A new water park in Gothenburg, Sweden, caught on fire. A video showed big flames and a lot of smoke coming from the water slides. Twelve people got hurt but not badly, and one person is missing. The police made people leave a hotel and some offices close by and told everyone to stay inside because of the smoke.

People are talking a lot about the video of the fire. The fire damaged the new water park a lot. The police are trying to find out how the fire started, and they are still looking for one person. They also had to make people leave a hotel and some offices because it was not safe.

The water park was going to be a new part of the Liseberg Amusement Park. It was supposed to open later this year, but the fire has ruined a lot of it. This is sad for the amusement park and for people who wanted to go to the new water slides. The police are still looking into what caused the fire and are making sure the area is safe.

Original news source: Sweden water park: Video shows huge fire engulfing newly built attraction (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a copy of the article. Instruct them to read the article and create a summary of the main points. They can use bullet points or write a short paragraph. After they finish, have each group present their summaries to the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a copy of the article. Instruct them to discuss their opinions on the incident and the impact it had on the amusement park and the people involved. After they finish discussing, have each group present their opinions to the class. Encourage them to use vocabulary related to emotions and opinions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down a list of vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper. Fold the papers and put them in a bag or a box. Divide the class into pairs or small groups. One student from each group will take turns drawing a word from the bag or box and try to draw it on the board without using any words. The other students in the group have to guess the word. The first group to guess the word correctly gets a point. Continue playing until all the vocabulary words have been used.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Write down a keyword from the article on the board, leaving out some letters and replacing them with dashes. Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Instruct them to take turns guessing letters to try and complete the keyword. Each incorrect guess results in a body part of a hangman being drawn on the board. The group or pair that correctly guesses the keyword before the entire hangman is drawn wins the game.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Instruct each group to discuss and make predictions about the future of the amusement park and the water park. They can discuss possible causes of the fire, the impact on the park’s reputation, and the actions the park might take to recover. After they finish discussing, have each group present their predictions to the class. Encourage them to use vocabulary related to speculation and future tense.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the water park in Gothenburg, Sweden?
2. How many people were hurt in the fire at the water park?
3. What did the police tell people to do because of the fire?
4. Why are people talking a lot about the video of the fire?
5. What did the fire do to the water park?
6. When was the water park supposed to open?
7. What are the police doing to find out how the fire started?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A new water park in Gothenburg, Sweden, caught on fire. A (1)______ showed big flames and a lot of (2)______ coming from the water slides. Twelve people got (3)______ but not badly, and one person is missing. The police made people leave a hotel and some (4)______ close by and told everyone to stay inside because of the smoke.

People are talking a lot about the video of the fire. The fire damaged the new (5)______ park a lot. The (6)______ are trying to find out how the fire started, and they are still looking for one person. They also had to (7)______ people leave a (8)______ and some offices because it was not (9)______.

The water park was going to be a new part of the Liseberg Amusement Park. It was supposed to open later this (10)______, but the (11)______ has (12)______ a lot of it. This is sad for the amusement park and for people who wanted to go to the new water slides. The police are still looking into what caused the fire and are making sure the area is safe.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a water park?
2. How would you feel if you were at the water park when it caught on fire?
3. Do you like going on water slides? Why or why not?
4. What do you think caused the fire at the water park?
5. How do you think the people who got hurt in the fire are feeling?
6. What would you do if you saw big flames and a lot of smoke at a water park?
7. Have you ever been to an amusement park? What was your favorite ride?
8. Do you think the water park will be able to open later this year? Why or why not?
9. How do you think the fire has affected the amusement park and the people who wanted to go to the new water slides?
10. Would you still want to go to the water park even after the fire? Why or why not?
11. What do you think the police should do to make sure the area is safe?
12. Have you ever seen a fire before? How did it make you feel?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Gothenburg
2. flames
3. smoke
4. damaged
5. missing
6. investigate
7. evacuate
8. amusement
9. slides
10. ruined
11. caused
12. safe

Meanings:
(A) Made something happen
(B) Not able to be found
(C) Hurt or broken
(D) Fun or enjoyment
(E) Not in danger
(F) The gray or black clouds that come from a fire
(G) Smooth paths that you can slide down for fun
(H) Completely destroyed or spoiled
(I) To try to find out what happened
(J) To make people leave a place because it’s dangerous
(K) A city in Sweden
(L) Bright, hot things you see when something is burning
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did the fire at the water park happen?
(a) Gothenburg, Sweden
(b) Stockholm, Sweden
(c) Oslo, Norway
(d) Copenhagen, Denmark

