Module 1 I

Climate is Changing
What will you find in this module?
You will be learning about:
Climate and weather
Climate change
How to help protect our environment
Get ready for the Hands On!
Let’s make a weather forecast report
Let’s prepare for doom!
Let's be part of the solution

Intermediate
 Module 1
cLIMATE IS CHANGING

PART 1 What’s Generation gap?

LISTENING & WATCHING
a. Discuss the following questions in pairs.

1. How often do you usually check the weather forecast?

2. What are some apps or media sources that you can
use to check the weather forecast in your area?
3. Do you think it is useful to check the weather forecast
in the city where you live?

Climate or Weather? Weather forecast

https://youtu.be/wlne7j3sl4E

Which of the following sentences talks about e. Watch again and tick () the expressions that Mary
climate and which one talks about the weather? says in the video.

‰ We’re tracking a few other systems that will bring the

• It is sunny and warm in Bogota today.
return of wet weather.
• It is quite hot and dry in La Guajira.
‰ The possibility of rain decreases Wednesday morning.
‰ That unsettled weather will continue through the
b. Watch the following video to confirm your answer. workweek.
‰ Bring your umbrella and be sure to wear a jacket.
‰ There is a low pressure system moving towards the
east.
‰ At this point, the weekend looks dry.
‰ Highs will be well above average for this time of year.
f. Now answer the following questions.

1. What region of California is Mary reporting on?

2. What are the average temperatures in the South Bay
area that morning?
Weather vs. Climate
3. What is the exact temperature of San Francisco?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Aigcv7UnTU
4. What will the weather be like on Tuesday night at 9pm?
c. Watch the video again. With a partner, make a list of 5. What is the weekend forecast for the Inland area?
characteristics that describe the weather and another 6. What is Monday’s temperature in the Bay?
one for climate.

d. Watch the following weather forecast video. Take note

of words that Mary Lee uses to describe the weather
(e.g.: sunny, clear)

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 g. Group Activity: In small groups, check the weather Useful expressions about the weather
forecast for the week!
What’s the weather like right now?
Use a website or a weather app on your cellphone to
check the weather forecast for the next three days in a It’s a little chilly out. / It’s nice and
warm. / It’s snowing. / It’s rainy and
city of your preference. Then, complete the chart below windy.
by including the days of the week, the temperature, and
the weather conditions for each day. Do you like the weather we’re
having today?
Suggested apps/websites: The Weather Channel,
No, it’s a little chilly out. / it’s too
weather.com, AccuWeather, Weather Timeline.
hot. / Yes, it’s really nice out today.
City:
What kind of weather do you like most?
Day of the week

Temperature Warm. Why?

(high, low) It’s not chilly and it’s not hot.

Weather How was the weather yesterday?

conditions
It was hot and humid (cool, rainy,
foggy, snowy)
h. Discuss the weather with a partner by answering the
folowing questions.
What’s the weather going to be
like tomorrow?
Use the Useful expressions about the weather on the right.
Do you think the weather will be
1. What is the weather like today? good this weekend?
2. What was it like yesterday?
3. What is the climate like in your hometown? What is the climate like you your
country?
4. What’s your favorite type of weather?
5. What is your favorite climate? The weather is usually ... and ... in my
country/city.
6. Does the weather affect your mood?
In my country/city, the weather is
7. What do you like doing when the weather is bad? always...
8. What kind of weather do you think is the best and
worst for camping - napping/sleeping - hiking - cycling
- reading - studying - going to a picnic - driving? a. Look at the photo on the left and discuss the following
questions in small groups.
Î GO TO HANDS ON Activity 1 - Make your own weather
forecast. 1. What is happening in the image?
2. How are people in your country notified about these
LISTENING types of events?
3. How can people prepare for events such as this?

What is a PSA?

A public service announcement or PSA is an advertisement

that is broadcasted for free with the objective of increasing
public awareness about a social issue or changing public
attitudes and behaviors towards a social issue. Traditionally,
they were broadcast via radio in the U.S. but now they are
broadcast via radio, television and the internet.
Image: https://unsplash.com

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b. Listen to a PSA and answer the questions below.

1. Where is the first speaker?

2. Who is the intended audience of the PSA?
3. What is the PSA trying to persuade people to do?
4. How can the listener get more information about the topic discussed in the PSA?

c. Listen to the PSA again. Match the phrases to the definitions based on the context.

