The Reading / Listening - Space Bubbles - Level 3

A band has played what is being called the 'World's First Space Bubble Concert'. The psychedelic-rock group the Flaming Lips played to an audience who were all in giant, inflatable plastic bubbles. The bubbles are called Zorb balls. The band played two concerts in their native city of Oklahoma. All band members were also inside their own Zorb bubble. There were 100 bubbles at the shows. Some of the bubbles contained three people. The bubbles may be one way for concerts to go ahead during the pandemic. Each bubble has a special speaker, a water bottle, a battery-operated fan, a towel and an "I gotta go pee/hot in here" sign. Workers refill the bubble with cool air if it gets too hot.

The idea for the bubble concerts came from the band's lead singer Wayne Coyne. He often uses a Zorb ball to roll over the crowd during his concerts. He decided that concerts would be COVID-safe if everyone was in a Zorb. He said attending a space bubble concert is "safer than going to the grocery store". He told the Rolling Stone magazine: "It's a very restricted, weird event, but the weirdness is so we can enjoy a concert before putting our families and everybody at risk." He added: "You see people excited, people being happy, and people really having fun....I think it's a bit of a 'new normal'. You might go to a show, you might not, but I think we're going to be able to work it out."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Space Bubbles - Level 0 Space Bubbles - Level 1   or  Space Bubbles - Level 2

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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. CONCERTS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about concerts. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       band / bubble / concert / rock / lips / concerts / pandemic / speaker / water bottle /
       lead singer / crowd / grocery store / magazine / weirdness / risk / excited / normal
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. BUBBLES: Students A strongly believe we all need a bubble to keep COVID-19 away; Students B strongly believe we don't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. CONCERTS: What are the good and bad things about watching concerts? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Good Things

Bad Things

Live

 

 

On YouTube

 

 

On the TV

 

 

On the radio

 

 

As a band member

 

 

On a smart watch

 

 

MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. BAND: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "band". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. MUSIC: Rank these with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Psychedelic
  • Opera
  • Folk
  • Hip-Hop
  • Classical
  • K-Pop
  • Heavy metal
  • Jazz

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. psychedelic a. Being able to be filled with air.
      2. audience b. Something with rotating blades that makes the air cooler.
      3. inflatable c. About a style of rock music from the mid 1960s, that is experimental.
      4. native d. All of the people at a public event, such as a play, movie, concert, or meeting.
      5. member e. About the country, region or city you were born in.
      6. fan f. One person in a group.
      7. pee g. Go to the toilet; urinate.

    Paragraph 2

      8. lead h. A situation that has danger.
      9. attending i. The main, top or most important.
      10. grocery store j. Very strange.
      11. weird k. A changed kind of life that is now usual.
      12. risk l. Being present at an event, meeting, or function.
      13. new normal m. Think about something and find an answer.
      14. work it out n. A shop that sells food and small household goods.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. A solo rock singer performed the world's first space bubble concert.     T / F
  2. The singer was not in a space bubble.     T / F
  3. There were 100 space bubbles at the concert.     T / F
  4. Each bubble had a towel and a fan.     T / F
  5. The idea for the concert came from an expert in diseases.     T / F
  6. The singer said the concert was safer than going to a grocery store.     T / F
  7. The singer said the concert was a wired event.     T / F
  8. The singer said the concert was kind of like the 'new normal'.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. band
  2. audience
  3. giant
  4. go ahead
  5. pee
  6. idea
  7. attending
  8. weird
  9. at risk
  10. show
  1. going to
  2. take place
  3. concert
  4. concept
  5. crowd
  6. strange
  7. in danger
  8. group
  9. huge
  10. urinate

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. in giant, inflatable plastic
  2. Some of the bubbles contained
  3. a battery-operated
  4. Workers refill the bubble
  5. if it gets too
  6. roll
  7. safer than going to
  8. putting our families and everybody
  9. I think it's a bit of a new
  10. we're going to be able
  1. at risk
  2. with cool air
  3. fan
  4. normal
  5. bubbles
  6. to work it out
  7. three people
  8. the grocery store
  9. hot
  10. over the crowd

