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3 Sept 2026
Purple passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) contains chemicals called flavonoids that can help relieve anxiety. Cavan Images/Amanda Star Capps/Getty Images Plus
Teens Invent Chewing Gum to Help Reduce Anxiety
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) Two young students create a new gum with plant extract.
b) A new computer helps children do their homework fast.
c) A company makes chocolate to help people sleep well.
Ask:
(1) How do you feel when you must speak in front of your class?
(2) Do you like to chew gum when you study or relax?
VOCABULARY
anxiety (/æŋˈzaɪ.ə.ti/, noun)
Meaning: A feeling of worry or nervousness about something.
Example: She felt some anxiety before her big school music test.
invent (/ɪnˈvent/, verb)
Meaning: To design or make something new for the first time.
Example: The clever kids want to invent a fun new board game.
calm (/kɑːm/, adjective)
Meaning: Peaceful, quiet, and not worried or excited.
Example: Listening to soft songs helps me stay calm at night.
plant (/plɑːnt/, noun)
Meaning: A living thing that grows in earth and has leaves and roots.
Example: Water this green plant every day so it grows strong.
test (/test/, verb)
Meaning: To examine something carefully to see if it works.
Example: The young scientists test their new toys in the room.
helpful (/ˈhelp.fəl/, adjective)
Meaning: Giving aid or making something easier and better.
Example: Good friends are always helpful when you have a problem.
Many teenagers feel nervousness or anxiety before big school tests. Two clever teenagers named Zackary and Sara want to help these students. They invent a special new chewing gum.
The gum uses juice from a purple plant. This natural plant extract helps people feel calm. Zackary and Sara mix the plant juice with sweet sugar and gum base. Then, they cut the long gum into neat little pieces.
Next, the two students test their gum in a quiet room. They chop the gum into small bits to show how teeth chew it. They check that the helpful plant chemicals stay safe inside the sweet gum.
Zackary and Sara hope their product helps many people feel relaxed. Chewing this nice gum can help a student feel calm before a big presentation at school. It is a very clever idea!
Listen
Zackary Nizker (left) and Sara Hoti (right), both 16, developed a medicinal chewing gum. It aims to help people struggling with anxiety. K.G. Carpenter
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(1) What do you do to feel calm when you are nervous?
(2) Would you like to try this new passionflower chewing gum?
(3) Why do many students feel anxious before school tests?
(4) What is your favourite flavour of chewing gum?
(5) Do you think chewing gum should be allowed in school classrooms?
FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Word Bank: anxiety | calm | invent | test
Many teenagers feel nervousness or _______(1) before big school tests. Two clever teenagers named Zackary and Sara want to help these students. They _______(2) a special new chewing gum.
The gum uses juice from a purple plant. This natural plant extract helps people feel _______(3). Zackary and Sara mix the plant juice with sweet sugar and gum base. Then, they cut the long gum into neat little pieces.
Next, the two students _______(4) their gum in a quiet room. They chop the gum into small bits to show how teeth chew it. They check that the helpful plant chemicals stay safe inside the sweet gum.
Zackary and Sara hope their product helps many people feel relaxed. Chewing this nice gum can help a student feel calm before a big presentation at school. It is a very clever idea!
Section 2: Main Idea
What is the main idea of this article?
a) Two teenagers created a chewing gum with plant extract to help people feel calm.
b) Chewing gum is bad for your teeth, so students should stop buying it.
c) Purple plants are very hard to find during the cold winter months.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
(1) Zackary and Sara created a new type of fruit juice. T/F
(2) The new chewing gum uses chemicals from a purple plant. T/F
(3) The students chopped the gum to show how teeth chew it. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Put the following events in order from 1 to 3:
( ) The students cut the gum into small pieces to test it carefully.
( ) Zackary and Sara mixed plant juice with sugar and gum base.
( ) The teenagers wanted to help students who feel nervous before tests.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
(1) anxiety
(2) invent
(3) calm
(4) test
(5) helpful
a) Peaceful, quiet, and not worried
b) Giving aid or making things better
c) A feeling of worry or nervousness
d) To check something carefully
e) To make something new for the first time
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
(1) When I have a big exam, I feel _______ and need to take a deep breath.
a) anxious
b) green
c) noisy
(2) Drinking warm tea helps me stay _______ before I go to sleep.
a) tall
b) calm
c) fast
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
(1) Unscramble the sentence:
A) created / B) Zackary and Sara / C) chewing gum / D) a new / E) plant-based
(2) Unscramble the sentence:
A) helps / B) feel / C) this gum / D) students / E) relaxed
ANSWER KEY
Warm Up Answer: a) Two young students create a new gum with plant extract.
Section 1 Answers: (1) anxiety (2) invent (3) calm (4) test
Section 2 Answer: a
Section 3 Answers: (1) False (2) True (3) True
Section 4 Answers: 3, 2, 1
Section 5 Answers: (1)-c, (2)-e, (3)-a, (4)-d, (5)-b
Section 6 Answers: (1) a (2) b
Section 7 Answers: (1) B - A - D - E - C (Zackary and Sara created a new plant-based chewing gum) (2) C - A - D - B - E (This gum helps students feel relaxed)
Section 8 Answers: Answers will vary based on student opinion.
Thank you for your feedback!