PHRASE DEFINITION
1. be kind of slow ( ) a. to happen suddenly and have a harmful or damaging effect

2. to pick up ( ) b. more than you could have imagined

3. to catch off guard ( ) c. to increase

4. to strike ( ) d. to not be very busy

5. in “someone’s” wildest dreams ( ) e. to happen to someone or something

6. become of ( ) f. to be unprepared for something

a. Complete the paragraph with one of the phrases from the previous activity. Adjust any phrase as necessary to make
it grammatically correct.

The weather forecast stated that the hurricane winds are (1)_______________ speed.The storm is now a Category 5. Although

barrier beaches have been vanishing for years, never (2) _______________ could the people have imagined the level of flooding that

the storm surge is causing. Many farmers are concerned about the flooding and wonder what will (3) _______________ their farms and

way of life. Additionally, they worry that water-borne diseases will (4) _______________ after the flood. Although they were warned a

week ago, many people in the community still feel (5) _______________ by the severity of the storm. Several of the older community

member have commented about the increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes over the past two decades. While they have

strongly denied climate change for years, many are starting to believe it is real because they are experiencing its impacts.

VOCABULARY & READING

Î GO TO VOCABULARY REFERENCE The environment

a. Discuss the following questions in pairs.

1. How would you describe the health of the Earth today?

2. How do you think human activity has affected the health of the Earth?
3. What do you think will be some effects of human activity on the Earth’s health in the future?

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b. Read the following article.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Impacts on Society

Climate change is affecting are affecting infrastructure like roads, rail lines, airports, port
the American people in many facilities, energy infrastructure, and military bases.
ways. Impacts related to The capacity of ecosystems like forests and wetlands to reduce
climate change are evident the impacts of extreme events like fires, floods, and severe
across regions and in many storms is being exceeded. The rising temperature and changing
sectors important to society— chemistry of ocean water is combining with other stresses,
such as human health, such as overfishing and pollution, to alter marine-based food
agriculture and food security, production and harm fishing communities.
water supply, transportation,
Image: https://www.thecoastnews.com energy, ecosystems, and Some climate changes have had beneficial effects for specific
others—and are expected to become increasingly disruptive sectors or regions. For example, current benefits of warming
throughout this century and beyond. include longer growing seasons for agriculture and longer
ice-free seasons for shipping on the Great Lakes. At the same
Climate change affects human health and wellbeing through time, however, longer growing seasons, along with higher
more extreme weather events and wildfires, reduced air quality, temperatures and carbon dioxide levels, have increased pollen
and diseases transmitted by insects, food, and water. Climate
production, intensifying and extending the allergy season.
effects on agriculture have been increasing and are projected Longer ice-free periods on the Great Lakes can result in more
to become more severe over this century, a trend that would lake-effect snowfalls.
diminish the security of America’s food supply. Surface and
groundwater supplies in some regions are already stressed, Today, these and other aspects of climate change are having
and water quality is getting worse in many areas, in part due increasingly complex and important impacts on the American
to increasing sediment and contaminant concentrations after economy and quality of life.
heavy downpours.
Glossary
In some regions, prolonged periods of high temperatures downpour: a heavy fall of rain.
associated with droughts contribute to conditions that storm surge: an abnormal rise in the level of
the sea along a coast caused by winds.
lead to larger wildfires and longer fire seasons. For coastal
snowfall: snow produced due to the humidity
communities, sea level rise, combined with coastal storms, evaporated from a lake.
has increased the risk of erosion, storm surge damage, and
flooding. Extreme heat, sea level rise, and heavy downpours Source: https://www.globalchange.gov

c. Discuss in pairs the following questions.

1. What are the potential effects climate change has on the national and global economy and in other important sectors of
society?
2. How can wildfires, reduced access to water, and diseases have negative impacts on human life?
3. What is an example of an ecosystem that is “exceeding capacity”?
4. Do you think longer growing seasons are a negative aspect of climate change in some regions?
5. What are some examples of how can climate change be positive in certain cases?

d. With a partner, complete the cause-effect chart with examples from the text. When you finish, compare it with
another pair.

CAUSE EFFECT

→
→
→
→
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e. In pairs or small groups, think of a few examples of
human activities in Colombia that are affecting or USE OF ENGLISH TIP
have affected in the past the environment and discuss Talking about the present
the following questions.
Read the following extracts from the text in 1b.
1. What has been the effect of that activity so far? 1. Climate change is affecting the American people in
2. What are possible future effects? many ways.
3. What are some steps that the government and 2. Climate change affects human health and wellbeing
individuals can take today to reduce the possible through more extreme weather events and wildfires.
future effects? Which sentence talks about...
- a fact or something that is always true. ____
- an event that is happening around these days. ____
Go to the Use of English Reference for more
information and practice

READING
a. Read the article below. Underline the words and expressions that you don’t know.

