What do you do in a heatwave?

    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 'climate'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Why do many people say climate change is not happening?
    5. What can you do to reduce the effects of climate change?
    6. What does your country need to do about climate change?
    7. How has human influence warmed the atmosphere?
    8. How worried are you about extreme weather?
    9. What extreme weather events have you seen on the news?
    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)

    We hear about climate change (1) ____ much every day now. We see pictures of floods, fires and heatwaves on TV news. Scientists have just announced that July was the hottest month (2) ____ recorded. The scientists are from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the USA. A spokesperson from NOAA said: "July is (3) ____ the world's warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid (4) ____ as the hottest July and hottest month ever." NOAA said Earth's land and ocean (5) ____ temperature in July was 0.93 degree Celsius higher than the 20th-century average of 15.8 degrees Celsius. The Northern Hemisphere was 1.54 degrees Celsius hotter than (6) ____.

    The NOAA spokesperson said this new record was (7) ____. He said: "In this case, first place is the worst place to (8) ____." The announcement from NOAA comes a week after a 4,000-page report on climate change from the United Nations. Its report is from the Inter-governmental Panel (9) ____ Climate Change (IPCC). It clearly stated that humans had changed the climate. It wrote: "It is [clear] that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land." A total (10) ____ 234 scientists from 66 countries worked (11) ____ the report. It warns that extreme weather will continue to get worse. It says "every region" will experience "multiple changes" in weather, like sweltering (12) ____ and flooding.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     cute     (b)     handsome     (c)     pretty     (d)     beautiful    
    2. (a)     ever     (b)     even     (c)     every     (d)     event    
    3. (a)     typically     (b)     about     (c)     warmly     (d)     hotly    
    4. (a)     itself     (b)     one     (c)     them     (d)     him    
    5. (a)     spaces     (b)     service     (c)     special     (d)     surface    
    6. (a)     avarice     (b)     averaging     (c)     average     (d)     average    
    7. (a)     worrying     (b)     hoping     (c)     cooling     (d)     freezing    
    8. (a)     warm     (b)     cool     (c)     do     (d)     be    
    9. (a)     on     (b)     at     (c)     by     (d)     as    
    10. (a)     at     (b)     of     (c)     as     (d)     on    
    11. (a)     as     (b)     on     (c)     to     (d)     of    
    12. (a)     heat     (b)     tepid     (c)     warm     (d)     hot

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. We see pictures of sldoof
    2. fires and aetawshve
    3. the hottest month ever dedorecr
    4. July is tpilyycal the world's warmest month
    5. land and ocean surface eueptrrteam
    6. the 20th-erntuyc average

    Paragraph 2

    1. The ennnuemnctao from NOAA
    2. human elnueifcn
    3. warmed the repoamtseh
    4. xmereet weather
    5. every rnigoe will experience multiple changes
    6. weegrnstli heat

    Put the text back together

    1  ) We hear about climate change pretty much every day now. We see pictures of floods, fires and
    (...)  stated that humans had changed the climate. It wrote: "It is [clear] that human influence has
    (...)  recorded. The scientists are from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the USA. A spokesperson
    (...)  Celsius. The Northern Hemisphere was 1.54 degrees Celsius hotter than average.
    (...)  from NOAA said: "July is typically the world's warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself
    (...)  warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land." A total of 234 scientists from 66 countries worked
    (...)  heatwaves on TV news. Scientists have just announced that July was the hottest month ever
    (...)  in July was 0.93 degree Celsius higher than the 20th-century average of 15.8 degrees
    (...)  climate change from the United Nations. Its report is from the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It clearly
    (...)  experience "multiple changes" in weather, like sweltering heat and flooding.
    (...)  as the hottest July and hottest month ever." NOAA said Earth's land and ocean surface temperature
    (...)  place to be." The announcement from NOAA comes a week after a 4,000-page report on
    (...)  on the report. It warns that extreme weather will continue to get worse. It says "every region" will
    (...)  The NOAA spokesperson said this new record was worrying. He said: "In this case, first place is the worst

