The Reading / Listening - Space Bubbles - Level 1

The 'World's First Space Bubble Concert' took place. People at the Flaming Lips concert were all in 100 giant bubbles called Zorbs. All band members were inside their own bubble. Some bubbles contained three people. The bubbles may let concerts go ahead during the pandemic. Every bubble has a speaker, a water bottle, a battery-operated fan, a towel and an "I gotta go pee" sign. Workers fill the bubble with cool air if it gets too hot.

Lead singer Wayne Coyne thought of the bubble concerts. He uses a Zorb to roll over the crowd at his concerts. He thought bubble concerts would be COVID-safe and "safer than going to the grocery store". He said: "It's a weird event, but the weirdness is so we can enjoy a concert before putting...everybody at risk." He added: "You see people excited...people really having fun....I think it's [the] 'new normal'....I think we're going to...work it out."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Space Bubbles - Level 0 Space Bubbles - Level 2   or  Space Bubbles - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.loudersound.com/news/the-flaming-lips-bubble-concert-could-be-a-blueprint-to-revolutionise-the-live-music-circuit
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55794674
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flaming-lips-concert-perform-inflatable-bubbles-oklahoma/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. 100 giant bubbles
  2. band members were
  3. bubbles contained three
  4. let concerts go
  5. a battery-operated
  6. I gotta go
  7. fill the bubble with cool
  8. if it gets too
  1. air
  2. people
  3. pee
  4. hot
  5. ahead
  6. called Zorbs
  7. fan
  8. inside

Paragraph 2

  1. lead
  2. concerts would be COVID-
  3. safer than going to the
  4. so we can enjoy a
  5. putting everybody at
  6. people really having
  7. I think it's new
  8. we're going to
  1. concert
  2. normal
  3. safe
  4. work it out
  5. fun
  6. grocery store
  7. singer
  8. risk

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The 'World's First Space Bubble Concert' took place. People at the Flaming Lips (1) ___________________ in 100 giant bubbles called Zorbs. All band members were (2) ___________________ bubble. Some bubbles contained three people. The bubbles (3) ___________________ go ahead during the pandemic. Every bubble (4) ___________________, a water bottle, a battery- (5) ___________________ towel and an "I gotta go pee" sign. Workers fill the bubble with cool air if it (6) ___________________.

Lead singer Wayne Coyne (7) ___________________ bubble concerts. He uses a Zorb to roll (8) ___________________ at his concerts. He thought bubble concerts would be COVID-safe and "(9) ___________________ to the grocery store". He said: "It's a weird event, but the weirdness (10) ___________________ can enjoy a concert before putting... (11) ___________________." He added: "You see people excited...people really having fun....I think it's (12) ___________________ ...I think we're going to...work it out."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

The'World'sFirstSpaceBubbleConcert'tookplace.PeopleattheFlamin
gLipsconcertwereallin100giantbubblescalledZorbs.Allbandmember
swereinsidetheirownbubble.Somebubblescontainedthreepeople.Th
ebubblesmayletconcertsgoaheadduringthepandemic.Everybubbleh
asaspeaker,awaterbottle,abattery-operatedfan,atowelandan"Igott
agopee"sign.Workersfillthebubblewithcoolairifitgetstoohot.Leadsin
gerWayneCoynethoughtofthebubbleconcerts.HeusesaZorbtorollov
erthecrowdathisconcerts.HethoughtbubbleconcertswouldbeCOVID
-safeand"saferthangoingtothegrocerystore".Hesaid:"It'saweirdev
ent,buttheweirdnessissowecanenjoyaconcertbeforeputting...every
bodyatrisk."Headded:"Youseepeopleexcited...peoplereallyhavingfu
n....Ithinkit's[the]'newnormal'....Ithinkwe'regoingto...workitout."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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