The Reading / Listening - Rising Sea Levels - Level 4

Residents on Panama's Gardi Sugdub island are leaving because of rising sea levels. They are relocating to the mainland. The government said some people are refusing to leave. They will stay until the last minute. Gardi Sugdub is a sign of things to come. More islands are under threat from being engulfed. A recent study said Panama would lose 2.01 per cent of its coastal territory to rising sea levels. Thousands of people will need to relocate.

Gardi Sugdub has been home to the indigenous Guna people for generations. The tiny island was home to 300 families. Islander Nadin Morales said: "We're a little sad…but the sea is sinking the island." She added: "Climate change has had a major impact.…The tide comes to a level it didn't before." Ms Morales hopes her community will prosper in its new location. This is two kilometres from the port from which boats go to Gardi Sugdub.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Rising Sea Levels - Level 5 or  Rising Sea Levels - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/29/panama-completes-first-climate-related-relocation
  • https://apnews.com/article/panama-island-guna-climate-change-f368711649ff6986ea25a79534405a84
  • https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240530-panama-s-first-climate-change-displaced-prepare-to-leave-ancestral-home


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. Residents on Panama's
  2. leaving because of
  3. relocating to the
  4. some people are
  5. They will stay until
  6. a sign of
  7. More islands are under
  8. 2.01 per cent of its coastal
  1. things to come
  2. mainland
  3. territory
  4. the last minute
  5. threat
  6. Gardi Sugdub island
  7. refusing to leave
  8. rising sea levels

Paragraph 2

  1. home to the indigenous
  2. The tiny island was home
  3. the sea is
  4. Climate change has had
  5. The tide comes to a level
  6. her community will prosper
  7. the port from which boats
  8. the port from which
  1. it didn't before
  2. sinking the island
  3. a major impact
  4. go to Gardi Sugdub
  5. boats go to Gardi Sugdub
  6. Guna people
  7. in its new location
  8. to 300 families

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

(1) ___________________ Gardi Sugdub island are leaving because of rising sea levels. They are relocating (2) ___________________. The government said some people are (3) ___________________. They will stay until the last minute. Gardi Sugdub is a (4) ___________________ to come. More islands are under threat from being engulfed. A recent study said Panama would lose 2.01 per cent of (5) ___________________ to rising sea levels. Thousands of people will (6) ___________________.

Gardi Sugdub has been home (7) ___________________ Guna people for generations. The tiny (8) ___________________ to 300 families. Islander Nadin Morales said: "We're a little sad…but the (9) ___________________ the island." She added: "Climate change has had (10) ___________________.…The tide comes to a level it didn't before." Ms Morales (11) ___________________ will prosper in its new location. This is two kilometres (12) ___________________ from which boats go to Gardi Sugdub.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ResidentsonPanama'sGardiSugdubislandareleavingbecauseofrising
sealevels.Theyarerelocatingtothemainland.Thegovernmentsaidso
mepeoplearerefusingtoleave.Theywillstayuntilthelastminute.Gardi
Sugdubisasignofthingstocome.Moreislandsareunderthreatfrombein
gengulfed.ArecentstudysaidPanamawouldlose2.01percentofitscoas
talterritorytorisingsealevels.Thousandsofpeoplewillneedtorelocate.
GardiSugdubhasbeenhometotheindigenousGunapeopleforgenerati
ons.Thetinyislandwashometo300families.IslanderNadinMoralessai
d:"We'realittlesad…buttheseaissinkingtheisland."Sheadded:"Clima
techangehashadamajorimpact.…Thetidecomestoalevelitdidn'tbefor
e."MsMoraleshopeshercommunitywillprosperinitsnewlocation.Thisi
stwokilometresfromtheportfromwhichboatsgotoGardiSugdub.

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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