Lots of snow has fallen in some places where it is very cold in the United States. This has made it hard for people to go places because it is not safe. The snow came with loud booms and bright flashes in the sky, which is very rare. Videos show everything covered in white. The snow is so thick that you can’t see very far, which makes driving very scary.

The snow made it so planes could not fly and cars could not drive on the roads. People who are in charge are telling everyone to stay home and not go out unless they really have to. They say this until the snow stops and it is safe again. This cold time with lots of snow tells people they need to be ready for when the weather is very bad. They should know how to keep warm and safe when it snows a lot.

Original news source: Thundersnow and whiteouts as winter weather hits US (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns choosing a word or phrase related to the article and acting it out silently. The other groups must guess what they are acting out. This activity will help students practice vocabulary and improve their non-verbal communication skills.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner. They should try to condense the information into a few sentences. This activity will help students practice their reading comprehension and summarizing skills.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will discuss their opinions on the topic of the article, such as whether they enjoy snow or not, and why. After the discussion, each group will present their opinions to the class. This activity will help students practice expressing their opinions and engaging in a group discussion.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student will choose a vocabulary word from the article and draw a picture to represent it, while the other student tries to guess the word. This activity will help students practice their vocabulary recall and visual representation skills.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to individually think about and write down one thing they learned from the article. Then, have them pair up with a partner and share their thoughts. Finally, ask a few pairs to share their discussions with the whole class. This activity will help students reflect on the article and practice their speaking and listening skills.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened in some places in the United States?
2. Why is it hard for people to go places?
3. What did the snow come with in the sky?
4. What do the videos show?
5. Why is driving scary when there is a lot of snow?
6. Why couldn’t planes and cars go anywhere?
7. What are people being told to do when it snows a lot?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Lots of snow has fallen in some places where it is very cold in the United (1)______. This has made it hard for people to go places because it is not safe. The snow came with loud (2)______ and bright flashes in the sky, which is very rare. Videos show everything covered in white. The snow is so (3)______ that you can’t see very far, which makes (4)______ very scary.

The snow made it so planes could not fly and cars could not (5)______ on the roads. People who are in (6)______ are telling everyone to stay home and not go out unless they really have to. They say this until the snow stops and it is safe again. This cold time with (7)______ of snow tells people they need to be ready for when the weather is very bad. They should know how to keep (8)______ and safe when it snows a lot.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is snow?
2. How would you feel if it snowed a lot where you live?
3. Do you like playing in the snow? Why or why not?
4. What do you do to stay warm when it is very cold outside?
5. How do you think people feel when they can’t go outside because of the snow?
6. What would you do if you couldn’t go to school because of the snow?
7. Do you think it is fun or scary to drive in the snow? Why or why not?
8. How do you think animals feel when it snows a lot?
9. What do you think people should do to stay safe during a snowstorm?
10. How would you feel if you couldn’t see very far because of the snow?
11. Do you think it is important to be prepared for bad weather? Why or why not?
12. What do you like to do inside when it is snowing outside?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. snow
2. cold
3. sky
4. safe
5. thick
6. drive
7. roads
8. warm

Meanings:
(a) The opposite of hot
(b) Not in danger
(c) Not cold, but cozy and comfortable
(d) The place where cars go
(e) White stuff that falls from the sky
(f) To operate a car
(g) The thing above us that is blue
(h) Not thin, but a lot of something
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What has fallen in some places in the United States?
(a) Rain
(b) Sunshine
(c) Snow
(d) Wind

2. What has made it hard for people to go places?
(a) Sun
(b) Rain
(c) Wind
(d) Snow

3. What came with the snow in the sky?
(a) Loud music
(b) Bright flashes
(c) Big waves
(d) Funny jokes

4. What color is everything covered in?
(a) White
(b) Black
(c) Red
(d) Blue

5. What does the snow make it hard to do?
(a) Swim
(b) Dance
(c) Drive
(d) Sing

6. What are people being told to do?
(a) Go out
(b) Stay home
(c) Drive fast
(d) Swim in the snow

7. What should people know how to do when it snows a lot?
(a) Play in the snow
(b) Drive fast
(c) Go swimming
(d) Keep warm and safe

8. What do planes and cars not do when there is a lot of snow?
(a) Fly and drive
(b) Swim and dance
(c) Sing and play
(d) Jump and run

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The snow has made it safe for people to go places.
2. The snow has made it easy for planes and cars to move around.
3. People should know how to stay warm and safe when there is a lot of snow.
4. The snow came with quiet noises and dim lights in the sky, which is very common.
5. Videos show that everything is covered in white because the snow is very thick.
6. The people in charge are telling everyone to stay at home and not go out unless they really have to.
7. In some parts of the United States, there has been a lot of snow because it is very cold.
8. This rainy weather reminds people that they need to be prepared for bad weather.
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 happened in some places in the United States?
2. Why is it hard for people to go places?
3. What did the snow come with?
4. What does the snow look like in the videos?
5. What are people being told to do during this time?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened in some places in the United States?
Lots of snow fell in some places in the United States.
2. Why is it hard for people to go places?
It is hard for people to go places because the snow makes it unsafe.
3. What did the snow come with in the sky?
The snow came with loud booms and bright flashes in the sky.
4. What do the videos show?
The videos show everything covered in white.
5. Why is driving scary when there is a lot of snow?
Driving is scary when there is a lot of snow because the snow is so thick that you can’t see very far.
6. Why couldn’t planes and cars go anywhere?
Planes and cars couldn’t go anywhere because the snow made it impossible to fly or drive on the roads.
7. What are people being told to do when it snows a lot?
People are being told to stay home and not go out unless they really have to.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) States
(2) booms
(3) thick
(4) driving
(5) drive
(6) charge
(7) lots
(8) warm
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. snow
Answer: (e) White stuff that falls from the sky

2. cold
Answer: (a) The opposite of hot

3. sky
Answer: (g) The thing above us that is blue

4. safe
Answer: (b) Not in danger

5. thick
Answer: (h) Not thin, but a lot of something

6. drive
Answer: (f) To operate a car

7. roads
Answer: (d) The place where cars go

8. warm
Answer: (c) Not cold, but cozy and comfortable
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What has fallen in some places in the United States?
Answer: (c) Snow

2. What has made it hard for people to go places?
Answer: (d) Snow

3. What came with the snow in the sky?
Answer: (b) Bright flashes

4. What color is everything covered in?
Answer: (a) White

5. What does the snow make it hard to do?
Answer: (c) Drive

6. What are people being told to do?
Answer: (b) Stay home

7. What should people know how to do when it snows a lot?
Answer: (d) Keep warm and safe

8. What do planes and cars not do when there is a lot of snow?
Answer: (a) Fly and drive
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The snow has made it safe for people to go places. (Answer: False)
2. The snow has made it easy for planes and cars to move around. (Answer: False)
3. People should know how to stay warm and safe when there is a lot of snow. (Answer: True)
4. The snow came with quiet noises and dim lights in the sky, which is very common. (Answer: False)
5. Videos show that everything is covered in white because the snow is very thick. (Answer: True)
6. The people in charge are telling everyone to stay at home and not go out unless they really have to. (Answer: True)
7. In some parts of the United States, there has been a lot of snow because it is very cold. (Answer: True)
8. This rainy weather reminds people that they need to be prepared for bad weather. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