A 14-year-old girl from Australia did something very brave. She stopped her school bus from hitting a place where cars get gas. The bus driver and a teacher were not on the bus. The bus started moving by itself with 20 kids inside. The girl, Isabelle, took the wheel and turned the bus so it was safe.

People are talking about the video of Isabelle being brave. She kept calm and acted fast when there was danger. If the bus hit the gas place, it would have been very bad. Everyone is saying Isabelle did a great job. She is being called a hero for what she did.

Original news source: Watch: Teen steers runaway bus away from petrol pumps (BBC)

Listen

Slow

Normal

Fast

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of vocabulary words related to the article (e.g. bus, gas station, hero, danger, etc.). One person from each group will act out a word silently while the rest of the group guesses what word it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Play multiple rounds and keep score to make it a competitive game.

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article aloud to the class. Then, ask the students to work in pairs or small groups to summarize the main points of the article. They can write their summaries on a piece of paper or discuss it orally. Afterward, have a few groups share their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a set of questions related to the article (e.g. Do you think Isabelle is a hero? Should she receive an award for her bravery?). Have the students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates the questions, recording their responses. Afterward, gather the data and discuss the results as a class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. bus, brave, danger, etc.). Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team will come to the board and draw a picture to represent one of the words. The team has to guess the word within a certain time limit. If they guess correctly, they earn a point. Play multiple rounds and keep score to make it a competitive game.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Pose a question related to the article (e.g. What would you do if you were in Isabelle’s situation?). Have the students think about their answer individually for a few minutes. Then, have them pair up with a partner and discuss their answers. Finally, have a few pairs share their answers with the whole class. Encourage the students to use complete sentences and practice their speaking skills.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the 14-year-old girl from Australia do that was very brave?
2. Who was not on the bus when it started moving by itself?
3. What did the girl, Isabelle, do to make the bus safe?
4. Why are people talking about the video of Isabelle?
5. What would have happened if the bus hit the gas place?
6. What are people calling Isabelle for what she did?
7. Why did everyone say Isabelle did a great job?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A 14-year-old girl from Australia did something very (1)______. She stopped her school bus from hitting a (2)______ where cars get gas. The bus driver and a teacher were not on the bus. The bus started moving by itself with 20 (3)______ inside. The girl, (4)______, took the wheel and turned the bus so it was (5)______.

(6)______ are talking about the video of Isabelle being brave. She kept calm and acted fast when there was danger. If the bus hit the gas place, it would have been very bad. Everyone is saying Isabelle did a great job. She is being (7)______ a (8)______ for what she did.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What did the 14-year-old girl do that was very brave?
2. How did Isabelle stop the school bus from hitting the gas place?
3. Why are people talking about Isabelle?
4. How did Isabelle act when there was danger?
5. What would have happened if the bus hit the gas place?
6. What are people calling Isabelle for what she did?
7. Have you ever seen a school bus? What does it look like?
8. How do you think Isabelle felt when she had to take the wheel?
9. Do you think Isabelle is a hero? Why or why not?
10. Have you ever been in a dangerous situation? What did you do?
11. Do you like helping others? Why or why not?
12. What would you do if you saw a bus moving by itself with no driver?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. brave
2. bus
3. danger
4. fast
5. calm
6. video
7. hero
8. wheel

Meanings:
(a) Something that can hurt you or cause problems
(b) A moving picture that shows what happened
(c) Not getting upset or worried
(d) The part of a vehicle that you use to steer
(e) Not scared to do something difficult or scary
(f) Someone who is very brave and helps others
(g) A big vehicle that carries a lot of people
(h) Moving or doing something quickly
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who stopped the school bus from hitting the gas place?
(a) The bus driver
(b) The teacher
(c) Isabelle
(d) The other kids

2. How old is Isabelle?
(a) 10
(b) 14
(c) 16
(d) 12

3. How many kids were inside the bus?
(a) 10
(b) 20
(c) 5
(d) 15

4. What would have happened if the bus hit the gas place?
(a) Something bad
(b) Something good
(c) Nothing
(d) Nobody knows