    Put the words in the right order

    1. every   day   .   about   hear   change   We   nearly   climate
    2. month   .   hottest   that   announced   Scientists   the   was   July
    3. typically   warmest   the   July   is   world's   month   .
    4. July   outdid   itself   as   hottest   2021   July   .   the
    5. 1.54   Hemisphere   Northern   was   Celsius   The   degrees   hotter   .
    6. be   .   the   to   worst   is   place   First   place
    7. humans   clear   It's   the   atmosphere   have   warmed   that
    8. countries   .   scientists   A   234   total   from   66   of
    9. that   weather   extreme   It   continue   .   will   warns
    10. says   region   multiple   every   will   experience   It   changes   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    We hear about climate change prettily / pretty much every day now. We see pictures of floods, fires and heatwaves on TV news / newsworthy. Scientists have adjust / just announced that July was the hottest month ever recording / recorded. The scientists are from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the USA. A spokesperson from NOAA said: "July is typical / typically the world's warmest month off / of the year, but July 2021 outdid / did itself as the hottest July and hottest month ever." NOAA said Earth's land and ocean surface / bottom temperature in July was 0.93 degree Celsius higher than the 20th-century average to / of 15.8 degrees Celsius. The Northern Hemisphere was 1.54 degrees Celsius hotter than average / averaging.

    The NOAA spokesperson said this newly / new record was worrying. He said: "In this case, first place is the worsen / worst place to be." The announcement from NOAA comes / goes a week after a 4,000-page report in / on climate change from the United Nations. Its report is from the Inter-governmental Panel in / on Climate Change (IPCC). It clearly stated that humans / human had changed the climate. It write / wrote: "It is [clear] that human influence has warmed / warned the atmosphere, ocean and land." A total of 234 scientists from 66 countries worked on the report. It warns that extremely / extreme weather will continue to get worse. It says "every region" will experience "multiple changes" in weather, like sweltering heat and flood / flooding.

    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)

    W_  h__r  _b__t  cl_m_t_  ch_ng_  pr_tty  m_ch  _v_ry  d_y  n_w.  W_  s__  p_ct_r_s  _f  fl__ds,  f_r_s  _nd  h__tw_v_s  _n  TV  n_ws.  Sc__nt_sts  h_v_  j_st  _nn__nc_d  th_t  J_ly  w_s  th_  h_tt_st  m_nth  _v_r  r_c_rd_d.  Th_  sc__nt_sts  _r_  fr_m  th_  N_t__n_l  _c__n_c  _nd  _tm_sph_r_c  _dm_n_str_t__n  (N___)  _n  th_  _S_.  _  sp_k_sp_rs_n  fr_m  N___  s__d:  "J_ly  _s  typ_c_lly  th_  w_rld's  w_rm_st  m_nth  _f  th_  y__r,  b_t  J_ly  2021  __td_d  _ts_lf  _s  th_  h_tt_st  J_ly  _nd  h_tt_st  m_nth  _v_r."  N___  s__d  __rth's  l_nd  _nd  _c__n  s_rf_c_  t_mp_r_t_r_  _n  J_ly  w_s  0.93  d_gr__  C_ls__s  h_gh_r  th_n  th_  20th-c_nt_ry  _v_r_g_  _f  15.8  d_gr__s  C_ls__s.  Th_  N_rth_rn  H_m_sph_r_  w_s  1.54  d_gr__s  C_ls__s  h_tt_r  th_n  _v_r_g_.

