A man named Aniol Serrasolses did something no one has ever done before. He rode his small boat down a very big ice waterfall. It was as tall as a building with six floors. He did this in a cold place called Svalbard, which is very far north. Aniol said it felt like he was in space.

People took a video of Aniol going down the ice waterfall. Now, many people all over the world can watch it on their computers or phones. They think Aniol is very brave and good at riding his boat. The video shows how beautiful and strong the ice and water are. Aniol’s ride down the waterfall shows that people like to try new and exciting things.

Original news source: Kayaker’s 20m drop down ice waterfall in Svalbard, Norway (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and act out a word or phrase related to the article (e.g. boat, waterfall, brave). The rest of the class must guess what word or phrase they are acting out. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Each pair will be given a word from the article (e.g. waterfall, boat, brave) and they must take turns drawing pictures to represent the word while their partner guesses what word it is. The pair that guesses correctly gets a point.

– News Summary
Instructions: In small groups, students will take turns summarizing the key points of the article in their own words. They can discuss and collaborate to ensure they have captured the main ideas. Each group will then share their summary with the rest of the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Students will be given a list of statements related to the article (e.g. Aniol is brave, riding a boat down a waterfall is dangerous). They must indicate if they agree or disagree with each statement by raising their hand. After each statement, students can briefly explain their reasoning.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns making predictions about what they think will happen next in the story. They can use phrases such as “I think Aniol will…” or “Maybe Aniol will…”. After sharing their predictions, students can discuss and compare their ideas with the rest of the class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did Aniol do that no one else has done before?
2. How tall was the ice waterfall that Aniol rode down?
3. Where did Aniol do this? Is it a warm or cold place?
4. How did Aniol feel when he was going down the ice waterfall?
5. What did people do with the video of Aniol going down the ice waterfall?
6. What do people think about Aniol?
7. What does Aniol’s ride down the waterfall show about people?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man named Aniol Serrasolses did something no one has ever done before. He rode his small (1)______ down a very big ice waterfall. It was as (2)______ as a building with six (3)______. He did this in a cold place called Svalbard, which is very far north. Aniol (4)______ it felt like he was in space.

People took a video of Aniol going down the ice waterfall. Now, many people all over the world can watch it on their computers or phones. They (5)______ Aniol is very brave and (6)______ at riding his boat. The video (7)______ how beautiful and strong the ice and water are. Aniol’s ride down the waterfall shows that people like to try new and (8)______ things.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What do you think Aniol Serrasolses did that no one has ever done before?
2. How tall was the ice waterfall that Aniol rode his boat down?
3. Have you ever been to a cold place like Svalbard?
4. How do you think Aniol felt when he rode down the ice waterfall?
5. Why do you think people all over the world think Aniol is brave and good at riding his boat?
6. Do you like watching videos on your computer or phone? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever seen ice and water that are very beautiful and strong?
8. What do you think it means to try new and exciting things?
9. How would you feel if you were in Aniol’s shoes and rode down the ice waterfall?
10. Do you think you would be brave enough to ride down a big ice waterfall? Why or why not?
11. What other new and exciting things would you like to try?
12. Why do you think it’s important for people to try new and exciting things?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. boat
2. waterfall
3. tall
4. cold
5. video
6. brave
7. ice
8. ride

Meanings:
(a) Water that falls down from a high place
(b) Something you float on in the water
(c) Not scared, doing something hard or scary
(d) Moving pictures that you can watch on a screen
(e) Hard, cold water that is very slippery
(f) Going on something like a roller coaster
(g) Very high, like a tall building
(h) Not warm, like when you need a jacket
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did Aniol Serrasolses ride his boat down a big ice waterfall?
(a) Paris
(b) Svalbard
(c) London
(d) Tokyo

2. How tall was the ice waterfall that Aniol rode his boat down?
(a) As tall as a building with six floors
(b) As tall as a tree
(c) As tall as a mountain
(d) As tall as a car

3. What did Aniol say it felt like when he rode down the ice waterfall?
(a) Like he was in the ocean
(b) Like he was in a forest
(c) Like he was in space
(d) Like he was in a desert

4. Where can people watch the video of Aniol going down the ice waterfall?
(a) On the TV
(b) In a movie theater
(c) On their computers or phones
(d) In a library

