Near Cardiff Airport, archaeologists found an old cemetery from the 6th or 7th Century. They discovered 41 skeletons, mostly women, buried in strange ways with surprising items. The bones show these women worked hard, but they were also buried with fancy things. One mystery is a woman found in a ditch, unlike the others who were buried carefully.

So far, they have dug up about half of the cemetery, finding 39 adults and two children. The way the children were buried is unique, telling a story about the community. They found nice pottery and rare glass, showing this was a special place. The archaeologists are curious about the woman in the ditch and why she was treated differently.

The scientists are studying the bones to learn about the people’s diet and where they came from. They ate lots of carbohydrates but not much meat or fish, which is interesting for that time. As they keep digging, they hope to learn more about these people and their lives. The project is full of surprises, and the archaeologists are excited to find out more.

Original news source: Mystery of medieval cemetery near airport runway deepens (BBC)

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will receive a word or phrase related to the article (e.g., “archaeologist,” “skeleton,” “pottery”). One student from each group will act out the word without speaking while their group guesses.

– VOCABULARY PICTIONARY
Instructions: Write key vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g., “cemetery,” “skeleton,” “community”). Students take turns drawing the word on the board while their classmates guess what it is.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Give students a statement related to the article (e.g., “People should be buried with valuable items”). Students will move to different sides of the classroom based on whether they agree or disagree. Afterward, ask a few students to share their opinions and reasons.

– THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Instructions: Pose a question based on the article, such as “Why do you think the woman was buried in a ditch?” Students will first think individually, then pair up to discuss their ideas before sharing with the class.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: Ask students to come up with a catchy headline for the article. They can work in pairs or small groups. Once they have their headlines, each group will present theirs to the class, explaining their choice.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Where did the archaeologists find the old cemetery?
2. How many skeletons did they discover in the cemetery?
3. What is special about the way the women were buried?
4. What items did the archaeologists find with the skeletons?
5. How many children were found in the cemetery, and what is special about their burial?
6. What did the scientists learn about the diet of the people from the bones?
7. Why are the archaeologists excited about their project?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Near Cardiff Airport, archaeologists found an old cemetery from the 6th or 7th (1)______. They discovered 41 skeletons, mostly women, (2)______ in (3)______ ways with surprising items. The bones show these women worked hard, but they were also buried with fancy things. One mystery is a woman (4)______ in a ditch, unlike the others who were buried carefully.

So far, they have dug up about (5)______ of the cemetery, finding 39 adults and two children. The way the children were buried is unique, telling a story about the (6)______. They found nice pottery and rare glass, (7)______ this was a special place. The archaeologists are curious about the woman in the ditch and why she was treated differently.

The (8)______ are (9)______ the bones to learn about the people’s diet and where they came from. They ate lots of carbohydrates but not much meat or fish, which is interesting for that time. As they keep digging, they (10)______ to learn more about these (11)______ and their lives. The project is full of surprises, and the archaeologists are (12)______ to find out more.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a cemetery?
2. How would you feel if you found an old skeleton?
3. Do you think it is important to study old things like bones and pottery? Why?
4. Have you ever visited a museum? What did you see there?
5. What is a mystery? Can you think of a mystery you would like to solve?
6. How would you feel if you were buried with special items?
7. Do you like learning about history? Why or why not?
8. What do you think the archaeologists hope to find next?
9. How do you think the people in the cemetery lived a long time ago?
10. Do you think it is okay to dig up old graves? Why or why not?
11. What is your favorite thing to learn about in school?
12. How would you feel if you discovered something surprising about your family history?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. archaeologists
2. cemetery
3. skeletons
4. buried
5. ditch
6. unique
7. pottery
8. rare
9. carbohydrates
10. project
11. discovered
12. scientists

Meanings:
(A) A place where dead people are put in the ground
(B) Foods like bread and pasta that give energy
(C) Found something that was hidden or unknown
(D) A plan or task that is being worked on
(E) Objects made from clay and baked in a kiln
(F) People who study how things work in the world
(G) People who study old things from the past
(H) Not common, hard to find
(I) The bones of a person or animal
(J) Put in the ground and covered with earth
(K) One of a kind, not like anything else
(L) A long, narrow hole in the ground
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where was the old cemetery found?
(a) Near London
(b) Near Edinburgh
(c) Near Cardiff Airport
(d) Near Manchester

