A church in a place called New London fell apart. The top part and the roof broke and fell down. People who help in emergencies made sure everyone was safe and away from the church. No one was hurt or died.

Someone took a video of the church breaking. It shows the top part falling and pieces going everywhere. No one was inside praying, so that’s good because no one got hurt. People who live near the church are very surprised and want to know why it happened.

Now, people who know about buildings are trying to find out why the church fell apart. They don’t know when the church will be fixed and open again. People who live in the town are helping each other and the church because of what happened.

Original news source: Watch: US church steeple collapse caught on camera (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Each pair will take turns summarizing the article in their own words. One student will be the speaker and the other will be the listener. The speaker has one minute to summarize the article while the listener listens carefully. Then, the listener must summarize what they heard in their own words. Switch roles and repeat the activity with a different article.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write the following question on the board: “Why do you think the church fell apart?” Have the students discuss the question in small groups and write down their opinions. Then, have each group share their opinions with the class and facilitate a class discussion on the different reasons given.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Write the keywords from the article on the board, leaving out some letters. Divide the class into pairs or small groups. One student will choose a keyword and draw a hangman board on a piece of paper. The other students must guess the missing letters in the keyword by guessing letters one at a time. If they guess a correct letter, the student who drew the hangman board will write it in the correct position. If they guess an incorrect letter, the student will draw one part of the hangman. The game continues until the keyword is guessed or the hangman is completed.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a selection of vocabulary words from the article on slips of paper and put them in a bag or box. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will take turns drawing a slip of paper and silently drawing a picture to represent the word. Their team members must guess the word within a certain time limit. The team that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have the students discuss in pairs or small groups what they think will happen next in the story. They can use their imagination and creativity to come up with different possibilities. Each group will share their predictions with the class and discuss the likelihood of each scenario.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the church in New London?
2. Did anyone get hurt when the church fell apart?
3. What did someone do when the church was breaking?
4. Why were the people who live near the church surprised?
5. Who is trying to find out why the church fell apart?
6. When will the church be fixed and open again?
7. Why are the people in the town helping each other and the church?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A church in a (1)______ called New London fell apart. The top part and the roof broke and fell down. People who (2)______ in emergencies made (3)______ everyone was safe and away from the church. No one was hurt or died.

Someone took a video of the (4)______ breaking. It (5)______ the top part falling and pieces going everywhere. No one was inside (6)______, so that’s good because no one got hurt. People who live near the church are very surprised and want to know why it happened.

Now, people who know about buildings are trying to find out why the church fell apart. They don’t know when the church will be fixed and open again. (7)______ who (8)______ in the town are helping each other and the church because of what happened.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a church?
2. How would you feel if you saw a church falling apart?
3. Do you like helping people in emergencies? Why or why not?
4. What do you think the people who live near the church are feeling?
5. Do you think it’s important to find out why the church fell apart? Why or why not?
6. Have you ever seen a video of something breaking? How did it make you feel?
7. How do you think the people who were inside the church when it fell would have felt?
8. What do you think the people in the town can do to help each other and the church?
9. Have you ever helped someone in need? How did it make you feel?
10. Do you think the church will be fixed soon? Why or why not?
11. Why do you think it’s good that no one was hurt or died when the church fell apart?
12. How would you feel if your house fell apart?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. church
2. emergencies
3. roof
4. praying
5. surprised
6. buildings
7. investigate
8. collapsed
9. residents
10. occurred
11. assistance
12. community

Meanings:
(A) Help when you need it
(B) Structures like houses, schools, and stores where people live, work, or play
(C) Talking to a god or gods, often asking for help or giving thanks
(D) Happened
(E) To try to find out the truth about something, like a mystery
(F) The top covering of a house or other structure
(G) Feeling shocked because something happened that you did not expect
(H) Fell down suddenly
(I) A group of people who live in the same area and often help each other
(J) Serious situations where immediate action is needed to help people
(K) A place where people go to worship or take part in religious services
(L) People who live in a certain place
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What happened to the church in New London?
(a) The church caught on fire.
(b) The church was moved to a different location.
(c) The church was renovated and made bigger.
(d) The top part and the roof broke and fell down.

2. What did the people who help in emergencies do when the church fell apart?
(a) They took a video of the church breaking.
(b) They started praying inside the church.
(c) They made sure everyone was safe and away from the church.
(d) They called the police for help.

3. Was anyone hurt or died when the church fell apart?
(a) No, no one was hurt or died.
(b) Yes, some people got hurt but no one died.
(c) Yes, many people got hurt and some died.
(d) Yes, one person got hurt but no one died.

