A very big and old building in Tustin, California, caught on fire. This building was special because it was used a long time ago during a big war to keep airships safe. After the war, people used it to make movies and TV shows. No one was hurt in the fire, but people don’t know yet why it started.

The people who help with fires said it was best to let the building fall down because of the fire. This building was important to the history of California and to movies and TV. Now that it has burned, people are trying to find out how the fire started. They are worried and want to know more.

The fire made a lot of damage to the building, which was very old and important. People who live around there are waiting to hear more news. They want to know why the fire happened. Right now, everyone is just watching and waiting to learn more.

Original news source: Massive blimp hangar engulfed in flames (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Students will be divided into small groups and given a few minutes to read the article together. Each group will then summarize the article, highlighting key points such as the location of the fire, the historical significance of the building, and the current situation. Groups will share their summaries with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Prepare a list of key vocabulary words from the article (e.g., building, fire, war, airships, movies, damage, history). Divide the class into two teams. One student from a team will draw a word on the board without speaking or writing any letters, while their team tries to guess the word. Alternate turns between the teams.

– Mind Map
Instructions: Provide each student with a piece of paper. In the center, they will write the main topic of the article (e.g., “Tustin Building Fire”). Branching out from the center, students will draw lines to note important details such as the building’s uses, the fire’s impact, and the community’s reaction. Encourage them to use images and symbols as well as words to represent their ideas.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Conduct a classroom opinion poll by presenting a series of statements about the article and having students raise their hands to agree or disagree. Statements might include: “Historical buildings are important to preserve,” “The community should have a say in what happens to the building now,” or “It’s more important to find out the cause of the fire than to rebuild.” Discuss the results with the class.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to work in pairs to discuss and write down their predictions about what will happen next with the building and the investigation into the fire. Will they rebuild it? Will they turn the site into something else? What might they discover about the cause of the fire? Pairs will share their predictions with the class and explain their reasoning.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the big building in Tustin, California?
2. What was the building used for a long time ago?
3. What did people use the building for after the war?
4. Was anyone hurt in the fire?
5. What did the fire people decide to do with the building because of the fire?
6. Why is the building important?
7. What are the people who live around the building waiting to find out?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A very big and old building in Tustin, California, caught on fire. This building was (1)______ because it was (2)______ a long time ago during a big war to keep airships (3)______. After the war, people used it to make movies and TV shows. No one was hurt in the fire, but (4)______ don’t know yet why it started.

The people who help with fires (5)______ it was best to let the building (6)______ down because of the fire. This building was important to the history of California and to movies and TV. Now that it has burned, people are (7)______ to (8)______ out how the fire started. They are worried and want to know (9)______.

The fire made a lot of damage to the building, which was very old and (10)______. (11)______ who (12)______ around there are waiting to hear more news. They want to know why the fire happened. Right now, everyone is just watching and waiting to learn more.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a building that is important to you in your town? Why is it important?
2. How would you feel if a place you liked a lot caught on fire? Why?
3. Do you like watching movies and TV shows? What kind?
4. Do you think it is important to keep old buildings safe? Why or why not?
5. What is a fireman’s job when a building is on fire?
6. Have you ever seen a fire? What happened?
7. Why do you think people want to know why a fire started?
8. What do you think people do when they are waiting for news?
9. How do you think the people who live near the burned building feel? Why?
10. Do you think it is sad when an old building is destroyed? Why or why not?
11. What is something special in your city that you would be sad to lose?
12. Do you think it is important to remember history? How can we remember it?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. building
2. fire
3. California
4. airships
5. movies
6. hurt
7. history
8. damage

Meanings:
(a) Moving pictures that tell stories
(b) To cause pain or injury to someone
(c) Harm or destruction caused by an event
(d) A state on the west coast of the United States
(e) Big flying machines that carry people or things
(f) A dangerous event that makes things burn
(g) A structure where people live or work
(h) The story of the past
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What happened to the building in Tustin, California?
(a) It was torn down
(b) It was renovated
(c) It caught on fire
(d) It was moved to a new location