2. How many skeletons did the archaeologists find?
(a) 30 skeletons
(b) 41 skeletons
(c) 50 skeletons
(d) 25 skeletons

3. What was unusual about the way one woman was buried?
(a) She was buried with a crown
(b) She was buried alone
(c) She was buried with a sword
(d) She was found in a ditch

4. How many children were found in the cemetery?
(a) One child
(b) Three children
(c) Four children
(d) Two children

5. What kind of items were found with the skeletons?
(a) Fancy things
(b) Old clothes
(c) Tools
(d) Toys

6. What did the scientists learn about the people’s diet?
(a) They only ate meat
(b) They only ate fish
(c) They ate lots of carbohydrates
(d) They did not eat bread

7. What are the archaeologists hoping to learn more about?
(a) The people’s lives
(b) The weather
(c) The animals
(d) The plants

8. How do the archaeologists feel about their project?
(a) Bored
(b) Excited
(c) Tired
(d) Confused

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The women were buried in ordinary ways with typical items.
2. The scientists found that the people ate a lot of vegetables but not much meat or fish.
3. They discovered 41 skeletons, mostly of women.
4. The cemetery is from the 8th or 9th Century.
5. Some skeletons showed that the men worked hard.
6. Archaeologists found an old cemetery near Cardiff Airport.
7. They are studying the bones to learn about the people’s diet.
8. The archaeologists found nice pottery and rare glass in the cemetery.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
Check your answers with our free English writing assistant!

1. What did archaeologists find near Cardiff Airport?
2. How many skeletons did they discover in the cemetery?
3. What is special about the way the children were buried?
4. What kind of food did the people in the cemetery eat?
5. Why are the archaeologists excited about their project?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Where did the archaeologists find the old cemetery?
Near Cardiff Airport.

2. How many skeletons did they discover in the cemetery?
They discovered 41 skeletons.

3. What is special about the way the women were buried?
The women were buried in strange ways with surprising items.

4. What items did the archaeologists find with the skeletons?
They found nice pottery and rare glass.

5. How many children were found in the cemetery, and what is special about their burial?
Two children were found, and their burial is unique and tells a story about the community.

6. What did the scientists learn about the diet of the people from the bones?
They learned that the people ate lots of carbohydrates but not much meat or fish.

7. Why are the archaeologists excited about their project?
They are excited because they keep finding surprises and want to learn more about the people and their lives.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Century
(2) buried
(3) strange
(4) found
(5) half
(6) community
(7) showing
(8) scientists
(9) studying
(10) hope
(11) people
(12) excited
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. archaeologists
Answer: (G) People who study old things from the past

2. cemetery
Answer: (A) A place where dead people are put in the ground

3. skeletons
Answer: (I) The bones of a person or animal

4. buried
Answer: (J) Put in the ground and covered with earth

5. ditch
Answer: (L) A long, narrow hole in the ground

6. unique
Answer: (K) One of a kind, not like anything else

7. pottery
Answer: (E) Objects made from clay and baked in a kiln

8. rare
Answer: (H) Not common, hard to find

9. carbohydrates
Answer: (B) Foods like bread and pasta that give energy

10. project
Answer: (D) A plan or task that is being worked on

11. discovered
Answer: (C) Found something that was hidden or unknown

12. scientists
Answer: (F) People who study how things work in the world
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where was the old cemetery found?
Answer: (c) Near Cardiff Airport

2. How many skeletons did the archaeologists find?
Answer: (b) 41 skeletons

3. What was unusual about the way one woman was buried?
Answer: (d) She was found in a ditch

4. How many children were found in the cemetery?
Answer: (d) Two children

5. What kind of items were found with the skeletons?
Answer: (a) Fancy things

6. What did the scientists learn about the people’s diet?
Answer: (c) They ate lots of carbohydrates

7. What are the archaeologists hoping to learn more about?
Answer: (a) The people’s lives

8. How do the archaeologists feel about their project?
Answer: (b) Excited
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The women were buried in ordinary ways with typical items. (Answer: False)
2. The scientists found that the people ate a lot of vegetables but not much meat or fish. (Answer: False)
3. They discovered 41 skeletons, mostly of women. (Answer: True)
4. The cemetery is from the 8th or 9th Century. (Answer: False)
5. Some skeletons showed that the men worked hard. (Answer: False)
6. Archaeologists found an old cemetery near Cardiff Airport. (Answer: True)
7. They are studying the bones to learn about the people’s diet. (Answer: True)
8. The archaeologists found nice pottery and rare glass in the cemetery. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