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14 Oct 2026
Lost Hats and Coins: How Rubbish Is Changing Yellowstone's Hot Pools
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Section: Warm Up
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) Workers find hundreds of hats in the hot pools.
b) A bear swims in a hot pool.
c) The park closes for one year.
Ask:
(1) Do you like parks? What do you see in a park?
(2) What do you do with your rubbish in a park?
VOCABULARY
geyser (/ˈɡiːzə/, noun)
Meaning: A hole in the ground that shoots hot water up into the air.
Example: The geyser shoots water high into the sky!
pool (/puːl/, noun)
Meaning: A small area of water.
Example: The hot pool is bright blue and green.
rubbish (/ˈrʌbɪʃ/, noun)
Meaning: Things that people do not want any more.
Example: I put my rubbish in the bin.
wind (/wɪnd/, noun)
Meaning: Air that moves fast outside.
Example: The wind is blowing my hat away!
coin (/kɔɪn/, noun)
Meaning: A small, round piece of money.
Example: I have a shiny coin in my pocket.
colour (/ˈkʌlə/, noun)
Meaning: Red, blue, yellow and green are colours.
Example: My favourite colour is orange.
clean (/kliːn/, adjective)
Meaning: Not dirty.
Example: My classroom is clean and tidy.
Yellowstone is a big park in the USA. It has hot pools and geysers. A geyser shoots hot water up into the sky. Some pools are blue, green, orange and yellow. Millions of people visit the park every year.
But there is a problem. People lose things in the hot pools! Hats fly off in the wind. Small things fall between the wooden paths. Workers find sunglasses, pencils, rubber ducks and coins. The workers count more than 360 hats this year!
Rubbish is bad for the pools. It blocks the hot water under the ground. Tiny living things live in the water. They give the pools their beautiful colours. Rubbish and plastic hurt them.
One pool is called Morning Glory. It is not blue now. It is orange and yellow. Rubbish and coins block the hot water, so the pool is cooler.
Park workers are cleaning the pools. They wear special clothes. They use long sticks and a fishing rod. The fishing rod is great for hats! Please hold your hat and keep the park clean.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Section 8: Discussion Questions
1. What colours are the pools in Yellowstone?
2. Why do hats fly into the pools?
3. How do you feel when you see rubbish in a park?
4. What can you do to keep a park clean?
5. Do you want to see a geyser? Why?
FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Use the words in the Word Bank to fill in the gaps.
Word Bank: colours | clean | wind | rubbish
Yellowstone is a big park in the USA. It has hot pools and geysers. A geyser shoots hot water up into the sky. Some pools are blue, green, orange and yellow. Millions of people visit the park every year.
But there is a problem. People lose things in the hot pools! Hats fly off in the _______(1). Small things fall between the wooden paths. Workers find sunglasses, pencils, rubber ducks and coins. The workers count more than 360 hats this year!
_______(2) is bad for the pools. It blocks the hot water under the ground. Tiny living things live in the water. They give the pools their beautiful _______(3). Rubbish and plastic hurt them.
One pool is called Morning Glory. It is not blue now. It is orange and yellow. Rubbish and coins block the hot water, so the pool is cooler.
Park workers are cleaning the pools. They wear special clothes. They use long sticks and a fishing rod. The fishing rod is great for hats! Please hold your hat and keep the park _______(4).
Section 2: Main Idea
What is the main idea of the story? Circle the best answer.
a) Hats and rubbish hurt the hot pools, and workers clean them.
b) Yellowstone has a new geyser.
c) People swim in the hot pools.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
Read the sentences. Circle T (true) or F (false).
1. Yellowstone has hot pools and geysers. T/F
2. Morning Glory Pool is blue now. T/F
3. Workers use a fishing rod to get hats. T/F
Section 4: Put the Events in Order
Write 1, 2 or 3 to show the order of the events in the story.
___ Workers use a fishing rod to get hats.
___ Hats fly off in the wind.
___ Rubbish blocks the hot water.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
1. geyser
2. pool
3. rubbish
4. wind
5. coin
a) air that moves fast and can blow hats away
b) a small, round piece of money
c) a hole in the ground that shoots hot water up
d) things that people do not want any more
e) a small area of water
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
Choose the best answer to complete each sentence. Then say your sentence to a partner.
1. I think people should hold their ______ on a windy day.
a) hats
b) pools
c) geysers
2. I feel ______ when I see rubbish in a pool.
a) sad
b) hungry
c) sleepy
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
Put the parts in the correct order to make a sentence from the story.
1. A) the pools. / B) Rubbish / C) is / D) bad / E) for
2. A) in / B) fly / C) the wind. / D) Hats / E) off
ANSWER KEY
Warm Up
a) Workers find hundreds of hats in the hot pools. The workers count more than 360 hats this year!
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
(1) wind
(2) Rubbish
(3) colours
(4) clean
Section 2: Main Idea
a) Hats and rubbish hurt the hot pools, and workers clean them.
Section 3: True or False
1. T
2. F – It is orange and yellow.
3. T
Section 4: Put the Events in Order
1. Hats fly off in the wind.
2. Rubbish blocks the hot water.
3. Workers use a fishing rod to get hats.
Section 5: Vocab Match
1 – c
2 – e
3 – d
4 – a
5 – b
Section 6: Discussion Builder
1. a) hats
2. a) sad
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
1. B – C – D – E – A → Rubbish is bad for the pools.
2. D – B – E – A – C → Hats fly off in the wind.
Section 8: Discussion Questions (model answers – accept any reasonable response)
1. They are blue, green, orange and yellow.
2. The wind blows them off people's heads.
3. I feel sad because rubbish is bad for animals and plants.
4. I can put my rubbish in the bin.
5. Yes, I do. It shoots hot water into the sky!
Thank you for your feedback!