A very hot day at a Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro caused big problems. It was so hot that some people passed out and one person even died. People who went to the concert said the people in charge did not let them bring water inside and did not give them enough water to drink. Now, many people want the rules to change so that everyone can get free water at concerts to stay safe.

The leader of Rio de Janeiro is not happy with how the concert was handled. He said he would do something about the company that organized the concert. That company said the bad things that happened were because of changes in the weather and promised to keep people safe in the future. But the people who went to the concert don’t think that’s a good enough answer. They want the people who make concerts to plan better for hot weather by letting people bring their own water and making places where people can cool down.

The problems at the Taylor Swift concert are not the only ones like this. In South America, the weather has been causing trouble at other music events too. In Chile, it was really hot at a big music festival, and in Brazil, a storm stopped a festival from happening. People who know a lot about this say that the people who make concerts need to think more about the weather and keep everyone safe. After what happened, Taylor Swift changed the date of her concert and said she was very sad about the person who died.

Original news source: Are extreme temperatures threatening live music events? (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will read the article and then summarize the main points in their own words. They will take turns sharing their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: In groups of 3-4, students will discuss their opinions on whether or not concert organizers should provide free water at concerts. They will then present their group’s opinion to the class and explain their reasoning.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of vocabulary words from the article. One person from each team will come to the front and draw a picture representing one of the words. The rest of their team members will try to guess the word. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Sketch It
Instructions: In pairs, students will choose a scene from the article and draw a picture representing it. They will then explain their drawing to their partner, using as much detail and vocabulary from the article as possible.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students will discuss and make predictions about what changes concert organizers might make in the future to keep people safe in extreme weather conditions. They will then share their predictions with the class and discuss the feasibility and potential impact of each prediction.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened at the Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro?
2. Why were people upset with the people in charge of the concert?
3. What does the leader of Rio de Janeiro plan to do about the concert company?
4. What do the people who went to the concert want to change about the rules?
5. Have there been similar problems at other music events in South America?
6. What do experts say the people who make concerts need to think more about?
7. What did Taylor Swift do after the problems at her concert?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A very hot day at a (1)______ Swift (2)______ in Rio de Janeiro caused big problems. It was so hot that some people passed out and one person even died. People who went to the concert said the people in (3)______ did not let them bring water inside and did not give them enough water to drink. Now, many people want the rules to change so that everyone can get free water at concerts to stay safe.

The leader of Rio de Janeiro is not happy with how the concert was handled. He (4)______ he would do something about the company that organized the concert. That company said the bad (5)______ that happened were because of (6)______ in the weather and promised to keep people safe in the future. But the people who went to the concert don’t think that’s a good (7)______ answer. They want the people who (8)______ concerts to plan better for hot weather by letting people bring their own water and making places where people can cool down.

The problems at the Taylor (9)______ concert are not the only ones like this. In South America, the weather has been causing trouble at other music events too. In Chile, it was really hot at a big (10)______ festival, and in Brazil, a (11)______ stopped a festival from happening. People who know a lot about this say that the people who make concerts need to think (12)______ about the weather and keep everyone safe. After what happened, Taylor Swift changed the date of her concert and said she was very sad about the person who died.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a concert?
2. How would you feel if you went to a concert and it was very hot?
3. Do you like going to concerts? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important for people to have access to water at concerts? Why or why not?
5. What do you think the people in charge should have done differently at the Taylor Swift concert?
6. How would you feel if you were not allowed to bring water to a concert?
7. Do you think the company that organized the concert should be punished? Why or why not?
8. What do you think the people who make concerts should do to keep everyone safe in hot weather?
9. Have you ever been to a music festival? How was the weather?
10. Do you think the weather should be considered when planning concerts? Why or why not?
11. How do you think Taylor Swift felt when she heard about the person who died at her concert?
12. What do you think Taylor Swift should do to show that she cares about her fans’ safety?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. concert
2. water
3. rules
4. company
5. weather
6. safe
7. people
8. hot
9. festival
10. trouble
11. date
12. sad

Meanings:
(A) A big party with music and fun
(B) A big show where people sing and play music
(C) Not in danger or hurt
(D) A clear liquid that you drink to stay alive
(E) The day something is supposed to happen
(F) A group of people who work together to make money
(G) Problems or difficulties
(H) Things you have to follow to stay out of trouble
(I) Feeling unhappy or sorry about something
(J) Very warm, like when you’re outside in the sun
(K) Humans, like you and me
(L) What the sky is like outside, like sunny or rainy
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What caused big problems at the Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro?
(a) The rain
(b) The lack of security
(c) The hot weather
(d) The loud music

2. Why are people upset with the company that organized the concert?
(a) They didn’t let people bring water inside
(b) They didn’t have enough food
(c) They didn’t play Taylor Swift’s songs
(d) They didn’t have enough security guards

3. What does the leader of Rio de Janeiro plan to do about the concert?
(a) Cancel all future concerts
(b) Take action against the company
(c) Give free tickets to everyone
(d) Build a new concert venue

4. What do the people who went to the concert want the concert organizers to do?
(a) Let people bring their own water
(b) Give out free food
(c) Play more Taylor Swift songs
(d) Have more security guards

