Waterway Cleanup
WORKSHEET
1. Suggested Use
Environmental action and responsibility focus, followed by A2+-level vocabulary and grammar activities.
2. Suggested Activities
A. Project-based learning
Students work in small groups to design a community clean-up or environmental habit campaign inspired by Giri’s story. They choose a focus: litter, recycling, water, trees, food waste, etc. They then decide what problem they want to solve, what actions people can take and what message or slogan will inspire others. They write a short campaign description using language from the video and present it to another group to receive feedback.
B. Mediation task: Translating a written text
Give students a copy of the videoscript. Write the following words on the board, behavior, rubbish. Explain that these are American English words. Have students research and write the British English forms of the words. Then, have students highlight or underline any unknown words from the text (or above level words, e.g. embedded) and try to write definitions of them from context, or use a dictionary to help them. Have pairs check their answers.
C. Pronunciation task: /r/ and /l/ contrast
Elicit examples of the sounds from the video, e.g. /r/: rubbish, recycle, reuse, protect, grow, really, across; /l/: lake, local, collect, clean, help, little. Model, practise and drill the words and sounds. Write some minimal pairs on the board for students to contrast the sounds, e.g. light / right, glass / grass, play / pray, fly / fry then have them read sentences from the script with the words.
3. Vocabulary
Environment
lake
water
rubbish
trash
littering
nature
environment
recycle
reuse
protect
clean-up
shore
People
children
young people
local groups
volunteers
future generations
Verbs and actions
collect
help
sort
work
paddle
include
start
educate
support
change
believe
protect
4. Grammar
Past simple:
Giri was only 16 when he decided to clean the lake; He enjoyed working alone.
Present perfect:
They have collected over 2,700 kilograms of rubbish; The lake is cleaner now than it was before.
Modal verbs:
We can make a habit to protect nature; You should try making it a habit too; They will stop littering if they change their habits.
Infinitive of purpose:
He decided to include them; He started to clean the lake.
TRANSCRIPT
Waterway Cleanup
NARRATOR:
At a lake in Bogor, a city in Indonesia, a group of young people go out in kayaks to collect rubbish from the water. This clean-up group started with just one person: Giri Marhara. He was only 16 years old when he decided to clean the lake. He enjoyed working alone but some children wanted to help him. Giri decided to include them.
SOUNDBITE - Giri Marhara:
“I don't want to miss the opportunity to educate kids that this is something that's positive, something that you should probably try making a habit too.”
NARRATOR:
Now, many young people work with him to clean the lake and protect the environment. Some paddle across the water. Others help on the shore, sorting the rubbish into what can be recycled or reused. Local groups also support them by lending kayaks. Together, they have collected over 2,700 kilograms of rubbish. The lake is cleaner now than it was before. But for Giri, cleaning is not enough. It's important to change how people think.
SOUNDBITE - Giri Marhara:
“What I am trying to do is I am trying to counter the behavior that is the cause of trash to be out there in the environment, which is littering. Littering is, I believe, to be a habit that repeats itself and is embedded into society."
NARRATOR:
Giri believes that if people create new habits, they will stop littering. His clean-up group shows how one small choice can grow into something big and make people happy. Together, these young people are helping to protect nature for future generations.