Unit 9 - Mairi's new home

Good afternoon!

Welcome to the third term!. Are you excited about these last units?. I sure am!.

This unit is one of my favourite topics. Today we were talking about ecology and eco-friendly houses and listened to the beginning of the story of Mairi.

Here is the text we listened to, complete with pictures!. I also included a few questions so you can review the contents and study the new vocabulary.

This is Mairi, she's a Scottish girl.

Her name sounds like Mary but it is actually spelled M.A.I.R.I, which is actually the Scottish form of Mary.

Mairi and her family live in Glasgow, Scotland, where she goes to school.

Unfortunately Glasgow is one of the most polluted cities in the U.K. so the family is moving out for health reasons.

They have been looking for locations during the last year. Last week they made their choice and this summer they will be moving into Andalusia!.

They have chosen a place in Sierra de Huelva. They chose it because the air is clean. The air in Glasgow is toxic. The temperature is also stable and warmer.

Mairi's parents have been thinking of building an Earthship. "What is an Earthship?", you ask?.

An Earthship is an ecological house, meaning it is eco-friendly to build and to live in!.

Most of its materials are recycled or upcycled. The technology to do so is not always new: some ideas are hundreds of years old!.

Earthships are usually built by its owners: first a project is made and next construction begins.

Construction can take at least a year, so Mairi's new home will take a bit to be ready.

Some friends of the family are coming in to lend a hand next Christmas. Do you want to come too?.

Answer the questions with "Yes" or "No":

• Mairi is the same than Mary. [Answer]
  Yes. Mairi is the Scottish form of Mary, just like we have Maria in Spanish.
• Mairi's family is moving out of Scotland for work reasons. [Answer]
  No. They are moving out for health reasons.
• Mairi's family has chosen Andalusia because they love our culture. [Answer]
  No. They chose it because of the clean air.
• Mairi's family wants to move into a small flat. [Answer]
  No. They want to build an Earthship!.

Answer the questions:

• Where does Mairi live?. [Answer]
  Mairi lives in Glasgow, Scotland.
• What kind of materials are earthships made of? [Answer]
  Earthships are made of recycled and upcycled materials.
• When will Mairi move into Andalusia?. [Answer]
  She will move into Andalusia this summer.

Did you know the difference between downcycling, upcycling and recycling?. What do you think of Earthships? I like the idea so much I want to do a board game about it. Are you in?.