A famous man named Jared Leto did something no one else has ever done before. He climbed up a very tall building called the Empire State Building. He wore a bright orange outfit and used ropes to help him climb. He did this to tell people about his music band’s new shows.

Jared Leto is also an actor and has been in movies. He is 51 years old and has won an Oscar, which is a big award for actors. He climbed the building early in the morning and saw the sun come up. His band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, will start playing music in different places soon.

The Empire State Building is very important to Jared Leto. It is very tall and used to be the tallest in the world. By climbing the building, Jared Leto made many people excited about his band’s music. It was a brave and smart way to get attention.

Original news source: Jared Leto climbs Empire State Building (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students pair up and one student acts as a news reporter while the other is Jared Leto. The reporter asks questions about Jared Leto’s recent climb of the Empire State Building and his reasons for doing it. The “Jared Leto” student must use information from the article to answer the questions, practicing speaking and comprehension.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article (e.g., climb, Empire State Building, actor, Oscar, band, brave) on individual slips of paper. Students take turns drawing a slip and then must draw the word for their teammates to guess without speaking or writing any words, practicing vocabulary in a fun and interactive way.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Pose a question to the class such as “Why do you think Jared Leto climbed the Empire State Building?” Have students think individually for a minute, then pair up to discuss their thoughts. After a few minutes, bring the class together and have pairs share their ideas with everyone, encouraging the use of new vocabulary and complete sentences.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Lay out a line on the floor with tape or use an imaginary line. At one end of the spectrum is “I think climbing the Empire State Building was a great idea” and at the other end is “I think climbing the Empire State Building was a bad idea.” Students must place themselves along this line according to their opinion and then discuss their reasoning with the nearest classmate, practicing expressing opinions and giving reasons.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to write a short paragraph predicting what Jared Leto or his band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, might do next to promote their music. Encourage them to use future tense verbs and to be creative. After writing, students can share their predictions with the class and discuss which ones they think are most likely to happen.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did Jared Leto climb up?
2. What color was the outfit Jared Leto wore when he climbed?
3. What did Jared Leto use to help him climb the building?
4. Why did Jared Leto climb the Empire State Building?
5. What is Jared Leto’s job besides being a musician?
6. What is the name of Jared Leto’s music band?
7. What did Jared Leto see when he climbed the building early in the morning?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A famous man named Jared Leto did something no one else has ever done before. He climbed up a very tall building called the Empire (1)______ Building. He (2)______ a bright orange (3)______ and used ropes to help him climb. He did this to tell (4)______ about his music band’s new shows.

(5)______ Leto is also an actor and has been in (6)______. He is 51 years old and has won an Oscar, which is a big award for actors. He climbed the building early in the morning and saw the sun (7)______ up. His band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, will (8)______ playing music in different places soon.

The Empire State (9)______ is very important to Jared Leto. It is very tall and (10)______ to be the tallest in the world. By (11)______ the (12)______, Jared Leto made many people excited about his band’s music. It was a brave and smart way to get attention.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is the tallest building you have ever seen?
2. How would you feel if you saw someone climbing a very tall building?
3. Do you like to climb things, like trees or playground equipment? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s a good idea to do something dangerous to get attention? Why?
5. What is a brave thing you have done or would like to do?
6. Have you ever watched the sun come up in the morning? What was it like?
7. Do you know what an Oscar is? What do you think you get an Oscar for?
8. Would you like to be famous like Jared Leto? Why or why not?
9. Can you think of other smart ways to tell people about music or a show?
10. How do you feel when you hear about your favorite band’s new shows?
11. Do you think you would enjoy being in a music band? Why?
12. What is something special you would do to celebrate something important to you?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. climbed
2. ropes
3. Oscar
4. Empire State Building
5. excited
6. band
7. actor
8. morning

Meanings:
(a) Went up something, like a mountain or building
(b) Long pieces of strong material used for climbing
(c) A group of people who play music together
(d) The time of day between midnight and noon
(e) A very tall building in New York City
(f) A big award for actors
(g) Feeling happy and full of energy
(h) Someone who performs in movies
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did Jared Leto climb the Empire State Building?
(a) To see the sunrise
(b) To win an Oscar
(c) To promote his band’s new shows
(d) To take a selfie