5. What other weather-related problems have happened at music events in South America?
(a) A storm stopped a festival in Brazil
(b) It was really hot at a music festival in Chile
(c) Both A and B
(d) None of the above

6. What do people who know a lot about this say concert organizers need to think more about?
(a) The food
(b) The music
(c) The weather
(d) The decorations

7. What did Taylor Swift do after the problems at her concert?
(a) Cancelled all her future concerts
(b) Gave free tickets to everyone
(c) Started a new music festival
(d) Changed the date of her concert

8. How did Taylor Swift feel about the person who died at her concert?
(a) Very angry
(b) Very happy
(c) Very surprised
(d) Very sad

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Similar problems have not been happening at other music events in South America, such as a very cold music festival in Chile and a festival in Brazil that was unaffected by a storm.
2. The leader of Rio de Janeiro is not upset with how the concert was handled and does not want to take action against the company that organized it.
3. At a Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro, it was very hot and some people got sick and one person died.
4. The company did not blame the bad things that happened on the weather and did not promise to keep people safe in the future.
5. Taylor Swift did not change the date of her concert and did not express sadness about the person who died.
6. Experts say that concert organizers need to consider the weather more carefully and ensure everyone’s safety.
7. The concert organizers did not allow people to bring their own water and did not provide enough water for everyone.
8. The concert-goers believe that the company’s explanation is not good enough and want better planning for hot weather, including allowing people to bring their own water and providing cooling areas.
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 at the Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro?
2. Why are people upset with how the concert was handled?
3. What does the leader of Rio de Janeiro want to do about the company that organized the concert?
4. What do the people who went to the concert want to change for future concerts?
5. Why did Taylor Swift change the date of her concert?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened at the Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro?
Some people passed out and one person died because it was very hot.

2. Why were people upset with the people in charge of the concert?
They were upset because they were not allowed to bring water inside and they didn’t get enough water to drink.

3. What does the leader of Rio de Janeiro plan to do about the concert company?
He plans to take action against the company that organized the concert.

4. What do the people who went to the concert want to change about the rules?
They want to be able to bring their own water and have places to cool down.

5. Have there been similar problems at other music events in South America?
Yes, there have been problems at other music events in South America due to hot weather and storms.

6. What do experts say the people who make concerts need to think more about?
Experts say that concert organizers need to think more about the weather and keeping everyone safe.

7. What did Taylor Swift do after the problems at her concert?
She changed the date of her concert and expressed sadness over the person who died.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Taylor
(2) concert
(3) charge
(4) said
(5) things
(6) changes
(7) enough
(8) make
(9) Swift
(10) music
(11) storm
(12) more
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. concert
Answer: (B) A big show where people sing and play music

2. water
Answer: (D) A clear liquid that you drink to stay alive

3. rules
Answer: (H) Things you have to follow to stay out of trouble

4. company
Answer: (F) A group of people who work together to make money

5. weather
Answer: (L) What the sky is like outside, like sunny or rainy

6. safe
Answer: (C) Not in danger or hurt

7. people
Answer: (K) Humans, like you and me

8. hot
Answer: (J) Very warm, like when you’re outside in the sun

9. festival
Answer: (A) A big party with music and fun

10. trouble
Answer: (G) Problems or difficulties

11. date
Answer: (E) The day something is supposed to happen

12. sad
Answer: (I) Feeling unhappy or sorry about something
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What caused big problems at the Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro?
Answer: (c) The hot weather

2. Why are people upset with the company that organized the concert?
Answer: (a) They didn’t let people bring water inside

3. What does the leader of Rio de Janeiro plan to do about the concert?
Answer: (b) Take action against the company

4. What do the people who went to the concert want the concert organizers to do?
Answer: (a) Let people bring their own water

5. What other weather-related problems have happened at music events in South America?
Answer: (b) It was really hot at a music festival in Chile

6. What do people who know a lot about this say concert organizers need to think more about?
Answer: (c) The weather

7. What did Taylor Swift do after the problems at her concert?
Answer: (d) Changed the date of her concert

8. How did Taylor Swift feel about the person who died at her concert?
Answer: (d) Very sad
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Similar problems have not been happening at other music events in South America, such as a very cold music festival in Chile and a festival in Brazil that was unaffected by a storm. (Answer: False)
2. The leader of Rio de Janeiro is not upset with how the concert was handled and does not want to take action against the company that organized it. (Answer: False)
3. At a Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro, it was very hot and some people got sick and one person died. (Answer: True)
4. The company did not blame the bad things that happened on the weather and did not promise to keep people safe in the future. (Answer: False)
5. Taylor Swift did not change the date of her concert and did not express sadness about the person who died. (Answer: False)
6. Experts say that concert organizers need to consider the weather more carefully and ensure everyone’s safety. (Answer: True)
7. The concert organizers did not allow people to bring their own water and did not provide enough water for everyone. (Answer: True)
8. The concert-goers believe that the company’s explanation is not good enough and want better planning for hot weather, including allowing people to bring their own water and providing cooling areas. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