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
ahead
native
fan
group
cool
water
giant
members

A band has played what is being called the 'World's First Space Bubble Concert'. The psychedelic-rock (1) _____________________ the Flaming Lips played to an audience who were all in (2) _____________________, inflatable plastic bubbles. The bubbles are called Zorb balls. The band played two concerts in their (3) _____________________ city of Oklahoma. All band (4) _____________________ were also inside their own Zorb bubble. There were 100 bubbles at the shows. Some of the bubbles contained three people. The bubbles may be one way for concerts to go (5) _____________________ during the pandemic. Each bubble has a special speaker, a (6) _____________________ bottle, a battery-operated (7) _____________________, a towel and an "I gotta go pee/hot in here" sign. Workers refill the bubble with (8) _____________________ air if it gets too hot.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
roll
risk
event
work
attending
happy
lead
weirdness

The idea for the bubble concerts came from the band's (9) _____________________ singer Wayne Coyne. He often uses a Zorb ball to (10) _____________________ over the crowd during his concerts. He decided that concerts would be COVID-safe if everyone was in a Zorb. He said (11) _____________________ a space bubble concert is "safer than going to the grocery store". He told the Rolling Stone magazine: "It's a very restricted, weird (12) _____________________, but the (13) _____________________ is so we can enjoy a concert before putting our families and everybody at (14) _____________________." He added: "You see people excited, people being (15) _____________________, and people really having fun....I think it's a bit of a 'new normal'. You might go to a show, you might not, but I think we're going to be able to (16) _____________________ it out."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) A band has played what is being called the 'World's First ______'
     a.  Space Bubble Concertina
     b.  Space Bubble Concerto
     c.  Space Bubble Concert
     d.  Space Bubble Concerted
2)  The psychedelic-rock group the Flaming Lips played ______
     a.  to a audience
     b.  to an audience
     c.  two an audience
     d.  too an audience
3)  The bubbles may be one way for concerts to go ahead ______
     a.  enduring the pandemic
     b.  endure ring the pandemic
     c.  during the pandemic
     d.  ending the pandemic
4)  a water bottle, a battery-operated fan, a towel and an "I gotta go pee/hot ______
     a.  in here" sign
     b.  on here" sign
     c.  at here" sign
     d.  as here" sign
5)  Workers refill the bubble with cool air if it ______
     a.  get too hot
     b.  regrets too hot
     c.  begets too hot
     d.  gets too hot

6)  The idea for the bubble concerts came from the ______
     a.  band's zinc singer
     b.  band's iron singer
     c.  band's silver singer
     d.  band's lead singer
7)  Wayne Coyne. He often uses a Zorb ball to roll over the crowd ______
     a.  during this concerts
     b.  during him concerts
     c.  during his concerts
     d.  during hits concerts
8)  He told the Rolling Stone magazine: "It's a very ______."
     a.  restrict it, weird event
     b.  rest licked, weird event
     c.  rest licked it, weird event
     d.  restricted, weird event
9)  the weirdness is so we can enjoy a concert before putting our families and ______
     a.  everybody that risk
     b.  everybody sat risk
     c.  everybody at risk
     d.  everybody chat risk
10)  You might go to a show, you might not, but I think we're going to be able to ______
     a.  work kit out
     b.  work it out
     c.  work it tout
     d.  work kit tout

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A band has played what (1) ____________________ the 'World's First Space Bubble Concert'. The psychedelic-rock group the Flaming Lips played to an audience who were (2) ____________________, inflatable plastic bubbles. The bubbles are called Zorb balls. The band played two concerts in their (3) ____________________ Oklahoma. All band members were also inside their own Zorb bubble. There were 100 bubbles (4) ____________________. Some of the bubbles contained three people. The bubbles may be one way for concerts to go ahead during the pandemic. Each bubble has (5) ____________________, a water bottle, a battery-operated fan, a towel and an "I gotta go pee/hot in here" sign. Workers refill the bubble (6) ____________________ if it gets too hot.

