Activities on nature and science for ESL learners

1. Science and Nature around
us

2. Warm-up: the environment and you
Do you turn off the water
when you brush your teeth?
How often do you use public
transit? How often
do you drive?
Does your community offer a recycling
program? Do you think recycling is an
important service
for communities to provide?
How often do you throw gum
wrappers, cigarette butts, etc. onto the
street? Who usually cleans this up in
your community?
What types of energy are popular in your
country? For example, coal, gas,
nuclear power. What does your house or
apartment use?
What temperature do you usually
keep your house at?
When you travel, do you usually drink
bottled water? Why or why not? What
about when you're at home?
How are products packaged in your
country? For example, how do you
usually buy milk, electronic equipment and
clothing?
How often do you turn off the lights
when you leave the room?
Tell about one thing you do to help the
environment

3. Reading: The Water Cycle
Run and get a glass of water and put it on the table next to you. Take a good long look at the water. Now -- can you guess
how old it is?
The water in your glass may have fallen from the sky as rain just last week, but the water itself has been around
pretty much as long as the earth has!
When the first fish crawled out of the ocean onto the land, your glass of water was part of that ocean. When the
Brontosaurus walked through lakes feeding on plants, your glass of water was part of those lakes. When kings and
princesses, knights and squires took a drink from their wells, your glass of water was part of those wells.
The earth has a limited amount of water. That water
keeps going around and around and around and
around.what we call the "Water Cycle".
This cycle is made up of a few main parts:
•evaporation (and transpiration)
•condensation
•precipitation
•collection

4. Evaporation is when the sun heats up water in rivers or
lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or steam. The
water vapor or steam leaves the river, lake or ocean and
goes into the air.
Condensation:
Water vapor in the air gets cold and changes back into liquid, forming clouds. This is called condensation.
You can see the same sort of thing at home... pour a glass of cold water on a hot day and watch what happens. Water
forms on the outside of the glass. That water didn't somehow leak through the glass! It actually came from the air. Water
vapor in the warm air, turns back into liquid when it touches the cold glass.
Precipitation:
Precipitation occurs when so much water has condensed that the air cannot
hold it anymore. The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the earth in the
form of rain, hail, sleet or snow.
Collection:
When water falls back to earth as precipitation, it may fall back in the oceans,
lakes or rivers or it may end up on land. When it ends up on land, it will either
soak into the earth and become part of the “ground water” that plants and
animals use to drink or it may run over the soil and collect in the oceans, lakes
or rivers where the cycle starts

5. GAME: Connor, Ethan, Kaylee, and Alyssa each recycled a different number of cans (30, 26, 23, and 16) as well as a
different number of junk mail letters (123, 127, 116, and 121).
Figure out how many cans and junk mail letters each person recycled.
1. Kaylee recycled the most number of cans.
2. Ethan recyled a total of one hundred forty-nine cans and junk mail letters.
3. Alyssa recycled the least number of junk mail letters.
4. Connor and Ethan recyled a total of two hundred ninety-two cans and junk mail letters.
5. Kaylee recycled less than one hundred twenty-three junk mail letters.
6. If the number of cans Ethan recycled was doubled he would have recycled fifty-two cans.
7. Alyssa recycled ninety-three more junk mail letters than the number of cans she recycled.

6. You Are My Sunshine Song
Lyrics
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.
The other night dear, as I lay sleeping,
I dreamt I held you in my arms.
When I awoke dear, I was mistaken,
So I hung my head down and cried.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.

7. Reading. Natural
DisastersOn average, an earthquake strikes the British Isles every four days
10% of the world's population live under threat from the 1,511 active
volcanoes
There are more tornadoes per square mile each year in Britain than the
USA
In Britain, five million people in two million homes live in flood prone
areas
Colossal tsunami waves travel across oceans at speeds of up to 500mph
(800kmh). Waves hitting coastlines have shifted 20-tonne rocks hundreds of
metres inland
Droughts starve the land of nourishment, replacing them with mineral salts

8. Crossword
TREENACIRRUH
YTUENMPWQSSR
BRPORDNIARIO
TSACEROFUTGW
THUHDERIQAES
PSHOWERLSEID
PALCUOKNJYZO
OLGMSTORMVXO
IFEUQWSSOPHL
RELELIAHVCZF
PNAACVPMADBQ
UNGNINTHGILY

