Two people making a movie found an old ship underwater in a big lake in Canada. The ship, called the ‘Africa,’ sank a long time ago, 128 years back. It was moving coal and got into trouble on October 4, 1895. The movie people were able to take videos of the old ship, showing us what it looks like now.

The ‘Africa’ going down into the water was a big deal for people who like to learn about boats and the sea. Finding the ship by accident shows that looking around can lead to cool surprises. The videos they took will help people learn more about the ‘Africa’ and other old ships that sank.

Finding the ‘Africa’ reminds us that there are many old stories hidden under the water. Ships that sank a long time ago tell us about how people lived and traveled on the water. The movie people finding the ship shows that exploring can lead to amazing finds. These finds help us know more about what happened a long time ago.

Original news source: Filmmakers discover 128-year-old shipwreck (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a slip of paper with a word related to the article (e.g. shipwreck, underwater, exploration). One student from each group will act out the word without speaking, while the other students in the group try to guess what word it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns summarizing the article in their own words. They should focus on the main ideas and important details. After each summary, the other student can ask questions or make comments about the summary. Switch roles and repeat.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write different statements related to the article on the board (e.g. “Exploring underwater is exciting”, “Finding old ships helps us learn about history”). Have students move to one side of the room if they agree with the statement, and the other side if they disagree. Allow students to explain their opinions to each other. Then, have a class discussion to share different viewpoints.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. ship, underwater, explore). One student from each team will come to the front of the class and draw a picture to represent one of the words. The team members must guess the word within a certain time limit. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words and students.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns making predictions about what might happen in the future related to the article. They can use phrases like “In the future, people might…” or “I think there will be…” Encourage them to be creative and think outside the box. After each prediction, the other student can ask questions or share their own ideas. Switch roles and repeat.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did two people making a movie find underwater in Canada?
2. How long ago did the ship called the ‘Africa’ sink?
3. What was the ship carrying when it got into trouble?
4. What did the movie people do with the ship?
5. Why was finding the ‘Africa’ a big deal for people who like boats and the sea?
6. What does finding the ship by accident show us?
7. Why are old ships that sank a long time ago important to learn about?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Two people making a (1)______ found an old (2)______ underwater in a big lake in Canada. The ship, called the ‘Africa,’ sank a long time ago, 128 years back. It was (3)______ coal and got into trouble on October 4, 1895. The movie people were able to take (4)______ of the old ship, (5)______ us what it looks like now.

The ‘Africa’ going down into the water was a big deal for people who like to learn about boats and the sea. (6)______ the ship by accident shows that looking around can lead to cool surprises. The videos they took will help people learn more about the ‘Africa’ and other old (7)______ that (8)______.

Finding the ‘Africa’ reminds us that there are many old stories (9)______ under the water. Ships that sank a long time ago (10)______ us about how people lived and traveled on the water. The movie people finding the ship shows that exploring can lead to amazing (11)______. These finds help us know (12)______ about what happened a long time ago.
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Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a shipwreck?
2. How would you feel if you found an old ship underwater?
3. Do you like exploring? Why or why not?
4. What do you think it would be like to live on a ship a long time ago?
5. Have you ever found something interesting by accident? What was it?
6. How do you think the movie people felt when they found the ‘Africa’?
7. Do you think it’s important to learn about history? Why or why not?
8. What other things do you think might be hidden under the water?
9. How do you think the ‘Africa’ sinking affected the people on board?
10. What do you think the videos of the ‘Africa’ can teach us?
11. Why do you think people like to learn about boats and the sea?
12. Do you think finding the ‘Africa’ was a lucky surprise? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. ship
2. underwater
3. lake
4. coal
5. videos
6. accident
7. surprises
8. exploring

Meanings:
(a) Looking for new things and learning about them
(b) Something that happens by mistake, not on purpose
(c) Under the water, below the surface
(d) Things that happen that we didn’t expect
(e) A big boat that travels on water
(f) Moving pictures that show what happened
(g) A big body of water that is not the ocean
(h) A black rock that we burn for energy
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the movie people find underwater in Canada?
(a) A treasure chest
(b) A sunken city
(c) An old ship
(d) A lost city

2. How long ago did the ship called the ‘Africa’ sink?
(a) 50 years ago
(b) 128 years ago
(c) 10 years ago
(d) 5 years ago

3. What was the ‘Africa’ carrying when it sank?
(a) Gold
(b) Coal
(c) Food
(d) Passengers

4. What did the movie people do with the old ship?
(a) Left it underwater
(b) Sold it to a museum
(c) Took videos of it
(d) Took it apart

