A woman got into trouble for running up to a plane at an airport in Australia. People saw her standing near the front of the plane, waving at the person flying the plane. People think she was late for her flight. The woman was not allowed to leave and will have to go to court on Friday.

This event made people worry about safety at airports. The Australian police are trying to find out how the woman got past the security. This event shows how important it is to have good security at airports to keep everyone safe.

The people in charge of the airport have not said more about what happened or about the woman. We don’t know what trouble she is in or what might happen to her. This event reminds airports to check and make their security better to stop things like this from happening again.

Original news source: Woman arrested in Canberra after running up to plane on tarmac (BBC)

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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 can take turns sharing their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Students will form small groups and discuss their opinions on airport security. They will take turns asking each other questions such as “Do you think airport security is important?” or “What changes would you make to improve airport security?” After discussing, each group will share their findings with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will be given a list of vocabulary words from the article. One person from the group will choose a word and draw it on the board or a piece of paper, while the others try to guess the word. The group with the most correct guesses wins.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Students will work in pairs. One student will have 2 minutes to summarize the article, while the other student listens and takes notes. Then, they will switch roles. After both students have had a turn, they will compare their summaries and discuss any differences or missing information.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Students will work in pairs or small groups. They will discuss the pros and cons of airport security measures. They can list their ideas on a piece of paper or whiteboard. After the discussion, each group will share their pros and cons with the class, and a class discussion can follow.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the woman do at the airport in Australia?
2. Why do people think the woman was running up to the plane?
3. What might happen to the woman because of what she did?
4. Why are people worried about safety at airports?
5. What are the Australian police trying to find out?
6. What do we know about the woman and what happened to her?
7. Why is it important for airports to have good security?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A woman got into trouble for (1)______ up to a plane at an airport in Australia. People saw her (2)______ near the front of the plane, (3)______ at the person flying the plane. People think she was late for her flight. The woman was not allowed to leave and will have to go to court on Friday.

This event (4)______ people (5)______ about safety at (6)______. The Australian police are trying to find out how the woman got past the security. This event (7)______ how (8)______ it is to have good security at airports to keep everyone safe.

The (9)______ in charge of the airport have not said more about what happened or about the woman. We don’t know what trouble she is in or what might happen to her. This event reminds airports to (10)______ and (11)______ their security better to stop (12)______ like this from happening again.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What do you think the woman was doing when she ran up to the plane?
2. How would you feel if you saw someone running towards a plane at the airport?
3. Do you think it’s important to have good security at airports? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever been late for a flight? How did you feel?
5. What do you think might happen to the woman who ran up to the plane?
6. Do you think airports should check and improve their security? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever seen something unusual or strange at an airport? What was it?
8. How would you feel if you were not allowed to leave the airport and had to go to court?
9. Do you think the woman should be punished for what she did? Why or why not?
10. What do you think the people in charge of the airport should do to prevent this from happening again?
11. How do you think the woman got past the security at the airport?
12. Do you think this event will make people more worried about airport safety? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. trouble
2. airport
3. late
4. security
5. court
6. safety
7. event
8. worry

Meanings:
(a) Something that happens
(b) Feeling anxious or concerned
(c) A place where planes take off and land
(d) A problem or difficulty
(e) Being protected from harm or danger
(f) Measures taken to protect people and things
(g) Not on time
(h) A place where legal decisions are made
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did the woman get into trouble at the airport?
(a) She was late for her flight
(b) She caused a security breach
(c) She didn’t have a ticket
(d) She ran up to a plane and waved at the pilot

2. What are people worried about after this event?
(a) Flight delays
(b) Safety at airports
(c) Airplane maintenance
(d) Airport food options

3. What will happen to the woman?
(a) She will be allowed to leave the airport
(b) She will receive a warning from the police
(c) She will have to go to court on Friday
(d) She will be given a fine

4. What are the Australian police trying to find out?
(a) Why the woman was late for her flight
(b) Who the woman was waving at
(c) How many people saw the woman
(d) How the woman got past security

