Homework for the Blue Group -- finish for June 12

Hello, newspaper readers!

Reading and understanding a newspaper article is great, but it's even better if you can combine the information with what you already know about the subject. SO, I would like to take a close look at one more story in our Newsademic newspaper. I would like you to read it and answer a few comprehension questions about it, then we are going to discuss the topic in class on Saturday.

I have chosen the story "Global Forest Loss" on page 12 and 13, because I think we have all heard about the problem of global warming. I also think that you guys probably have some good ideas about what kind of changes we need to make to stop the problem from getting worse. I'd like to talk about these points.

So, to start with, read the story through and answer these questions in your notebook or on a piece of paper. All of the information to answer the questions is in the article BUT... When you write your answers, try NOT to copy them directly from the story. Try to write similar information in your own words - it's called "paraphrasing".

For example, if the question is: What did American scientists write a report about?

You might copy the answer from the text like this:

"The report describes how much of the Earth's forests have been 'lost' over a five year period."

BUT that is basically stealing the writer's words. It is better to think about what those words mean and then write them in your own words. For example:

"The scientists wrote about the amount of forest that has disappeared from the Earth in the last five years."

Do your best! Here are your questions:

1. In what ways are trees important to living things on Earth? (There are 3 reasons given in the article)

2. How did the researchers figure out how much forest was lost?

3. What are some differences between boreal forests and rainforests?

4. What does GFCL stand for?

5. Which type of forest has greater GFCL? What are 2 reasons why that kind of forest has greater GFCL?

And finally, make a note of any ideas you have about how we can reduce the amount of forest lost every year. ANY ideas are ok -- things individual people can do, or laws that countries can make. Stretch your imagination!