The Reading / Listening - Bed Poverty - Level 0

More than a million children in the UK live in 'Bed poverty'. They have no bed. Many children share beds, and many sleep on the floor. Bed poverty is because people are poorer. Everything is more expensive. Even a bed is now a "luxury" item for poorer people. No bed means children are tired. They cannot concentrate at school.

Bed poverty shows that it is difficult for people in Britain. Parents do not have enough money to buy food to keep their children healthy. Many families have to choose between heating and eating. Bed poverty is bad for children's mental health. People want the government to fix the problem of poverty.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Bed Poverty - Level 1 Bed Poverty - Level 2   or  Bed Poverty - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/29/more-than-1-million-children-in-uk-sleep-on-floor-or-share-bed-study-finds
  • https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/6-october/news/uk/hundreds-of-thousands-of-children-suffer-bed-poverty-says-barnardo-s
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cost-of-living-uk-bed-poverty-children-b2420763.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. More than
  2. They have
  3. Many children
  4. many sleep
  5. Bed poverty is because
  6. Everything is more
  7. Even a bed is now a
  8. They cannot
  1. concentrate at school
  2. share beds
  3. expensive
  4. people are poorer
  5. a million children
  6. on the floor
  7. no bed
  8. "luxury" item

Paragraph 2

  1. Bed poverty shows
  2. people in
  3. Parents do not have
  4. keep their children
  5. choose between heating
  6. Bed poverty
  7. children's mental
  8. fix the problem
  1. is bad
  2. healthy
  3. of poverty
  4. enough money
  5. that it is difficult
  6. health
  7. Britain
  8. and eating

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

More than (1) ___________________ in the UK live in 'Bed poverty'. They (2) ___________________. Many children share beds, (3) ___________________ on the floor. Bed poverty is because (4) ___________________. Everything is more expensive. Even a bed is now (5) ___________________ for poorer people. No bed means children are tired. They (6) ___________________ school.

Bed poverty (7) ___________________ is difficult for people in Britain. Parents do (8) ___________________ money to buy food to (9) ___________________ healthy. Many families have to (10) ___________________ and eating. Bed poverty (11) ___________________ children's mental health. People want the government to (12) ___________________ of poverty.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

MorethanamillionchildrenintheUKlivein"bedpoverty".Theyhavenob
ed.Manychildrensharebeds,andmanysleeponthefloor.Bedpovertyis
becausepeoplearepoorer.Everythingismoreexpensive.Evenabedisn
owa"luxury"itemforpoorerpeople.Nobedmeanschildrenaretired.The
ycannotconcentrateatschool.Bedpovertyshowsthatitisdifficultforpe
opleinBritain.Parentsdonothaveenoughmoneytobuyfoodtokeepthei
rchildrenhealthy.Manyfamilieshavetochoosebetweenheatingandeat
ing.Bedpovertyisbadforchildren'smentalhealth.Peoplewantthegove
rnmenttofixtheproblemofpoverty.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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