A big airplane had to go back to the airport because a horse got out of its small house on the plane. The airplane was flying from a place called New York to a place called Belgium when the horse got free very high in the sky. The person flying the plane asked for a doctor for animals to come when they got back to the airport. The horse was still walking around when the plane landed. No one knows how the horse got out.

The person flying the plane had to let a lot of fuel go away to make the plane lighter to go back. When the plane was on the ground, the pilot said they needed help because of the horse. The plane flew again later and got to Belgium the next morning. We don’t know why the horse was on the plane, but some people think it might be a racehorse. Racehorses sometimes fly in special boxes.

This is not the first time an animal got out of its box on a plane. In August, a bear got out on a plane going from Dubai to Baghdad. The company that owns the plane with the horse has not talked about what happened yet.

Original news source: Plane forced to return to airport after horse escapes crate (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down words from the article (e.g., airplane, horse, airport, doctor, fuel, pilot, racehorse, box) on slips of paper. Students take turns drawing a slip and acting out the word without speaking. The rest of the class tries to guess the word.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student is the reporter, and the other is a witness or expert. The reporter interviews the witness or expert about the incident in the article, asking questions to get more details. Then switch roles.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Split the class into two teams. Use words related to the article (e.g., airplane, horse, fuel, airport, pilot, racehorse). A student from each team draws the word on the board, and their team tries to guess the word within a set time limit.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Ask students to create a catchy newspaper headline for the story. They can work individually or in small groups. Have them share their headlines with the class and discuss which ones are the most attention-grabbing.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Pose a question to the class related to the article, such as “Do you think it’s safe for animals to travel on airplanes?” Have students line up according to their opinion, from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” Each student shares their opinion with the class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the big airplane in the sky?
2. Where was the airplane going when the horse got out?
3. What did the person flying the airplane ask for when they went back to the airport?
4. What was the horse doing when the airplane landed?
5. What did the person flying the plane do to make the plane lighter?
6. What do some people think the horse might be?
7. What other animal got out of its box on a different plane before?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big air(1)______ had to go back to the airport because a horse got out of its small house on the plane. The airplane was (2)______ from a place called New York to a place called Belgium when the horse got free very high in the sky. The person flying the plane asked for a doctor for animals to (3)______ when they got back to the airport. The horse was still walking around when the plane landed. No one knows how the horse got out.

The person flying the plane had to let a lot of (4)______ go away to make the plane lighter to go back. When the plane was on the ground, the (5)______ said they needed help because of the (6)______. The plane flew again later and got to Belgium the next morning. We don’t know why the horse was on the plane, but some people think it might be a racehorse. Racehorses sometimes fly in special boxes.

This is not the first time an (7)______ got out of its box on a plane. In August, a bear got out on a plane going from (8)______ to Baghdad. The company that owns the plane with the horse has not talked about what happened yet.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a horse?
2. Do you like horses? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you saw a horse on a plane?
4. What is an airplane?
5. Have you ever been on an airplane? Did you like it?
6. What do you think a racehorse is?
7. Do you think animals should fly on planes? Why or why not?
8. Have you ever seen a big animal like a horse or a bear? Where?
9. What would you do if you saw an animal walking around on a plane?
10. How do you think the horse felt on the plane?
11. Do you think it is safe for animals to be in small houses on planes?
12. What do you think people should do to keep animals safe on planes?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. airplane
2. horse
3. airport
4. sky
5. pilot
6. fuel
7. horsebox
8. company

Meanings:
(a) The person who flies the airplane
(b) The place above us where the sun and clouds are
(c) A place where airplanes take off and land
(d) A group of people who own something together
(e) A special box for carrying horses on a plane
(f) The stuff that makes the airplane go
(g) A big flying machine that carries people
(h) A big animal with four legs and a tail
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did the horse get out of its small house?
(a) In New York
(b) In Belgium
(c) On the airplane
(d) In Dubai

2. Where was the airplane flying from?
(a) Belgium
(b) Dubai
(c) Baghdad
(d) New York

3. What did the person flying the plane ask for?
(a) A doctor for people
(b) A doctor for animals
(c) A doctor for plants
(d) A doctor for cars

