Is it too late to save wildlife?

PRE-CLASS ACTIVITIES
1. Choose the word that best fits each sentence.
a) The ……………. of dinosaurs happened millions of years ago.
1) extinction 2) extinct 3) extinguish
b) Over 120 ……………. of birds have been observed in this conservation area.
1) spices 2) specialties 3) species
c) The organization was set up to preserve ……………. across Europe.
1) ecosystem 2) animal 3) wildlife
d) She studies gorillas in their natural ……………. .
1) habitation 2) habitat 3) habit
e) They should think about how to minimize their business’s environmental
………… .
1) footprint 2) footstep 3) footpath
f) There are just a few areas of untouched ……………. in Europe, except for
various national parks.
1) wild 2) wildebeest 3) wilderness
g) We work with our farmers to promote ……………. agriculture.
1) sustainctive 2) sustainability 3) sustainable
h) The island is characterized by high ……………. .
1) biosphere 2) biodiversity 3) botanicals
i) Let’s hope that world leaders can agree on a plan to ……………. the
environment.
1) safeguard 2) safe 3) persevere

2. In the sentences (a-i) above, find the words which match the meanings
below. In one case, there are two words which can be used.
a) protect preserve, safeguard
b) unspoiled untouched
c) protection conservation
d) encourage and support promote
e) reduce to the smallest amount minimize

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 Is it too late to save wildlife?

IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES
3. How do you pronounce these words? Repeat them after your teacher.
a) youth g) nature
b) wild h) species
c) wilderness i) biodiversity
d) consumption j) dairy
e) consume k) ecosystem
f) natural

4. Discuss the questions.

[You can show your students the photo of David Attenborough.]
 Do you know who David Attenborough is?
 What does he do?
 What is he famous for?

5. Watch the first part of a video [https://youtu.be/dbCR0KSU52g] (to 01:26)

and summarize what crisis David Attenborough and other speakers talk
about.

6. Before watching the second part of the video, brainstorm the ways humans
destroy ecosystems.
 …
 …
 …

7. Watch the second part of the video (from 01:26 to 03:44) and mark the
sentences below true (T) or false (F). Correct the false sentences.
a) There are nine billion people in the world. [02:03] F
There will probably be 9 billion people in the speaker’s lifetime.
b) As more people live in developing countries, their impact on the environment
is higher. [02:26] F
In terms of impact, what’s much more important is the growth of consumption
levels which are higher in developed economies.

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 Is it too late to save wildlife?

c) The UK moves its environmental footprint abroad because they import most of
the goods they consume. [02:48] T
d) Only 25% of the land in the world (excluding ice zones) hasn’t been converted
by humans. [03:13] T

8. Before watching the last part of the video,

brainstorm the ways we can make a
difference and safeguard our planet.
 …
 …
 …

9. Watch the third part of the video (from 03:44) and answer the questions.
a) How did consumption impact happiness in the UK? [03:53]
40 years ago people consumed a great deal less, but there is no evidence that
they were unhappier then.
b) What should be done about meat and dairy consumption? [04:17]
We should demand that meat and dairy are produced sustainably.
c) How much of the food we produce is wasted? [04:40]
40%
d) Is it too late for us to save our planet? [05:18]
No, but we should start to act now.

10. Complete the statements below with the words in the box.

away extinct immediate key sustainably up

a) We can’t look away from this problem as we all directly contribute to the
destruction of wildlife.
b) Even if producing sustainably means an increase in product prices, we should
do it to minimize our footprint.

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 Is it too late to save wildlife?

c) If we don’t take immediate action, this crisis will continue to have a more
serious impact on all of us very soon.
d) Far more species have gone extinct because of natural processes rather than
human activity.
e) What wildlife will be there for future generations to enjoy is up to all of us.
f) Each individual should identify the key ways in which they can safeguard
nature.

11. Discuss the statements from the previous exercise. Do you agree or
disagree with them? Why?

12. Work in pairs or groups. Come up with a small local initiative that could
help protect wildlife. Collect your ideas and complete the table below.

INITIATIVE NAME

AIM

ACTION

EFFECT

[You could help students by reminding them about the ways we destroy the planet
or the ways we can save our planet mentioned in the video. They can serve as a
basis for their projects.]

13. Share your initiative with the whole class. Comment on the initiatives of
other groups. What do you like about them? Will they work?

Copyrights by ESL Brains