Google is going to start removing accounts that people don’t use anymore. They are doing this slowly, beginning with accounts that someone made but then never used again. Google says this is to keep things safe because accounts that no one uses can be easily broken into. If you sign in or send an email, your account will stay open.

If you want to keep your Google account for two more years, you just need to sign in or use it to send an email, use Google Drive, or watch a YouTube video. It’s also a good idea to make sure you have an extra email address connected to your Google account in case you need to get back into it. Google has already told people with accounts that will be deleted by sending messages to them and to their extra email addresses. But, if you use your Google account for work, school, or to take care of a child’s account, it won’t be deleted.

People who have used their Google accounts lately don’t need to worry. Their accounts are seen as active, so they won’t be taken away.

Original news source: Inactive Google accounts to be deleted from Friday (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Ask the students to read the article and summarize the main points in their own words. Encourage them to use complete sentences and focus on the key information.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Have them discuss and share their opinions on the topic of Google removing unused accounts. Then, have each group present their opinions to the class and facilitate a class discussion.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. Google, account, email, YouTube). Divide the class into teams and give each team a whiteboard or a piece of paper. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and draw a picture to represent one of the vocabulary words. The rest of the team must guess the word based on the drawing. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Choose important keywords or phrases from the article and write a series of dashes on the board to represent each letter. Have the students take turns guessing letters to try and uncover the keyword or phrase. If a student guesses a correct letter, write it in the appropriate position. If a student guesses an incorrect letter, start drawing a hangman. The students must guess the keyword or phrase before the hangman is complete.

– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: Have each student come up with two true statements and one false statement related to the topic of the article. In small groups or pairs, students take turns sharing their statements and the other students must guess which statement is the lie. This activity encourages speaking and listening skills while also reviewing the article content.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Why is Google going to start removing accounts?
2. What happens if you sign in or send an email with your Google account?
3. How can you keep your Google account for two more years?
4. Why is it a good idea to have an extra email address connected to your Google account?
5. How has Google told people that their accounts will be deleted?
6. Will your Google account be deleted if you use it for work, school, or to take care of a child’s account?
7. What happens to people who have used their Google accounts lately?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

(1)______ is (2)______ to start removing accounts that people don’t use anymore. They are doing this slowly, beginning with accounts that someone made but then never used again. Google says this is to keep (3)______ safe because accounts that no one uses can be easily broken into. If you sign in or send an email, your (4)______ will stay open.

If you (5)______ to keep your Google account for two more years, you just need to sign in or use it to send an email, use Google Drive, or watch a (6)______ video. It’s also a good idea to make sure you have an extra email address connected to your Google account in case you need to get back into it. Google has already told (7)______ with accounts that will be (8)______ by (9)______ messages to them and to their extra email addresses. But, if you use your Google account for work, school, or to take care of a child’s account, it won’t be deleted.

(10)______ who have used their Google (11)______ lately don’t need to worry. Their accounts are seen as active, so they won’t be (12)______ away.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is Google going to start doing with accounts that people don’t use anymore?
2. How would you feel if your Google account was deleted because you didn’t use it?
3. Do you like using Google Drive? Why or why not?
4. What would happen if someone broke into an account that no one uses?
5. Do you have an extra email address connected to your Google account? Why or why not?
6. How do you think people feel when they receive a message saying their account will be deleted?
7. Do you use your Google account for work, school, or to take care of a child’s account? Why or why not?
8. What do you think happens to accounts that are seen as active?
9. Why do you think it’s important to keep your Google account active?
10. How often do you use your Google account? Why or why not?
11. Do you think it’s fair for Google to delete accounts that people don’t use anymore? Why or why not?
12. What would you do if your Google account was going to be deleted? Why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Google
2. accounts
3. sign in
4. email
5. safe
6. broken into
7. deleted
8. active

Meanings:
(a) A popular search engine and email provider
(b) To enter your username and password to access an account
(c) To remove or erase something
(d) Personal profiles or usernames used to access online services
(e) To gain unauthorized access to something
(f) Currently in use or being used regularly
(g) A digital message sent electronically
(h) Not in danger or harm
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why is Google removing accounts that people don’t use anymore?
(a) To keep things safe
(b) To make more space on their servers
(c) To punish people for not using their accounts
(d) To sell the accounts to other companies

2. What can you do to keep your Google account for two more years?
(a) Delete all of your emails and files
(b) Change your password every month
(c) Sign in or use it to send an email, use Google Drive, or watch a YouTube video
(d) Share your account with someone else

3. What should you have connected to your Google account in case you need to get back into it?
(a) A phone number
(b) A social media account
(c) An extra email address
(d) A credit card

4. How has Google notified people with accounts that will be deleted?
(a) By calling them on the phone
(b) By sending a letter in the mail
(c) By posting a message on social media
(d) By sending messages to them and to their extra email addresses