2. What did Jared Leto wear when he climbed the Empire State Building?
(a) A black suit
(b) A green dress
(c) A bright orange outfit
(d) A blue jacket

3. What is Jared Leto famous for besides being in a band?
(a) Cooking
(b) Acting in movies
(c) Painting
(d) Playing soccer

4. How old is Jared Leto?
(a) 51 years old
(b) 30 years old
(c) 40 years old
(d) 60 years old

5. What is Thirty Seconds to Mars?
(a) Jared Leto’s band
(b) A famous building
(c) A type of car
(d) A new movie

6. What did Jared Leto see while climbing the Empire State Building?
(a) The moon
(b) A rainbow
(c) A shooting star
(d) The sun come up

7. What did Jared Leto use to help him climb the building?
(a) A ladder
(b) A helicopter
(c) A jetpack
(d) Ropes

8. Why is the Empire State Building important to Jared Leto?
(a) It’s where he was born
(b) It used to be the tallest in the world
(c) It’s where his band started
(d) It’s where he won an Oscar

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The Empire State Building used to be the tallest in the world.
2. He climbed the building to promote his band’s new shows.
3. Jared Leto descended the Empire State Building in a bright orange outfit.
4. Climbing the building was a brave and smart way for Jared Leto to get attention for his band’s music.
5. Jared Leto’s band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, will stop playing music in different places soon.
6. Jared Leto is also an actor and has won an Oscar.
7. He climbed the building late in the evening and saw the sun go down.
8. He used ladders to help him climb the tall building.
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. Who climbed the Empire State Building?
2. Why did Jared Leto climb the tall building?
3. What does Jared Leto do besides climbing buildings?
4. What did Jared Leto see when he climbed up early in the morning?
5. Why is the Empire State Building special to Jared Leto?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did Jared Leto climb up?
Jared Leto climbed up the Empire State Building.

2. What color was the outfit Jared Leto wore when he climbed?
The outfit was bright orange.

3. What did Jared Leto use to help him climb the building?
He used ropes to help him climb.

4. Why did Jared Leto climb the Empire State Building?
He climbed it to tell people about his band’s new shows.

5. What is Jared Leto’s job besides being a musician?
He is an actor.

6. What is the name of Jared Leto’s music band?
His band’s name is Thirty Seconds to Mars.

7. What did Jared Leto see when he climbed the building early in the morning?
He saw the sunrise.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) State
(2) wore
(3) outfit
(4) people
(5) Jared
(6) movies
(7) come
(8) start
(9) Building
(10) used
(11) climbing
(12) building
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. climbed
Answer: (a) Went up something, like a mountain or building

2. ropes
Answer: (b) Long pieces of strong material used for climbing

3. Oscar
Answer: (f) A big award for actors

4. Empire State Building
Answer: (e) A very tall building in New York City

5. excited
Answer: (g) Feeling happy and full of energy

6. band
Answer: (c) A group of people who play music together

7. actor
Answer: (h) Someone who performs in movies

8. morning
Answer: (d) The time of day between midnight and noon
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did Jared Leto climb the Empire State Building?
Answer: (c) To promote his band’s new shows

2. What did Jared Leto wear when he climbed the Empire State Building?
Answer: (c) A bright orange outfit

3. What is Jared Leto famous for besides being in a band?
Answer: (b) Acting in movies

4. How old is Jared Leto?
Answer: (a) 51 years old

5. What is Thirty Seconds to Mars?
Answer: (a) Jared Leto’s band

6. What did Jared Leto see while climbing the Empire State Building?
Answer: (d) The sun come up

7. What did Jared Leto use to help him climb the building?
Answer: (d) Ropes

8. Why is the Empire State Building important to Jared Leto?
Answer: (b) It used to be the tallest in the world
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The Empire State Building used to be the tallest in the world. (Answer: True)
2. He climbed the building to promote his band’s new shows. (Answer: True)
3. Jared Leto descended the Empire State Building in a bright orange outfit. (Answer: False)
4. Climbing the building was a brave and smart way for Jared Leto to get attention for his band’s music. (Answer: True)
5. Jared Leto’s band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, will stop playing music in different places soon. (Answer: False)
6. Jared Leto is also an actor and has won an Oscar. (Answer: True)
7. He climbed the building late in the evening and saw the sun go down. (Answer: False)
8. He used ladders to help him climb the tall building. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