happy cows · 2020-07-03 · b this project, which uses waste to make sustainable homes and...

Look Closer FirstNews Issue 679 21 – 27 June 2019

FRONT PAGE / BIG NEWS

So far, schools in countries including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Finland, Germany, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan and the USA have signed up to veggie days.

In a First News poll of 1,055 schoolchildren, 667 of you told us you wanted your school to join in – that’s nearly two-thirds of children.

It’s a good job, because a number of schools across the UK have already taken up the idea, including 60 in London and a whopping 80 primary schools in Edinburgh. Schools in all regions are having at least one vegetarian day a week and Scotland is going further still by having a weekly limit on how much meat can be served in schools.

But it doesn’t end there. Adults are getting on board at work, and

celebrities such as David Walliams, Ellie Goulding and Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks are counting themselves in too.

The link between diet and climate change is widely known and the science is clear. Last year, a UN climate change panel said we have 12 years to ward off a huge climate crisis – with food identified as a major problem. Experts say one million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction because of human activity, including over-fishing and the way we farm animals.

But things are changing fast. Research shows 150 million more meat-free dinners were sold in January 2019 compared to January 2018. And nearly a quarter of UK households have cut down on meat.

KIDS across Britain say they want their schools to join a global movement for meat-free Mondays.

AS KIDS VOTE FOR MEAT-FREE MONDAYS

HAPPY COWS

The Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE) will aim to make homes and schools that are healthier for us and better for the environment.

One of the researchers, Dr Ben Bridgens, told us that they would be “literally growing building materials rather than making them in a factory”. One example he told us about was using mycelium (the underground fungus that mushrooms sprout from) to turn wood shavings and used coffee grounds into a useful material. “They grow through the wood waste, feeding on the coffee and you end up with a rigid, solid

building,” Bridgens says.The team will also look at making

houses that recycle waste, “from human waste in the toilet to plastic waste,” Bridgens says. “I’m sure kids will love to think of a house running on poo!”

Another aim is to make houses that will check for harmful microbes and adjust the ventilation and surfaces in response, “like eating a live yoghurt”. The project is being run by Newcastle University and Northumbria University, and is one of 13 that the Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has put £76m into.

A NEW £8m project is looking into ways of using waste to build sustainable houses that turn our poo into energy!

MUSHROOM HOUSES POWERED BY POO!

Top: We don’t know what our houses will look like in the future, but they might make more use of plants to regulate temperature and filter the air.Below: A diagram showing mycelium


BIG NEWS

GLOSSARYclimate change – A change in climate patterns, due to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels

environment – The living world

microbes – Very small living things

sustainable – Sustainable housing tries not to harm the planet in any way

vegetarian – A person who does not eat meat or fish, and sometimes other animal products

ventilation – Fresh air supplied to a building

Look at the Big News article ‘Happy cows’.

1. What did two-thirds of the 1,055 children who responded to the First News poll say they wanted?

Test-free Tuesdays Meat-free Mondays Homework-free Fridays

2. Which of the following examples does the writer not give of the ways in which people are harming animals and plants?

Over-fishing Our farming of animals A vegetarian diet

3. The article provides lots of number-crunching on meat-free Mondays. Complete the sentences.

Nearly 25% of

12

80

years are all we have left to prevent a climate crisis.

primary schools in Edinburgh have signed up to meat-free Mondays.

UK households have cut down on eating meat.

4. Why do you think the journalist uses “Meat-Free Mondays” in the headline, rather than “veggie days”, which they use later in the article?

5. Is the writer’s tone in the final paragraph of ‘Happy cows’ positive or negative? Give reasons for your answer.

Look at the Big News article ‘Mushroom houses powered by poo!’

6. Choose the facts from the following options.

A The project’s building materials are being grown.

B This project, which uses waste to make sustainable homes and schools, is costing £76m.

C The project will also look at using human waste and plastic to make buildings.