5. What will happen to Google accounts that are used for work, school, or to take care of a child’s account?
(a) They won’t be deleted
(b) They will be sold to other companies
(c) They will be permanently locked
(d) They will be transferred to a different email provider

6. Who doesn’t need to worry about their Google account being taken away?
(a) People who have never used their Google accounts
(b) People who have used their Google accounts lately
(c) People who have forgotten their Google account password
(d) People who have multiple Google accounts

7. What does Google consider as an active account?
(a) An account that has a lot of emails and files
(b) An account that has been shared with others
(c) An account that has been deleted and then restored
(d) An account that has been used lately

8. What is the main reason Google is removing unused accounts?
(a) To make more money
(b) To keep things safe
(c) To punish people for not using their accounts
(d) To make more space on their servers

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. If you sign in or send an email, your Google account will stay open.
2. Google wants to keep things safe, so they are removing accounts that no one uses because they can be easily hacked.
3. Google has not yet sent messages to people with accounts that will be deleted, including their extra email addresses.
4. It’s not a good idea to have an extra email address connected to your Google account in case you need to get back into it.
5. If you use your Google account for work, school, or to take care of a child’s account, it won’t be deleted.
6. They are not doing this slowly, starting with accounts that were made but never used again.
7. Google is not going to start deleting accounts that people don’t use anymore.
8. To keep your Google account for two more years, you just need to sign in, send an email, use Google Drive, or watch a YouTube video.
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 is Google going to start doing with accounts that people don’t use anymore?
2. Why does Google want to remove accounts that no one uses?
3. How can you keep your Google account for two more years?
4. Why is it a good idea to have an extra email address connected to your Google account?
5. Who will not have their Google accounts deleted?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why is Google going to start removing accounts?
Google is going to start removing accounts because accounts that are not used can be easily broken into and can cause safety issues.

2. What happens if you sign in or send an email with your Google account?
If you sign in or send an email with your Google account, your account will stay open and will not be deleted.

3. How can you keep your Google account for two more years?
You can keep your Google account for two more years by signing in or using it to send an email, using Google Drive, or watching a YouTube video.

4. Why is it a good idea to have an extra email address connected to your Google account?
It is a good idea to have an extra email address connected to your Google account in case you need to get back into it. It helps you recover your account if you forget your password.

5. How has Google told people that their accounts will be deleted?
Google has sent messages to people with accounts that will be deleted. They have sent messages to both their Google account and their extra email addresses.

6. Will your Google account be deleted if you use it for work, school, or to take care of a child’s account?
No, your Google account will not be deleted if you use it for work, school, or to take care of a child’s account.

7. What happens to people who have used their Google accounts lately?
People who have used their Google accounts lately don’t need to worry. Their accounts are considered active and will not be taken away.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Google
(2) going
(3) things
(4) account
(5) want
(6) YouTube
(7) people
(8) deleted
(9) sending
(10) People
(11) accounts
(12) taken
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Google
Answer: (a) A popular search engine and email provider

2. accounts
Answer: (d) Personal profiles or usernames used to access online services

3. sign in
Answer: (b) To enter your username and password to access an account

4. email
Answer: (g) A digital message sent electronically

5. safe
Answer: (h) Not in danger or harm

6. broken into
Answer: (e) To gain unauthorized access to something

7. deleted
Answer: (c) To remove or erase something

8. active
Answer: (f) Currently in use or being used regularly
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why is Google removing accounts that people don’t use anymore?
Answer: (a) To keep things safe

2. What can you do to keep your Google account for two more years?
Answer: (c) Sign in or use it to send an email, use Google Drive, or watch a YouTube video

3. What should you have connected to your Google account in case you need to get back into it?
Answer: (c) An extra email address

4. How has Google notified people with accounts that will be deleted?
Answer: (d) By sending messages to them and to their extra email addresses

5. What will happen to Google accounts that are used for work, school, or to take care of a child’s account?
Answer: (a) They won’t be deleted

6. Who doesn’t need to worry about their Google account being taken away?
Answer: (b) People who have used their Google accounts lately

7. What does Google consider as an active account?
Answer: (d) An account that has been used lately

8. What is the main reason Google is removing unused accounts?
Answer: (b) To keep things safe
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. If you sign in or send an email, your Google account will stay open. (Answer: True)
2. Google wants to keep things safe, so they are removing accounts that no one uses because they can be easily hacked. (Answer: True)
3. Google has not yet sent messages to people with accounts that will be deleted, including their extra email addresses. (Answer: False)
4. It’s not a good idea to have an extra email address connected to your Google account in case you need to get back into it. (Answer: False)
5. If you use your Google account for work, school, or to take care of a child’s account, it won’t be deleted. (Answer: True)
6. They are not doing this slowly, starting with accounts that were made but never used again. (Answer: False)
7. Google is not going to start deleting accounts that people don’t use anymore. (Answer: False)
8. To keep your Google account for two more years, you just need to sign in, send an email, use Google Drive, or watch a YouTube video. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