A big storm named Ciarán hit Tuscany, Italy, causing the worst flooding in 50 years. Videos show cars being carried away by the flood in Prato, a city in central Italy. Six people have died and many are missing. The Italian government is giving €5 million to help the area.

The army has been called to help save people who are stuck because of the bad weather. The storm has caused a lot of damage and problems in the places it hit. The heavy rain caused floods everywhere, and cars and other things were carried away by the strong floodwaters.

The money from the Italian government will help the area a lot. It will be used to help save people and fix the damage, and to help those who had to leave their homes because of the flood. The situation is still very bad, and the people in charge are working very hard to keep everyone safe and stop more damage from happening.

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:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the groups to read the article and summarize the main points in 3-5 sentences.
4. After a designated time, have each group share their summaries with the class.

– Sketch It
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Give each pair a copy of the article.
3. Instruct one student to describe a scene or event from the article while the other student sketches it.
4. After a designated time, have the pairs switch roles and repeat the activity.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board.
2. Divide the class into teams.
3. One student from each team comes to the front of the class.
4. The teacher gives each student a vocabulary word to draw on the board without using any letters or numbers.
5. The teams must guess the word within a certain time limit.
6. Repeat with new students and vocabulary words.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Assign one student in each group to be the facilitator.
3. Give each group a copy of the article.
4. Instruct the groups to discuss the pros and cons of the situation described in the article.
5. The facilitator should guide the discussion and make sure each group member has a chance to share their opinion.
6. After a designated time, have each group share their main points with the class.

– Future Predictions
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Give each pair a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the pairs to discuss and make predictions about what will happen in the future as a result of the storm and the flooding.
4. Encourage them to use vocabulary and grammar structures related to the future.
5. After a designated time, have some pairs share their predictions with the class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened in Tuscany, Italy because of the big storm named Ciarán?
2. What did the videos show happening to cars in Prato?
3. How many people have died because of the storm?
4. What is the Italian government doing to help the area?
5. Who has been called to help save people who are stuck because of the bad weather?
6. What kind of damage did the storm cause?
7. What will the money from the Italian government be used for?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big storm named Ciarán hit Tuscany, Italy, causing the (1)______ flooding in 50 years. (2)______ show cars being (3)______ away by the flood in Prato, a city in central Italy. Six people have died and many are missing. The Italian government is giving €5 million to help the area.

The (4)______ has been called to help (5)______ people who are stuck because of the bad weather. The (6)______ has caused a lot of damage and problems in the places it hit. The heavy rain caused floods everywhere, and (7)______ and other things were carried away by the strong floodwaters.

The money from the Italian government will (8)______ the (9)______ a lot. It will be used to help save people and fix the (10)______, and to help those who had to leave their homes because of the flood. The situation is still very bad, and the people in (11)______ are working very hard to keep everyone (12)______ and stop more damage from happening.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What do you think a big storm named Ciarán is like?
2. How would you feel if your car was carried away by a flood?
3. Do you think it’s important for the government to help people affected by natural disasters? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever experienced a flood or a bad storm? What was it like?
5. What do you think the army can do to help people during a bad storm?
6. Do you think it’s scary to see cars and other things being carried away by floodwaters? Why or why not?
7. How do you think the €5 million from the Italian government will be used to help the area?
8. Do you think it’s difficult for people to leave their homes because of a flood? Why or why not?
9. How do you think the people in charge are working hard to keep everyone safe during the storm?
10. Have you ever seen heavy rain causing floods? What happened?
11. Do you think it’s important to fix the damage caused by a storm? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the people affected by the flood are feeling right now?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. storm
2. flooding
3. videos
4. damage
5. government
6. help
7. people
8. safe

Meanings:
(a) Moving pictures that show what happened
(b) Not in danger or at risk
(c) When water covers an area that is usually dry
(d) When something is broken or harmed
(e) To give support or assistance to someone in need
(f) The group of people who make rules and decisions for a country
(g) A very strong and dangerous wind and rain
(h) Human beings in general
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What caused the flooding in Tuscany, Italy?
(a) A volcanic eruption
(b) A heatwave
(c) A big storm
(d) An earthquake

2. How many people have died because of the flooding?
(a) Ten
(b) Six
(c) Three
(d) Twenty

3. What is the Italian government doing to help the area?
(a) Sending soldiers
(b) Providing food and water
(c) Giving €5 million
(d) Building new houses

