A man who teaches about ice and his wife made a video of them skating on very clear ice in Alaska. The ice was so clear because it was very cold and dry when winter started. They looked like they were flying over the water because you could see right through the ice. The video shows how pretty and special it is to find ice like this.

You don’t see clear ice like this very often, maybe once in ten years. The ice is like a big window you can skate on. When you skate, you can look down and see the water under the ice. The man and his wife’s video is very popular because it looks like magic. It reminds us that the world has many beautiful surprises.

Original news source: Skating on a once-in-a-decade ‘ice window’ in Alaska (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: On small pieces of paper, write down words related to the article (e.g., ice, skate, clear, window, water, cold, dry, video, magic). Students take turns drawing the words on the board while their classmates guess the word in English. This activity helps to reinforce new vocabulary and engage students in a visual and interactive way.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Split the class into pairs. One student is the reporter, and the other is the man from the article. The reporter interviews the man about his experience skating on clear ice. Provide students with basic questions to help guide the interview. This will help students practice asking and answering questions in English.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Ask students to draw a scene described in the article, like the man and his wife skating on the clear ice. Afterward, have them label parts of their drawing with English words from the article. This can help students connect vocabulary with visual representations and enhance their recall abilities.

– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Write down several key words from the article on the board (e.g., beautiful, popular, special, reminds). Students work in small groups to come up with synonyms for each word. This helps to expand their vocabulary and understand the nuances of English words.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Discuss with students the sentence from the article that mentions seeing clear ice is a rare event, maybe once in ten years. Ask students to imagine and describe in English what they think they will be doing or where they will be the next time the clear ice appears. This activity encourages students to practice future tense verbs and imagine real-life scenarios.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What were the man and his wife doing on the ice in Alaska?
2. Why was the ice so clear?
3. What did the man and his wife look like they were doing on the ice?
4. What can you see through the ice?
5. How often do you see ice like this?
6. What does the ice look like that you can skate on?
7. Why do people like the video the man and his wife made?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man who teaches about ice and his (1)______ made a video of them skating on very clear ice in Alaska. The ice was so clear because it was very (2)______ and dry when winter (3)______. They looked like they were flying over the water because you could see right through the ice. The video shows how pretty and (4)______ it is to find ice like this.

You don’t see clear ice like this very often, maybe once in ten years. The ice is like a big (5)______ you can (6)______ on. When you skate, you can look down and see the water under the ice. The man and his wife’s video is very popular because it looks like magic. It (7)______ us that the world has many (8)______ surprises.

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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is ice?
2. Do you like to skate? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you could see water under you when you skate?
4. Have you ever seen very clear ice? What did it look like?
5. What is a video?
6. Do you think skating on clear ice would be fun? Why?
7. Can you tell me about something special you have seen?
8. What is magic? Can you give an example?
9. Do you like to watch videos of beautiful places?
10. What is a surprise? Can you remember a surprise you have had?
11. Do you think the world is full of beautiful things? Why or why not?
12. Would you like to visit Alaska to see the clear ice? Why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. ice
2. clear
3. Alaska
4. cold
5. dry
6. water
7. skate
8. video

Meanings:
(a) A place in America where it is very cold
(b) Sliding on ice with special shoes
(c) Frozen water that you can slide on
(d) Liquid that you drink, swim in, or skate on
(e) Not cloudy or foggy, you can see through it
(f) Moving pictures that you watch on a screen
(g) Not hot, makes you shiver
(h) Not wet, no rain or water
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why was the ice in Alaska very clear?
(a) Because it was very hot and wet
(b) Because it was very windy
(c) Because it was very cold and dry
(d) Because it was very sunny

2. How did the man and his wife look when they were skating on the ice?
(a) Like they were flying over the water
(b) Like they were swimming in the water
(c) Like they were walking on the water
(d) Like they were diving into the water

3. How often do you see clear ice like this?
(a) Maybe once in ten years
(b) Maybe once a month
(c) Maybe once a week
(d) Maybe once a day

