×

Environmental issues listening, speaking, vocabulary and critical thinking exercises

12th July 2024

1 The Water Crisis

The exercises in this worksheet are about water conservation and the water crisis, including methods of conservation, causes of the crisis, sources of clean water, and opinions on water-related issues.

Extract from The Water Crisis (PDF)

Subscribe to Eslflow

Subscribe to get full access to complete exercises with answers. In addition, you will receive the latest, and best resources from eslflow.com. There are no ads in the newsletter and you will receive entertaining, high quality, and up-to-date teaching resources regularly. And, if you subscribe, you will get access to advancements in artificial intelligence and prompt engineering, that will enable you to become a master of the English as a second language universe!

2 Decarbonization

This is one of the most pressing topics of the 2020s! It’s a little more advanced than other exercises on this page, but it’s very interesting. The decarbonization and the clean energy transition lesson includes vocabulary, listening, comprehension, discussion, and review exercises covering key concepts, critical minerals, and geopolitical implications.

Extract from PDF (subscribe at Substack to get answers)

See the video on YouTube

3 Environmental Issues  cause/effect problem/solution

         The listening/speaking exercise below is for discussing environmental issues in the classroom. Students have to try and describe the problem depicted in each picture and suggest  causes. effects and possible solutions to each problem. Students can listen to the audio before or after filling in the worksheet, depending on the level of their language skills.

Environmental issues  cause/effect worksheet)

(see the YouTube video)

Environmental issues causes effects solutions

4 Elements of the Contemporary Environment

The exercise below is for introducing and exploring academic vocabulary for environmental issues in the classroom. First, students listen to the audio and match the items to the pictures. Then they match the vocabulary to the pictures. Or vice versa.

Contemporary environment listening/speaking and vocabulary exercise

Elements of the contemporary environment (PDF)

Elements of the contemporary environment

 5 Describing  Environmental Issues (listening)

         The exercise below is for discussing and describing environmental issues in the classroom.  Students  listen to the  audio and complete the sentences. 

Describing environmental issues (PDF)

(see the video version on YouTube)

Describing environmental issues

6 Climate Change

More exercises and options for teaching climate. This PDF includes vocabulary matching, sorting, question-answer matching, classifying, and ranking exercises about climate change concepts, causes, effects, and solutions.

Climate Change (PDF)

7 Endangered Species

  The exercise below is for introducing and exploring language for endangered species in the classroom.  A  teacher  may ask students to work in pairs, groups, or as a class. First, students can match the vocabulary to the pictures. Then they can use the conversation cues at the bottom of the worksheet to discuss endangered animals. If they are weak, they should try and write a conversation before they practice with a partner. 

Endangered species speaking activity (PDF)

8 Renewable Energy

As above, students are again encouraged to think critically about their familiarity with various types of renewable energy, the benefits associated with using renewable energy sources, and the challenges that renewable energy technologies face.

Renewable Energy PDF

9 Environmental issues (speaking)

  Another exercise  for environmental issues ….. a teacher may ask students to work in pairs, groups, or as a class. First, students can match the vocabulary to the pictures. Then they can use the conversation cues at the bottom of the worksheet to discuss environmental issues. If they are weak, they should try and write a conversation before they practice with a partner.

Environmental issues vocabulary and speaking activity (PDF)

 

Related Resources

               Listening exercises for vocabulary, speaking & grammar

10 Role Play Speaking Activities

11 Classroom Debate and Discussion Language Activities

5 First Day of Class Activities

3 Great Icebreakers to Start a Class

8 Invitation and Request Dialogues for Everyday Scenarios

 8 Cost of living, Money and Finance Lessons

10 Natural Disasters

  The exercise below is for introducing and exploring language for natural disasters in the classroom. A teacher may ask students to work in pairs, groups, or as a class. First, students can identify the natural disasters depicted in the pictures. Then they can use the conversation cues at the bottom of the worksheet to discuss natural disasters. If they are weak, they should try and write a conversation before they practice with a partner. This exercise helps familiarize the students with the vocabulary of natural disasters in English.

Natural disasters vocabulary and speaking activity (PDF)

 

11 “Environmental Island” teaching idea

This is a creative and fun lesson designed to help students learn and use the vocabulary and language of environmental issues. Environmental Island is a model guide and example worksheet for a speaking activity that teaches the vocabulary and language for environmental problems. Read the instructions about this activity on the PDF.

Environmental Island (PDF)

7  Health Problems, Symptoms and Illnesses Vocabulary Exercises

10 Medical Technology and Health Sciences English Language Exercises

Share On -