9. Global warming
Global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect. Do you know how the greenhouse effect
works and why it's causing global warming? Fill in the gaps below using the bold words
below. Only use each word once.
The temperature on the surface of the Earth is much_____ than in outer space. This is caused
by rays of sunlight from the______ which reach the Earth and warm it up. The ______ then
gives out heat. This heat travels away from the Earth until it reaches a layer of special______
high up in the atmosphere. These gases trap the heat near to the surface of the Earth_______
so keep the Earth . This is like a greenhouse where the heat is trapped by the
greenhouse______ and so the way that the Earth is kept warm is called the______ . The
special layer of gases is called greenhouse gases and the most important one is _______ .
Unfortunately this layer is getting_______ so more and more heat is being trapped. This
means that the Earth is heating up. This is called global_______ .
carbon dioxide, Sun, higher, gases, warming, Earth, glass,
greenhouse effect, warmer, thicker
 Fill in the gaps with the following words
Vocabulary

10. There could be some big problems around the world if we do nothing to stop global warming.
See if you know what some of these are. Fill in the gaps below using the bold words below.
Only use each word once.
If we do nothing to stop global warming the____ of the planet could go up by about 3°C over
the next 100_____ . The level of the______ could rise which will mean that lots more people
have their homes________ every year.
There will be less so less______ trees to use up the carbon dioxide. The amount of ______may
change with some places getting more than they do now and some will getting less. In places
like India and________ many people will get less rain than they do now and so will find it
difficult to grow the_______ they need.
In the UK the temperature could go_______ . The south and east may be drier in the summer
so there could be more________ . The north and west could be so there could be_______more
floods.
seas, droughts, wetter, temperature, flooded, rainforests, years,
rain, temperature, Africa, food, up

13. Circle everything in the picture that is
pollution
List some examples of pollution that you
see in your community
Please list as many types of pollution as
you can
Here you have some essential
environment words. Put them in your
own language:
To pollute
To recycle
Environment
The air
The water
The soil, the earth
To reuse
To save
To waste
Toxic
A pollutant
Vocabulary

14. Speaking: Fighting against pollution
 Discuss with your partner what is happening in each
picture

15. Writing: Lets recycle together
Recycle It or Reuse It
When you are done with something, don’t
just throw it away.Recycle it! Reuse it!
Give it to someone who needs it!
You can recycle many things, including:
Cans
glass bottles
plastic bottles
Newspapers
phone books
You can reuse many things, including:
Boxes
Bags
String
nails
You can help many people by giving away things that
are in
good condition, such as:
clothes
books
bicycles
fruit and vegetables from your garden

16. Writing: Let´s Recycle together
In pairs answer the following questions:
What does recycle mean?
What does reuse mean?
What does repair mean?
What does reduce mean?
Individually complete this quiz
1. How many times can a glass bottle be recycled?
___1 time____several times___over and over and over
2. How many different numbered plastics are there
___1 ____3 ____5 ____7 ____9
3. Which type of soft drink container is the most recycled?
____aluminum cans ____boxes ____plastic bottles
4. What is the most recycled products? ___cars ____boats _____TVs

17. Scientists say that different parts of the brain are in charge of different things. The left
hemisphere controls the right half of the body, and the right controls the left half. Normally the
left half of the brain is dominant. Besides, the left side is known as the rational side, and the
right side is known as the irrationale side. In pairs, put the following words into the correct
column.
Imagination, language, numbers,
space linearity, analysis, logic,
day-dreaming lists, sequencing,
rhythm, colour
RightLeft

18. Listening: Phenomenon
Pre-listening- Read the following
review: George Malley (John Travolta),
whose life is transformed by a strange flash of
light he observes on the evening of his 37th
birthday.
Over the course of the following days,
George starts to experience an
extraordinary form of genius-level
intelligence, rapidly absorbing vasts amounts
of information, formulating new,
revolutionary ideas, and even exhibiting
telekinetic abilities.
George tries to use his new intelligence for
the good of his community.
Matters are complicated further when the
government begins to take an interest in his
newfound genius.
While-listening- Write down al the
paranormal abilities that the main character
has.
Post-listening- Write down a summary
of the film.

