Iceland has a lot of volcanoes waking up. It might keep happening for a very long time, even hundreds of years. The country is in a special spot on the Earth where the ground can crack open, and hot, melted rock comes out. Since December 2023, there have been three times when the ground opened and lava came out on a place called the Reykjanes peninsula. This is happening after a very long time of the ground being quiet.

It’s hard for people who study the Earth to know exactly when and where a volcano will erupt. They try to keep towns and important places safe by building walls to stop the lava, but sometimes it’s not enough. A lot of people live where the volcanoes are waking up, and important things like airports and power plants could be in danger. Scientists are trying to learn more by looking at different places where the ground is opening. They hope to understand better, but it’s still a big mystery.

Original news source: Is Iceland entering a new volcanic era? (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns choosing a volcano-related word or phrase from a hat and acting it out without speaking. The other groups must guess what the word or phrase is within a certain time limit.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Provide each student with a piece of paper and a pen. Choose volcano-related vocabulary words from the article and write them on separate slips of paper. Have students take turns drawing pictures that represent the words, while their classmates try to guess the word based on the drawing.

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Assign one student in each pair to be the “reporter” and the other to be the “listener.” The reporter will read the article aloud and summarize the key points for the listener. Afterward, the listener will summarize the article in their own words. Switch roles and repeat with a different article.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write a statement related to the article on the board, such as “Living near a volcano is exciting.” Have students stand up and move to one side of the room if they agree with the statement, and to the other side if they disagree. Allow students to explain their opinions to their classmates, using simple English phrases or sentences.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Discuss the article as a class, focusing on the topic of volcanoes. Ask students to make predictions about what might happen in the future with the volcanoes in Iceland. Encourage them to use simple sentences like “I think there will be more eruptions” or “Maybe the lava will reach the towns.” Write their predictions on the board and discuss them as a class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is happening in Iceland with the volcanoes?
2. How long might this keep happening for?
3. Why does the ground crack open in Iceland?
4. When did the ground start opening and lava come out?
5. Why is it hard for people to know when a volcano will erupt?
6. What do scientists do to try and keep towns and important places safe?
7. What are scientists trying to learn by looking at different places where the ground is opening?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Iceland has a lot of volcanoes waking up. It might keep happening for a very long time, even (1)______ of years. The (2)______ is in a special spot on the Earth where the ground can crack open, and hot, melted rock comes out. Since December 2023, there have been three (3)______ when the ground (4)______ and lava came out on a place called the Reykjanes peninsula. This is happening after a very long time of the ground being quiet.

It’s hard for people who study the Earth to know exactly when and where a volcano will erupt. They try to keep towns and important places safe by building (5)______ to stop the lava, but sometimes it’s not enough. A lot of people live where the (6)______ are waking up, and important things like airports and power plants could be in danger. Scientists are trying to learn more by (7)______ at different places where the ground is opening. They hope to understand better, but it’s still a big (8)______.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a volcano?
2. How would you feel if you lived near a volcano?
3. Do you like lava?
4. Do you think it’s scary when the ground cracks open?
5. Why do you think scientists study volcanoes?
6. How do you think they try to keep people safe from lava?
7. What do you think would happen if a volcano erupted near an airport?
8. Why do you think the ground has been quiet for a long time?
9. What do you think melted rock looks like?
10. How do you think scientists learn more about volcanoes?
11. Why do you think it’s still a big mystery?
12. What do you think will happen if the volcanoes keep waking up for hundreds of years?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. volcanoes
2. peninsula
3. lava
4. scientists
5. erupt
6. mystery
7. earthquakes
8. Reykjanes
9. magma
10. cracks

Meanings:
(A) Hot, melted rock inside the Earth
(B) Hot, melted rock that comes out of the ground
(C) Big mountains that can explode and fire comes out
(D) Small openings or breaks in something
(E) When the ground shakes because of energy coming from deep inside the Earth
(F) Something that is hard to understand or explain
(G) A place where the ground opened and fire came out
(H) A piece of land that is almost surrounded by water but connected to the mainland
(I) People who study things about the Earth and try to learn new things
(J) When a mountain explodes and fire and rocks come out
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is happening in Iceland?
(a) Earthquakes are happening
(b) Tornadoes are forming
(c) Snowstorms are coming
(d) Volcanoes are waking up

2. How long might the volcanoes keep waking up for?
(a) A few days
(b) Hundreds of years
(c) One year
(d) Forever

3. Where does the hot, melted rock come out from?
(a) The sky
(b) The ground
(c) The ocean
(d) The mountains

4. When did the ground start opening and lava came out in Reykjanes peninsula?
(a) January 2022
(b) November 2021
(c) December 2023
(d) October 2020

