There might be a volcano that will wake up in Iceland. People who watch the earth say there is a big chance it will happen soon. A town called Grindavík has to be empty because it might not be safe. People who know a lot about volcanoes say hot rock is moving under the ground. The hot rock is very long, like a river, and it is close to the town.

The ground has been shaking a lot, and that’s why a famous pool called the Blue Lagoon is closed. There have been many little shakes in the ground. People who help keep everyone safe say that taking people out of the town is just to be very careful. Cars are not allowed to go into the town unless it’s very important. Iceland has many volcanoes that can wake up, and now everyone is watching to see what happens.

Original news source: Iceland volcano: Emergency declared over volcano Fagradalsfjall eruption concerns (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Draw simple pictures on the board representing key words from the article, such as “volcano,” “earth,” “shake,” “town,” “safe,” and “cars.” Students try to guess the words in English. This will help them recall and learn new vocabulary from the article in a visual and interactive way.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student plays the role of a news reporter, and the other is a scientist or a local resident of Grindavík. The reporter asks questions about the situation with the volcano, and the other student responds using information from the article. Encourage them to use simple past and present continuous tenses.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Give students a blank piece of paper and have them draw a simple scene from the article, such as the empty streets of Grindavík or the closed Blue Lagoon. Afterward, they describe their drawings to a partner using vocabulary from the article, practicing speaking and comprehension skills.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Ask students to create a catchy newspaper headline for the article. This will encourage them to think of the main idea and to use key vocabulary. Share the headlines with the class and discuss which ones best capture the essence of the article.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Pose a question to the class related to the article, such as “Why do you think it’s important to be careful with volcanoes?” or “What would you do if you lived in Grindavík?” Students first think about their answer individually, then pair up to discuss their thoughts, and finally share their ideas with the class. This activity encourages critical thinking and personal connection to the content.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What might wake up in Iceland?
2. What do people who watch the earth think will happen soon?
3. What is the name of the town that people might have to leave?
4. Why do people have to leave the town?
5. What is moving under the ground?
6. What famous pool had to close?
7. Why are cars not allowed to go into the town?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

There might be a volcano that will wake up in Iceland. People who watch the earth say there is a big chance it will (1)______ soon. A (2)______ called Grindavík has to be empty because it might not be safe. (3)______ who know a lot about (4)______ say hot rock is moving under the ground. The hot rock is very long, like a river, and it is close to the town.

The ground has been shaking a lot, and that’s why a (5)______ pool called the Blue Lagoon is closed. There have been many little (6)______ in the ground. People who help keep everyone safe say that taking people out of the town is just to be very (7)______. Cars are not (8)______ to go into the town unless it’s very important. Iceland has many volcanoes that can wake up, and now everyone is watching to see what happens.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a volcano?
2. Have you ever seen a volcano? If yes, what did it look like?
3. How would you feel if you lived near a volcano?
4. Do you like to watch the ground shake? Why or why not?
5. What do you think people do when they have to leave their town?
6. Do you think it’s scary when the ground shakes? Why?
7. Have you ever been to a pool? What was it like?
8. Do you think it’s good to close places when the ground shakes? Why?
9. What is a town? Can you tell me about your town?
10. Do you think cars should go into a town if it’s not safe? Why or why not?
11. Have you heard about Iceland? What do you know about it?
12. Do you think watching volcanoes is an important job? Why do you think that?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. volcano
2. Iceland
3. wake up
4. town
5. hot rock
6. ground
7. shaking
8. pool

Meanings:
(a) A place with water to swim in
(b) A small place where people live
(c) Moving and making things move
(d) A big mountain that can explode with fire
(e) Very hot stones under the earth
(f) To start sleeping and open your eyes
(g) The dirt and grass under your feet
(h) A cold country with lots of ice and snow
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why might the town of Grindavík need to be empty?
(a) The town is too crowded.
(b) There might be a volcano that wakes up soon.
(c) The town is too noisy.
(d) The town is too small.

2. What is happening under the ground in Iceland?
(a) The ground is shaking a lot.
(b) The Blue Lagoon is closed.
(c) Hot rock is moving like a river.
(d) Cars are not allowed in the town.