5. Why was finding the ‘Africa’ important for people interested in boats and the sea?
(a) It is a famous shipwreck
(b) It is the biggest ship ever found
(c) It was made of gold
(d) It helps them learn more about old ships

6. What do ships that sank a long time ago tell us about?
(a) How people built houses
(b) How people grew crops
(c) How people traveled by land
(d) How people lived and traveled on the water

7. What does finding the ‘Africa’ show us about exploring?
(a) It can lead to amazing finds
(b) It is dangerous
(c) It is a waste of time
(d) It is only for experts

8. How do the videos taken by the movie people help us?
(a) They help us learn more about the ‘Africa’ and other old ships
(b) They show us how to make movies
(c) They teach us how to swim
(d) They show us how to find treasure

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Sunken ships provide no insights into how people lived and traveled on the water long ago.
2. The ship, called the ‘Africa,’ sank 128 years ago while carrying coal.
3. The movie people’s discovery shows that exploring can lead to fascinating historical finds.
4. Finding the ship intentionally shows that exploring can lead to exciting surprises.
5. Two people making a movie discovered an old ship underwater in a big lake in Canada.
6. The videos taken will hinder people from learning more about the ‘Africa’ and other sunken ships.
7. The movie people took videos of the new ship to show us what it looks like now.
8. Discovering the ‘Africa’ reminds us that there are many hidden stories under the water.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What did two people find underwater in a lake in Canada?
2. How long ago did the ship called the ‘Africa’ sink?
3. What was the ship carrying when it got into trouble?
4. Why is it important that the movie people found the ship?
5. What can we learn from finding old ships that sank a long time ago?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did two people making a movie find underwater in Canada?
They found an old ship called the ‘Africa’.

2. How long ago did the ship called the ‘Africa’ sink?
The ship sank 128 years ago.

3. What was the ship carrying when it got into trouble?
The ship was carrying coal when it got into trouble.

4. What did the movie people do with the ship?
The movie people took videos of the ship to show what it looks like now.

5. Why was finding the ‘Africa’ a big deal for people who like boats and the sea?
Finding the ‘Africa’ was a big deal because it helps people learn more about old ships and how people lived and traveled on the water.

6. What does finding the ship by accident show us?
Finding the ship by accident shows us that looking around can lead to cool surprises.

7. Why are old ships that sank a long time ago important to learn about?
Old ships that sank a long time ago are important to learn about because they tell us about how people lived and traveled on the water in the past.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) movie
(2) ship
(3) moving
(4) videos
(5) showing
(6) Finding
(7) ships
(8) sank
(9) hidden
(10) tell
(11) finds
(12) more
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. ship
Answer: (e) A big boat that travels on water

2. underwater
Answer: (c) Under the water, below the surface

3. lake
Answer: (g) A big body of water that is not the ocean

4. coal
Answer: (h) A black rock that we burn for energy

5. videos
Answer: (f) Moving pictures that show what happened

6. accident
Answer: (b) Something that happens by mistake, not on purpose

7. surprises
Answer: (d) Things that happen that we didn’t expect

8. exploring
Answer: (a) Looking for new things and learning about them
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the movie people find underwater in Canada?
Answer: (c) An old ship

2. How long ago did the ship called the ‘Africa’ sink?
Answer: (b) 128 years ago

3. What was the ‘Africa’ carrying when it sank?
Answer: (b) Coal

4. What did the movie people do with the old ship?
Answer: (c) Took videos of it

5. Why was finding the ‘Africa’ important for people interested in boats and the sea?
Answer: (d) It helps them learn more about old ships

6. What do ships that sank a long time ago tell us about?
Answer: (d) How people lived and traveled on the water

7. What does finding the ‘Africa’ show us about exploring?
Answer: (a) It can lead to amazing finds

8. How do the videos taken by the movie people help us?
Answer: (a) They help us learn more about the ‘Africa’ and other old ships
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Sunken ships provide no insights into how people lived and traveled on the water long ago. (Answer: False)
2. The ship, called the ‘Africa,’ sank 128 years ago while carrying coal. (Answer: True)
3. The movie people’s discovery shows that exploring can lead to fascinating historical finds. (Answer: True)
4. Finding the ship intentionally shows that exploring can lead to exciting surprises. (Answer: False)
5. Two people making a movie discovered an old ship underwater in a big lake in Canada. (Answer: True)
6. The videos taken will hinder people from learning more about the ‘Africa’ and other sunken ships. (Answer: False)
7. The movie people took videos of the new ship to show us what it looks like now. (Answer: False)
8. Discovering the ‘Africa’ reminds us that there are many hidden stories under the water. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