19. Speaking: What sex is your brain?
 Your school organices a trip to visit the London
Museum of Science. There you find a very
interesting test. Why dont you do it?
Do you think like a male or
female? Generally both sexes
are similar to each other in the
way they think but psicologists
have proved there are some
differences though.

20. Speaking: She, He or both?
Have you ever realised that men and women behave
in a different way? Decide with your partner in each
case of this quizz which person is probably a man, a
woman or both?
1.A couple are in a restaurant,
looking at the menu
a)Who chooses something
they’ve never eaten before?
b)Who eats what they know
they like?
2. A man and a woman are
sitting next to one another on a
seat with shared armrests
a)Who has their elbows on
both armrests?
b)Who keeps their elbows in by
their sides?
3. A man and a woman are
shopping for new clothes
a)Who looks around at the
selection available first?
b)Who asks the assistant for a
particular style and colour
straight away?
4. A man and a woman each
select one from a box of
chocolates
a)Who takes a bite to see what
is inside?
b)Who eats the whole chocolate
at once?
5. A man and a woman both have several jobs to do in a fixed period of time
a)Who does the jobs one by one, finishing one before beginning another?
b)Who perfers to work on several different jobs at the same time?
6. A couple are driving home. They notice the car is getting rather low on petrol.
a)Who wants to fill up at the next petrol station?
b)Who wants to risk it and get straight home?
7. A man and a woman are in a shop selling a range of home appliances
a)Who heads for the display of new products?
b)Who looks at the familiar items?
8. Driving in a strange town, a couple realise they are lost.
a)Who would stop and ask for directions?
b)Who would keep driving until they found the way?

21. PREPOSITIONS
This will depend ...the weather.
I am talking ...you
Yesterday I dreamt ...Tom Cruise
What's ...tv?
I'm going ...Italy ...holidays
We eat chocolate eggs ...Easter
It was love ...…first sight
He congratulated me ...passing my exams
I was unfaithful ...him
The book belongs ...Peter
She fought ...Patricia
I apologized ...all the inconvenience caused
Grammar point: prepositions

22. Pronunciation: Mouth Manglers
GROUP 1 - J, Z, SION
*The lazy jazz musician *jogged to the zoo
*just to view * the zebra * physician. *
GROUP 2 - TH, T
*Tomorrow *is the third *Thursday*of this month.
GROUP 3 - R, L
*Lucky radio listeners *rarely lose long letters
*written by rival relatives.*
GROUP 4 - P, F
*Father's polite position * paid for popcorn *and the
flag.*
GROUP 5 - SH, CH
*After church *I went to the beach
*to teach *at the car wash *for cash. *
 In groups try
to think of a new
mangler for each
group

23. Reading: Our Solar System
Pre-reading: Try to answer the following questions before reading the text:
 Do you know what is at the center of the Solar System?
How many planets and dwarf planets are in our Solar System?
Do you know which one is the biggest?
While reading: Underline all the unknown vocabulary
Post reading: Answer the following questions:
Which planet or dwarf planet is nearest the Sun?
Which planet or dwarf planet is farthest from the Sun?
Which planet has the biggest, most easily-seen rings orbiting it?
What is the name of the group of objects that orbit the Sun between Mars
and Jupiter?
Are the inner planets made of rock or gas?
 Which planet is called the "red planet”?

24. Our solar system consists of the sun, eight planets, moons, dwarf
planets, an asteroid belt, comets, meteors, and others. The sun is the
center of our solar system; the planets, their moons, the asteroids,
comets, and other rocks and gas all orbit the sun.
The nine planets that orbit the sun are (in order from the sun):
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, and Pluto (a dwarf planet). A belt of asteroids (minor
planets made of rock and metal) lies between Mars and Jupiter.
These objects all orbit the sun in roughly circular orbits that lie in the
same plane, the ecliptic (Pluto is an exception; it has an elliptical
orbit tilted over 17° from the ecliptic).
Easy ways to remember the order of the planets (and Pluto) are the
mnemonics: "My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine
Pizzas" and "My Very Easy Method Just Simplifies Us Naming
Planets" The first letter of each of these words represents a planet -
in the correct order.
The largest planet is Jupiter. It is followed by Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury, and finally, tiny Pluto (a
dwarf planet). Jupiter is so big that all the other planets could fit
inside it.

