The Reading / Listening - Earth Prize - Level 0

Three Indian sixteen-year-olds won this year's Earth Prize. The award is for eco-challenges. The teenagers made a special powder made from the seeds of the tamarind fruit. Microplastics in water stick to the powder. They are then removed from the water with a magnet. The powder is a simple way to make water safer to drink.

The teenagers were very happy to win the award. They said it was "incredibly special". Microplastics are in our drinking water. The teenagers said their powder is like a magnet for microplastics. The collected plastic is recycled "so it can't return to nature". The powder will protect our planet from microplastic pollution.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Earth Prize - Level 1 Earth Prize - Level 2   or  Earth Prize - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/3-teens-win-global-earth-prize-for-inventing-tamarind-powder-that-easily-removes-microplastics/
  • https://www.ndtv.com/feature/indian-teenagers-win-earth-prize-2026-for-turning-tamarind-seeds-into-microplastic-filter-11579235
  • https://www.telegraphindia.com/amp/edugraph/of-tamarind-seeds-and-microplastic-prnt/cid/2163540


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. Three Indian sixteen-
  2. The award is for eco-
  3. The teenagers made a special
  4. the seeds of the tamarind
  5. Microplastics in water stick
  6. removed
  7. The powder is a simple
  8. make water safer
  1. from the water
  2. powder
  3. to the powder
  4. to drink
  5. year-olds
  6. way
  7. challenges
  8. fruit

Paragraph 2

  1. The teenagers were very
  2. They said it was incredibly
  3. Microplastics are in our
  4. their powder is like a
  5. plastic is
  6. it can't return
  7. The powder will protect our
  8. microplastic
  1. to nature
  2. drinking water
  3. planet
  4. recycled
  5. special
  6. happy to win
  7. pollution
  8. magnet

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Three Indian sixteen-year-olds (1) _________________________________________________ Earth Prize. The (2) _________________________________________________ eco-challenges. The teenagers made (3) _________________________________________________ made from the (4) _________________________________________________ tamarind fruit. Microplastics in water (5) _________________________________________________ powder. They are then removed from the water with a magnet. The powder is a simple way to make water (6) _________________________________________________.

The teenagers were very (7) _________________________________________________ the award. They said (8) _________________________________________________ special". Microplastics are (9) _________________________________________________ water. The teenagers said their powder (10) _________________________________________________ magnet for microplastics. The collected plastic (11) _________________________________________________ it can't return to nature". The powder will protect (12) _________________________________________________ microplastic pollution.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ThreeIndiansixteen-year-oldswonthisyear'sEarthPrize.Theawar
disforeco-challenges.Theteenagersmadeaspecialpowdermadefro
mtheseedsofthetamarindfruit.Microplasticsinwatersticktothepowde
r.Theyarethenremovedfromthewaterwithamagnet.Thepowderisasi
mplewaytomakewatersafertodrink.Theteenagerswereveryhappyto
wintheaward.Theysaiditwas"incrediblyspecial".Microplasticsareino
urdrinkingwater.Theteenagerssaidtheirpowderislikeamagnetformic
roplastics.Thecollectedplasticisrecycled"soitcan'treturntonature".T
hepowderwillprotectourplanetfrommicroplasticpollution.

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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