What Drives Doomsday Preppers

By Michele Moses. November 13, 2018

S
everal years ago, a New York City firefighter named it far more vulnerable to cataclysm. Today, climate change and
Jason Charles read the novel “One Second After,” by rising sea levels put us at greater risk of being wiped out by a
William R. Forstchen, and decided to change his life. disastrous event, such as a pandemic or a supervolcano.
In the book, an electromagnetic pulse goes Revealingly, however, many doomsday
off and sends the United States back into preppers’ fears are not based on speculative,
the Dark Ages; in its foreword, Newt Gingrich sci-fi-style catastrophes but on disasters
writes that this technology is not only real that have already happened. “Watch a
but terrorists know about it. “It was pretty documentary about [hurricane] Katrina. Look at something
much a green light for me to start preparing,” Charles says. about [hurricane] Sandy, years afterwards. Look at Puerto
The latest episode of The New Yorker’s “Annals of Obsession” Rico right now,” Scott Bounds, a member of N.Y.C. Preppers,
video series centers on doomsday preppers—people who aim says. “You have to realize that people are not going to come
to equip themselves with the skills and materials they would take care of you. You really have to be able to take care of
need to survive a world-ending calamity. Charles is now the yourself.” Judging by that rationale—“people are not going to
organizer of the group N.Y.C. Preppers, which teaches people take care of you”—the impulse to prepare is a response to
who live in cities how to take care of themselves. He says that governmental failings and apocalyptic fantasies.
he has collected enough supplies that, if the worst happened,
Glossary
he would be able to survive for a year and a half without help.
drive (v): motivate
Robyn Gershon, a public-health professor at N.Y.U. who doomsday: a time of catastrophic destruction and death.
specializes in disaster preparedness, concedes that, in the preppers: people who prepare for extreme natural or
nuclear disasters.
age of global warming, it is not so crazy to be thinking about foreword: commentary by another author placed in the
the apocalypse. According to the “push-pulse theory of beginning of a book.

extinction”—a theory created to explain the mass death of the Adapted from: https://www.newyorker.com
dinosaurs—any strain on an ecosystem leaves the species in

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b. With a partner, look up or ask the professor the words and expressions you do not know.

c. Answer the following reading comprehension questions.

1. What was the catalyst for Jason Charles to become a Doomsday Prepper?
2. What is a Doomsday Prepper?
3. What does the NYC Preppers organization do?
4. Why is it reasonable to think about the apocalypse, according to Robyn Gershon?
5. Why are we increasingly vulnerable to cataclysm?
6. What are Doomsday Preppers fears based on?
7. What drives people to prepare for themselves?

d. Discuss the following questions with a partner. With a new partner, discuss your opinion.

1. Do you think you will become a doomsday prepper?

2. Do you think these people are unreasonable or irrational?

Î Go to HANDS ON Activity 2 - Do or Die!

SPEAKING
a. Discuss in pairs these questions.

1. How can you help to protect the environment?

2. Do you recycle at home?
3. Do you use a bicycle to commute?

b. How GREEN are you? Complete the quiz on the next page to find out.

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 1. Do you sort out glass, paper, plastic, bottles, and cans? 8. Do you switch off other electronic devices at night (TV,
‰ A. Yes, always computer, etc.)
‰ B. Sometimes ‰ A. Yes, always
‰ C. Never ‰ B. Sometimes
‰ C. Almost never
2. Do you buy fair trade products or organic or local food. 9. Do you put on warmer clothes when it is cold instead of
‰ A. Yes, always putting on the heating?
‰ B. Sometimes ‰ A. Yes, always
‰ C. Never, it’s too expensive ‰ B. Sometimes
‰ C. Never! I prefer the heating.
3. Do you use your own shopping bags? 10. Do you take showers instead of baths?
‰ A. Yes, always ‰ A. Yes, always
‰ B. Sometimes ‰ B. Often
‰ C. Never, it’s too expensive ‰ C. Never
4. Do you recycle light bulbs and used batteries? 11. Do you close the tap while you brush your teeth?
‰ A. Yes, always ‰ A. Yes, always
‰ B. Sometimes ‰ B. Sometimes
‰ C. Never ‰ C. Never, I don’t even think about it.
5. Do you always dispose of garbage in a proper way? 12. Do you leave the refrigerator door open while you
‰ A. Yes, always, of course! cook?
‰ B. Sometimes ‰ A. No, never! I always close it.
‰ C. Almost never ‰ B. Sometimes
‰ C. Yes, it often happens.
6. Do you switch off the lights when you leave a room? 13. Do you use public transportation, ride a bike, or walk
‰ A. Yes, always when possible?
‰ B. Sometimes ‰ A. Yes, always
‰ C. Never ‰ B. Sometimes
‰ C. Never
7. Do you pick up other people’s litter? 14. Do you have compost at home?
‰ A. Yes, always ‰ A. Yes (2 pts.)
‰ B. Sometimes ‰ B. No (0pts.)
‰ C. Never