5. What do people think of Aniol?
(a) They think he is scared of riding his boat
(b) They think he is not good at riding his boat
(c) They think he is not brave
(d) They think he is very brave and good at riding his boat

6. What does the video show about the ice and water?
(a) That they are ugly and weak
(b) That they are scary and dangerous
(c) That they are boring and slow
(d) That they are beautiful and strong

7. What does Aniol’s ride down the waterfall show about people?
(a) That they don’t like to try new and exciting things
(b) That they like to try new and exciting things
(c) That they are scared of new and exciting things
(d) That they are not interested in new and exciting things

8. Where is Svalbard located?
(a) Very far north
(b) Very far south
(c) Very far east
(d) Very far west

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The ice waterfall was as tall as a building with six floors.
2. Aniol did this in a warm place called Svalbard, which is not very far north.
3. Aniol said it felt like he was in space.
4. Many people all over the world can watch the video on their computers or phones.
5. People did not capture a video of Aniol going down the ice waterfall.
6. A man named Aniol rode his boat down a very small ice waterfall.
7. Aniol’s ride down the waterfall indicates that people are hesitant to try new and exciting things.
8. People think Aniol is very brave and good at riding his boat.
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 Aniol Serrasolses do that no one has ever done before?
2. Where did Aniol ride his small boat down a big ice waterfall?
3. How tall was the ice waterfall that Aniol rode down?
4. What did Aniol say it felt like when he rode down the ice waterfall?
5. What can people watch on their computers or phones?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did Aniol do that no one else has done before?
Aniol rode his small boat down a very big ice waterfall.

2. How tall was the ice waterfall that Aniol rode down?
The ice waterfall was as tall as a building with six floors.

3. Where did Aniol do this? Is it a warm or cold place?
Aniol did this in a cold place called Svalbard, which is very far north.

4. How did Aniol feel when he was going down the ice waterfall?
Aniol felt like he was in space.

5. What did people do with the video of Aniol going down the ice waterfall?
People watched the video on their computers or phones.

6. What do people think about Aniol?
People think Aniol is very brave and good at riding his boat.

7. What does Aniol’s ride down the waterfall show about people?
Aniol’s ride down the waterfall shows that people like to try new and exciting things.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) boat
(2) tall
(3) floors
(4) said
(5) think
(6) good
(7) shows
(8) exciting
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. boat
Answer: (b) Something you float on in the water

2. waterfall
Answer: (a) Water that falls down from a high place

3. tall
Answer: (g) Very high, like a tall building

4. cold
Answer: (h) Not warm, like when you need a jacket

5. video
Answer: (d) Moving pictures that you can watch on a screen

6. brave
Answer: (c) Not scared, doing something hard or scary

7. ice
Answer: (e) Hard, cold water that is very slippery

8. ride
Answer: (f) Going on something like a roller coaster
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did Aniol Serrasolses ride his boat down a big ice waterfall?
Answer: (b) Svalbard

2. How tall was the ice waterfall that Aniol rode his boat down?
Answer: (a) As tall as a building with six floors

3. What did Aniol say it felt like when he rode down the ice waterfall?
Answer: (c) Like he was in space

4. Where can people watch the video of Aniol going down the ice waterfall?
Answer: (c) On their computers or phones

5. What do people think of Aniol?
Answer: (d) They think he is very brave and good at riding his boat

6. What does the video show about the ice and water?
Answer: (d) That they are beautiful and strong

7. What does Aniol’s ride down the waterfall show about people?
Answer: (b) That they like to try new and exciting things

8. Where is Svalbard located?
Answer: (a) Very far north
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The ice waterfall was as tall as a building with six floors. (Answer: True)
2. Aniol did this in a warm place called Svalbard, which is not very far north. (Answer: False)
3. Aniol said it felt like he was in space. (Answer: True)
4. Many people all over the world can watch the video on their computers or phones. (Answer: True)
5. People did not capture a video of Aniol going down the ice waterfall. (Answer: False)
6. A man named Aniol rode his boat down a very small ice waterfall. (Answer: False)
7. Aniol’s ride down the waterfall indicates that people are hesitant to try new and exciting things. (Answer: False)
8. People think Aniol is very brave and good at riding his boat. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