People who make wine in California are learning how to fight fires. This is because fires have become a big problem there. In a place called Napa Valley, there are many vineyards. Vineyards are places where grapes are grown to make wine. Alan Viader, a man who makes wine, says that the forests are growing too much. He calls them “fuel” because they can easily catch fire.
In 2020, a big fire happened in Napa Valley. It started in August and burned a lot of land. It also killed five people. Then, in September, another fire happened. This fire was called the “Glass Fire”. It was the biggest fire in the history of Napa Valley. This fire destroyed some of Alan’s vineyard and two buildings. After a day, firefighters said it was safe for Alan to go back to his vineyard. He saw that some trees were still burning. Alan felt helpless, but he knew how to protect his property from fire.
Now, Alan and many other people in Napa Valley understand that when it is time to pick grapes, it is also time for fires. Alan has made changes to his vineyard to protect it from fire. He has also learned how to fight fires. He said, “We play with pumps and hoses, too, except our hoses are full of wine.”
Jerry Seps is another man who makes wine in Napa Valley. In 2017, a fire almost destroyed his vineyard. But Jerry fought the fire and saved his vineyard. He said, “You’re not saving a vineyard, you’re saving your life.” Jerry tried to make wine after a fire in 2020. But the smoke from the fire had hurt his grapes. So the wine did not taste good and he had to throw it away.
Many people in California are trying to find ways to protect their vineyards from fire and smoke. The wine business is very important to California. It makes a lot of money for the state. One woman, Anita Oberholster, is studying how to make wine taste good even if there is smoke. But it is hard because the smoke can make the wine taste bad.
California’s vineyards are special places. They make very good wine. But now, they have to deal with fires and smoke. It is a big problem. But many people are working hard to solve it.
Original news source: Californian winemakers are learning firefighting techniques (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– “Story Retell”
Instructions: In your own words, retell the story about the vineyards in California and the problems they are facing. Try to use some of the new vocabulary you learned from the article.
– “Draw the Scene”
Instructions: Draw a picture based on the text. You can choose to draw Alan’s vineyard, the fires, or any other scene from the text. Label your drawing with sentences or phrases from the text.
– “Act Out the Story”
Instructions: In pairs, choose a part of the text and act it out. You can choose to act out the part where Alan is learning to fight fires or when Jerry is trying to save his vineyard. Use your own words and try to use some of the new vocabulary you learned.
– “Write a Letter”
Instructions: Pretend you are a friend of Alan Viader or Jerry Seps. Write a letter to them expressing your concern about the fires and offering your help. Try to use at least five new vocabulary words you learned from the article.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is a vineyard?
2. Who is Alan Viader and what does he do?
3. What happened in Napa Valley in 2020?
4. What did the “Glass Fire” destroy?
5. What changes has Alan made to his vineyard?
6. Who is Jerry Seps and what happened to his vineyard in 2017?
7. Why did Jerry have to throw away his wine after a fire in 2020?
8. Why is Anita Oberholster studying how to make wine taste good even if there is smoke?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
People who make wine in California are learning how to fight fires. This is because fires have become a big problem there. In a place called (1)______, there are many vineyards. Vineyards are places where grapes are grown to make wine. Alan Viader, a man who makes wine, says that the forests are growing too much. He calls them “fuel” because they can easily catch fire.
In 2020, a big fire happened in Napa Valley. It started in August and burned a lot of land. It also killed five people. Then, in September, another fire happened. This fire was called the “(2)______”. It was the biggest fire in the history of Napa Valley. This fire destroyed some of Alan’s vineyard and two buildings. After a day, firefighters said it was safe for Alan to go back to his vineyard. He saw that some trees were still burning. Alan felt helpless, but he knew how to protect his property from fire.
Now, Alan and many other people in Napa Valley understand that when it is time to pick grapes, it is also time for fires. Alan has made changes to his vineyard to protect it from fire. He has also learned how to fight fires. He said, “We play with pumps and hoses, too, except our hoses are full of (3)______.”
Jerry Seps is another man who makes wine in Napa Valley. In 2017, a fire almost destroyed his vineyard. But Jerry fought the fire and saved his vineyard. He said, “You’re not saving a vineyard, you’re saving your (4)______.” Jerry tried to make wine after a fire in 2020. But the smoke from the fire had hurt his grapes. So the wine did not taste good and he had to throw it away.
Many people in California are trying to find ways to protect their vineyards from fire and smoke. The wine business is very important to California. It makes a lot of money for the (5)______. One woman, Anita Oberholster, is studying how to make wine taste good even if there is smoke. But it is hard because the smoke can make the wine taste bad.
California’s vineyards are special places. They make very good wine. But now, they have to deal with fires and smoke. It is a big problem. But many people are working hard to solve it. They are using (6)______ and other tools to fight the fires. They are also trying to find ways to make the wine taste good, even if there is (7)______.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. Do you like grapes?
2. Have you ever seen a fire?
3. What would you do if there was a fire near your home?
4. Why do you think fires are a big problem in California?
5. How do you think Alan felt when he saw his vineyard after the fire?
6. Why do you think Alan calls the forests “fuel”?
7. What would you do to keep your home safe from fire?
8. Do you think it is brave to fight fires like Jerry did?
9. How would you feel if something you worked hard on was hurt by smoke or fire?
10. Why do you think making wine is important in California?
11. What do you think Anita is trying to do with the smoke and the wine?
12. Why do you think smoke makes the wine taste bad?
13. Have you ever tasted something that tasted bad? What was it?
14. What do you think people in California can do to stop the fires?
15. How do you think the people in Napa Valley feel about their vineyards?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. vineyard
2. forest
3. fire
4. protect
5. grapes
6. smoke
7. pumps
8. hoses
Shuffled Meanings:
A) A place where trees grow
B) Things that are used to move water or other liquids
C) Hot, burning light that can hurt or destroy things
D) To keep safe from harm or danger
E) Long, flexible tubes that water can go through
F) A place where grapes are grown
G) Dark clouds that come from something burning
H) Small, round fruits that can be eaten or used to make wine
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What are vineyards?