    Th_  N___  sp_k_sp_rs_n  s__d  th_s  n_w  r_c_rd  w_s  w_rry_ng.  H_  s__d:  "_n  th_s  c_s_,  f_rst  pl_c_  _s  th_  w_rst  pl_c_  t_  b_."  Th_  _nn__nc_m_nt  fr_m  N___  c_m_s  _  w__k  _ft_r  _  4,000-p_g_  r_p_rt  _n  cl_m_t_  ch_ng_  fr_m  th_  _n_t_d  N_t__ns.  _ts  r_p_rt  _s  fr_m  th_  _nt_r-g_v_rnm_nt_l  P_n_l  _n  Cl_m_t_  Ch_ng_  (_PCC).  _t  cl__rly  st_t_d  th_t  h_m_ns  h_d  ch_ng_d  th_  cl_m_t_.  _t  wr_t_:  "_t  _s  [cl__r]  th_t  h_m_n  _nfl__nc_  h_s  w_rm_d  th_  _tm_sph_r_,  _c__n  _nd  l_nd."  _  t_t_l  _f  234  sc__nt_sts  fr_m  66  c__ntr__s  w_rk_d  _n  th_  r_p_rt.  _t  w_rns  th_t  _xtr_m_  w__th_r  w_ll  c_nt_n__  t_  g_t  w_rs_.  _t  s_ys  "_v_ry  r_g__n"  w_ll  _xp_r__nc_  "m_lt_pl_  ch_ng_s"  _n  w__th_r,  l_k_  sw_lt_r_ng  h__t  _nd  fl__d_ng.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    we hear about climate change pretty much every day now we see pictures of floods fires and heatwaves on tv news scientists have just announced that july was the hottest month ever recorded the scientists are from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration noaa in the usa a spokesperson from noaa said july is typically the worlds warmest month of the year but july 2021 outdid itself as the hottest july and hottest month ever noaa said earths land and ocean surface temperature in july was 093 degree celsius higher than the 20thcentury average of 158 degrees celsius the northern hemisphere was 154 degrees celsius hotter than average

    the noaa spokesperson said this new record was worrying he said in this case first place is the worst place to be the announcement from noaa comes a week after a 4000page report on climate change from the united nations its report is from the intergovernmental panel on climate change ipcc it clearly stated that humans had changed the climate it wrote it is clear that human influence has warmed the atmosphere ocean and land a total of 234 scientists from 66 countries worked on the report it warns that extreme weather will continue to get worse it says every region will experience multiple changes in weather like sweltering heat and flooding

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Wehearaboutclimatechangeprettymucheverydaynow.Weseepictur
    esoffloods,firesandheatwavesonTVnews.Scientistshavejustannoun
    cedthatJulywasthehottestmontheverrecorded.Thescientistsarefro
    mtheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration(NOAA)intheU
    SA.AspokespersonfromNOAAsaid:"Julyistypicallytheworld'swarme
    stmonthoftheyear,butJuly2021outdiditselfasthehottestJulyandhott
    estmonthever."NOAAsaidEarth'slandandoceansurfacetemperaturei
    nJulywas0.93degreeCelsiushigherthanthe20th-centuryaverageo
    f15.8degreesCelsius.TheNorthernHemispherewas1.54degreesCelsi
    ushotterthanaverage.TheNOAAspokespersonsaidthisnewrecordwa
    sworrying.Hesaid:"Inthiscase,firstplaceistheworstplacetobe."Thea
    nnouncementfromNOAAcomesaweekaftera4,000-pagereportoncl
    imatechangefromtheUnitedNations.ItsreportisfromtheInter-gove
    rnmentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC).Itclearlystatedthathumans
    hadchangedtheclimate.Itwrote:"Itis[clear]thathumaninfluencehas
    warmedtheatmosphere,oceanandland."Atotalof234scientistsfrom6
    6countriesworkedonthereport.Itwarnsthatextremeweatherwillconti
    nuetogetworse.Itsays"everyregion"willexperience"multiplechange
    s"inweather,likeswelteringheatandflooding.

    Free writing

    Write about hottest month for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    We must all change the way we live to stop climate change increasing. 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. HOT WEATHER: Make a poster about hot weather. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. LIFESTYLE CHANGES: Write a magazine article about all of us changing everything about our lifestyles to slow down climate change. 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. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on hot weather. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to cope with very hot weather. 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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