The idea for the bubble concerts came from the (7) ____________________ Wayne Coyne. He often uses a Zorb ball to roll (8) ____________________ during his concerts. He decided that concerts would be COVID-safe if everyone was in a Zorb. He said attending a space bubble concert is "safer than going to (9) ____________________". He told the Rolling Stone magazine: "It's a very restricted, (10) ____________________ the weirdness is so we can enjoy a concert before putting our families and everybody at risk." He added: "You see people excited, (11) ____________________, and people really having fun....I think it's a bit of a 'new normal'. You might go to a show, you might not, but I think we're going to (12) ____________________ work it out."

Comprehension questions

  1. What kind of music does the band play?
  2. What are the space bubbles called?
  3. How many of the bubbles were at the concert?
  4. What kinds of fans were in the bubbles?
  5. What do workers fill the bubbles with?
  6. Who came up with the idea for the space bubbles?
  7. What did the lead singer roll over in his space bubble?
  8. Where did the lead singer say the concert was safer than?
  9. What is the name of the magazine the singer spoke to?
  10. What did the lead singer think he's going to be able to do?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What kind of music does the band play?
a) heavy metal
b) country
c) psychedelic rock
d) hip-hop
2) What are the space bubbles called?
a) Zorb balls
b) Bubblets
c) Spacelets
d) Jab balls
3) How many of the bubbles were at the concert?
a) 200
b) 100
c) 400
d) 300
4) What kinds of fans were in the bubbles?
a) ceiling fans
b) foldable fans
c) portable fans
d) battery-operated fans
5) What do workers fill the bubbles with?
a) candy
b) music
c) cool air
d) pillows

6) Who came up with the idea for the space bubbles?
a) the bass player
b) the lead singer
c) the guitarist
d) the drummer
7) What did the lead singer roll over in his space bubble?
a) his song list
b) his guitars
c) Beethoven
d) the crowd
8) What did the lead singer say the concert was safer than?
a) going to work
b) a grocery store
c) trains
d) a classical concert
9) What is the name of the magazine the singer spoke to?
a) No Moss
b) Rolling Stone
c) Bubble World
d) Space Times
10) What did the lead singer think he's going to be able to do?
a) work it out
b) learn the piano
c) play to 10,000 bubbles
d) be normal

Role play

Role  A – Heavy Metal
You think heavy metal is the best music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their music. Also, tell the others which is the least pleasurable of these (and why): opera, hip-hop or jazz.

Role  B – Opera
You think opera is the best music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their music. Also, tell the others which is the least pleasurable of these (and why): heavy metal, hip-hop or jazz.

Role  C – Hip-Hop
You think hip-hop is the best music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their music. Also, tell the others which is the least pleasurable of these (and why): opera, heavy metal or jazz.

Role  D – Jazz
You think jazz is the best music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their music. Also, tell the others which is the least pleasurable of these (and why): opera, hip-hop or heavy metal.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'space'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'bubble'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • band
    • giant
    • inside
    • three
    • ahead
    • cool
    • idea
    • decided
    • store
    • event
    • fun
    • able

    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 - Space Bubbles

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'space'?
    3. What do you think of rock concerts?
    4. How safe is it to attend concerts today?
    5. What kinds of concerts do you like?
    6. What do you think of the plastic bubble idea?
    7. Would you go to a concert in a bubble?
    8. Do you think the bubbles have other uses?
    9. Do you think a concert in a bubble would be fun?
    10. How has the pandemic affected your life?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'bubble'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you think of the activity of Zorbing?
    5. What are the risks of going to a grocery store?
    6. How 'weird' is attending a concert in a Zorb ball?
    7. What's the best concert you have ever seen?
    8. Is it better to see a concert live or on YouTube?
    9. Why do people enjoy going to concerts?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the band's leader?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    A band has (1) ____ what is being called the 'World's First Space Bubble Concert'. The psychedelic-rock group the Flaming Lips played to an (2) ____ who were all in giant, inflatable plastic bubbles. The bubbles are called Zorb balls. The band played two concerts in their (3) ____ city of Oklahoma. All band members were also inside their own Zorb bubble. There were 100 bubbles at the shows. Some of the bubbles (4) ____ three people. The bubbles may be one way for concerts to go (5) ____ during the pandemic. Each bubble has a special speaker, a water bottle, a battery-operated fan, a towel and an "I gotta go pee/hot in here" sign. Workers refill the bubble with cool (6) ____ if it gets too hot.