Results

Check the number of points you have and see if you are GREEN!

A  2 points
B  1 point
C  0 points (except question 14)
• From 22 to 28: Congratulations! You are making an excellent effort to help save our planet. Keep up the good work!
• From 13 to 21: Well, you can do better. But good effort! The environment is clearly not your priority, but it should be!
• Below 12: Oh, no! That’s just not okay. You should definitely do a lot more to take care of planet Earth! You’ve got a lot
to learn!

Discuss your results. How do you compare to the rest of your classmates? Are you happy with your individual score?

Î Go to HANDS ON Activity 3 - Let’s Be Part of the Solution

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 Module 1
Hands On
ACTIVITY 1
MAKE YOUR OWN WEATHER FORECAST!
In pairs or groups of three, choose any
place in the world to create your own
weather forecast. Create a 2-3 minute
presentation. Use the questions below
as a guide. Be creative!

Remember: Incorporate the new

vocabulary and expressions from this
module to make your presentation
detailed and interesting!

Image: https://www.mycartoonthing.com
Useful questions...
» What time of day is it? (to indicate what type of greeting you should use...good morning / afternoon)
» Where are you?
» How is the weather today?
» What can we expect the weather to be like?
» How has the weather been?
» Why has the weather been this way?
» How has the weather affected daily life in this area?

Vote for your favorite!

Discuss with your partner which group presented the best weather report. Once you decide, it’s time to cast your vote!

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 Module 1
Hands On
ACTIVITY 2
DO OR DIE!
Step 1. Watch the video about Doomsday
Preppers.

Step 2. Your turn! Prepare for Doom!

In a small groups of 3 or 4, you will be

assigned a catastrophic scenario. You must
prepare a plan on how to survive it. What
would you do for food? Water? How will
you protect yourself and your group? What
special skills or materials will you have to
give you an advantage?

Each group will be scored on their

preparation plan by the other groups. Video: Practical Preppers Scorecard: Braxton Southwick

Suggested examples: nuclear war, water war/severe drought in South America, massive earthquake in the Andes, terrorist poisoned
country’s food supply, massive hurricanes in the northern coast of Colombia.

Step 3. You’re going to give your opinion about the other groups’ survival plans by completing the Prepping Scorecard. Give a
score from 1 to 20 for each section. Will they survive? Note: On a separate sheet, copy the chart if there are more than six groups
of preppers are presenting.

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6

Food

Water

Security

Shelter

X-Factor

Total

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 Module 1
Hands On
ACTIVITY 3
LET’S BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!
In a small group, choose one impact of climate change and research information online to complete the chart. Include
information that discusses what individuals and countries are doing to mitigate the problem. Then, outline a policy
proposal to a Colombian senator to address an issue that concerns your group the most.

You will present your policy proposal in a five minute presentation. Use the outline in the Brainstorm Activity
to guide your presentation (Go to ACADEMIC SPEAKING: Organizing an Oral Presentation first).

Problem/Impact of Climate Change: ______________________________________

What can you do better as an individual?

What is the Colombian government already doing? What are organizations in Colombia already doing?

What’s the international community doing?

Policy proposal for the Colombian government to address climate change

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 Module 1
Academic Production
ACADEMIC SPEAKING - Organizing a presentation
GENERAL PRESENTATION FORMAT:
1. Greet the audience
2. Hook the audience
3. Introduce topic
4. Outline the presentation
5. Present your arguments with support (strongest point first, weakest point last)
6. Conclude the presentation

It is important to give your listeners verbal signals as you move from one part of the presentation to another to let
them know where you are in it. These signals are called discourse markers.

