A recent helicopter video taken over the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland has shown big cracks in the ground caused by volcanic activity. The Icelandic Coast Guard, along with BBC reporter Jessica Parker, went on a mission to check out the situation. Scientists have warned that the area could have more volcanic problems for many years. Because of this, the town of Grindavik was evacuated because people were worried that a volcano might erupt. The town has also sunk by more than a meter. The video shows that magma is flowing under a crack that people could see before in pictures taken from above. To protect important buildings, Iceland's biggest bulldozer is being sent to Grindavik to make barriers against the lava. The famous tourist spot, the Blue Lagoon, will stay closed until the end of the month.
Original news source: Iceland: Helicopter footage shows giant cracks in earth (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the students into small groups and give each group a copy of the article. Instruct them to read the article and then work together to write a summary of the main points. After a few minutes, have each group share their summary with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write the following question on the board: "Do you think it was necessary to evacuate the town of Grindavik due to the volcanic activity?" Have the students take a few minutes to think about their answer and then ask them to stand up and move to a side of the classroom that represents their opinion (e.g. one side for "yes" and the other side for "no"). Once everyone has chosen a side, allow them to discuss their reasoning with others who have the same opinion.
– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article and a blank piece of paper. Instruct one student in each pair to be the "drawer" and the other student to be the "describer". The describer must read a sentence or two from the article and the drawer must sketch a corresponding image on the paper. After a set amount of time, have the students switch roles. Finally, have each pair share their sketches with the class and explain how they relate to the article.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the students into small groups and give each group a whiteboard or piece of paper. Instruct them to take turns selecting a word from the list and drawing a picture to represent it. The other group members must guess the word based on the drawing. Award points for correct guesses and keep track of the scores. The group with the most points at the end wins.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. Instruct each pair to discuss and write down three predictions they have about the future of the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland based on the information in the article. Encourage them to use modal verbs (e.g. could, might, may) to express uncertainty. After a few minutes, have each pair share their predictions with the class.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
The recent helicopter video showed big cracks in the ground caused by volcanic activity.
The Icelandic Coast Guard, along with BBC reporter Jessica Parker, went on a mission to check out the situation.
Scientists have warned that the area could have more volcanic problems for many years.
The town of Grindavik was evacuated because people were worried that a volcano might erupt.
The town of Grindavik has sunk by more than a meter.
Magma can be seen flowing under a crack in the video.
Iceland's biggest bulldozer is being sent to Grindavik to make barriers against the lava.
The famous tourist spot, the Blue Lagoon, will stay closed until the end of the month.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A recent helicopter video taken over the Reykjanes in Iceland has shown big in the ground by volcanic activity. The Icelandic Coast Guard, along with BBC reporter Parker, went on a to out the situation. Scientists have warned that the area could have more problems for many . Because of this, the town of Grindavik was evacuated because people were worried that a might erupt. The town has also sunk by more than a meter. The shows that magma is flowing under a that people could see before in pictures from above. To protect important , Iceland's bulldozer is being sent to to make barriers against the lava. The famous spot, the Blue Lagoon, will stay closed until the end of the month.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. Have you ever seen a volcano before? If so, where?
2. How would you feel if you lived in a town that had to be evacuated because of a volcano?
3. Do you think it's scary to see big cracks in the ground caused by volcanic activity? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever been to a famous tourist spot? Which one? Did you enjoy it?
5. What do you think it would be like to live in a town that is sinking?
6. How do you think the people in Grindavik are feeling right now?
7. Do you think it's important to protect important buildings from lava? Why or why not?
8. Have you ever seen magma before? If so, how did it look?
9. How would you feel if you were on the helicopter mission to check out the volcanic activity?
10. Do you like watching videos of natural disasters like volcanic eruptions? Why or why not?
11. What do you think it would be like to live near a volcano?
12. How do you think the volcanic activity will affect tourism in Iceland?
13. Why do you think the Blue Lagoon is staying closed until the end of the month?
14. Would you like to visit Iceland someday? Why or why not?
15. Do you think the volcanic problems in the Reykjanes Peninsula will ever go away? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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