A little girl was riding her bike and got hurt very badly. Her mom wants to make sure that streets and cars are safer for everyone. She says that when people buy cars, they should think about how safe they are for people walking or biking. The mom is working hard to make sure that cars and places for walking are better.

Cars are getting new things to help keep people safe. Some cars can stop by themselves if they see someone walking in front of them. Cars are also being made with softer parts so if they bump into someone, it won’t hurt as much. People who make rules for cars are trying to make sure that new cars are safe for everyone, not just the people inside the cars. They want cars to be careful not to hit people who are walking or biking.

Original news source: How to make cars less dangerous for pedestrians (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down actions related to the article on slips of paper, such as ‘riding a bike’, ‘walking’, ‘stopping a car’, ‘getting hurt’, and ‘making rules’. Students take turns acting out these actions without speaking, while the rest of the class tries to guess the action. This will help them associate the verbs with physical actions, aiding in vocabulary retention.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide students into pairs and give each pair a piece of paper and pencils. Read out sentences from the article one at a time, and have the students draw what they understand. For example, “A little girl was riding her bike”, students would draw a girl on a bike. This activity supports comprehension and encourages students to visualize what they are learning.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write key vocabulary words from the article on cards, such as ‘bike’, ‘safe’, ‘car’, ‘streets’, and ‘hurt’. Divide the class into two teams. One member from each team will draw the word on the board without speaking or writing letters or numbers, while their team tries to guess the word. This reinforces vocabulary learning in a fun and interactive way.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask students to think individually about the question “Why is it important for cars to be safe for people walking or biking?” After a minute, have them pair up with a classmate to discuss their thoughts. Finally, bring the class back together and have a few pairs share their opinions with the group. This encourages personal connection to the content and gives practice in forming and expressing opinions in English.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: After discussing the article, ask students to write down one sentence predicting what they think will happen in the future regarding car and street safety. For example, “In the future, all cars will be able to stop by themselves.” Then have the students share their sentences with the class, and discuss how these changes could impact people’s lives. This activity promotes the use of future tense and critical thinking about the topic.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What was the little girl doing when she got hurt?
2. Who wants to make streets and cars safer?
3. What should people think about when they buy cars?
4. What is the mom doing to help?
5. What is something new that some cars can do?
6. Why are cars being made with softer parts?
7. Who is trying to make new cars safe for everyone?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A little (1)______ was riding her bike and got hurt very badly. Her mom wants to make sure that (2)______ and cars are safer for everyone. She says that when people buy cars, they should think about how safe they are for people (3)______ or (4)______. The mom is working hard to make sure that cars and places for walking are better.

Cars are getting new things to help keep people safe. Some cars can stop by themselves if they see someone walking in front of them. (5)______ are also being made with softer parts so if they bump into someone, it won’t hurt as (6)______. People who make (7)______ for cars are trying to make sure that new cars are safe for everyone, not just the people inside the cars. They (8)______ cars to be careful not to hit people who are walking or biking.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a bike?
2. Have you ever fallen off a bike? How did it feel?
3. Do you like riding a bike? Why or why not?
4. What is a car?
5. How would you feel if a car almost hit you?
6. Do you think cars should stop by themselves to keep people safe?
7. Have you seen a car that can stop by itself? What did you think?
8. Do you like to walk on the street? Why or why not?
9. Do you think it is important for cars to be soft? Why?
10. What do you do to be safe when you walk or bike?
11. Do you think people should make rules for cars? Why or why not?
12. Do you think streets are safe for little kids? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. cars
2. walking
3. safer
4. hurt
5. rules
6. biking
7. streets
8. inside

Meanings:
(a) Not outside
(b) Not in danger
(c) Riding a bike
(d) Moving on your feet
(e) Things you must follow
(f) Things that people drive
(g) To feel pain
(h) The roads where cars go
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What happened to the little girl in the story?
(a) She won a race
(b) She found a new toy
(c) She got hurt while riding her bike
(d) She got a new bike

2. What is the mom trying to make safer?
(a) Parks and playgrounds
(b) Streets and cars
(c) Houses and buildings
(d) Stores and restaurants

3. What are some new things that cars have to keep people safe?
(a) They can fly and swim
(b) They can talk and sing
(c) They can stop by themselves and have softer parts
(d) They can cook and clean

