A train in India went on a very long trip without any drivers. It moved by itself for more than 70km. People saw it go very fast past many places where trains stop. This happened after the people driving the train got off for a little while in a place called Kathua. Then, the train started moving down a hill and went past five stops before people who work for the trains stopped it.

The train was carrying heavy things and was going really fast. The people who work for the trains did something smart to make it stop. They put wood on the tracks so the train would slow down and stop. They are now trying to find out why the train started moving by itself to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Luckily, no one was hurt, and they stopped the train safely.

Original news source: Runaway Indian train travels 70km without driver (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a word or phrase related to the article (e.g. train, driver, stop, hill, etc.). One student from each group will act out the word or phrase without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess what it is.

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students take turns summarizing the main points of the article in their own words. Encourage them to use simple sentences and vocabulary they are familiar with.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on individual pieces of paper or index cards. Divide the class into pairs. One student from each pair will pick a word and draw a picture to represent it, while the other student tries to guess the word.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Choose a keyword from the article and draw a series of dashes on the board to represent each letter of the word. Have the students take turns guessing letters. If a letter is correct, write it in the corresponding dash. If a letter is incorrect, start drawing a hangman. The students must guess the word before the hangman is completed.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask the students to imagine what might happen next in the story. Have them write or discuss their predictions in pairs or small groups. Encourage them to use the future tense and provide reasons for their predictions based on the information in the article.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the train in India?
2. How far did the train go by itself?
3. Where did the people driving the train get off?
4. What did the people who work for the trains do to make the train stop?
5. Why did the train start moving by itself?
6. Was anyone hurt when the train was moving by itself?
7. Did they stop the train safely?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A (1)______ in India went on a very long trip without any drivers. It moved by itself for more than 70km. People saw it go very fast past many (2)______ where trains stop. This happened after the people driving the train got off for a (3)______ while in a place called Kathua. Then, the train (4)______ moving down a hill and went past five stops before people who work for the trains stopped it.

The train was carrying heavy things and was going really fast. The people who work for the trains did something smart to make it (5)______. They put wood on the (6)______ so the train would (7)______ down and stop. They are now trying to find out why the train started moving by itself to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Luckily, no one was (8)______, and they stopped the train safely.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a train?
2. Have you ever been on a train before? How did it make you feel?
3. How would you feel if a train started moving without any drivers?
4. Do you think it’s safe for a train to move without any drivers? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever seen a train go really fast? Where did you see it?
6. Do you like trains? Why or why not?
7. What do you think the people who work for the trains did to make it stop?
8. How do you think they felt when they saw the train moving by itself?
9. If you were on the train, what would you do if it started moving without any drivers?
10. Why do you think the train started moving by itself?
11. Do you think the people who work for the trains did a good job stopping the train? Why or why not?
12. What do you think they should do to make sure this doesn’t happen again?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. train
2. trip
3. drivers
4. places
5. hill
6. heavy
7. smart
8. wood
9. tracks
10. safely

Meanings:
(A) People who drive big things like cars or buses
(B) Areas or spots where you can go or be
(C) When you use your brain to solve a problem
(D) A big thing that moves on special roads and carries people or things
(E) A big pile of earth that goes up and up
(F) Part of a tree that can be used to build things or make fire
(G) Something that is really hard to lift because it weighs a lot
(H) Going from one place to another
(I) Not getting hurt and feeling okay
(J) The special roads that trains move on
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What happened to the train in India?
(a) It crashed into a building.
(b) It went on a trip without any drivers.
(c) It stopped at every station.
(d) It flew in the sky.

2. How far did the train go by itself?
(a) More than 70km.
(b) Less than 10km.
(c) Exactly 50km.
(d) More than 100km.

3. Where did the people driving the train get off?
(a) Delhi.
(b) Kathua.
(c) Mumbai.
(d) Chennai.

4. How many stops did the train pass before it was stopped?
(a) Two stops.
(b) Ten stops.
(c) Five stops.
(d) No stops.

5. What did the people who work for the trains do to stop the train?
(a) They jumped in front of the train.
(b) They called the police.
(c) They put wood on the tracks.
(d) They ran after the train.

