The Reading / Listening - Earth Prize - Level 1

Three sixteen-year-olds in India have won this year's Earth Prize. The award is for solutions to eco-challenges. The three teenagers invented a special powder made from tamarind seeds. A tamarind is a tropical fruit. Microplastics in water stick to the powder. The microplastics and powder are then removed from the water with a magnet. The powder is a simple, cheap way to make water safer to drink in poor and rural areas.

The powder is called 'Plas-Stick'. The teenagers were very happy to win the award. They said it was "incredibly special for all of us". They explained that microplastics hide in our drinking water. They said their powder acts like a magnet for these microplastics. The collected plastic is turned into useful items "so it can't return to nature". The powder will protect people, animals, and our planet from microplastic pollution.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Earth Prize - Level 0 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 sixteen-year-
  2. The award is for solutions
  3. The three teenagers invented
  4. A tamarind is a tropical
  5. Microplastics in water stick
  6. The powder is a simple, cheap
  7. make water
  8. poor and
  1. to the powder
  2. a special powder
  3. safer to drink
  4. rural areas
  5. fruit
  6. olds in India
  7. way
  8. to eco-challenges

Paragraph 2

  1. The teenagers were
  2. win the
  3. They said it was incredibly
  4. microplastics hide in our
  5. their powder acts like
  6. turned into useful
  7. it can't return
  8. microplastic
  1. drinking water
  2. very happy
  3. pollution
  4. a magnet
  5. to nature
  6. award
  7. items
  8. special

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Three sixteen-year-olds in India (1) _________________________________________________ year's Earth Prize. The award (2) _________________________________________________ to eco-challenges. The three teenagers invented a special (3) _________________________________________________ tamarind seeds. A tamarind is a tropical fruit. Microplastics in (4) _________________________________________________ the powder. The microplastics and powder (5) _________________________________________________ from the water with a magnet. The powder is a simple, cheap way to make water safer to drink in poor (6) _________________________________________________.

The (7) _________________________________________________ 'Plas-Stick'. The teenagers were very happy to (8) _________________________________________________. They said it was "incredibly special for (9) _________________________________________________". They explained that microplastics hide in our drinking water. They said their powder acts (10) _________________________________________________ for these microplastics. The collected plastic is turned into useful items "so it can't (11) _________________________________________________". The powder will protect people, animals, and (12) _________________________________________________ microplastic pollution.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Threesixteen-year-oldsinIndiahavewonthisyear'sEarthPrize.Thea
wardisforsolutionstoeco-challenges.Thethreeteenagersinventedas
pecialpowdermadefromtamarindseeds.Atamarindisatropicalfruit.Mi
croplasticsinwatersticktothepowder.Themicroplasticsandpowderar
ethenremovedfromthewaterwithamagnet.Thepowderisasimple,che
apwaytomakewatersafertodrinkinpoorandruralareas.Thepowderisc
alled'Plas-Stick'.Theteenagerswereveryhappytowintheaward.The
ysaiditwas"incrediblyspecialforallofus".Theyexplainedthatmicropla
sticshideinourdrinkingwater.Theysaidtheirpowderactslikeamagnetf
orthesemicroplastics.Thecollectedplasticisturnedintousefulitems"s
oitcan'treturntonature".Thepowderwillprotectpeople,animals,ando
urplanetfrommicroplasticpollution.

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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