A big storm named Ciarán hit Tuscany, Italy. It rained a lot, the most in 50 years. This caused big floods and cars were washed away. Six people died and some are missing. The Italian government is giving €5 million to help.

The army is helping to save people who are stuck because of the flood. The storm damaged a lot of things and made a big mess. The heavy rain caused the flood which moved cars and other things. The money from the government will help to clean up and help people who had to leave their homes. People are working hard to keep everyone safe and stop more damage.

Original news source: Moment cars swept away by floodwaters as Storm Ciarán hits Italy (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article to the class and then have the students work in pairs or small groups to summarize the main points of the story. Encourage them to use their own words and focus on the key details.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Choose 5-10 vocabulary words from the article and write them on the board. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team comes to the board and chooses a word. They must draw a picture to represent the word while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Choose 5-10 important keywords from the article and write the number of letters for each word on the board. Play a round of hangman, with students guessing letters to try and figure out the keywords. This activity helps students practice spelling and reinforces their understanding of key vocabulary.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a topic related to the article, such as “government aid” or “natural disasters”. Have the groups discuss the pros and cons of the topic and then present their ideas to the class. This activity encourages critical thinking and discussion skills.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have the students individually read the article and think about one question they have or one thing they found interesting. Then, have them pair up with a partner and share their question or interesting fact. Finally, as a class, have a few students share their questions or interesting facts with the whole group. This activity promotes reading comprehension and encourages students to engage with the material.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened in Tuscany, Italy?
2. Why did it rain a lot?
3. What happened to the cars because of the flood?
4. How many people died because of the storm?
5. How is the Italian government helping?
6. Who is helping to save people who are stuck?
7. Why is the money from the government important?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big storm (1)______ (2)______ hit Tuscany, Italy. It rained a lot, the most in 50 years. This caused big floods and cars were washed away. Six people died and some are missing. The (3)______ government is giving €5 million to help.

The army is helping to (4)______ people who are stuck because of the flood. The storm damaged a lot of (5)______ and made a big mess. The heavy rain caused the flood which (6)______ cars and other things. The money from the government will help to (7)______ up and help people who had to leave their homes. People are working hard to keep everyone safe and stop more (8)______.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a storm?
2. How would you feel if your car got washed away in a flood?
3. Do you like rain? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important for the government to help people after a big storm? Why?
5. How would you help someone who is stuck because of a flood?
6. What do you think happens to things when there is a big flood?
7. Why do you think the government is giving money to help?
8. How do you think the army is helping people during the flood?
9. Have you ever seen a big mess after a storm? What did it look like?
10. What do you think people can do to stay safe during a storm?
11. How do you think people feel when they have to leave their homes because of a flood?
12. What can people do to prevent more damage during a storm?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. storm
2. floods
3. cars
4. died
5. missing
6. government
7. help
8. damage

Meanings:
(a) When someone does something to make things better for someone else
(b) Water that covers the ground and makes it hard to walk or drive
(c) When someone cannot be found and nobody knows where they are
(d) A big, strong wind with lots of rain
(e) When someone is not alive anymore
(f) Things that people drive on the road
(g) When something is broken or hurt and needs to be fixed
(h) The people who make rules and help take care of a country
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the storm that hit Tuscany?
(a) Michael
(b) Ciarán
(c) Emma
(d) Sophia

2. How long has it been since it rained this much in Tuscany?
(a) 10 years
(b) 25 years
(c) 50 years
(d) 100 years

3. What happened to cars during the storm?
(a) They were blown away
(b) They were washed away
(c) They were stuck in traffic
(d) They were destroyed

4. How many people died because of the storm?
(a) Two
(b) Ten
(c) Six
(d) None

5. How much money is the Italian government giving to help?
(a) €5 million
(b) €1 million
(c) €10 million
(d) €100 million

6. Who is helping to save people who are stuck?
(a) The police
(b) The firefighters
(c) The doctors
(d) The army

7. What caused the flood in Tuscany?
(a) Strong winds
(b) Earthquake
(c) Snowstorm
(d) Heavy rain

8. What will the money from the government be used for?
(a) Cleaning up and helping people
(b) Building new houses
(c) Buying new cars
(d) Going on vacation

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True or False Questions:

1. Six people died and all people have been found.
2. The storm made a big mess and damaged many things.
3. The heavy rain did not cause the flood and moved cars.
4. The rain caused floods and cars were washed away.
5. The government is not giving €5 million to help.
6. A big storm came to Italy and it rained a lot.
7. The army is helping to save people who are stuck.
8. The money from the government will not help clean up and help people who had to leave their homes.
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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 in Tuscany, Italy when the big storm named Ciarán came?
2. How much money is the Italian government giving to help the people affected by the flood?
3. Who is helping to save the people who are stuck because of the flood?
4. What did the storm damage and make a big mess of?
5. What will the money from the government help to do?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened in Tuscany, Italy?
There was a big storm called Ciarán that caused heavy rain and floods.

2. Why did it rain a lot?
It rained a lot because of the big storm named Ciarán.

3. What happened to the cars because of the flood?
The cars were washed away by the flood.

4. How many people died because of the storm?
Six people died because of the storm.

5. How is the Italian government helping?
The Italian government is giving €5 million to help with the cleanup and to help people who had to leave their homes.

6. Who is helping to save people who are stuck?
The army is helping to save people who are stuck because of the flood.

7. Why is the money from the government important?
The money from the government is important because it will help clean up the mess and support the people affected by the storm.
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) named
(2) Ciarán
(3) Italian
(4) save
(5) things
(6) moved
(7) clean
(8) damage
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. storm
Answer: (d) A big, strong wind with lots of rain

2. floods
Answer: (b) Water that covers the ground and makes it hard to walk or drive

3. cars
Answer: (f) Things that people drive on the road

4. died
Answer: (e) When someone is not alive anymore

5. missing
Answer: (c) When someone cannot be found and nobody knows where they are

6. government
Answer: (h) The people who make rules and help take care of a country

7. help
Answer: (a) When someone does something to make things better for someone else

8. damage
Answer: (g) When something is broken or hurt and needs to be fixed
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the storm that hit Tuscany?
Answer: (b) Ciarán

2. How long has it been since it rained this much in Tuscany?
Answer: (c) 50 years

3. What happened to cars during the storm?
Answer: (b) They were washed away

4. How many people died because of the storm?
Answer: (c) Six

5. How much money is the Italian government giving to help?
Answer: (a) €5 million

6. Who is helping to save people who are stuck?
Answer: (d) The army

7. What caused the flood in Tuscany?
Answer: (d) Heavy rain

8. What will the money from the government be used for?
Answer: (a) Cleaning up and helping people
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True or False Answers:

1. Six people died and all people have been found. (Answer: False)
2. The storm made a big mess and damaged many things. (Answer: True)
3. The heavy rain did not cause the flood and moved cars. (Answer: False)
4. The rain caused floods and cars were washed away. (Answer: True)
5. The government is not giving €5 million to help. (Answer: False)
6. A big storm came to Italy and it rained a lot. (Answer: True)
7. The army is helping to save people who are stuck. (Answer: True)
8. The money from the government will not help clean up and help people who had to leave their homes. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