25. Speaking: You and the Space
When do you think people will visit Mars? What do you think they will
find there?
 Have you ever used a telescope? What did you look at?
 If you could take a vacation to the moon, would you? Why or why
not?
Do you wish on stars?
 Have you ever seen any of the following movies: ET, Alien, Star
Wars? Which one is your favorite? Why?
 Would you like to be an astronaut? Why or why not?
 What will make the new international space station successful?
Why?
A group of stars is called a constellation. Some examples are Orion,
the Big Dipper, and Cassiopeia. What are the names of some
constellations in your language? How did they get these names?
 Do you think governments spend too much money on space programs?
Why or why not?
 Do you think people will ever communicate with intelligent aliens?
Why or why not?
 What do satellites do? How would our lives be different without
them?
What can we learn about the earth from studying other planets?
Have you ever taken an astronomy course? If so, tell about something
you learned. If not, would you like to?Can you name the planets in
English? Try.

26. Why is the sky blue?
Sunlight is made up of all the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and
violet. The gas molecules in the atmosphere interact with the sunlight before the light
reaches our eyes.
The gas molecules in the atmosphere scatter the higher-energy (high frequency) blue
portion of the sunlight more than they scatter the lower-energy red portion of the
sunlight (this is called Rayleigh scattering, named for the physicist Lord John Rayleigh).
The Sun appears reddish-yellow and the sky surrounding the Sun is colored by the
scattered blue waves.
When the Sun is lower in the horizon (near sunrise or sunset), the sunlight must travel
through a greater thickness of atmosphere than it does when it is overhead, and even
more light is scattered (not just blue, but also green, yellow, and orange) before the light
reaches your eyes. This makes the sun look much redder.

27. Attention to Diversity: Fast-learners
In groups,
complete the
following gaps with
the following rivers:
Arno, Danube,
Don, Dneiper,
Dniester, Ebro,
Shannon, Tagus,
Thames, Tiber,
Trent, Vardar,
Vistula, volga,
Elbe, Forth,
Indals, Klar,
Loire, Niemen,
Older, Po, Rhin,
Rhone

28. Attention to Diversity: Slow-learners
Put the following parts of the body into the correct box
Head, neck, shoulder,
fingers, chest, belly,
heart, arm, hand,
thigh, pelvis, waist,
leg, knee, heart, foot,
heel, toe

29. Attention to Diversity II: Slow-
learners
 Label the following
continents:
Africa/Antarctica/
Asia/Australia/
equator/Europe/
NorthAmerica/
North Pole/South
America/South Pole

30. Complete a row of four squares (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) in the table below by writing in the
name of someone who ......
P. Can name a United
Nations agency
O. Has planted a tree
in the last year
N. Tries to eat
locally-produced
rather than imported
food
M. Has a family
member living in
another country
L. Has fasted for a dayK. Can name a local
group which sings about
environmental issues
J. Conserves water in
some way
I. Can speak another
language
H. Has cooked a meal
for their family or
friends
G. Reused or
recycled something
recently
F. Is a reformed
smoker
E. Has walked in a
rainforest
D. Grows some of
their own food
C. Is a member of a
community organisation
B. Is a vegetarianA. Rides a bicycle
regularly
Envirbingo

31. Survey on Climate Change
1. How concerned are you about the possibility of global climate changes?
Not Concerned slightly concerned concerned very concerned
2. When people talk about climate change? what kind of change do you think they are talking about?
3. Please list all the things that you can think of that could cause global climate change
4. Are you aware of any evidence of global climate change?
Yes No Maybe
5. List the top 5 sources (countries, groups, industries, people, etc.) you believe could contribute to global
climate change.
6. Is there anything you think your government can do to prevent global climate change?
Yes No Maybe
7. From which three of the following do you receive most of your information about the environment
(Write a 1 by the most important, a 2 by the second most important, and 3 by the third most important
source). Please mark only 3.
Community information meetings
Environmental groups
Print media: newspaper or magazines
Mass media: radio or television
The Internet/World Wide Web
Conversations with family members
Technical or scientific publications
School
Conversations with friends
8. Please rank the following people from those you most trust to give you correct information about
climate change (1) to those you trust the least (10). Please mark them all.
Teachers Scientists
Print media: newspaper and magazines
Mass media: radio and television
The InterNet/World Wide Web
Government officials
Environmental groups
Friends
Family members
Other