5. Why is it hard for people who study the Earth to know when a volcano will erupt?
(a) Because it’s a big mystery
(b) Because they don’t want to know
(c) Because it’s easy to know
(d) Because they don’t have the tools

6. What do scientists do to keep towns and important places safe from lava?
(a) Build walls
(b) Run away
(c) Hide in caves
(d) Pray to the volcano gods

7. What could be in danger if the volcanoes erupt?
(a) Schools and hospitals
(b) Parks and beaches
(c) Restaurants and shops
(d) Airports and power plants

8. What are scientists trying to do by looking at different places where the ground is opening?
(a) Run away
(b) Hide from the lava
(c) Understand better
(d) Stop the volcanoes from erupting

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Scientists find it easy to predict when and where a volcano will erupt.
2. The volcanoes may remain dormant for hundreds of years.
3. Iceland has many volcanoes that are becoming active.
4. They try to protect towns and important places by building walls to stop the lava, but sometimes it doesn’t work.
5. After these recent eruptions, the ground in Iceland had been active for a long time.
6. The ground in Iceland can crack open and release hot, melted rock.
7. Since December 2023, there have been three times when lava came out of the ground in a place called the Reykjanes peninsula.
8. People who live near the waking volcanoes and important places like airports and power plants could be in danger.
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 is happening in Iceland with the volcanoes?
2. How long might the volcanoes keep waking up?
3. What happens when the ground cracks open?
4. What do scientists try to do to keep people safe from the lava?
5. Why is it hard for scientists to know when and where a volcano will erupt?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is happening in Iceland with the volcanoes?
There are volcanoes waking up in Iceland.

2. How long might this keep happening for?
This might keep happening for a very long time, even hundreds of years.

3. Why does the ground crack open in Iceland?
The ground cracks open in Iceland because hot, melted rock comes out from underground.

4. When did the ground start opening and lava come out?
The ground started opening and lava came out in December 2023.

5. Why is it hard for people to know when a volcano will erupt?
It is hard for people to know when a volcano will erupt because it is a big mystery and scientists are still trying to understand better.

6. What do scientists do to try and keep towns and important places safe?
Scientists try to keep towns and important places safe by building walls to stop the lava.

7. What are scientists trying to learn by looking at different places where the ground is opening?
Scientists are trying to learn more about why and how the ground opens up and lava comes out by looking at different places where this is happening.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) hundreds
(2) country
(3) times
(4) opened
(5) walls
(6) volcanoes
(7) looking
(8) mystery
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. volcanoes
Answer: (C) Big mountains that can explode and fire comes out

2. peninsula
Answer: (H) A piece of land that is almost surrounded by water but connected to the mainland

3. lava
Answer: (B) Hot, melted rock that comes out of the ground

4. scientists
Answer: (I) People who study things about the Earth and try to learn new things

5. erupt
Answer: (J) When a mountain explodes and fire and rocks come out

6. mystery
Answer: (F) Something that is hard to understand or explain

7. earthquakes
Answer: (E) When the ground shakes because of energy coming from deep inside the Earth

8. Reykjanes
Answer: (G) A place where the ground opened and fire came out

9. magma
Answer: (A) Hot, melted rock inside the Earth

10. cracks
Answer: (D) Small openings or breaks in something
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is happening in Iceland?
Answer: (d) Volcanoes are waking up

2. How long might the volcanoes keep waking up for?
Answer: (b) Hundreds of years

3. Where does the hot, melted rock come out from?
Answer: (b) The ground

4. When did the ground start opening and lava came out in Reykjanes peninsula?
Answer: (c) December 2023

5. Why is it hard for people who study the Earth to know when a volcano will erupt?
Answer: (a) Because it’s a big mystery

6. What do scientists do to keep towns and important places safe from lava?
Answer: (a) Build walls

7. What could be in danger if the volcanoes erupt?
Answer: (d) Airports and power plants

8. What are scientists trying to do by looking at different places where the ground is opening?
Answer: (c) Understand better
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Scientists find it easy to predict when and where a volcano will erupt. (Answer: False)
2. The volcanoes may remain dormant for hundreds of years. (Answer: False)
3. Iceland has many volcanoes that are becoming active. (Answer: True)
4. They try to protect towns and important places by building walls to stop the lava, but sometimes it doesn’t work. (Answer: True)
5. After these recent eruptions, the ground in Iceland had been active for a long time. (Answer: False)
6. The ground in Iceland can crack open and release hot, melted rock. (Answer: True)
7. Since December 2023, there have been three times when lava came out of the ground in a place called the Reykjanes peninsula. (Answer: False)
8. People who live near the waking volcanoes and important places like airports and power plants could be in danger. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