2. What was the building used for during a big war?
(a) To keep airships safe
(b) To make movies and TV shows
(c) To store food
(d) To house soldiers

3. What happened to the building after the war?
(a) It was turned into a museum
(b) It was abandoned
(c) It was used to make movies and TV shows
(d) It was used as a school

4. What did the people who help with fires say about the building?
(a) It could be saved
(b) It was best to let it fall down because of the fire
(c) It should be renovated
(d) It should be moved to a new location

5. What do people want to know about the fire?
(a) How it spread
(b) Who caused it
(c) When it will be put out
(d) Why it started

6. What was the building important to?
(a) The history of California and movies and TV
(b) The history of California and the military
(c) The history of California and technology
(d) The history of California and sports

7. What did the fire make to the building?
(a) A lot of noise
(b) A lot of damage
(c) A lot of mess
(d) A lot of changes

8. What are the people who live around there doing?
(a) Leaving the area
(b) Trying to put out the fire
(c) Ignoring the situation
(d) Waiting to hear more news

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. People are not trying to find out how the fire started.
2. After the war, the building was used to make movies and TV shows.
3. No one was hurt in the fire.
4. The fire made a lot of damage to the building, which was very old and important.
5. The building was unimportant to the history of California and to movies and TV.
6. The building was never used during a big war to keep airships safe.
7. A small and new building in Tustin, California, caught on fire.
8. The people who help with fires said it was best to let the building fall down because of the fire.
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 was the big building in Tustin used for a long time ago?
2. What did people do in the building after the big war was over?
3. Was anybody hurt when the building caught on fire?
4. What did the fire helpers decide to do with the building during the fire?
5. Why are the people who live near the building worried?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened to the big building in Tustin, California?
The big building in Tustin, California, caught on fire.

2. What was the building used for a long time ago?
A long time ago, the building was used to keep airships safe during a big war.

3. What did people use the building for after the war?
After the war, people used the building to make movies and TV shows.

4. Was anyone hurt in the fire?
No, no one was hurt in the fire.

5. What did the fire people decide to do with the building because of the fire?
The fire people decided it was best to let the building fall down because of the fire.

6. Why is the building important?
The building is important because it is part of California’s history and was used for movies and TV.

7. What are the people who live around the building waiting to find out?
The people who live around the building are waiting to find out why the fire happened.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) special
(2) used
(3) safe
(4) people
(5) said
(6) fall
(7) trying
(8) find
(9) more
(10) important
(11) People
(12) live
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. building
Answer: (g) A structure where people live or work

2. fire
Answer: (f) A dangerous event that makes things burn

3. California
Answer: (d) A state on the west coast of the United States

4. airships
Answer: (e) Big flying machines that carry people or things

5. movies
Answer: (a) Moving pictures that tell stories

6. hurt
Answer: (b) To cause pain or injury to someone

7. history
Answer: (h) The story of the past

8. damage
Answer: (c) Harm or destruction caused by an event
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What happened to the building in Tustin, California?
Answer: (c) It caught on fire

2. What was the building used for during a big war?
Answer: (a) To keep airships safe

3. What happened to the building after the war?
Answer: (c) It was used to make movies and TV shows

4. What did the people who help with fires say about the building?
Answer: (b) It was best to let it fall down because of the fire

5. What do people want to know about the fire?
Answer: (d) Why it started

6. What was the building important to?
Answer: (a) The history of California and movies and TV

7. What did the fire make to the building?
Answer: (b) A lot of damage

8. What are the people who live around there doing?
Answer: (d) Waiting to hear more news
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. People are not trying to find out how the fire started. (Answer: False)
2. After the war, the building was used to make movies and TV shows. (Answer: True)
3. No one was hurt in the fire. (Answer: True)
4. The fire made a lot of damage to the building, which was very old and important. (Answer: True)
5. The building was unimportant to the history of California and to movies and TV. (Answer: False)
6. The building was never used during a big war to keep airships safe. (Answer: False)
7. A small and new building in Tustin, California, caught on fire. (Answer: False)
8. The people who help with fires said it was best to let the building fall down because of the fire. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