A new shot to stop a bad bug bite sickness is now okay to use. This sickness can make you very hot and your body can hurt a lot. It can be very bad for very small babies. Many people got sick this year, and some even died. Now, with this new shot, we can help keep people safe.

This bad sickness has made many people sick in hot places near the ocean. There is no special medicine to make it go away. Now, the new shot can help grown-ups not get sick. Two places with lots of people, Brazil and India, had many sick people. This new shot is good news for everyone.

Original news source: Chikungunya vaccine: US approves first shot against mosquito-borne virus (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Have one student from a team come to the board. Whisper a word from the article (e.g., “shot,” “sickness,” “hot,” “safe”) to them. The student draws the word on the board without writing letters or numbers, while their team tries to guess the word. Each team gets a point for each correct guess. This helps students associate words with images and understand the vocabulary in context.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Pair up students and assign them roles: one is a news reporter, and the other is an expert on the new shot for the bad bug bite sickness. The reporter asks questions about the article’s information, and the expert answers using simple English. This activity helps students practice speaking and listening skills while reinforcing the article’s content.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask students to think individually about the new shot and how it can help people. Then, have them pair up to discuss their thoughts. Finally, ask some pairs to share their ideas with the class. This activity encourages students to process and communicate the information they have read.

– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Write down key words from the article on the board (e.g., “sickness,” “hot,” “safe,” “medicine”). Ask students to think of synonyms or similar words that they know for each word and write them on the board. This will help expand their vocabulary and understand the context better.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Make a line on the floor with tape or use an imaginary line. One end represents ‘very important’ and the other ‘not important’. Read statements related to the article (e.g., “It is important to have new shots to prevent sickness,” “The new shot will make a big difference in hot places,” “Everyone should get the new shot”). Ask students to stand on the line at the point that reflects their opinion. This gets students moving and encourages them to express their opinions using the new vocabulary.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happens to you when you get the bad bug bite sickness?
2. Can the sickness be very bad for little babies?
3. How did many people feel this year because of the sickness?
4. What can we use now to help keep people safe from the sickness?
5. Where have a lot of people gotten sick from the bad bug bite sickness?
6. Is there a special medicine to make the sickness go away?
7. Which two places with lots of people had many sick people?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A new shot to stop a bad bug bite sickness is now (1)______ to use. This sickness can make you very hot and your (2)______ can hurt a lot. It can be very bad for very (3)______ (4)______. Many people got sick this year, and some even died. Now, with this new shot, we can help keep people safe.

This bad sickness has made many (5)______ sick in hot places near the ocean. There is no special medicine to make it go away. Now, the new (6)______ can help grown-ups not get sick. Two places with (7)______ of people, Brazil and India, had (8)______ sick people. This new shot is good news for everyone.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a shot?
2. Do you like getting shots? Why or why not?
3. How do you feel when you are very hot and your body hurts?
4. Why is it important to keep small babies safe?
5. Have you ever been sick with a bad bug bite?
6. Do you think it is good to have shots to stop sickness? Why?
7. What do you do when you feel very sick?
8. Have you heard about people getting sick in hot places?
9. Why do you think there is no special medicine for some sicknesses?
10. Do you think everyone should get the new shot? Why or why not?
11. What can we do to help people who are sick?
12. Are you happy when you hear about good news like a new shot? Why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. shot
2. bug
3. sickness
4. hot
5. babies
6. ocean
7. medicine
8. Brazil

Meanings:
(a) A country in South America
(b) A big body of water
(c) When it’s very warm
(d) A small creature that can bite you
(e) Something that can make you feel better when you’re sick
(f) Something that keeps you from getting sick
(g) Very young children
(h) When your body doesn’t feel well
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the new shot for?
(a) To stop a bad bug bite sickness
(b) To make you very hot
(c) To help you sleep better
(d) To make you run faster

2. Who can the bad bug bite sickness be very bad for?
(a) Teenagers
(b) Very small babies
(c) Grandparents
(d) Teachers

3. Where have many people gotten sick from the bad bug bite sickness?
(a) Cold places near the mountains
(b) Dry places near the desert
(c) Rainy places near the forest
(d) Hot places near the ocean