D The project’s sustainable homes and schools will be built by 2020.

E The project will also look at improving the air quality in buildings.

7. Why do you think the journalist uses the word “mushroom” in the headline?

8. Why do you think the journalist includes quotes from Dr Ben Bridgens throughout the article?

9. Both stories are about a greener planet and helping to reduce climate change. How far do you agree with the choice to make the ‘Happy cows’ article the front page news story, instead of ‘Mushroom houses powered by poo!’?

10. Do you think that meat-free days are a good idea or not? Give reasons for your opinion.


GLOSSARYclimate change – A change in climate patterns, due to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels

environment – The living world

microbes – Very small living things

sustainable – Sustainable housing tries not to harm the planet in any way

vegetarian – A person who does not eat meat or fish, and sometimes other animal products

ventilation – Fresh air supplied to a building

BIG NEWS


1. Question? What did two-thirds of the 1,055 children who responded to the First News poll say they wanted?


2. Which of the following examples does the writer not give of the ways in which people are harming animals and plants?

Over-fishing Our farming of animals A vegetarian diet

3. The article provides lots of number-crunching on meat-free Mondays. Complete the sentences.

Nearly 25% of

12

80




4. Why do you think the journalist uses “Meat-Free Mondays” in the headline, rather than “veggie days”, which they use later in the article?

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5. Is the writer’s tone in the final paragraph of ‘Happy cows’ positive or negative? Give reasons for your answer.

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6. Choose the facts from the following options.







7. Why do you think the journalist uses the word “mushroom” in the headline?

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8. Why do you think the journalist includes quotes from Dr Ben Bridgens throughout the article?

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9. Both stories are about a greener planet and helping to reduce climate change. How far do you agree with the choice to make the ‘Happy cows’ article the front page news story, instead of ‘Mushroom houses powered by poo!’?

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10. Do you think that meat-free days are a good idea or not? Give reasons for your opinion.

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A) 7-DAY ZERO WASTE CHALLENGE

Extension Activities

Read about all the different ways you can reduce waste over a month in this blog:

tinyurl.com/challengezero

Now, design your own 7-Day Zero Waste Challenge based on the 31-Day Zero Waste Challenge in the blog!

B) WE SHOULD MAKE ALL NEW SCHOOLS AND HOMES FROM WASTE! – DISCUSS

Before you discuss this point, write out two good reasons for using waste to make new buildings and two reasons against using waste.

FOR

FOR AGAINST

AGAINST



1. What did two-thirds of the 1,055 children who responded to the First News poll say they wanted?READING SKILL – Summarise information(NC 2e)


2. Which of the following examples does the writer not give of the ways in which people are harming animals and plants?READING SKILL – Summarise information(NC 2e)

Over-fishing A vegetarian dietOur farming of animals

3. The article provides lots of number-crunching on meat-free Mondays. Complete the sentences. READING SKILL – Summarise information(NC 2e)

12

80

Nearly 25% of




4. Why do you think the journalist uses “Meat-Free Mondays” in the headline, rather than “veggie days”, which they use later in the article?READING SKILL – Recognise the effects of language choices(NC 2f & 3)Starting point:• It sums up that you don’t eat meat on one day of the week to help the planet.Developed responses:• The headline includes the key words of the story: “meat” and “free”, so that the reader understands quickly that cows

are happy, because we are not eating their meat as much. The alliteration of the letter “m” in “Meat” and “Mondays”, also draws the reader’s attention to the news story in a way that “veggie days” would not. It also introduces the fact that children have voted for meat-free Mondays in the 'First News' poll.

5. Is the writer’s tone in the final paragraph of ‘Happy cows’ positive or negative? Give reasons for your answer.READING SKILL – Identify benefits of text organisation and presentation(NC 2f) / Recognise effects of language choices (NC 2f & 3)Starting point:• The writer ends the article in a more positive tone, because she says “things are changing fast”, and she gives optimistic

facts about how much people are cutting down on meat, such as “150 million more meat-free dinners were sold in January 2019” than in January 2018.