(a) Places where fires start
(b) Buildings for making wine
(c) Places where grapes are grown for wine
(d) Forests that catch fire easily
2. Who is Alan Viader?
(a) A man who makes wine in Napa Valley
(b) A man who studies how to make wine taste good
(c) A firefighter in California
(d) A person who fights fires in vineyards
3. What happened in Napa Valley in 2020?
(a) A big fire destroyed all the vineyards
(b) Alan Viader learned how to fight fires
(c) Alan Viader started a fire in his vineyard
(d) Two big fires happened
4. What did Alan do after the fires in his vineyard?
(a) He moved to another state
(b) He stopped making wine
(c) He learned how to fight fires and made changes to protect his vineyard
(d) He sold his vineyard
5. Who is Jerry Seps?
(a) A firefighter in Napa Valley
(b) A man who makes wine in Napa Valley
(c) A man who studies how to make wine taste good
(d) A person who fights fires in vineyards
6. What happened to Jerry’s vineyard in 2017?
(a) It was destroyed by a fire
(b) He sold it
(c) He fought a fire and saved it
(d) He stopped making wine
7. What is Anita Oberholster studying?
(a) How to fight fires in vineyards
(b) How to make wine taste good even if there is smoke
(c) How to grow grapes in a vineyard
(d) How to make money from the wine business
8. Why is the wine business important to California?
(a) It is the only business in California
(b) It makes a lot of money for the state
(c) It helps to fight fires
(d) It grows all the grapes in the state
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. People who make wine in California are learning how to swim.
2. Fires have become a big problem in California.
3. Alan Viader says that the forests are not growing too much.
4. The “Glass Fire” was the smallest fire in the history of Napa Valley.
5. Alan has made changes to his vineyard to protect it from fire.
6. Jerry Seps’ vineyard was completely destroyed by a fire in 2017.
7. The wine business is not important to California.
8. Many people are working hard to solve the problem of fires and smoke in California’s vineyards.
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. Why are the people who make wine in California learning how to fight fires?
2. What are vineyards and what are they used for?
3. What happened in 2020 that caused a big problem for the people in Napa Valley?
4. How did Alan protect his vineyard from the fire?
5. Why is it hard for Anita Oberholster to make wine taste good when there is smoke?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What is a vineyard?
A vineyard is a place where grapes are grown to make wine.
2. Who is Alan Viader and what does he do?
Alan Viader is a man who makes wine in Napa Valley, California.
3. What happened in Napa Valley in 2020?
In 2020, two big fires happened in Napa Valley. They burned a lot of land and killed five people.
4. What did the “Glass Fire” destroy?
The “Glass Fire” destroyed some of Alan’s vineyard and two buildings.
5. What changes has Alan made to his vineyard?
Alan has made changes to protect his vineyard from fire. He has learned how to fight fires.
6. Who is Jerry Seps and what happened to his vineyard in 2017?
Jerry Seps is another man who makes wine in Napa Valley. In 2017, a fire almost destroyed his vineyard, but he fought the fire and saved it.
7. Why did Jerry have to throw away his wine after a fire in 2020?
Jerry had to throw away his wine because the smoke from the fire had hurt his grapes and the wine did not taste good.
8. Why is Anita Oberholster studying how to make wine taste good even if there is smoke?
Anita Oberholster is studying this because the smoke from fires can make the wine taste bad. She wants to find a way to make it taste good even if there is smoke.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
1. Napa Valley
2. Glass Fire
3. wine
4. life
5. state
6. pumps
7. smoke
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. vineyard
Answer: F) A place where grapes are grown
2. forest
Answer: A) A place where trees grow
3. fire
Answer: C) Hot, burning light that can hurt or destroy things
4. protect
Answer: D) To keep safe from harm or danger
5. grapes
Answer: H) Small, round fruits that can be eaten or used to make wine
6. smoke
Answer: G) Dark clouds that come from something burning
7. pumps
Answer: B) Things that are used to move water or other liquids
8. hoses
Answer: E) Long, flexible tubes that water can go through
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What are vineyards?
Answer: (c) Places where grapes are grown for wine
2. Who is Alan Viader?
Answer: (a) A man who makes wine in Napa Valley
3. What happened in Napa Valley in 2020?
Answer: (d) Two big fires happened
4. What did Alan do after the fires in his vineyard?
Answer: (c) He learned how to fight fires and made changes to protect his vineyard
5. Who is Jerry Seps?
Answer: (b) A man who makes wine in Napa Valley
6. What happened to Jerry’s vineyard in 2017?
Answer: (c) He fought a fire and saved it
7. What is Anita Oberholster studying?
Answer: (b) How to make wine taste good even if there is smoke
8. Why is the wine business important to California?
Answer: (b) It makes a lot of money for the state
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. People who make wine in California are learning how to swim.
Answer: False
2. Fires have become a big problem in California.
Answer: True
3. Alan Viader says that the forests are not growing too much.
Answer: False
4. The “Glass Fire” was the smallest fire in the history of Napa Valley.
Answer: False
5. Alan has made changes to his vineyard to protect it from fire.
Answer: True
6. Jerry Seps’ vineyard was completely destroyed by a fire in 2017.
Answer: False
7. The wine business is not important to California.
Answer: False
8. Many people are working hard to solve the problem of fires and smoke in California’s vineyards.
Answer: True
Go back to questions ⇧