2. How many people were hurt in the fire?
(a) Five
(b) Twenty
(c) Twelve
(d) Two

3. What did the police tell people to do because of the smoke?
(a) Go to the water park
(b) Leave the country
(c) Stay inside
(d) Ignore the smoke

4. What did the fire damage?
(a) The amusement park’s roller coasters
(b) The hotel and offices nearby
(c) The police station
(d) The new water park

5. When was the water park supposed to open?
(a) Later this year
(b) Next month
(c) Last year
(d) In five years

6. What are the police trying to find out?
(a) Where the missing person is
(b) How to build a water park
(c) How to put out a fire
(d) How the fire started

7. Why is the fire sad for the amusement park?
(a) The roller coasters are damaged
(b) The new water slides are ruined
(c) The park is closing down
(d) The entrance fee is too expensive

8. What is the police doing to make sure the area is safe?
(a) Closing the amusement park
(b) Investigating the fire
(c) Building a new water park
(d) Asking people to leave the country

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. One person is still missing after the fire.
2. The water park was supposed to open later this year, but now it can because of the fire.
3. People are talking a lot about a video of the fire.
4. The fire caused a lot of damage to the new water park.
5. The police are no longer investigating the cause of the fire and ensuring the area is safe.
6. Twelve people got hurt, and their injuries were not serious.
7. The police made people leave a nearby hotel and some offices because of the smoke.
8. A water park in Gothenburg, Sweden, caught on fire and there was minimal smoke and small flames.
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 new water park in Gothenburg, Sweden?
2. How many people got hurt in the fire at the water park?
3. Why did the police make people leave a hotel and some offices close by?
4. What was the water park going to be a part of?
5. Why are people sad about the fire at the water park?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened to the water park in Gothenburg, Sweden?
The water park in Gothenburg, Sweden caught on fire.

2. How many people were hurt in the fire at the water park?
Twelve people were hurt in the fire at the water park.

3. What did the police tell people to do because of the fire?
The police told people to leave a hotel and some offices close by and to stay inside because of the smoke.

4. Why are people talking a lot about the video of the fire?
People are talking a lot about the video of the fire because it shows big flames and a lot of smoke coming from the water slides.

5. What did the fire do to the water park?
The fire damaged the water park a lot.

6. When was the water park supposed to open?
The water park was supposed to open later this year.

7. What are the police doing to find out how the fire started?
The police are trying to find out how the fire started and they are still looking for one person.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) video
(2) smoke
(3) hurt
(4) offices
(5) water
(6) police
(7) make
(8) hotel
(9) safe
(10) year
(11) fire
(12) ruined
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Gothenburg
Answer: (K) A city in Sweden

2. flames
Answer: (L) Bright, hot things you see when something is burning

3. smoke
Answer: (F) The gray or black clouds that come from a fire

4. damaged
Answer: (C) Hurt or broken

5. missing
Answer: (B) Not able to be found

6. investigate
Answer: (I) To try to find out what happened

7. evacuate
Answer: (J) To make people leave a place because it’s dangerous

8. amusement
Answer: (D) Fun or enjoyment

9. slides
Answer: (G) Smooth paths that you can slide down for fun

10. ruined
Answer: (H) Completely destroyed or spoiled

11. caused
Answer: (A) Made something happen

12. safe
Answer: (E) Not in danger
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did the fire at the water park happen?
Answer: (a) Gothenburg, Sweden

2. How many people were hurt in the fire?
Answer: (c) Twelve

3. What did the police tell people to do because of the smoke?
Answer: (c) Stay inside

4. What did the fire damage?
Answer: (d) The new water park

5. When was the water park supposed to open?
Answer: (a) Later this year

6. What are the police trying to find out?
Answer: (d) How the fire started

7. Why is the fire sad for the amusement park?
Answer: (b) The new water slides are ruined

8. What is the police doing to make sure the area is safe?
Answer: (b) Investigating the fire
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. One person is still missing after the fire. (Answer: True)
2. The water park was supposed to open later this year, but now it can because of the fire. (Answer: False)
3. People are talking a lot about a video of the fire. (Answer: True)
4. The fire caused a lot of damage to the new water park. (Answer: True)
5. The police are no longer investigating the cause of the fire and ensuring the area is safe. (Answer: False)
6. Twelve people got hurt, and their injuries were not serious. (Answer: False)
7. The police made people leave a nearby hotel and some offices because of the smoke. (Answer: True)
8. A water park in Gothenburg, Sweden, caught on fire and there was minimal smoke and small flames. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