A truck carrying fireworks crashed with another truck on a highway in Canada. This caused the fireworks to start going off, making a big show in the sky that lasted for an hour. People watched and filmed the surprise fireworks show. The video of the fireworks has become popular on the internet.

The video shows the crash between the two trucks and then the fireworks starting to explode. The fireworks kept going off for an hour, with lots of sparks and smoke. Even though the crash looked very scary, nobody was hurt.

People are still trying to find out why the crash happened. This event shows us that carrying fireworks can be dangerous. But in this case, the crash led to a beautiful fireworks show instead of something sad or bad.

Original news source: Car crash leads to fireworks show on Canadian motorway (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students read the article and then write a one or two sentence summary of the main points. They can then share their summaries with a partner or with the whole class.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. One student describes a scene from the article (e.g. the truck crash or the fireworks show) while the other student tries to sketch it based on the description. After a few minutes, they can compare their sketches and see how accurate they were.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on individual slips of paper. Put the slips in a bag or bowl. Divide the students into teams. One student from each team comes up and randomly selects a slip of paper. They then have to draw a picture to represent the word and their team members have to guess what it is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the students into groups. Assign each group a topic related to the article, such as “carrying fireworks” or “road safety.” The groups have to come up with a list of pros and cons for their assigned topic and then present their lists to the class. This activity encourages critical thinking and discussion.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have the students imagine what might happen next in the story. They can work individually or in pairs to write a short paragraph or dialogue about their predictions. They can then share their ideas with the class. This activity helps students practice using future tenses and creative thinking.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened when the truck carrying fireworks crashed with another truck?
2. How long did the fireworks show in the sky last?
3. What did people do when they saw the surprise fireworks show?
4. What does the video show?
5. Were there any injuries from the crash?
6. What are people still trying to find out?
7. What did this event show about carrying fireworks?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A truck carrying fireworks (1)______ with another truck on a (2)______ in Canada. This caused the fireworks to start going off, making a big show in the sky that lasted for an (3)______. People watched and filmed the surprise fireworks show. The (4)______ of the fireworks has become (5)______ on the internet.

The video shows the crash between the two (6)______ and then the fireworks starting to explode. The fireworks kept (7)______ off for an hour, with lots of sparks and smoke. Even though the (8)______ looked very scary, nobody was hurt.

(9)______ are still trying to find out why the crash happened. This (10)______ (11)______s us that carrying fireworks can be dangerous. But in this case, the crash led to a (12)______ fireworks show instead of something sad or bad.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a truck?
2. How would you feel if you saw fireworks going off in the sky unexpectedly?
3. Do you like watching fireworks? Why or why not?
4. What do you think caused the crash between the two trucks?
5. How do you think the people felt when they saw the crash?
6. Have you ever seen a fireworks show in person? What was it like?
7. What do you think the people did after they watched the surprise fireworks show?
8. Why do you think the video of the fireworks became popular on the internet?
9. What do you think the sparks and smoke from the fireworks looked like?
10. Do you think carrying fireworks is usually safe or dangerous? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the people felt when they found out nobody was hurt in the crash?
12. What would you do if you were driving and saw fireworks going off in the sky?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. truck
2. fireworks
3. crash
4. explode
5. sparks
6. smoke
7. dangerous
8. beautiful

Meanings:
(a) Something that looks very nice and pretty
(b) Bright and colorful things that go up in the sky
(c) Something that can hurt you or cause harm
(d) When two things hit each other very hard
(e) The gray stuff that comes out of a fire
(f) A large vehicle used to transport things
(g) Small bits of fire that fly through the air
(h) When something bursts and makes a loud noise
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What caused the fireworks to start going off?
(a) The smoke from the fireworks
(b) The sparks from the fireworks
(c) The people watching and filming
(d) The crash between the two trucks

2. How long did the fireworks show last?
(a) One hour
(b) Ten minutes
(c) Thirty minutes
(d) Two hours

3. What happened to the people who were in the trucks during the crash?
(a) They were injured
(b) They were not hurt
(c) They were scared
(d) They were happy

4. Why are people still trying to find out why the crash happened?
(a) To prevent similar accidents in the future
(b) To make a movie about it
(c) To become famous
(d) To sell the video of the crash