6. Why did the train start moving by itself?
(a) It was magic.
(b) The train wanted to go on an adventure.
(c) The train was bored.
(d) They don’t know yet.

7. Was anyone hurt during this incident?
(a) Many people were hurt.
(b) Only the train was hurt.
(c) The article doesn’t say.
(d) No one was hurt.

8. How did the people stop the train safely?
(a) They put wood on the tracks.
(b) They pushed the train off the tracks.
(c) They turned off the power.
(d) They called the police.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The train moved moderately through several locations where trains pause.
2. The people driving the train got off for a little while in a place called Kathua.
3. The train was carrying heavy things and was going really fast.
4. The train started moving down a hill and went past five stops.
5. The individuals who are employed by the trains placed metal on the tracks to help the train speed up and continue.
6. The train traveled autonomously for less than 70km.
7. Someone was injured, but they managed to halt the train safely.
8. A train in India went on a long trip without any drivers.
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 happened to the train in India?
2. How far did the train go by itself?
3. Where did the people driving the train get off?
4. How did the people who work for the trains make the train stop?
5. Why are they trying to find out why the train started moving by itself?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened to the train in India?
The train in India started moving by itself without any drivers.

2. How far did the train go by itself?
The train went more than 70km by itself.

3. Where did the people driving the train get off?
The people driving the train got off in a place called Kathua.

4. What did the people who work for the trains do to make the train stop?
The people who work for the trains put wood on the tracks to make the train slow down and stop.

5. Why did the train start moving by itself?
They are still trying to find out why the train started moving by itself.

6. Was anyone hurt when the train was moving by itself?
No, luckily no one was hurt.

7. Did they stop the train safely?
Yes, they stopped the train safely.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) train
(2) places
(3) little
(4) started
(5) stop
(6) tracks
(7) slow
(8) hurt
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. train
Answer: (D) A big thing that moves on special roads and carries people or things

2. trip
Answer: (H) Going from one place to another

3. drivers
Answer: (A) People who drive big things like cars or buses

4. places
Answer: (B) Areas or spots where you can go or be

5. hill
Answer: (E) A big pile of earth that goes up and up

6. heavy
Answer: (G) Something that is really hard to lift because it weighs a lot

7. smart
Answer: (C) When you use your brain to solve a problem

8. wood
Answer: (F) Part of a tree that can be used to build things or make fire

9. tracks
Answer: (J) The special roads that trains move on

10. safely
Answer: (I) Not getting hurt and feeling okay
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What happened to the train in India?
Answer: (b) It went on a trip without any drivers.

2. How far did the train go by itself?
Answer: (a) More than 70km.

3. Where did the people driving the train get off?
Answer: (b) Kathua.

4. How many stops did the train pass before it was stopped?
Answer: (c) Five stops.

5. What did the people who work for the trains do to stop the train?
Answer: (c) They put wood on the tracks.

6. Why did the train start moving by itself?
Answer: (d) They don’t know yet.

7. Was anyone hurt during this incident?
Answer: (d) No one was hurt.

8. How did the people stop the train safely?
Answer: (a) They put wood on the tracks.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The train moved moderately through several locations where trains pause. (Answer: False)
2. The people driving the train got off for a little while in a place called Kathua. (Answer: True)
3. The train was carrying heavy things and was going really fast. (Answer: True)
4. The train started moving down a hill and went past five stops. (Answer: True)
5. The individuals who are employed by the trains placed metal on the tracks to help the train speed up and continue. (Answer: False)
6. The train traveled autonomously for less than 70km. (Answer: False)
7. Someone was injured, but they managed to halt the train safely. (Answer: False)
8. A train in India went on a long trip without any drivers. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