    The idea for the bubble concerts came from the band's lead singer Wayne Coyne. He often uses a Zorb ball to (7) ____ over the crowd during his concerts. He decided that concerts would be COVID-safe if everyone was in a Zorb. He said attending a space bubble concert is "(8) ____ than going to the grocery store". He told the Rolling Stone magazine: "It's a very restricted, (9) ____ event, but the weirdness is so we can enjoy a concert before (10) ____ our families and everybody at risk." He added: "You see people excited, people being happy, and people really having fun....I think it's a bit of a 'new (11) ____. You might go to a show, you might not, but I think we're going to be able to work it (12) ____."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     players     (b)     played     (c)     playing     (d)     play    
    2. (a)     crowd     (b)     audience     (c)     fans     (d)     spectator    
    3. (a)     crisis     (b)     editor     (c)     boiler     (d)     native    
    4. (a)     contents     (b)     contained     (c)     insides     (d)     within    
    5. (a)     abate     (b)     aghast     (c)     affront     (d)     ahead    
    6. (a)     windy     (b)     atmosphere     (c)     air     (d)     space    
    7. (a)     roll     (b)     slime     (c)     bun     (d)     vacant    
    8. (a)     safe     (b)     safely     (c)     safer     (d)     safes    
    9. (a)     bond     (b)     wired     (c)     bind     (d)     weird    
    10. (a)     putting     (b)     puts     (c)     putter     (d)     put    
    11. (a)     normal     (b)     average     (c)     certainly     (d)     musically    
    12. (a)     out     (b)     up     (c)     in     (d)     under

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. played to an daeceinu
    2. giant, tabelfnila plastic bubbles
    3. in their iatnve city of Oklahoma
    4. the bubbles ncenadtoi three people
    5. go ahead during the pnadmeci
    6. a berytta-operated fan

    Paragraph 2

    1. roll over the wrdco
    2. nitagdnet a space bubble concert
    3. safer than going to the rcogrye store
    4. a very restricted, rewid event
    5. we can yjoen a concert
    6. a bit of a new lrmnoa

    Put the text back together

    (...)  concert before putting our families and everybody at risk." He added: "You see people
    (...)  group the Flaming Lips played to an audience who were all in giant, inflatable plastic
    (...)  members were also inside their own Zorb bubble. There were 100 bubbles at the shows. Some of the bubbles
    (...)  normal'. You might go to a show, you might not, but I think we're going to be able to work it out."
    (...)  an "I gotta go pee/hot in here" sign. Workers refill the bubble with cool air if it gets too hot.
    (...)  over the crowd during his concerts. He decided that concerts would be COVID-safe if everyone was
    (...)  contained three people. The bubbles may be one way for concerts to go ahead during
    1  ) A band has played what is being called the 'World's First Space Bubble Concert'. The psychedelic-rock
    (...)  bubbles. The bubbles are called Zorb balls. The band played two concerts in their native city of Oklahoma. All band
    (...)  excited, people being happy, and people really having fun....I think it's a bit of a 'new
    (...)  The idea for the bubble concerts came from the band's lead singer Wayne Coyne. He often uses a Zorb ball to roll
    (...)  the pandemic. Each bubble has a special speaker, a water bottle, a battery-operated fan, a towel and
    (...)  in a Zorb. He said attending a space bubble concert is "safer than going to the grocery store". He told the Rolling Stone
    (...)  magazine: "It's a very restricted, weird event, but the weirdness is so we can enjoy a