4. What does the ice look like when you skate on it?
(a) Like a big mirror
(b) Like a big window
(c) Like a big wall
(d) Like a big door

5. Why is the man and his wife’s video very popular?
(a) Because it looks like a movie
(b) Because it looks like magic
(c) Because it looks like a dream
(d) Because it looks like a cartoon

6. What does the video remind us about the world?
(a) That it has many scary surprises
(b) That it has many boring surprises
(c) That it has many sad surprises
(d) That it has many beautiful surprises

7. What did the man and his wife do on the ice?
(a) They swam
(b) They walked
(c) They flew
(d) They skated

8. What did the ice look like when you looked down?
(a) You could see the sky under the ice
(b) You could see the trees under the ice
(c) You could see the water under the ice
(d) You could see the mountains under the ice

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True or False Questions:

1. When you skate on the ice, you can look down and see the water underneath.
2. The couple looked like they were sinking into the water because the ice was opaque.
3. The ice is like a small window that you can skate on.
4. The ice was clear because it was very cold and dry in winter.
5. The video is popular because it looks like magic and reminds us of the world’s beautiful surprises.
6. A woman and her husband made a video of them skating on murky ice in Alaska.
7. The video shows how dull and ordinary it is to find ice like this.
8. Clear ice like this is not seen very often, maybe once in ten years.
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 the man and his wife do on the ice?
2. Why was the ice so clear?
3. What did the ice look like when they were skating?
4. How often can you see ice like this?
5. Why do people like the video so much?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What were the man and his wife doing on the ice in Alaska?
They were skating on the ice.

2. Why was the ice so clear?
The ice was clear because it was very cold and dry when winter started.

3. What did the man and his wife look like they were doing on the ice?
They looked like they were flying over the water.

4. What can you see through the ice?
You can see the water under the ice.

5. How often do you see ice like this?
You see ice like this maybe once in ten years.

6. What does the ice look like that you can skate on?
The ice looks like a big window you can skate on.

7. Why do people like the video the man and his wife made?
People like the video because it looks like magic and shows something very beautiful.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) wife
(2) cold
(3) started
(4) special
(5) window
(6) skate
(7) reminds
(8) beautiful
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. ice
Answer: (c) Frozen water that you can slide on

2. clear
Answer: (e) Not cloudy or foggy, you can see through it

3. Alaska
Answer: (a) A place in America where it is very cold

4. cold
Answer: (g) Not hot, makes you shiver

5. dry
Answer: (h) Not wet, no rain or water

6. water
Answer: (d) Liquid that you drink, swim in, or skate on

7. skate
Answer: (b) Sliding on ice with special shoes

8. video
Answer: (f) Moving pictures that you watch on a screen
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why was the ice in Alaska very clear?
Answer: (c) Because it was very cold and dry

2. How did the man and his wife look when they were skating on the ice?
Answer: (a) Like they were flying over the water

3. How often do you see clear ice like this?
Answer: (a) Maybe once in ten years

4. What does the ice look like when you skate on it?
Answer: (b) Like a big window

5. Why is the man and his wife’s video very popular?
Answer: (b) Because it looks like magic

6. What does the video remind us about the world?
Answer: (d) That it has many beautiful surprises

7. What did the man and his wife do on the ice?
Answer: (d) They skated

8. What did the ice look like when you looked down?
Answer: (c) You could see the water under the ice
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True or False Answers:

1. When you skate on the ice, you can look down and see the water underneath. (Answer: True)
2. The couple looked like they were sinking into the water because the ice was opaque. (Answer: False)
3. The ice is like a small window that you can skate on. (Answer: False)
4. The ice was clear because it was very cold and dry in winter. (Answer: True)
5. The video is popular because it looks like magic and reminds us of the world’s beautiful surprises. (Answer: True)
6. A woman and her husband made a video of them skating on murky ice in Alaska. (Answer: False)
7. The video shows how dull and ordinary it is to find ice like this. (Answer: False)
8. Clear ice like this is not seen very often, maybe once in ten years. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