Grammar and Communicative activities on

GRETA THUNBERG’S SPEECH

In support of
FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE STUDENTS’ MOVEMENT

CC by Rebeca Calvo Cogan.

GRETA THUNBERG’S SPEECH POST-LISTENING ACTIVITIES. COMMUNICATIVE-GRAMMAR FOCUS.

Watch and listen to GRETA THUNBERG’S SPEECH VIDEO COP24, Katowice, Poland. Dec 2018.

ACTIVITY 1. Do you still remember Greta’s words?

We use conditional sentences to talk about probable or improbable situations. Fill in the gaps
with the verbs in the box below. Do you feel Greta is expressing low or high probability?

there is will ask start focusing can get are cannot solve
treat can should change don’t go wanted to have

1.If a few children __________ to school, they _________ headlines all over the world.
2. Imagine what we ___________ all do together if we really ____________.
3.If solutions within this system ____________so impossible to find then we ____________the system
itself.
4.We _________ a crisis unless we _________ it as a crisis.
5.Unless you ___________on what needs to be done rather than what it’s politically
possible,_____________ no hope.
6.If I ____________ children, in my 75th birthday with me, maybe they ________________why you
didn't do anything while there still was time to act.

ACTIVITY 2. What about you? What’s your opinion about climate justice action?
Work in pairs and finish these conditional sentences with your own ideas:
A. If all students take action together around the world...
B. If politicians start caring for our planet…
C. There is no hope, unless politicians....
D. If we all start caring about climate justice now, in year 2078...
Score: _____/ 12p

1 point for each sentence that 2 points for each sentence that
makes sense and communicates is grammatically correct and
an idea, even if grammar is not fully makes sense.
correct.

3 points for each sentence that is 0 points for each sentence that
grammatically correct, makes doesn’t manage to
sense and it’s unique in the communicate an idea.
class.

ACTIVITY 3. Conditional chain for picturing a better future.

Follow your teacher’s instructions. Remember to keep positive when imagining our future!

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GRETA THUNBERG’S SPEECH POST-LISTENING ACTIVITIES. COMMUNICATIVE-GRAMMAR FOCUS.

ACTIVITY 4. Never too late..!

Complete Greta’s words and the rephrasing sentences below with TOO or ENOUGH:
● You (people) are never ______ small to make a difference.
People are always big (powerful) _________.
● You (politicians) are _______ scared of being unpopular.
Politicians are not brave __________.
● You (politicians) are not mature ________ to tell it like it is.
Politicians are ________ immature.

TOO / ENOUGH TOO/ ENOUGH

Circle the right ➔ Means more than what is ➔ Means as much as
option. necessary. necessary.
➔ Is used after the adjective.
Write the right ➔ Is used before the adjective. adjective + __________
option. ________ + adjective.

ACTIVITY 5 Class debate.

Fill in the gaps with Too or Enough and talk about it with your classmates:
1. Do you really think people are ________ small to make changes in the world?
2. Do you agree with Greta that politicians are _________scared about losing popularity? Why?
3. How do you feel about a 15 year-old girl telling politicians they are not mature _________?

ACTIVITY 6. “Our civilization is being sacrificed. Our biosphere is being sacrificed.”

Work in pairs. Fill in the gaps and answer the questions with your partner.
● Our civilization and our biosphere ______ being sacrificed by _________________.

➢ Greta Thunberg doesn’t say WHO is sacrificing our civilization and our biosphere. She uses a
passive structure so there is no active subject. Who do you think it is? ____________
➢ According to her words, is the sacrificing happening in the past, present or future? ________

What else is being sacrificed in our planet at the moment? Write it down below. Can we stop it? How?

___________________is/are being sacrificed. ____________________is/are being sacrificed.

___________________is/are being sacrificed. ___________________is/are being sacrificed.

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GRETA THUNBERG’S SPEECH POST-LISTENING ACTIVITIES. COMMUNICATIVE-GRAMMAR FOCUS.

FINAL ACTIVITY. “The year 2078 I will celebrate my 75th birthday”, says Greta. How old will you
be in 2078? What will climate be like then? And the planet? What will people be doing? And politicians?
Keep positive and imagine life in 2078. Write about it, using will and future continuous.

In year 2078 I’ll celebrate my _____ birthday.

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GRETA THUNBERG’S SPEECH POST-LISTENING ACTIVITIES. COMMUNICATIVE-GRAMMAR FOCUS.

TEACHER’S SHEET.

ACTIVITY 3. CONDITIONAL CHAIN. It can be just a speaking activity or they can write their chains in
smaller groups of 4-6 students if you prefer, passing around one piece of paper.
Teacher starts saying: “If students around the world take action…”. A student completes the sentence, saying
for example “ If students around the world take action, politicians will take our words into account”. Next student
starts “If politicians take our words into account…”
You could use second conditional here instead, but If you ask students to keep positive when they’re projecting
into the future, first type works better, so students express high probability ;-)

KEY/ TRANSCRIPT.
Conditionals. Too or Enough. Passive.

"My name is Greta Thunberg, I am 15 years old, and I am from Sweden. I speak on behalf of Climate Justice
Now*. Many people say that Sweden is just a small country and it doesn't matter what we do, but I've learned
that you are never too small to make a difference, and if a few children can get headlines all over the world just
by not going to school, then imagine what we can all do together if we really wanted to. But to do that we have
to speak clearly, no matter how uncomfortable that may be. You only speak of a green eternal economic
growth because you are too scared of being unpopular. You only talk about moving forward with the same bad
ideas that get us into this mess, even when the only sensible thing to do is pull the emergency brake. You are
not mature enough to tell like it is, even that burden you leave to us, children. But I don't care about being
popular, I care about climate justice and the Living Planet. Our civilization is being sacrificed for the opportunity
of a very small number of people to continue making enormous amounts of money. Our biosphere is being
sacrificed, so that rich people in countries like mine can live in luxury. It is the sufferings of the many which pay
for the luxuries of the few. The year 2078 I will celebrate my 75th birthday. If I have children maybe they will
spend that day with me, maybe they will ask me about you, maybe they will ask why you didn't do anything
while there still was time to act. You say you love your children above all else, and yet you are stealing their
future in front of their very eyes. Until you start focusing on what needs to be done rather than what it’s
politically possible, there is no hope. We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis. We need to keep
the fossil fuels in the ground and we need to focus on equity, and if solutions within this system are so
impossible to find, then we should change the system itself. We have not come here to beg world leaders to
care. You have ignored us in the past and you will ignore us again. You have run out of excuses and we are
running out of time. We have come here to let you know that change is coming whether you like it or not. The
real power belongs to the people. Thank you."

CC by Rebeca Calvo Cogan.