4. What did the pilot do to make the plane lighter?
(a) Let a lot of animals go away
(b) Let a lot of people go away
(c) Let a lot of houses go away
(d) Let a lot of fuel go away

5. Where did the plane land?
(a) At the airport
(b) In New York
(c) In Belgium
(d) In Dubai

6. How did the plane get to Belgium?
(a) It drove on the road
(b) It flew again later
(c) It swam in the ocean
(d) It walked on the ground

7. What kind of animal got out on a plane in August?
(a) A horse
(b) A dog
(c) A bear
(d) A cat

8. What has the company that owns the plane with the horse not done yet?
(a) Talked about what happened
(b) Released the horse
(c) Released the bear
(d) Released the doctor

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The plane flew again later and got to Belgium the next morning.
2. To make the plane heavier, the person flying the plane had to add a lot of fuel.
3. Everyone knows exactly how the horse got out of its spacious compartment on the plane.
4. The airplane was flying from New York to Belgium when the horse remained securely in its stable very high in the sky.
5. A small airplane had to continue its journey without any interruptions because no horse was able to escape from its spacious compartment on the plane.
6. The pilot asked for help because of the horse when the plane was on the ground.
7. The person flying the plane asked for a doctor for animals to come when they got back to the airport.
8. The horse was still walking around when the plane landed.
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. Where was the big airplane going when the horse got out?
2. What did the person flying the plane do when the horse got free?
3. What happened to the airplane after the horse was walking around?
4. Why do some people think the horse was on the plane?
5. Has an animal ever gotten out of its box on a plane before?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened to the big airplane in the sky?
The airplane had to go back to the airport because a horse got out of its box.

2. Where was the airplane going when the horse got out?
The airplane was going to Belgium from New York.

3. What did the person flying the airplane ask for when they went back to the airport?
The person flying the plane asked for a doctor for animals to come.

4. What was the horse doing when the airplane landed?
The horse was walking around when the airplane landed.

5. What did the person flying the plane do to make the plane lighter?
The person flying the plane let a lot of fuel go away to make the plane lighter.

6. What do some people think the horse might be?
Some people think the horse might be a racehorse.

7. What other animal got out of its box on a different plane before?
A bear got out of its box on a plane going from Dubai to Baghdad.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) plane
(2) flying
(3) come
(4) fuel
(5) pilot
(6) horse
(7) animal
(8) Dubai
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. airplane
Answer: (g) A big flying machine that carries people

2. horse
Answer: (h) A big animal with four legs and a tail

3. airport
Answer: (c) A place where airplanes take off and land

4. sky
Answer: (b) The place above us where the sun and clouds are

5. pilot
Answer: (a) The person who flies the airplane

6. fuel
Answer: (f) The stuff that makes the airplane go

7. horsebox
Answer: (e) A special box for carrying horses on a plane

8. company
Answer: (d) A group of people who own something together
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did the horse get out of its small house?
Answer: (c) On the airplane

2. Where was the airplane flying from?
Answer: (d) New York

3. What did the person flying the plane ask for?
Answer: (b) A doctor for animals

4. What did the pilot do to make the plane lighter?
Answer: (d) Let a lot of fuel go away

5. Where did the plane land?
Answer: (a) At the airport

6. How did the plane get to Belgium?
Answer: (b) It flew again later

7. What kind of animal got out on a plane in August?
Answer: (c) A bear

8. What has the company that owns the plane with the horse not done yet?
Answer: (a) Talked about what happened
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The plane flew again later and got to Belgium the next morning. (Answer: True)
2. To make the plane heavier, the person flying the plane had to add a lot of fuel. (Answer: False)
3. Everyone knows exactly how the horse got out of its spacious compartment on the plane. (Answer: False)
4. The airplane was flying from New York to Belgium when the horse remained securely in its stable very high in the sky. (Answer: False)
5. A small airplane had to continue its journey without any interruptions because no horse was able to escape from its spacious compartment on the plane. (Answer: False)
6. The pilot asked for help because of the horse when the plane was on the ground. (Answer: True)
7. The person flying the plane asked for a doctor for animals to come when they got back to the airport. (Answer: True)
8. The horse was still walking around when the plane landed. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