5. What did the crash between the two trucks look like?
(a) Very funny
(b) Very exciting
(c) Very scary
(d) Very sad

6. What did the video of the fireworks become on the internet?
(a) Boring
(b) Scary
(c) Sad
(d) Popular

7. What does this event show us about carrying fireworks?
(a) It can be fun
(b) It can be dangerous
(c) It can be boring
(d) It can be sad

8. What did the crash lead to instead of something sad or bad?
(a) A big explosion
(b) A scary accident
(c) A beautiful fireworks show
(d) A sad ending

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Unluckily, nobody was hurt in the scary-looking crash.
2. People have concluded the investigation and know why the crash happened.
3. Many people watched the surprise fireworks show and recorded videos of it.
4. The fireworks from the crashed truck failed to explode in the sky, creating a disappointing show that lasted for an hour.
5. The fireworks stopped going off after an hour, with minimal sparks and smoke.
6. This event teaches us that carrying fireworks can be dangerous, but in this case, it turned into a beautiful fireworks show instead of something sad or bad.
7. The video shows the crash between the two trucks and the fireworks starting to explode.
8. Two trucks crashed on a highway in Canada, and one of them was carrying fireworks.
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 when a truck carrying fireworks crashed with another truck?
2. How long did the fireworks show in the sky last?
3. What did people do while the fireworks were going off?
4. Was anyone hurt in the crash?
5. Why do people think carrying fireworks can be dangerous?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened when the truck carrying fireworks crashed with another truck?
The fireworks started going off and made a big show in the sky.

2. How long did the fireworks show in the sky last?
The fireworks show lasted for an hour.

3. What did people do when they saw the surprise fireworks show?
People watched and filmed the surprise fireworks show.

4. What does the video show?
The video shows the crash between the two trucks and then the fireworks starting to explode.

5. Were there any injuries from the crash?
No, nobody was hurt.

6. What are people still trying to find out?
People are still trying to find out why the crash happened.

7. What did this event show about carrying fireworks?
This event showed that carrying fireworks can be dangerous, but in this case, it led to a beautiful fireworks show instead of something sad or bad.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) crashed
(2) highway
(3) hour
(4) video
(5) popular
(6) trucks
(7) going
(8) crash
(9) People
(10) event
(11) show
(12) beautiful
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. truck
Answer: (f) A large vehicle used to transport things

2. fireworks
Answer: (b) Bright and colorful things that go up in the sky

3. crash
Answer: (d) When two things hit each other very hard

4. explode
Answer: (h) When something bursts and makes a loud noise

5. sparks
Answer: (g) Small bits of fire that fly through the air

6. smoke
Answer: (e) The gray stuff that comes out of a fire

7. dangerous
Answer: (c) Something that can hurt you or cause harm

8. beautiful
Answer: (a) Something that looks very nice and pretty
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What caused the fireworks to start going off?
Answer: (d) The crash between the two trucks

2. How long did the fireworks show last?
Answer: (a) One hour

3. What happened to the people who were in the trucks during the crash?
Answer: (b) They were not hurt

4. Why are people still trying to find out why the crash happened?
Answer: (a) To prevent similar accidents in the future

5. What did the crash between the two trucks look like?
Answer: (c) Very scary

6. What did the video of the fireworks become on the internet?
Answer: (d) Popular

7. What does this event show us about carrying fireworks?
Answer: (b) It can be dangerous

8. What did the crash lead to instead of something sad or bad?
Answer: (c) A beautiful fireworks show
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Unluckily, nobody was hurt in the scary-looking crash. (Answer: False)
2. People have concluded the investigation and know why the crash happened. (Answer: False)
3. Many people watched the surprise fireworks show and recorded videos of it. (Answer: True)
4. The fireworks from the crashed truck failed to explode in the sky, creating a disappointing show that lasted for an hour. (Answer: False)
5. The fireworks stopped going off after an hour, with minimal sparks and smoke. (Answer: False)
6. This event teaches us that carrying fireworks can be dangerous, but in this case, it turned into a beautiful fireworks show instead of something sad or bad. (Answer: True)
7. The video shows the crash between the two trucks and the fireworks starting to explode. (Answer: True)
8. Two trucks crashed on a highway in Canada, and one of them was carrying fireworks. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