The Reading / Listening - Bed Poverty - Level 1

A charity said more than a million children in the UK live in 'Bed poverty'. This means they have no bed. Around 700,000 children share beds, and 440,000 sleep on the floor. The charity said bed poverty is because people are poorer because the cost of living has increased. Food, gas and electricity are more expensive. Even a bed is now a "luxury" item for poorer people. Having no bed means children are tired and cannot concentrate at school.

Bed poverty shows that many people in Britain are struggling. It is an example of child poverty. Parents have painful challenges. They do not have enough money to buy things to keep their children healthy. Many families have to choose between heating and eating. They cannot fix a broken bed. Bed poverty is affecting children's mental health. The charity asked the government to take "urgent action" to fix these "deep-rooted issues".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Bed Poverty - Level 0 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. Around 700,000 children share
  3. people are
  4. the cost of living
  5. Food, gas and electricity are
  6. a bed is now a
  7. Having no bed means children
  8. cannot concentrate
  1. more expensive
  2. at school
  3. beds
  4. are tired
  5. has increased
  6. poorer
  7. a million children
  8. "luxury" item

Paragraph 2

  1. many people in Britain are
  2. Parents have painful
  3. keep their children
  4. families have to choose between
  5. They cannot fix
  6. Bed poverty is affecting children's
  7. asked the government to
  8. to fix these deep-rooted
  1. healthy
  2. a broken bed
  3. take urgent action
  4. challenges
  5. issues
  6. heating and eating
  7. struggling
  8. mental health

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A charity said more than a million children in the UK live in 'Bed poverty'. This (1) ___________________ no bed. Around 700,000 children share beds, and 440,000 sleep (2) ___________________. The charity said bed poverty is because people are poorer because the (3) ___________________ has increased. Food, gas and electricity (4) ___________________. Even a bed is now (5) ___________________ for poorer people. Having no bed means children are tired and cannot (6) ___________________.

Bed poverty shows (7) ___________________ in Britain are struggling. It is (8) ___________________ child poverty. Parents have painful challenges. They do not (9) ___________________ to buy things to keep their children healthy. Many families have to choose between (10) ___________________. They cannot fix a broken bed. Bed poverty is affecting children's mental health. The charity asked the government to (11) ___________________ to fix these "(12) ___________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AcharitysaidmorethanamillionchildrenintheUKlivein"bedpoverty".T
hismeanstheyhavenobed.Around700,000childrensharebeds,and44
0,000sleeponthefloor.Thecharitysaidbedpovertyisbecausepeoplear
epoorerbecausethecostoflivinghasincreased.Food,gasandelectricity
aremoreexpensive.Evenabedisnowa"luxury"itemforpoorerpeople.H
avingnobedmeanschildrenaretiredandcannotconcentrateatschool.B
edpovertyshowsthatmanypeopleinBritainarestruggling.Itisanexam
pleofchildpoverty.Parentshavepainfulchallenges.Theydonothaveen
oughmoneytobuythingstokeeptheirchildrenhealthy.Manyfamiliesha
vetochoosebetweenheatingandeating.Theycannotfixabrokenbed.B
edpovertyisaffectingchildren'smentalhealth.Thecharityaskedthego
vernmenttotake"urgentaction"tofixthese"deep-rootedissues".

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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