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Earth Hour

Lower-Intermediate - Vocabulary

the ARTICLE (for teachers)

Earth Hour
Every year in March, people everywhere turn off their lights for Earth Hour. The lights go off
at 8:30 pm at tourist locations, businesses, and private homes. The event reminds people
that everyone needs to use less energy and limit greenhouse gas emissions.

More than one billion people in over ninety countries take part in the event. As a result,
more and more people talk about what should be done to lower energy consumption. The
organizers of the event say that people want strong action on climate change. The
conversation on greenhouse gases and global warming must continue, even though the
economy hasn't fully recovered and people are worried about their jobs.

Others aren't as positive about the event, even though it receives a lot of attention from the
media. Critics say that Earth Hour probably gives participants the wrong idea that one hour
without lights has somehow helped the environment. More significant changes must be
made, as everyone must think about the problem every day. People should choose public
transportation, green technology in homes and offices, and clean energy sources.

Teacher's Notes:

* Underlined words in red typeface are the recommended vocabulary for this lesson.
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Earth Hour

Lower-Intermediate - Vocabulary

the Article (for students)

Fill in the blank with the correct word.
recovered
participants

take
locations

receives
green

reminds
clean

significant
action

Earth Hour
Every year in March, people everywhere turn off their lights for Earth Hour. The lights go
off at 8:30 pm at tourist (a. _______________), businesses, and private homes. The
event (b. _______________) people that everyone needs to use less energy and limit
greenhouse gas emissions.

More than one billion people in over ninety countries (c. _______________) part in the
event. As a result, more and more people talk about what should be done to lower
energy consumption. The organizers of the event say that people want strong
(d. _______________) on climate change. The conversation on greenhouse gases and
global warming must continue, even though the economy hasn't fully
(e. _______________) and people are worried about their jobs.

Others aren't as positive about the event, even though it (f. _______________) a lot of
attention from the media. Critics say that Earth Hour probably gives
(g. _______________) the wrong idea that one hour without lights has somehow helped
the environment. More (h. _______________) changes must be made, as everyone
must think about the problem every day. People should choose public transportation,
(i. _______________) technology in homes and offices, and (j. _______________)
energy sources.

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Earth Hour

Lower-Intermediate - Vocabulary

STEP ONE
Define: What does "global warming" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give
examples?

STEP TWO
Word Search: Find the target words (in bold). Time yourself, and see how long it takes you
to find all the words.
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significant

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STEP THREE
Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word.
recovered

participants

reminds

significant
locations
a. The lights go off at 8:30 pm at tourist (

receives
).

b. The event (
c. The economy hasn't (

) people that everyone needs to use less energy.

d. The event (
e. Earth Hour probably gives (

) a lot of attention from the media.

) the wrong idea.

f.

More (

) and people are worried about their jobs.

) changes must be made

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Earth Hour

Lower-Intermediate - Vocabulary

STEP FOUR
The Article: 1) Read the article, but don't worry about the missing words. 2) Fill in the
blanks with today's vocabulary, followed by all the other words. 3) Read the article again,
and circle any unknown words/phrases. In pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand
the words or phrases your circled. 4) Answer the questions to check your comprehension.
a. What is Earth Hour?
b. How long is the event? What time does it start?
c. Why do the organizers say about the event?
d. Why do opponents say the event isn't successful?
e. According to the article, what must everyone do every day?

STEP FIVE
Discuss: Write down three vocabulary words from today's article that you want to use.
a.
b.
c.

Now talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Every time you use a vocabulary
word, place a check next to it.
a. Have you ever participated in Earth Hour? If yes, how so? If no, why not?
b. What's your opinion on global warming and greenhouse gases? Please explain.
c. How do you conserve energy? Please explain.
d. Because of global warming, what do you think the future will be like?
Score yourself:
7-10 times, or more: Fantastic! Be sure to review the words at home.
4-6 times:

Pretty good! You're on your way to acquiring today's vocabulary. Try

writing your own sentences at home for more practice.

3 or less times:

Try harder next time! To acquire new vocabulary, you need to use the
new words as much as possible.

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