5. What did people think of Isabelle’s actions?
(a) She did a terrible job
(b) She did an okay job
(c) She did a great job
(d) Nobody noticed

6. What is Isabelle being called for what she did?
(a) A villain
(b) A teacher
(c) A driver
(d) A hero

7. Who else was on the bus when it started moving?
(a) Nobody
(b) The bus driver
(c) The teacher
(d) Isabelle’s friends

8. What did Isabelle do to stop the bus?
(a) She jumped out of the bus
(b) She screamed for help
(c) She closed her eyes and hoped for the best
(d) She took the wheel and turned the bus

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Isabelle panicked and acted slowly when there was danger.
2. Isabelle is being called a villain for what she did.
3. People are not talking about a video of Isabelle being brave.
4. The bus driver and a teacher were not on the bus when it started moving by itself.
5. If the bus hit the gas place, it would have been very bad.
6. Isabelle, the 14-year-old boy, took control of the bus and turned it to danger.
7. A girl from Australia stopped a school bus from hitting a place where cars get gas.
8. There were 20 kids inside the bus when it started moving.
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 did the 14-year-old girl from Australia do?
2. Why was it important for the girl to stop the school bus?
3. How did the girl stop the bus from hitting the gas place?
4. Why are people talking about the girl?
5. What are people calling the girl for what she did?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the 14-year-old girl from Australia do that was very brave?
She stopped the school bus from hitting a place where cars get gas.

2. Who was not on the bus when it started moving by itself?
The bus driver and a teacher were not on the bus.

3. What did the girl, Isabelle, do to make the bus safe?
She took the wheel and turned the bus so it was safe.

4. Why are people talking about the video of Isabelle?
Because she was brave and did something amazing.

5. What would have happened if the bus hit the gas place?
It would have been very bad.

6. What are people calling Isabelle for what she did?
They are calling her a hero.

7. Why did everyone say Isabelle did a great job?
Because she kept calm and acted fast to keep everyone safe.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) brave
(2) place
(3) kids
(4) Isabelle
(5) safe
(6) People
(7) called
(8) hero
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. brave
Answer: (e) Not scared to do something difficult or scary

2. bus
Answer: (g) A big vehicle that carries a lot of people

3. danger
Answer: (a) Something that can hurt you or cause problems

4. fast
Answer: (h) Moving or doing something quickly

5. calm
Answer: (c) Not getting upset or worried

6. video
Answer: (b) A moving picture that shows what happened

7. hero
Answer: (f) Someone who is very brave and helps others

8. wheel
Answer: (d) The part of a vehicle that you use to steer
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who stopped the school bus from hitting the gas place?
Answer: (c) Isabelle

2. How old is Isabelle?
Answer: (b) 14

3. How many kids were inside the bus?
Answer: (b) 20

4. What would have happened if the bus hit the gas place?
Answer: (a) Something bad

5. What did people think of Isabelle’s actions?
Answer: (c) She did a great job

6. What is Isabelle being called for what she did?
Answer: (d) A hero

7. Who else was on the bus when it started moving?
Answer: (a) Nobody

8. What did Isabelle do to stop the bus?
Answer: (d) She took the wheel and turned the bus
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Isabelle panicked and acted slowly when there was danger. (Answer: False)
2. Isabelle is being called a villain for what she did. (Answer: False)
3. People are not talking about a video of Isabelle being brave. (Answer: False)
4. The bus driver and a teacher were not on the bus when it started moving by itself. (Answer: True)
5. If the bus hit the gas place, it would have been very bad. (Answer: True)
6. Isabelle, the 14-year-old boy, took control of the bus and turned it to danger. (Answer: False)
7. A girl from Australia stopped a school bus from hitting a place where cars get gas. (Answer: True)
8. There were 20 kids inside the bus when it started moving. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