The Reading / Listening - Climate Crisis - Level 2

A 20,000-km walk from Africa to the Arctic Circle has started. The walk is called The Herds. It will raise awareness of the climate crisis and will take four months. The project includes hundreds of life-sized puppets of lions, zebras, monkeys, and other animals. Over 2,000 people will make more puppets, all from recyclable materials. The Herds organizers want to show how climate change is affecting animals. A spokesperson said: "The Herds is public art and climate action on [a huge] scale. It's an ambitious coming together of culture and climate."

The animal puppets will visit more than 20 cities across Africa and Europe, including Casablanca, Paris and London. The final event will be in August. Each city will host street performances. These will focus on how we can help Earth. The Global Rewilding Alliance said: "The Herds is going to reach millions of people and bring the…beauty of nature right onto the streets and into people's lives." Another environmental group said: "The Herds [represents] the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, and the journey we must all make towards a brighter future."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Climate Crisis - Level 0 Climate Crisis - Level 1   or  Climate Crisis - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theherds.org/about
  • https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/apr/25/puppet-herd-animals-climate-crisis-africa-arctic-circle-little-amal
  • https://www.euronews.com/culture/2024/07/16/the-herds-the-animal-puppets-art-project-set-to-travel-20000km-across-the-world


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. It will raise
  2. hundreds of life-
  3. Over 2,000 people will make
  4. all from recyclable
  5. how climate change is
  6. on a huge
  7. It's an ambitious coming
  8. culture and
  1. scale
  2. more puppets
  3. climate
  4. awareness
  5. together
  6. affecting animals
  7. sized puppets
  8. materials

Paragraph 2

  1. puppets will visit more
  2. The final event
  3. Each city will host street
  4. focus on how
  5. the beauty
  6. biodiversity
  7. the journey we must
  8. towards a brighter
  1. performances
  2. we can help Earth
  3. all make
  4. of nature
  5. future
  6. than 20 cities
  7. will be in August
  8. loss

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A 20,000-km (1) ___________________ to the Arctic Circle has started. The (2) ___________________ The Herds. It will raise awareness of the climate crisis and will take four months. The project includes hundreds (3) ___________________ puppets of lions, zebras, monkeys, and other animals. Over 2,000 people will make more puppets, (4) ___________________ materials. The Herds organizers want to show how climate change (5) ___________________. A spokesperson said: "The Herds is public art and climate action on [a huge] scale. It's an ambitious (6) ___________________ culture and climate."

The animal puppets will visit more than (7) ___________________ Africa and Europe, including Casablanca, Paris and London. The final (8) ___________________ in August. Each city will host street performances. These will focus on how (9) ___________________ Earth. The Global Rewilding Alliance said: "The Herds is going to (10) ___________________ people and bring the…beauty of nature right onto the streets and into people's lives." Another environmental group said: "The Herds [represents] the twin crises of climate change (11) ___________________, and the journey we must all make towards (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

A20,000-kmwalkfromAfricatotheArcticCirclehasstarted.Thewalkisc
alledTheHerds.Itwillraiseawarenessoftheclimatecrisisandwilltakefo
urmonths.Theprojectincludeshundredsoflife-sizedpuppetsoflions,z
ebras,monkeys,andotheranimals.Over2,000peoplewillmakemorep
uppets,allfromrecyclablematerials.TheHerdsorganizerswanttoshow
howclimatechangeisaffectinganimals.Aspokespersonsaid:"TheHerd
sispublicartandclimateactionon[ahuge]scale.It'sanambitiouscomin
gtogetherofcultureandclimate."Theanimalpuppetswillvisitmorethan
20citiesacrossAfricaandEurope,includingCasablanca,ParisandLond
on.ThefinaleventwillbeinAugust.Eachcitywillhoststreetperformance
s.ThesewillfocusonhowwecanhelpEarth.TheGlobalRewildingAllianc
esaid:"TheHerdsisgoingtoreachmillionsofpeopleandbringthe…beau
tyofnaturerightontothestreetsandintopeople'slives."Anotherenviro
nmentalgroupsaid:"TheHerds[represents]thetwincrisesofclimatech
angeandbiodiversityloss,andthejourneywemustallmaketowardsabr
ighterfuture."

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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