3. Why is the Blue Lagoon closed?
(a) The ground has been shaking a lot.
(b) The town is too crowded.
(c) The hot rock is moving under the ground.
(d) Cars are not allowed in the town.

4. What are people doing to keep everyone safe?
(a) Taking people out of the town.
(b) Opening the Blue Lagoon.
(c) Allowing cars into the town.
(d) Making the ground shake.

5. What is everyone watching to see?
(a) What happens with the Blue Lagoon.
(b) What happens with the volcano.
(c) What happens with the town.
(d) What happens with the cars.

6. Why are cars not allowed in the town?
(a) Because the town is too crowded.
(b) Because the ground is shaking a lot.
(c) Unless it’s very important.
(d) Because the Blue Lagoon is closed.

7. What is the Blue Lagoon?
(a) A volcano.
(b) A town in Iceland.
(c) A river of hot rock.
(d) A famous pool.

8. What do people who watch the earth say?
(a) The town is too crowded.
(b) The Blue Lagoon is closed.
(c) Cars are not allowed in the town.
(d) There is a big chance the volcano will wake up soon.

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The town called Grindavík might not be safe and has to be empty.
2. Cold rock is still under the ground like a short river, close to the town.
3. People who watch the earth say there is a big chance it will happen.
4. The ground has been steady, and that’s why the Blue Lagoon pool is closed.
5. There might be a volcano that will wake up in Iceland soon.
6. There have been few large shakes in the ground.
7. Cars are allowed to go into the town even if it’s not very important.
8. People who help keep everyone safe say taking people out of the town is just to be very careful.
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 might wake up in Iceland?
2. What is the name of the town that people might have to leave?
3. Why is the Blue Lagoon closed?
4. Why can’t cars go into the town?
5. What are people watching for in Iceland?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What might wake up in Iceland?
A volcano might wake up in Iceland.

2. What do people who watch the earth think will happen soon?
They think the volcano will wake up soon.

3. What is the name of the town that people might have to leave?
The town is called Grindavík.

4. Why do people have to leave the town?
People have to leave because it might not be safe if the volcano wakes up.

5. What is moving under the ground?
Hot rock is moving under the ground.

6. What famous pool had to close?
The Blue Lagoon had to close.

7. Why are cars not allowed to go into the town?
Cars are not allowed because it’s not safe right now. Only very important cars can go.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) happen
(2) town
(3) People
(4) volcanoes
(5) famous
(6) shakes
(7) careful
(8) allowed
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. volcano
Answer: (d) A big mountain that can explode with fire

2. Iceland
Answer: (h) A cold country with lots of ice and snow

3. wake up
Answer: (f) To start sleeping and open your eyes

4. town
Answer: (b) A small place where people live

5. hot rock
Answer: (e) Very hot stones under the earth

6. ground
Answer: (g) The dirt and grass under your feet

7. shaking
Answer: (c) Moving and making things move

8. pool
Answer: (a) A place with water to swim in
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why might the town of Grindavík need to be empty?
Answer: (b) There might be a volcano that wakes up soon.

2. What is happening under the ground in Iceland?
Answer: (c) Hot rock is moving like a river.

3. Why is the Blue Lagoon closed?
Answer: (a) The ground has been shaking a lot.

4. What are people doing to keep everyone safe?
Answer: (a) Taking people out of the town.

5. What is everyone watching to see?
Answer: (b) What happens with the volcano.

6. Why are cars not allowed in the town?
Answer: (c) Unless it’s very important.

7. What is the Blue Lagoon?
Answer: (d) A famous pool.

8. What do people who watch the earth say?
Answer: (d) There is a big chance the volcano will wake up soon.
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The town called Grindavík might not be safe and has to be empty. (Answer: True)
2. Cold rock is still under the ground like a short river, close to the town. (Answer: False)
3. People who watch the earth say there is a big chance it will happen. (Answer: True)
4. The ground has been steady, and that’s why the Blue Lagoon pool is closed. (Answer: False)
5. There might be a volcano that will wake up in Iceland soon. (Answer: True)
6. There have been few large shakes in the ground. (Answer: False)
7. Cars are allowed to go into the town even if it’s not very important. (Answer: False)
8. People who help keep everyone safe say taking people out of the town is just to be very careful. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