4. What has the storm caused in the places it hit?
(a) Damage and problems
(b) Sunny weather
(c) A decrease in population
(d) Improved infrastructure

5. What has the heavy rain caused?
(a) Droughts
(b) Snowstorms
(c) Earthquakes
(d) Floods everywhere

6. What will the money from the Italian government be used for?
(a) Buying new cars
(b) Building new schools
(c) Planting trees
(d) Saving people and fixing damage

7. What are the people in charge working hard to do?
(a) Keep everyone safe and stop more damage
(b) Cause more damage
(c) Leave the area
(d) Ignore the problem

8. What is the situation like in the flooded area?
(a) Completely fixed
(b) Still very bad
(c) Perfectly fine
(d) Not affected at all

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The light rain caused floods everywhere and swept away cars and other things.
2. The money from the Italian government will be used to harm people, cause more damage, and hinder those who had to leave their homes.
3. The storm caused minimal damage and no problems in the places it hit.
4. A big storm named Ciarán caused the worst flooding in 50 years in Tuscany, Italy.
5. The army has been called to help rescue people who are stuck due to the bad weather.
6. Six people have died and many are missing because of the storm.
7. The Italian government is giving €500 to help the affected area.
8. Videos show cars being carried away by the flood in a city called Prato.
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 in Tuscany, Italy because of the big storm named Ciarán?
2. How did the heavy rain cause problems in the places it hit?
3. What is the Italian government doing to help the area affected by the storm?
4. How will the money from the Italian government be used?
5. What are the people in charge doing to keep everyone safe and stop more damage from happening?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened in Tuscany, Italy because of the big storm named Ciarán?
There was a big storm named Ciarán in Tuscany, Italy.

2. What did the videos show happening to cars in Prato?
The videos showed cars being carried away by the flood in Prato, a city in central Italy.

3. How many people have died because of the storm?
Six people have died because of the storm.

4. What is the Italian government doing to help the area?
The Italian government is giving €5 million to help the area.

5. Who has been called to help save people who are stuck because of the bad weather?
The army has been called to help save people who are stuck because of the bad weather.

6. What kind of damage did the storm cause?
The storm caused a lot of damage, including floods everywhere and cars and other things being carried away by the floodwaters.

7. What will the money from the Italian government be used for?
The money from the Italian government will be used to help save people and fix the damage, and to help those who had to leave their homes because of the flood.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) worst
(2) Videos
(3) carried
(4) army
(5) save
(6) storm
(7) cars
(8) help
(9) area
(10) damage
(11) charge
(12) safe
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. storm
Answer: (g) A very strong and dangerous wind and rain

2. flooding
Answer: (c) When water covers an area that is usually dry

3. videos
Answer: (a) Moving pictures that show what happened

4. damage
Answer: (d) When something is broken or harmed

5. government
Answer: (f) The group of people who make rules and decisions for a country

6. help
Answer: (e) To give support or assistance to someone in need

7. people
Answer: (h) Human beings in general

8. safe
Answer: (b) Not in danger or at risk
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What caused the flooding in Tuscany, Italy?
Answer: (c) A big storm

2. How many people have died because of the flooding?
Answer: (b) Six

3. What is the Italian government doing to help the area?
Answer: (c) Giving €5 million

4. What has the storm caused in the places it hit?
Answer: (a) Damage and problems

5. What has the heavy rain caused?
Answer: (d) Floods everywhere

6. What will the money from the Italian government be used for?
Answer: (d) Saving people and fixing damage

7. What are the people in charge working hard to do?
Answer: (a) Keep everyone safe and stop more damage

8. What is the situation like in the flooded area?
Answer: (b) Still very bad
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The light rain caused floods everywhere and swept away cars and other things. (Answer: False)
2. The money from the Italian government will be used to harm people, cause more damage, and hinder those who had to leave their homes. (Answer: False)
3. The storm caused minimal damage and no problems in the places it hit. (Answer: False)
4. A big storm named Ciarán caused the worst flooding in 50 years in Tuscany, Italy. (Answer: True)
5. The army has been called to help rescue people who are stuck due to the bad weather. (Answer: True)
6. Six people have died and many are missing because of the storm. (Answer: True)
7. The Italian government is giving €500 to help the affected area. (Answer: False)
8. Videos show cars being carried away by the flood in a city called Prato. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