    Put the words in the right order

    1. giant   who   bubbles   .   An   were   in   audience   all
    2. in   concerts   band   their   played   The   city   .   native
    3. band   bubble   .   inside   members   own   were   their   All
    4. for   one   concerts   .   way   be   may   The   bubbles
    5. cool   Workers   with   refill   the   bubble   air   .
    6. lead   from   idea   singer   .   The   band's   came   the
    7. be   He   would   COVID-safe   .   concerts   decided   that
    8. grocery   store   .   the   to   than   Safer   going
    9. enjoy   can   is   weirdness   The   concerts   .   we   so
    10. now   I   normal'   .   is   this   think   the   'new

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    A band has played what is being calling / called the 'World's First Space Bubble Concert'. The psychedelic-rock group the Flaming Lips played to an audience who were all / every in giant, inflatable plastic bubbles. The bubbles are called Zorb balls. The band played two concerts in them / their native city of Oklahoma. All band members were also / addition inside their own Zorb bubble. There were 100 bubbles to / at the shows. Some of the bubbles contained / contents three people. The bubbles may be once / one way for concerts to go ahead during the / a pandemic. Each bubble has a special speaker, a watery / water bottle, a battery-operated fan, a towel and an "I gotta go pee/hot in here" sign. Workers refill the bubble with cool air if it gets too / to hot.

    The idea / ideal for the bubble concerts came from the band's leader / lead singer Wayne Coyne. He often uses a Zorb ball to roll under / over the crowd during his concerts. He decided that concerts would have / be COVID-safe if everyone was in a Zorb. He said attending a space bubble concert is "safer than going to the grocery store". He told the Rolling Stone magazine: "It's a very restricted, wired / weird event, but the weirdness is so we can enjoy / enjoyment a concert before putting our families and everybody at risky / risk." He added: "You see people excited, people being happily / happy, and people really having fun....I think it's a bit / byte of a 'new normal'. You might go to a show, you might not, but I think we're going to be able to work it up / out."

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    _  b_nd  h_s  pl_y_d  wh_t  _s  b__ng  c_ll_d  th_  'W_rld's  F_rst  Sp_c_  Bubbl_  C_nc_rt'.  Th_  psych_d_l_c-r_ck  gr_up  th_  Fl_m_ng  L_ps  pl_y_d  t_  _n  _ud__nc_  wh_  w_r_  _ll  _n  g__nt,  _nfl_t_bl_  pl_st_c  bubbl_s.  Th_  bubbl_s  _r_  c_ll_d  Z_rb  b_lls.  Th_  b_nd  pl_y_d  tw_  c_nc_rts  _n  th__r  n_t_v_  c_ty  _f  _kl_h_m_.  _ll  b_nd  m_mb_rs  w_r_  _ls_  _ns_d_  th__r  _wn  Z_rb  bubbl_.  Th_r_  w_r_  100  bubbl_s  _t  th_  sh_ws.  S_m_  _f  th_  bubbl_s  c_nt__n_d  thr__  p__pl_.  Th_  bubbl_s  m_y  b_  _n_  w_y  f_r  c_nc_rts  t_  g_  _h__d  dur_ng  th_  p_nd_m_c.  __ch  bubbl_  h_s  _  sp_c__l  sp__k_r,  _  w_t_r  b_ttl_,  _  b_tt_ry-_p_r_t_d  f_n,  _  t_w_l  _nd  _n  "_  g_tt_  g_  p__/h_t  _n  h_r_"  s_gn.  W_rk_rs  r_f_ll  th_  bubbl_  w_th  c__l  __r  _f  _t  g_ts  t__  h_t.

