A A BREAKING NEWS

The Notre-Dame fire

Lesson code: UI98-J7PA-UL59 UPPER-INTERMEDIATE+
British English

1 Warm-up
What do you know about The Notre-Dame cathedral?

2 Key words
Match the words on the left to the definitions on the right.

1. onlookers a. a man-made object of historical interest such as a tool or a decoration

2. heritage b. existing for a long time
3. commission c. important things belonging to the culture of a particular society, such as
traditions, languages, or buildings
4. emerge d. people who are watching something happening in a public place
5. enduring e. to become known
6. an artefact f. to formally order a special piece of work
7. immortalise g. to make something so famous that it is remembered for a very long time
Now use the words in the proper spaces in the sentences below. Make sure they are grammatically
correct

1. He was in a song. The country will never forget about him.

2. After the gunshot, a crowd of curious gathered round to see what happened.
3. The archaeologists found many ancient in the area.
4. He's the most exciting singer to from the UK's modern rock scene.
5. The queen decided to a famous artist to paint her portrait.
6. I still have many memories of the time I spent in Africa.
7. Buckingham Palace is part of the cultural of England.

3 Before you read

On 15 April 2019, a fire broke out under the roof of the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. Some features
of the building were lost forever. On the next page, match the architectural words with the pictures
below them.
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 The Notre-Dame fire
A A A A BREAKING NEWS

a bourdon (bell) a facade a pipe organ

a rib-vaulted ceiling a spire a stained-glass window

2.
1. 3.

4. 5.
6.

You are going to read an article about the Notre-Dame cathedral fire. First, read the questions below
and try to guess the possible answer. Scan the text on the next page to check your assumptions.

1. What does `Notre Dame' mean?

a. Our Masterpiece b. A Standing Stone c. Our Lady

2. How old is the Notre-Dame cathedral?

a. 1100 years old b. 850 years old c. 950 years old

3. What is the architectural style of the Cathedral?

a. Gothic b. Baroque c. Renaissance

4. How long did it take firefighters to stop the fire?

a. 6 hours b. 9 hours c. 14 hours

5. How many years could it take to reconstruct the cathedral?

a. 10-20 years b. 25-30 years c. over 30 years

6. How long did the completion of the Notre-Dame take after it was commissioned?
a. 250 years b. 200 years c. nearly 100 years

7. How many bells did the Cathedral have?

a. only one b. eight c. ten
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 The Notre-Dame fire
A A A A
Notre-Dame in flames!
April 15th, 2019
1 The cathedral on fire
A major fire began in the attic of the 850-year-old
Gothic cathedral on Monday April 15 at around
7pm local time. Within minutes, it reached the
roof destroying the wooden rib-vaulted ceiling, the
spire, the extraordinary three "rose" stained-glass
windows and the many historical artefacts inside
the cathedral, including a 17th-century pipe organ
(one of the largest in the world).
2 A spokesman for the Cathedral reported: "a fire
alarm went off almost immediately and we began
the fire drill procedures at once". Thanks to the
quick reaction of staff and rescue teams, many
artefacts were rescued from the flames. Some
onlookers said that the smoke and flames could
be seen from many parts of the city, until it spread
further leaving everyone with the feeling of
complete devastation.
3 As the fire raged, the citizens of France and people
around the world observed how quickly the flames
managed to damage this historically and
architecturally significant landmark.
4 After nine hours, the firefighters finally managed to 10 Not all lost
extinguish the fire. The total loss is estimated to
be above ¿37 million ($48 million), and the
reconstruction work could take from 10 to 20
years to complete.
5 Although the exact cause of the fire remained
unclear, there was some speculation about the
possible fault of the conservation workers who
had left the site several hours before the disaster.
11 So with financial support, the restoration of the
6 The importance of place and time
It is believed that before the arrival of Christianity
in France, a temple dedicated to the Roman god
Jupiter stood on the same spot. Later, it was
replaced with an Early Christian basilica (a special
church), which was also completely demolished
to make place for the new Notre-Dame de Paris
(`Our Lady of Paris').
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BREAKING NEWS
7 To be more precise, it was in 1163 when the
Notre Dame Cathedral was commissioned by King
Louis VII, who wanted it to be a symbol of Paris's
political, economic, intellectual and cultural power
at home and abroad. The city had emerged as the
centre of power in France and it needed a religious
monument to match its new status.
8 It took 200 years to complete the interior and
exterior of the cathedral the two towers on the
west facade were built in the early 13th century.
The north tower was accessible to visitors via a
387-step staircase, while the south tower was
home to the cathedral's 10 bells.
9 A symbol of power lost in fire
Among the most famous of the bells, the bourdon
named Emmanuel has tolled at most major
events in the history of France, including the
coronation of kings, papal visits and to mark the
end of two world wars. It might be a long time
before it will toll again.
Thankfully, the cathedral has been immortalised
by the latest technology such as Google images
(which will help to recreate its details) and it will
also be remembered in popular culture thanks to
Victor Hugo and his famous novel The Hunchback
of Notre Dame, later turned into a Disney film
(about Quasimodo and his life at the cathedral).
Notre-Dame cathedral will be possible. There is
hope, as citizens of many countries have already
started collecting money in order to rebuild this
important symbol of Gothic architecture and
European history.
Sources: The Guardian, BBC, Wikipedia
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 The Notre-Dame fire
A A A A BREAKING NEWS

