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1 you are going to read a text describing desertification- the process by which lands is changed into desert. is desertification mainly (a) a natural process, or (b) a man-made process?

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1 you are going to read a text describing desertification- the process by which lands is changed into desert. is desertification mainly (a) a natural process, or (b) a man-made process?

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a) a natural process

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read the section headings in the text and questions 1-4. predict what information or evidence you think the text will include for each heading.

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read the section headings in the text and questions 1-4. predict what information or evidence you think the text will include for each heading.

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1 what is desertification? the definition of desertification
2 how widespread is the risk of desertification? it is near the hot deserts
3 what are the natural causes of desertification? the natural causes of desertification are climate change and changing of temperature and rainfall patterns
4 what are the human causes of desertification? over-cultivation and over- grazing and over-irrigation are the human causes of desertification

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1 identify where in the text the authors express the main ideas 1-6.

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1 identify where in the text the authors express the main ideas 1-6.

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1 the areas most at risk of desertification are near existing deserts. the most vulnerable areas tend to be located on the margins of the hot deserts.
2 climate change is a current concern and is happening now. climate worldwide is still changing today, but now there is serious international concern that human actions are worsening natural global warming and climate change.
3 it is not known whether temperature and rainfall are a direct cause of desertification. temperature and rainfall patterns worldwide have certainly been changing. but the changes have not been gradual or consistent- they have been erratic, and have involved extremes of drought and flood.the climate is becoming more unpredictable and more variable. only time will tell how much of this is a direct cause of current and future desertification.
4 human damage is an accident. people are not likely to deliberately damage the land on which they depend on for their survival.
5 there is a limit to how much farming an area of land can support. intensive farming on marginal land can reduce soil fertility and damage its structure. the lack of organic matter makes it crumbly and more likely to be washed or blown away. it also reduces its capacity to retain moisture.
6 using too little or too much water can contribute to desertification. if plants are appropriately irrigated, little water should be wasted. however, if land is over-irrigated, salinization can occur.

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2 note down the evidence in the text that helped you identify each of the main ideas in 1.

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2 note down the evidence in the text that helped you identify each of the main ideas in 1.

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example:
main idea - natural processes were causing desertification before humans started to have an effect.
evidence from text - 'natural climate change turned this region into desert thousands of years ago - long before humans had any major impact.'
1 main idea- the areas most at risk of desertification are near existing deserts.
evidence from text- figure 4.32 shows the location of land vulnerable to desertification across the world. the UN estimates that roughly a third of the world's land surface is currently affected by desertification.
2 main idea-climate change is a current concern and is happening now.
evidence from text- for example, serious droughts have become more common in many parts of Africa over the last few decades.
3 main idea- it is not known whether temperature and rainfall are a direct cause of desertification.
evidence from text-temperature and rainfall patterns worldwide have certainly been changing. but the changes have not been gradual or consistent- they have been erratic, and have involved extremes of drought and flood.
4 main idea-human damage is an accident.
evidence from text- however, circumstances can lead to people's actions tipping the delicate balance and inadvertently contributing towards the process of desertification.
5 main idea- there is a limit to how much farming an area of land can support.
evidence from text- the lack of organic matter makes it crumbly and more likely to be washed or blown away. it also reduces its capacity to retain moisture.
6 main idea-using too little or too much water can contribute to desertification.
evidence from text-this creates an impermeable and infertile salty crust on the surface, which is a key feature of desertification.

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1 work in pairs. read the essay title and discuss questions 1 and 2.

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1 work in pairs. read the essay title and discuss questions 1 and 2.

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title: 'desertification is a natural process and is not caused by man.' discuss.
1 from your reading, do you think desertification is (a) a natural process, (b) a man-made process, or (c) both natural and man-made?(c) both natural and man-made
2 do you think the writers of the text would agree with the statement in the essay title? no, they disagree with this title because they mentioned 3 kinds of human-caused of desertification

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2 find examples of evidence in the text on page 055 that is both for and against the statement in the essay title.

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2 find examples of evidence in the text on page 055 that is both for and against the statement in the essay title.

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for: 8000 years ago the climate in North Africa and the Middle East was much wetter./ large aquifers lying beneath desert countries like Egypt and Jordan, as well as fossil plant remains and archaeological evidence.
against: intensive farming can damage soil/if the number of animals is exceeded, the system becomes unsustainable and the vegetation and soil deteriorate./ if the land is over-irrigated, salinization can occur./other human activities that can damage the soil and vegetation are road building, deforestation, and inappropriate tourism.

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3 look at the arguments for and against the statement in 1. do the authors provide strong evidence to support both arguments?

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3 look at the arguments for and against the statement in 1. do the authors provide strong evidence to support both arguments?

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yes

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4 what other evidence could you offer to support either argument?

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4 what other evidence could you offer to support either argument?

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Planting more trees

Improving the quality of the soil

Water management

Magic stones

Drip irrigation

Policy Changes to Other Types of Land Use

Education

Technology Advances

Restricting Mining Practices

Putting Together Rehabilitation Efforts

Sustainable Practices to Prevent Desertification From Happening

Population growth
Removal of wood
Overgrazing
Soil erosion
Climate change

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1 read the extract from the text on the natural cause of desertification. match items a-c to sentences 1-3.

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1 read the extract from the text on the natural cause of desertification. match items a-c to sentences 1-3.

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a examples of evidence  2 for instance, there is evidence that- as recently as 8000 years ago ( around the age of the last Ice Age)- the climate in North Africa and the Middle East was much wetter than it is today.
b a statement of evidence 3 this evidence includes large aquifers (groundwater reserves) lying beneath desert countries like Egypt and Jordan, as well as fossil plant remains and archaeological evidence (such as ancient rock art)
c the main idea 1 the main natural cause is connected to climate, which has changed throughout geological time-altering global temperature and rainfall patterns.

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2 using your notes from tasks 2 and 3, write three similar sentences about the human causes of desertification.

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2 using your notes from tasks 2 and 3, write three similar sentences about the human causes of desertification.

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1 the main human cause is connected to farming
2 for instance, there is evidence that
3 this evidence includes

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1 complete the text with the correct form of the present progressive or present perfect progressive.

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1 complete the text with the correct form of the present progressive or present perfect progressive.

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the world's climate has been changing(change) for centuries. however, not everyone is convinced that climate change is actually happening(actually happen) because the data is sometimes misleading or inaccurate. ice caps and glaciers are getting (get) smaller across the world, although some predictions and estimates have not been very accurate. glaciers and ice caps outside of the Antarctic and Greenland are melting (melt) at half the rate previously thought. Jacob et al. (2011) found that glaciers in the Himalayas have not been shrinking (not shrink) as fast as was predicted; in fact, there has been very little change at all. while their research overturned some previous ideas, in general it supported the overall view that sea levels are rising (rise) every year. although some recent findings seem to contradict previous research, the vast majority of it supports the idea that the climate is changing(change) and that human activity is causing(cause) it.

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2 think about three changes in your country that are currently happening. write a sentence to describe each of these changes.

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2 think about three changes in your country that are currently happening. write a sentence to describe each of these changes.

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well done, you have clearly distinguished between main ideas and evidence in a text. This is a really valuable critical reading skill for your future studies. D

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well done, you have clearly distinguished between main ideas and evidence in a text. This is a really valuable critical reading skill for your future studies. D

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Great and we looked over this in class and found the correct answers. Would be great to see your 3 sentences for further practice :-)

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Great and we looked over this in class and found the correct answers. Would be great to see your 3 sentences for further practice :-)