4. Was anyone inside the church when it fell apart?
(a) Yes, there were many people inside praying.
(b) No, no one was inside praying.
(c) Yes, there was one person inside praying.
(d) Yes, there were a few people inside praying.

5. What did someone do when the church was falling apart?
(a) They took a video of the church breaking.
(b) They called the police for help.
(c) They started praying inside the church.
(d) They ran away from the church.

6. Who is trying to find out why the church fell apart?
(a) People who live near the church.
(b) People who know about buildings.
(c) People who help in emergencies.
(d) People who work at the church.

7. When will the church be fixed and open again?
(a) It will be fixed and open again in a few days.
(b) It will be fixed and open again in a few weeks.
(c) They don’t know when the church will be fixed and open again.
(d) It will be fixed and open again in a few months.

8. How are the people in the town helping each other and the church?
(a) They are ignoring what happened and not helping each other or the church.
(b) They are blaming each other for what happened and not helping the church.
(c) They are waiting for someone else to help each other and the church.
(d) They are helping each other and the church because of what happened.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Emergency workers made sure everyone was safe and away from the church.
2. The top part and roof of a church in New London broke and fell down.
3. Non-experts who know about buildings are investigating the cause of the church falling apart.
4. The people who live near the church are surprised and want to know why it happened.
5. Fortunately, no one was inside the church praying at the time, so no one got hurt.
6. It is certain when the church will be fixed and open again, but the people in the town are not helping each other and the church.
7. Someone was hurt or died in the incident.
8. No video was taken of the church breaking, showing the top part falling and pieces going everywhere.
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 church in New London?
2. Were there any people inside the church when it fell apart?
3. What did someone do when they saw the church falling apart?
4. Who is trying to find out why the church fell apart?
5. How are the people in the town helping each other and the church?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened to the church in New London?
The church fell apart.

2. Did anyone get hurt when the church fell apart?
No, no one got hurt.

3. What did someone do when the church was breaking?
Someone took a video of the church breaking.

4. Why were the people who live near the church surprised?
They were surprised because they want to know why it happened.

5. Who is trying to find out why the church fell apart?
People who know about buildings are trying to find out why.

6. When will the church be fixed and open again?
We don’t know when it will be fixed and open again.

7. Why are the people in the town helping each other and the church?
They are helping each other and the church because of what happened.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) place
(2) help
(3) sure
(4) church
(5) shows
(6) praying
(7) People
(8) live
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. church
Answer: (K) A place where people go to worship or take part in religious services

2. emergencies
Answer: (J) Serious situations where immediate action is needed to help people

3. roof
Answer: (F) The top covering of a house or other structure

4. praying
Answer: (C) Talking to a god or gods, often asking for help or giving thanks

5. surprised
Answer: (G) Feeling shocked because something happened that you did not expect

6. buildings
Answer: (B) Structures like houses, schools, and stores where people live, work, or play

7. investigate
Answer: (E) To try to find out the truth about something, like a mystery

8. collapsed
Answer: (H) Fell down suddenly

9. residents
Answer: (L) People who live in a certain place

10. occurred
Answer: (D) Happened

11. assistance
Answer: (A) Help when you need it

12. community
Answer: (I) A group of people who live in the same area and often help each other
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What happened to the church in New London?
Answer: (d) The top part and the roof broke and fell down.

2. What did the people who help in emergencies do when the church fell apart?
Answer: (c) They made sure everyone was safe and away from the church.

3. Was anyone hurt or died when the church fell apart?
Answer: (a) No, no one was hurt or died.

4. Was anyone inside the church when it fell apart?
Answer: (b) No, no one was inside praying.

5. What did someone do when the church was falling apart?
Answer: (a) They took a video of the church breaking.

6. Who is trying to find out why the church fell apart?
Answer: (b) People who know about buildings.

7. When will the church be fixed and open again?
Answer: (c) They don’t know when the church will be fixed and open again.

8. How are the people in the town helping each other and the church?
Answer: (d) They are helping each other and the church because of what happened.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Emergency workers made sure everyone was safe and away from the church. (Answer: True)
2. The top part and roof of a church in New London broke and fell down. (Answer: True)
3. Non-experts who know about buildings are investigating the cause of the church falling apart. (Answer: False)
4. The people who live near the church are surprised and want to know why it happened. (Answer: True)
5. Fortunately, no one was inside the church praying at the time, so no one got hurt. (Answer: True)
6. It is certain when the church will be fixed and open again, but the people in the town are not helping each other and the church. (Answer: False)
7. Someone was hurt or died in the incident. (Answer: False)
8. No video was taken of the church breaking, showing the top part falling and pieces going everywhere. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