We are here to READ

a questionnaire, an earth day story and a play about pollutants

and TALK ABOUT

pollution, endangered species and protection of the environment

and LISTEN TO

a presentation about endangered species in an environmental centre

and WRITE

emails about environmental problems and a poster

and LEARN ABOUT

how to describe activities that happened before another action in the past, how to explain why something happens and how to express the result of an action or a situation.

Earth Day is a Birthday! Just like a birthday is a special day to celebrate a person, Earth Day is a special day

that celebrates the Earth. Earth Day was born on April 22, 1970, in San Francisco, California. Every year, different countries join together in the celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd.

Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide. On Earth Day, we remember to appreciate nature and learn ways to protect our environment. Find ways that you can help keep the planet clean and help protect our environment.

HOW GREEN ARE YOU?

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the box and tick what you do to protect the environment:

1. Don't leave the ___________ running when you are brushing your teeth.

2. Take a ___________ instead of a bath.

3. If you litter, ___________ will eat the garbage and get sick.

4. Don't __________ paper. You can write on both sides of it.

5. Planting just one ________ can save the sky from smoke from factories.

6. Turn off the _________and _________ when you are not in the room.

7. Keep the oceans clean so the fish will stay __________ and safe.

8. Make a __________. The birds in the city have a hard time finding enough food to eat.

9. Recycle your __________ and __________.

10. Use a ______________ instead of a plastic one.

A. Look at the picture and read the title of the story. What do you think the story is about?

LEARNING STRATEGIES

When I learn new words…

I draw a picture to remind me every new word

I write words/ sentences on pieces of paper
and stick them on the wall

I use the new words in a song/ story

I play word games with my friends (hangman,
scrabble, etc.)

What Can I Do?

Mark came back from school very sad. His mother looked at him and said: 'You look very sad. It seems that you had a rough day. What happened?'

"Today, in science, the teacher was talking about Earth Day and the environment. Earth Day is a day when every person promises to do something to protect our world from pollution. Mrs. Green was telling us that many companies do not do their best in order to get rid of their industrial waste. She said that our world is getting dirtier and that many animals and plants are becoming extinct. She wants us to think of something we can do to help. On the way home, I thought that there is nothing I can do. I can't stop the companies from polluting our air and dumping toxic waste in the sea and I can't save all of the animals! There is not anything that I can do to make a difference."

Mark's mother sat for a minute, thinking. "Let me tell you a story that your grandfather told me. I don't know where he heard it, but I think that it might help you think about the problem in a different way." She began:

"One morning a man was walking down a beach covered with dying starfish. The night before the tide had been especially strong and had washed up thousands of starfish on shore. The man was sorry that all the starfish would die on the beach. He came upon a boy who was throwing starfish back into the ocean as fast as he could. The boy was out of breath and it was obvious that he had done a lot of work as he looked tired.

"Son," the man said, "you might as well quit. There are thousands of them. There is no way you can make any sort of a difference."

The boy did not even stop in what he was doing. He kept bending and throwing but as he did, he spoke to the man: "I can make a difference to this one, and this one, and this one."

And the man knew the boy was right. He began to help return the animals to their home, and kept thinking that sometimes little children can teach elderly people real lessons in life.

Mark stared at his mother. "But he did make a difference, didn't he? To every starfish that he threw back in?" His mother nodded, smiling. He sat for a moment, thinking about what his mother had said.

"So, what it means is that even though I can't change everything, I can make a big difference by doing the little things that matter?"

B. Read the story and the following sentences. Which one summarises the main idea of the story?

1. There is nothing we can do to save the world.

2. Animals and plants will disappear in a few years

3. We can't change everything, but there are things we can do to protect the environment.

C. Read the text again and tick ☑ the correct answer.

1. What were Mark and his classmates learning about in school?

a. maths

b. history

c. grammar

d. protecting our environment

2. Why was Mark sad when he went home from school?

a. He didn't know how to do long division.

b. He didn't think he could help our environment.

c. He wanted to go for a walk to the beach.

d. He was disappointed with his friends.

3. What did Mark's Mom do to help him understand how he could help to save the environment?

a. She talked to him.

b. She called his grandfather.

c. She told him a story about a boy on the beach.

d. She took him for a walk.

4. When the old man saw the boy on the
beach

a. the boy had already thrown some starfish in the sea.

b. the boy was resting.

c. the boy had caught some fish.

d. the boy had given up.

D. Find words from the story which mean:

1. The air, water, and land on Earth. ______________________________

2. When air, water, soil etc. are dangerously dirty and not suitable for people to use. ______________________________________

3. Throw away. __________________________________

4. Chemical material that factories throw away. ____________________________________

5. Type of animal or plant that does not exist any more. ______________________________

6. Putting something somewhere in a careless, untidy way. ___________________________

7. A flat sea animal that has five arms forming the shape of a star. _____________________

8. To give up. __________________ ____________________________

When the old man arrived, the tide had washed up thousands of starfish on shore.

When did the tide happen? Before the man arrived, at the same time or now?

The man had done a lot of work as he looked tired.

When did the man do the work? Before he was tired or after?

The tide had washed up fish.
SIMPLE PAST PERFECT
The old man arrived at the beach.
SIMPLE PAST

Simple past perfect tense

POSITIVE

I / you/ we / they

had

arrived

early.

He / she

NEGATIVE

I / you/ we / they

hadn't

arrived

early.

He / she

QUESTION

had

you/ we / they

arrived

early?

he / she

B. Complete
the rule:

We form the Past Perfect tense with ________ + past participle.

When do we use the Past Perfect?

Choose the correct phrase to complete the rule:

We use the Past Perfect tense…

a. for an action that happened before another one in the past.

b. for two actions that happened at the same time.

C. Read the story again and write all the things that had /had not happened
before the old man arrived on the beach. Start like this:

When the old man arrived on the beach ___________________________

A. PAIR WORK

Pupil A

You are a young reporter working for a local TV channel. Ask the man, of the story on page 98, 3 questions to find out what had happened before you arrived on the beach.

Pupil B

You are the man of the story. Answer the 3 questions of the reporter.

Q: Had the people left the beach when you arrived?

A: Yes. All of them had left.

B. WHAT HAD HAPPENED?

Yesterday your class went on a day trip to the beach. There, you saw dead fish and birds. You also saw starfish and shells out on the beach. You found a lot of litter, as well. Imagine what had happened the day before you went there and write to your pen-friends Joan and John in Great Britain about this awful experience. Start like this:

Dear Joan and John,

Yesterday my class visited the nearby beach. It was
a nasty experience because

Put your letter in your portfolio.

C. What can you do if you want to save the planet?

A reporter from a TV channel is doing a survey on how to save
the planet. He asks you what you can do if you want to save the planet.
What is your answer?

Think about endangered animals, polluted sea, litter, plants, etc.

Το παρόν αποτελεί μέρος του ψηφιακού εμπλουτισμού των σχολικών βιβλίων (Ψηφιακό Σχολείο) και διατίθεται μόνο για εκπαιδευτική χρήση και στο πλαίσιο για το οποίο διαμορφώθηκε.