5. What do we know about the woman in this article?
(a) Not much, as the airport hasn’t provided more information
(b) She was trying to hijack the plane
(c) She is a famous celebrity
(d) She was trying to catch a different flight

6. What should airports do after this event?
(a) Check and improve their security
(b) Increase flight prices
(c) Hire more pilots
(d) Change their flight schedules

7. Why is good security important at airports?
(a) To make sure flights are on time
(b) To keep everyone safe
(c) To provide better customer service
(d) To increase airport profits

8. What is the main message of this article?
(a) The woman was late for her flight and caused a disturbance
(b) Australian police are investigating a security breach at an airport
(c) Airports need to have good security to keep everyone safe
(d) People should be more careful when waving at planes

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The Australian police are investigating how the woman managed to bypass security.
2. This incident has raised concerns about airport safety.
3. People think she was early for her flight.
4. She was seen standing near the front of the plane and waving at the pilot.
5. The woman was allowed to leave and will not have to go to court on Friday.
6. A woman caused delight at an airport in Australia by running up to a plane.
7. This event serves as a reminder for airports to maintain their security measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
8. The airport authorities have not provided any further information about the incident or the woman.
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 did the woman do at the airport that got her into trouble?
2. Why do people think the woman was waving at the person flying the plane?
3. What will happen to the woman because of what she did?
4. Why are people worried about safety at airports after this event?
5. What do airports need to do to prevent things like this from happening again?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the woman do at the airport in Australia?
The woman ran up to a plane at the airport in Australia.

2. Why do people think the woman was running up to the plane?
People think she was running up to the plane because she was late for her flight.

3. What might happen to the woman because of what she did?
The woman might have to go to court because of what she did.

4. Why are people worried about safety at airports?
People are worried about safety at airports because the woman was able to get past security.

5. What are the Australian police trying to find out?
The Australian police are trying to find out how the woman got past security.

6. What do we know about the woman and what happened to her?
We don’t know much about the woman or what happened to her.

7. Why is it important for airports to have good security?
It is important for airports to have good security to keep everyone safe.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) running
(2) standing
(3) waving
(4) made
(5) worry
(6) airports
(7) shows
(8) important
(9) people
(10) check
(11) make
(12) things
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. trouble
Answer: (d) A problem or difficulty

2. airport
Answer: (c) A place where planes take off and land

3. late
Answer: (g) Not on time

4. security
Answer: (f) Measures taken to protect people and things

5. court
Answer: (h) A place where legal decisions are made

6. safety
Answer: (e) Being protected from harm or danger

7. event
Answer: (a) Something that happens

8. worry
Answer: (b) Feeling anxious or concerned
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did the woman get into trouble at the airport?
Answer: (d) She ran up to a plane and waved at the pilot

2. What are people worried about after this event?
Answer: (b) Safety at airports

3. What will happen to the woman?
Answer: (c) She will have to go to court on Friday

4. What are the Australian police trying to find out?
Answer: (d) How the woman got past security

5. What do we know about the woman in this article?
Answer: (a) Not much, as the airport hasn’t provided more information

6. What should airports do after this event?
Answer: (a) Check and improve their security

7. Why is good security important at airports?
Answer: (b) To keep everyone safe

8. What is the main message of this article?
Answer: (c) Airports need to have good security to keep everyone safe
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The Australian police are investigating how the woman managed to bypass security. (Answer: True)
2. This incident has raised concerns about airport safety. (Answer: True)
3. People think she was early for her flight. (Answer: False)
4. She was seen standing near the front of the plane and waving at the pilot. (Answer: True)
5. The woman was allowed to leave and will not have to go to court on Friday. (Answer: False)
6. A woman caused delight at an airport in Australia by running up to a plane. (Answer: False)
7. This event serves as a reminder for airports to maintain their security measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. (Answer: False)
8. The airport authorities have not provided any further information about the incident or the woman. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