TEACHER ANSWERS

AIM OF THE NEWS COMPREHENSIONS: News reports are unique non-fiction texts. Being real, they naturally engage students, and with the range of topics that are covered, help to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the wider world outside the classroom. The reports are ideal for short, focused comprehension or discussion activities. Along with the opportunity to find fascinating facts and appreciate the opinions of those involved, there is plenty to be inferred and deduced to understand in more depth what is being reported. Like authors, journalists play with language, so news ‘stories’ are rich nuggets of text to investigate and provide the opportunity for literacy programmes.

TEACHER ANSWER GUIDE: The teacher answers are intended to provide a quick reference guide. Suggestions are given for the 'Expected response' or starting point that pupils could give. The 'Development' then gives more in-depth ideas that students can work towards as they develop their reading comprehension skills.For a list of the reading skills used, please email [email protected].


Developed response:• The previous paragraph was more serious and alarming about how our meaty diet is bad for the planet, with emotive

language, such as animals and plants being “threatened with extinction”. This could make young readers feel that there is no hope, so the more positive final paragraph may be to encourage them to feel that their veggie days can make a difference to climate change.


6. Choose the facts from the following options.READING SKILL – Find and explain information(NC 2a)






7. Why do you think the journalist used the word “mushroom” in the headline? READING SKILL – Find and explain information (NC 2a) / Recognise effects of language choicesStarting point:• It is eye-catching because readers are not used to homes made out of mushrooms! Also, the news story says that

buildings will be made from mushrooms mixed with wood waste and coffee grounds.Developed response:• The journalist chooses to use an easy to understand word, as using the word “mycelium” – the fungus that turns the

waste into a building material – would be too difficult for most children to understand in a headline.

8. Why do you think the journalist includes quotes from Dr Ben Bridgens throughout the article?READING SKILL – Identify benefits of text organisation and presentation(NC 2f) / Recognise effects of language choices (NC 2f & 3)Starting point:• Because he is an expert working on the project to make sustainable houses from waste, as he works for the Hub for

Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE).Developed response:• As a researcher on the project, Dr Bridgens is able to give first-hand details about the waste houses. For example, he

explains how the mycelium “grow through the wood waste feeding on the coffee and you end up with a rigid, solid building.” His quotes throughout the news story build up fascinating factual details about the waste houses. He also tries to make the topic engaging for children by adding that, “kids will love to think of a house running on poo!”. Here, he uses the simple, non-scientific word, “poo”, perhaps so that children understand what the waste is and don’t get put off by too much tricky science.

9. Both stories are about a greener planet and helping to reduce climate change. How far do you agree with the choice to make the ‘Happy cows’ article the front page news story, instead of ‘Mushroom houses powered by poo!’? READING SKILL – Identify benefits of text organisation and presentation (NC 2f) / Recognise effects of language choices (NC 2f & 3)Starting point:• The ‘Happy Cows’ story is about pupils who are choosing meat-free Mondays, and children are the target audience for

the newspaper, so this is a reason to make it the front page article.Developed response:• The ‘Happy Cows’ article deals with a current way to improve the health of the planet, rather than the future idea of

the sustainable houses, so it is more topical and relevant for 'First News' readers. Also, the scientific language of the ‘Mushroom houses’ article, for example “mycelium”, is more complicated than the language used in the ‘Happy cows’ story, so that makes the ‘Happy cows’ article more suitable for a range of ages.

10. Do you think that meat-free days are a good idea or not? Give reasons for your opinion.READING SKILL – Develop opinions and provide justifications for viewpoints(NC6, 7 & 8)/ Develop personal ideas from reading news stories.(NC 6, 7 & 8)Open pupil response

happy cows · 2020-07-03 · b this project, which uses waste to make sustainable homes and...

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