4. What can the bad bug bite sickness make your body do?
(a) Dance
(b) Sing
(c) Sleep all day
(d) Hurt a lot

5. What is the new shot good news for?
(a) Only for babies
(b) Everyone
(c) Only for grown-ups
(d) Only for people in Brazil

6. What is the new shot helping grown-ups not get sick from?
(a) The bad bug bite sickness
(b) The flu
(c) A broken leg
(d) A headache

7. Where have two places with lots of people had many sick people?
(a) Canada and Australia
(b) China and Russia
(c) Brazil and India
(d) Mexico and Japan

8. What is the new shot doing to keep people safe?
(a) Making them run faster
(b) Making them taller
(c) Helping them not get sick
(d) Helping them sleep better

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The new shot cannot help keep people safe from getting sick.
2. There is no new shot that can help stop a sickness from a bug bite.
3. The sickness has made many people in hot places near the ocean very sick.
4. The new shot is bad news for grown-ups in Brazil and India who had many sick people.
5. There is no special medicine to make this sickness go away.
6. The sickness cannot make your body hurt a lot and make you very hot.
7. Small babies can get very sick from this bug bite sickness.
8. Many people got sick and some even died from this sickness this year.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What can the new shot do to help people?
2. How does the bad bug bite sickness make you feel?
3. Who can get very sick from the bad bug bite sickness?
4. Where did many people get sick from the bad bug bite sickness?
5. Why is the new shot good news?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happens to you when you get the bad bug bite sickness?
You get very hot and your body can hurt a lot.

2. Can the sickness be very bad for little babies?
Yes, it can be very bad for very small babies.

3. How did many people feel this year because of the sickness?
Many people felt very sick and some even died.

4. What can we use now to help keep people safe from the sickness?
We can use the new shot to help keep people safe.

5. Where have a lot of people gotten sick from the bad bug bite sickness?
A lot of people have gotten sick in hot places near the ocean.

6. Is there a special medicine to make the sickness go away?
No, there is no special medicine to make it go away.

7. Which two places with lots of people had many sick people?
Brazil and India had many sick people.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) okay
(2) body
(3) small
(4) babies
(5) people
(6) shot
(7) lots
(8) many
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. shot
Answer: (f) Something that keeps you from getting sick

2. bug
Answer: (d) A small creature that can bite you

3. sickness
Answer: (h) When your body doesn’t feel well

4. hot
Answer: (c) When it’s very warm

5. babies
Answer: (g) Very young children

6. ocean
Answer: (b) A big body of water

7. medicine
Answer: (e) Something that can make you feel better when you’re sick

8. Brazil
Answer: (a) A country in South America
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the new shot for?
Answer: (a) To stop a bad bug bite sickness

2. Who can the bad bug bite sickness be very bad for?
Answer: (b) Very small babies

3. Where have many people gotten sick from the bad bug bite sickness?
Answer: (d) Hot places near the ocean

4. What can the bad bug bite sickness make your body do?
Answer: (d) Hurt a lot

5. What is the new shot good news for?
Answer: (b) Everyone

6. What is the new shot helping grown-ups not get sick from?
Answer: (a) The bad bug bite sickness

7. Where have two places with lots of people had many sick people?
Answer: (c) Brazil and India

8. What is the new shot doing to keep people safe?
Answer: (c) Helping them not get sick
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The new shot cannot help keep people safe from getting sick. (Answer: False)
2. There is no new shot that can help stop a sickness from a bug bite. (Answer: False)
3. The sickness has made many people in hot places near the ocean very sick. (Answer: True)
4. The new shot is bad news for grown-ups in Brazil and India who had many sick people. (Answer: False)
5. There is no special medicine to make this sickness go away. (Answer: True)
6. The sickness cannot make your body hurt a lot and make you very hot. (Answer: False)
7. Small babies can get very sick from this bug bite sickness. (Answer: True)
8. Many people got sick and some even died from this sickness this year. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