    Th_  _d__  f_r  th_  bubbl_  c_nc_rts  c_m_  fr_m  th_  b_nd's  l__d  s_ng_r  W_yn_  C_yn_.  H_  _ft_n  us_s  _  Z_rb  b_ll  t_  r_ll  _v_r  th_  cr_wd  dur_ng  h_s  c_nc_rts.  H_  d_c_d_d  th_t  c_nc_rts  w_uld  b_  C_V_D-s_f_  _f  _v_ry_n_  w_s  _n  _  Z_rb.  H_  s__d  _tt_nd_ng  _  sp_c_  bubbl_  c_nc_rt  _s  "s_f_r  th_n  g__ng  t_  th_  gr_c_ry  st_r_".  H_  t_ld  th_  R_ll_ng  St_n_  m_g_z_n_:  "_t's  _  v_ry  r_str_ct_d,  w__rd  _v_nt,  but  th_  w__rdn_ss  _s  s_  w_  c_n  _nj_y  _  c_nc_rt  b_f_r_  putt_ng  _ur  f_m_l__s  _nd  _v_ryb_dy  _t  r_sk."  H_  _dd_d:  "Y_u  s__  p__pl_  _xc_t_d,  p__pl_  b__ng  h_ppy,  _nd  p__pl_  r__lly  h_v_ng  fun...._  th_nk  _t's  _  b_t  _f  _  'n_w  n_rm_l'.  Y_u  m_ght  g_  t_  _  sh_w,  y_u  m_ght  n_t,  but  _  th_nk  w_'r_  g__ng  t_  b_  _bl_  t_  w_rk  _t  _ut."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    a band has played what is being called the worlds first space bubble concert the psychedelicrock group the flaming lips played to an audience who were all in giant inflatable plastic bubbles the bubbles are called zorb balls the band played two concerts in their native city of oklahoma all band members were also inside their own zorb bubble there were 100 bubbles at the shows some of the bubbles contained three people the bubbles may be one way for concerts to go ahead during the pandemic each bubble has a special speaker a water bottle a batteryoperated fan a towel and an i gotta go peehot in here sign workers refill the bubble with cool air if it gets too hot

    the idea for the bubble concerts came from the bands lead singer wayne coyne he often uses a zorb ball to roll over the crowd during his concerts he decided that concerts would be covidsafe if everyone was in a zorb he said attending a space bubble concert is safer than going to the grocery store he told the rolling stone magazine its a very restricted weird event but the weirdness is so we can enjoy a concert before putting our families and everybody at risk he added you see people excited people being happy and people really having funi think its a bit of a new normal you might go to a show you might not but i think were going to be able to work it out

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Abandhasplayedwhatisbeingcalledthe'World'sFirstSpaceBubbleCon
    cert'.Thepsychedelic-rockgrouptheFlamingLipsplayedtoanaudien
    cewhowereallingiant,inflatableplasticbubbles.Thebubblesarecalled
    Zorbballs.ThebandplayedtwoconcertsintheirnativecityofOklahoma.
    AllbandmemberswerealsoinsidetheirownZorbbubble.Therewere10
    0bubblesattheshows.Someofthebubblescontainedthreepeople.The
    bubblesmaybeonewayforconcertstogoaheadduringthepandemic.Ea
    chbubblehasaspecialspeaker,awaterbottle,abattery-operatedfan,a
    towelandan"Igottagopee/hotinhere"sign.Workersrefillthebubblewit
    hcoolairifitgetstoohot.Theideaforthebubbleconcertscamefromtheba
    nd'sleadsingerWayneCoyne.HeoftenusesaZorbballtorolloverthecro
    wdduringhisconcerts.HedecidedthatconcertswouldbeCOVID-safei
    feveryonewasinaZorb.Hesaidattendingaspacebubbleconcertis"safe
    rthangoingtothegrocerystore".HetoldtheRollingStonemagazine:"It'
    saveryrestricted,weirdevent,buttheweirdnessissowecanenjoyaconc
    ertbeforeputtingourfamiliesandeverybodyatrisk."Headded:"Yousee
    peopleexcited,peoplebeinghappy,andpeoplereallyhavingfun....Ithi
    nkit'sabitofa'newnormal'.Youmightgotoashow,youmightnot,butIthi
    nkwe'regoingtobeabletoworkitout."

    Free writing

    Write about space bubble concert for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    We should all have a space bubble so we can stay COVID-safe. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. CONCERTS: Make a poster about concerts. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. BUBBLES: Write a magazine article about governments giving everyone a space bubble. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on concerts. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to make concerts safe. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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