Listening

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Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a wave
    • ex. I like listening to the sound of the waves at the beach.
  2. have a chance to (do something)
    • ex. My favorite band is coming to my town, so I finally have the chance to see them live.
  3. afford
    • ex. My sister loves the new Gucci bag, but she can’t afford it.
  4. limited
    • ex. Marisa only knows a limited number of English words.
  5. outdoors
    • ex. Most sports are played outdoors.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Teachers at a UK school were recently surprised to learn how little their students know about nature. Kim Leathley, a teacher at Westminster Primary Academy, said that a nine-year-old student once pointed at the ocean and asked what the waves were. Another student thought that cows were horses, and a third student didn’t know what a duck was.

While there isn’t much nature in Blackpool, the city home to Westminster Primary Academy, there are beaches and beautiful forests nearby. Unfortunately, though, many children don’t have a chance to visit them. As one teacher explained, many parents don’t have cars to take their children out of the city, and they can’t afford public transportation.

Because of its students’ limited experiences with nature, Westminster Primary Academy decided to partner with the Nature Friendly Schools project. The project trains teachers to hold classes outdoors and teach students about environmental issues. Nature Friendly Schools hopes to expand this year after long lockdowns made it difficult for children to go outside.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Children

  • Do you think living in a city is a good reason for children not to know about common animals? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, who should teach children about nature, their parents or their teachers? Why? Discuss.
  • Other than not going outside much, how else did Covid-19 affect children (ex. they spent more time with their parents, they felt worried because of the news)? Why? Discuss.

Classes

  • Do you think it's a good idea to hold classes outdoors? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, should classes in your country be shorter/longer, or are they the right amount of time? Why? Discuss.
  • For you, what class was the most interesting in school (ex. math, history)? Why? Discuss.