TYPES OF DISCOURSE MARKER

» Introduce topic (I)
» Outline presentation (O)
» Finish a section (F)
» Start a new section (S)
» Conclude presentation (C)

Write the letter indicated beside the examples of the types of discourse marker.
1. __ We’ll move on to … 9. __ First of all, I’ll … and then I’ll go on to … Next … Last
2. __ To sum up … 10. __ I’m going to talk about
3. __ There are a number of points that I’d like to make. 11. __ Finally, let me remind you of some of the issues
4. __ We’ve looked at… we’ve covered ...
5. __ My talk today is concerned with ... 12. __ The next issue that I would like to focus on …
6. __ Let’s begin by … 13. __ In short, ...
7. __ Now, let’s discuss ... 14. __ The subject of my talk is ...
8. __ So much for … 15. __ That’s all that I’m going to say about ...

Adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit3presentations/4tips.shtml

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 Module 1
Academic Production
PRACTICE
Look at the brainstorm bubble below. Organize the content into a possible speech outline with the appropriate
discourse markers. Compare your answer with another group.
Brainstorm bubble for solutions to reducing ecological footprint of businesses.

Reducing
the ecological
footprint of
businesses

OUTLINE FORMAT
Presentation sections Example
Greet the audience Good morning everyone. My name is Alexandra Ramirez….
Hook the audience
Outline presentation
Present points (strongest  weakest)
Conclude the presentation

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 VOCABULARY REFERENCE
THE ENVIRONMENT

Taken from SpeakOut 2nd Edition Intermediate by PEARSON, 2019. Antonia Clare - J.J. Wilson.

14
 USE OF ENGLISH REFERENCE
PRESENT SIMPLE AND PRESENT CONTINUOUS

COMPARE:

I always do and I’m always doing

• I always do (something) = I do it every time:

• I always go to work by car. (not I’m always going)

‘I’m always doing something’ has a different meaning. For example:

More examples:

• You’re always playing computer games. You should do something more active. (= You play computer games too often)

• Tim is never satisfied. He’s always complaining. (= He complains too much)

Adapted from English Grammar in Use - Cambridge University Press, 0215

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 USE OF ENGLISH REFERENCE
PRESENT SIMPLE AND PRESENT CONTINUOUS

a. A climatologist is visiting an area in California and is having a conversation with a local farmer. Put the verbs in
present simple or present continuous.

Climatologist: Morning, ma’am. How are things? How________________(be) the weather in Central
California?
Farmer: Good morning, how’s it going? The weather is quite unusual these days. The weather
is usually mild and pleasant, but lately wildfires and droughts ________________(affect) my crops.
I________________ (start) to worry because my neighbor’s farm was destroyed by the fires last week.
Climatologist: Hmm, yeah, that’s tough. These are some of the negative effects of climate
change. I’m going to speak with your neighbors later today. Your account is consistent with what
I ________________(hear) from other farmers in the area. Are you ________________(save) water?
Farmer: Yes, currently I _____________(try) to save water, but I’m afraid it’s just not enough. It
________________(not rain) and we ________________(not harvest) enough avocados and almonds to
meet the demand.
Climatologist: I ________________(advise) your neighbors to save as much water as possible.
Unfortunately, this is all we can do. However, I also suggest that you avoid using pesticides since they’re extremely flammable.
Farmer: Thanks for your help and advice.
Climatologist: Of course. I wish we were speaking under better conditions. Good luck and stay safe.

b. A man is travelling and writes an email to his loved one. Write the verb in the present perfect simple or the present
perfect continuous.

Hey Patrick,

I’m sorry for not writing sooner. I ___________________ (travel) all over the Caribbean since last month
and ___________________ (not have) consistent internet service. I ___________________ (look) for a reliable
internet cafe for days, and finally I think I ___________________ (find) it. I ___________________ (be) to
Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is very beautiful in the Caribbean. For the most
part, the weather ___________________ (be) nice but for the past two days it ___________________ (rain) all
day, every day. I ___________________ (not be) able to swim or explore outside much because of the
rain. When we went to Jamaica a few years ago, it was hot and dry, but I ___________________ (notice)
how wet it has been this time around. Also I ___________________ (work) for a local hostel for the last
couple of weeks, and that has been really fun. It has been great to be around fellow travellers
and I ___________________ (practice) my French with some guests. My level really ___________________
(improve)!

Anyway, I hope you are able to visit me soon.

Love,
Grant

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