Reading Skill - Making and Checking Predictions

A. Read paragraph 1 in the passage. Then stop and answer the questions below.

1. On August 5th, what happened to the 33 men?
   Answer

   The men were trapped in themine, 700 meters underground;

2. Why were the men underground?
   Answer

   They worked underground in a gold and copper mine. /There was an accident that trapped them there;

3. What do you think will happen next?
   Answer

   Answers will vary. Students should predict, based on the title and the photos, that the men were rescued.

B. Now read paragraph 2 in the passage. Then stop and answer the questions below.

1. Was your prediction in A correct?
   Answer

   Answers will vary.

2. How did rescue workers know the miners were alive?
   Answer

   The men sent notes up once the rescue workers made a big enough holein the mine;

3. What do you predict will happen next?
   Answer

   Answers will vary. Students should predict that the rescue workers were able t o get all of the men out safely .

C. Now read paragraph 3 in the passage. Then stop and answer the questions below.

1. Was your prediction in B correct?
   Answer

   Answers will vary.

2. How do you think this story ends?
   Answer

   students should predict that the men will get out alive

D. Now read the last paragraphs of the passage. Were your predictions correct? Read the whole passage again.

Alive to Tell Their Tale!¹

On August 5, 2010, an accident trapped 33 men 700 meters underground.The men worked for a copper and gold mine near Copiap6, Chile.At first, no one knew if the miners had lived through the accident

Then, on the morning of August 22, rescue workers made a hole deep enough to reach the miners.The men wrote notes and sent them up. The miners had survived by eating only small bits of food at a time and drinking a little milk once a day.(The mine kept some food and drinks underground in cast of an emergency.) They had used their tools to dig for water. They had used the batteries from machines to keep, some lights on.

Once the miners were found, the rescue workers passed them food, water, books, and letters from their families.Even though the miners had been found, the rescuers had to work hard to get them out.The rescuers needed a powerful drill to dig deep into the ground.It took 52 more days to save the men.

On the night of October 12, the workers were able to save the men. One by one the miners were brought up in a specially built elevator. They were weak, so the workers were very careful.Family members, friends, and people around the world cheered and celebrated. Church bells rang throughout Chile.

In all, the miners spent 69 terrifying days underground. "We had strength, ...we wanted to fight for our families, and that was the greatest thing." said Luis Urzua, the 30 supervisor.² He was the last miner to be saved.