4 Checking understanding
Answer the questions.

1. What was destroyed in the fire at the cathedral?

.......................................................................................
2. Where was the smoke visible from?
.......................................................................................
3. How did the situation affect onlookers?
.......................................................................................
4. What was situated in same spot many centuries before the Notre-Dame cathedral?
.......................................................................................
5. At what events has the bourdon `Emmanuel' tolled?
.......................................................................................
6. What will help to `immortalise' the cathedral?
.......................................................................................

5 Words from the text

Find words in the text which mean ...

1. feeling very shocked or upset (uncountable noun, P.2)

2. happened in a strong or violent way (verb, P.3):
3. an important building or a place that is easily recognized (noun, P.3):
4. stop (the fire) from burning (verb, P.4):
5. ring slowly and repeatedly (verb, P.9):
6. a person who has a large raised area on his/her back e.g. because of old age (noun, P.10):

6 Talking point
Discuss any of the questions below.

1. What are your country's most important cultural buildings?

2. What is your favourite building?
3. Do you think it's important to protect historical buildings?
4. Do you think it's important to reconstruct the Notre-Dame cathedral or should the money be spent on
helping the world's poor, for example?
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 The Notre-Dame fire - Key
A A A A BREAKING NEWS

1- Warm-up

Time: 2 min discussion

Write on the whiteboard: Notre-Dame, and ask `What do you know about the Notre-Dame cathedral?'
Elicit information such as: France, art and history, fire

2- Key words

Time: 5-6 mins for the whole task

Read the words on the left. Model correct pronunciation. Then ask the students to match the words with the
definitions.
Students can work individually. Monitor the class and ask students to compare their answers before checking
them as a class. For one-to-one lessons, ask your student to read the answers aloud. Correct pronunciation.

1. d 2. c 3. f 4. e 5. b 6. a 7. g

Ask the students to complete the sentences and read them aloud (one by one). Make sure that everyone has the
same answers.
1. immortalised 2. onlookers 3. artefacts 4. emerge
5. commission 6. enduring 7. heritage

3- Before you read

Time: 1 min
Ask your students to try and match the words with the pictures and to compare their choices with a partner. Make
sure you read the words correctly.
Do not worry if you're not sure how to pronounce some of the words. Use an online dictionary such as
dictionary.cambridge.org or www.howtopronounce.com, and play the sounds to the whole class.
1. a bourdon (bell) 2. a pipe organ 3. a rib-vaulted ceiling
4. a stained-glass window 5. a facade 6. a spire

Time for multiple choice: 3-5 min

Read the instruction and questions to the class and ask for their opinions. Do not correct any of their answers.
Simply say `interesting' or `we'll see if you are correct'.
Ask the students to scan the text in order to find the answers. They will have time for a more thorough reading in
the next exercise. Check the answers with the whole class.

1. c 2. b 3. a 4. b 5. a 6. b 7. c

4- Checking understanding

Time: 5-10 mins

Read the instruction and ask your students to find the answers in the text by reading it more carefully than before.
Ask students to compare their answers then check with the whole class. Ask them to read their answers aloud.
Instead of correcting students who are wrong, try to encourage other students to help, e.g. by saying `Interesting,
but maybe there are other ideas?', `Any other options?', etc.
1. the roof, the wooden rib-vaulted ceiling, the spire, the extraordinary three "rose" stained-glass
windows and the many historical artefacts inside the cathedral, including the 17th-century pipe
organs
2. from many parts of the city
3. it left them with a feeling of complete devastation
4. a temple dedicated to the Roman god Jupiter
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 The Notre-Dame fire - Key
A A A A BREAKING NEWS

5. at most major events in the history of France, including the coronation of kings, papal visits and to
mark the end of two world wars
6. the latest technology such as Google images and the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame

5- Words from the text

Time: 5 mins
Ask the students to find the words in the text. They should compare their answers with other students (allow them
to use dictionaries if necessary).
Go through the answers with the whole class. Praise your students for doing a good job and encourage them to
relax for the next task.
1. devastation 2. raged 3. landmark 4. extinguish 5. toll 6. hunchback

6- Talking point

Time: 5-10 mins

Try changing the seating positions of your students e.g. by asking them to move two seats to their right/left. Then
ask them to start a discussion. Encourage speaking in pairs or small groups.

Optional task for homework: Ask the students to choose one of the questions in Exercise 6 and write an essay
answer for the next lesson (180-220 words).

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You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex

Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
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