4. What can some cars do if they see someone walking in front of them?
(a) Stop by themselves
(b) Drive faster
(c) Change color
(d) Play music

5. What are people who make rules for cars trying to make sure of?
(a) New cars are safe for everyone, not just the people inside the cars
(b) New cars are only safe for the people inside the cars
(c) New cars are not safe for anyone
(d) New cars are only safe for people walking or biking

6. What do they want cars to be careful not to do?
(a) Drive really fast
(b) Drive on the sidewalk
(c) Make a lot of noise
(d) Hit people who are walking or biking

7. What is the main idea of the story?
(a) The little girl wants a new bike
(b) The mom wants to make streets and cars safer for everyone
(c) The little girl loves riding her bike
(d) The mom wants to buy a new car

8. What are cars being made with to help if they bump into someone?
(a) Harder parts
(b) Bigger parts
(c) Smaller parts
(d) Softer parts

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. A little girl got hurt while riding her bike.
2. The girl’s mom wants streets and cars to be safer.
3. The mom does not care about how safe cars are for people walking or biking before buying them.
4. Cars are being made with softer parts to make it safer if they bump into someone.
5. The mom is working hard to make sure that cars and places for walking are better.
6. People who make rules for cars prioritize safety for the people inside the cars.
7. Some cars cannot stop by themselves even if they see someone walking in front of them.
8. Cars are not getting new things to help keep people safe.
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 little girl on her bike?
2. What does the girl’s mom want to make safer?
3. What is something new that some cars can do to keep people safe?
4. Why are cars being made with softer parts?
5. Who is trying to make sure new cars are safe for everyone?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What was the little girl doing when she got hurt?
The little girl was riding her bike when she got hurt.

2. Who wants to make streets and cars safer?
The little girl’s mom wants to make streets and cars safer.

3. What should people think about when they buy cars?
When people buy cars, they should think about how safe the cars are for people walking or biking.

4. What is the mom doing to help?
The mom is working hard to make cars and places for walking better and safer.

5. What is something new that some cars can do?
Some new cars can stop by themselves if they see someone walking in front of them.

6. Why are cars being made with softer parts?
Cars are being made with softer parts so if they bump into someone, it won’t hurt as much.

7. Who is trying to make new cars safe for everyone?
People who make rules for cars are trying to make sure new cars are safe for everyone.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) girl
(2) streets
(3) walking
(4) biking
(5) Cars
(6) much
(7) rules
(8) want
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. cars
Answer: (f) Things that people drive

2. walking
Answer: (d) Moving on your feet

3. safer
Answer: (b) Not in danger

4. hurt
Answer: (g) To feel pain

5. rules
Answer: (e) Things you must follow

6. biking
Answer: (c) Riding a bike

7. streets
Answer: (h) The roads where cars go

8. inside
Answer: (a) Not outside
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What happened to the little girl in the story?
Answer: (c) She got hurt while riding her bike

2. What is the mom trying to make safer?
Answer: (b) Streets and cars

3. What are some new things that cars have to keep people safe?
Answer: (c) They can stop by themselves and have softer parts

4. What can some cars do if they see someone walking in front of them?
Answer: (a) Stop by themselves

5. What are people who make rules for cars trying to make sure of?
Answer: (a) New cars are safe for everyone, not just the people inside the cars

6. What do they want cars to be careful not to do?
Answer: (d) Hit people who are walking or biking

7. What is the main idea of the story?
Answer: (b) The mom wants to make streets and cars safer for everyone

8. What are cars being made with to help if they bump into someone?
Answer: (d) Softer parts
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. A little girl got hurt while riding her bike. (Answer: True)
2. The girl’s mom wants streets and cars to be safer. (Answer: True)
3. The mom does not care about how safe cars are for people walking or biking before buying them. (Answer: False)
4. Cars are being made with softer parts to make it safer if they bump into someone. (Answer: True)
5. The mom is working hard to make sure that cars and places for walking are better. (Answer: True)
6. People who make rules for cars prioritize safety for the people inside the cars. (Answer: False)
7. Some cars cannot stop by themselves even if they see someone walking in front of them. (Answer: False)
8. Cars are not getting new things to help keep people safe. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