A man named Lukas McClish got lost in the mountains in California for 10 days. He went hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains but couldn’t find his way back because wildfires had changed the area. His family told the police he was missing on June 16, and a big search began. Lukas stayed alive by drinking water from his boot and eating wild berries until he was found.

The police found Lukas using a drone. People had heard someone yelling for help, but it was hard to know where he was. He was found between two roads in Santa Cruz County. Lukas drank a lot of water every day from a waterfall and was very tired but okay when they found him.

Lukas said he won’t go hiking again for a long time. This story shows how important it is to be ready when going into the wild, especially in places that have had natural disasters. Lukas is happy to be safe and thanked the rescue teams. He is now back with his family.

Original news source: Missing hiker survives by drinking gallon of water a day (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Give each student a copy of the article. Ask them to read it and then write a summary of the main points in their own words. After they have finished, have them share their summaries with a partner or in small groups.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into groups of 3-4 students. Give each group a set of discussion questions based on the article, such as “Do you enjoy hiking? Why or why not?” or “What safety precautions do you think are important when going hiking?” Have the groups discuss the questions and then present their opinions to the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of key vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the class into teams. One student from each team comes to the front of the class and chooses a word from the list. They have to draw a picture to represent the word, while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a headline template, such as “Man Lost in Mountains for 10 Days” or “Hiker Rescued by Drone.” Students have to create a headline for the article using the template. They can be creative and come up with their own words, as long as they capture the main idea of the article.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. One group will come up with a list of pros for going hiking, while the other group will come up with a list of cons. After each group has brainstormed their ideas, have them present their lists to the class and facilitate a discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of hiking.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who got lost in the mountains in California?
2. How long was Lukas McClish lost for?
3. Why couldn’t Lukas find his way back?
4. How did Lukas stay alive while he was lost?
5. How did the police find Lukas?
6. Where was Lukas found?
7. What did Lukas say about going hiking again?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man named Lukas (1)______ got lost in the mountains in California for 10 (2)______. He went hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains but couldn’t find his way back because (3)______ had changed the area. His family told the police he was missing on June 16, and a big search began. Lukas stayed alive by drinking water from his boot and eating (4)______ berries until he was (5)______.

The police found Lukas using a drone. People had (6)______ someone yelling for help, but it was hard to know where he was. He was found between two roads in Santa (7)______ County. Lukas drank a lot of (8)______ every day from a waterfall and was very tired but okay when they found him.

Lukas said he won’t go (9)______ again for a long time. This story shows how (10)______ it is to be ready when going into the wild, especially in places that have had (11)______ disasters. Lukas is happy to be safe and (12)______ the rescue teams. He is now back with his family.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is hiking?
2. How would you feel if you got lost in the mountains?
3. Do you like hiking? Why or why not?
4. What are wildfires?
5. How do you think Lukas felt when he couldn’t find his way back?
6. What would you do if you were lost in the mountains?
7. Do you think it’s important to be prepared when going into the wild? Why or why not?
8. How do you think Lukas survived for 10 days in the mountains?
9. Have you ever been in a natural disaster? How did you feel?
10. Do you think it’s scary to be lost? Why or why not?
11. How do you think Lukas’ family felt when he was missing?
12. What would you say to the rescue teams if they found you after being lost?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. wildfires
2. drone
3. yelling
4. waterfall
5. rescue
6. natural
7. disaster
8. search
9. hiking
10. missing
11. berries
12. boot

Meanings:
(A) A place where water falls from a high place
(B) A flying machine controlled from the ground
(C) Looking for someone or something
(D) Large fires that spread quickly in forests or grasslands
(E) Saving someone from danger
(F) Small, juicy fruits that grow on bushes
(G) Shouting loudly
(H) A sudden event that causes a lot of damage
(I) Not being found
(J) Something that is not made by humans
(K) Walking in nature, usually on trails
(L) A type of shoe that covers the ankle and foot
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did Lukas McClish get lost?
(a) in the desert in Nevada
(b) in the forest in Oregon
(c) in the mountains in California
(d) in the city in New York

2. How long was Lukas missing for?
(a) 5 days
(b) 10 days
(c) 2 weeks
(d) 1 month

3. How did Lukas stay alive while he was lost?
(a) by finding a nearby grocery store
(b) by catching fish in a river
(c) by asking for help from strangers
(d) by drinking water from his boot and eating wild berries

4. How did the police find Lukas?
(a) using a drone
(b) using a helicopter
(c) using a boat
(d) using a dog

5. Where was Lukas found?
(a) in a cave in the mountains
(b) on top of a tall tree
(c) in a river in the forest
(d) between two roads in Santa Cruz County

6. What did Lukas drink a lot of every day while he was lost?
(a) water from a waterfall
(b) soda from a vending machine
(c) juice from a bottle
(d) milk from a cow

7. How did Lukas feel when he was found?
(a) very scared and sad
(b) very tired but okay
(c) very angry and upset
(d) very happy and excited

8. What lesson did Lukas learn from this experience?
(a) It is important to always stay inside the house.
(b) It is important to never go hiking again.
(c) It is important to be prepared when going into the wild.
(d) It is important to never ask for help from others.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Lukas said he won’t go hiking again for a long time and is now back with his family.
2. Lukas was found between two roads in Santa Cruz County.
3. Lukas went camping in the Santa Cruz Mountains but couldn’t find his way back because of wildlife.
4. The firefighter found Lukas using a drone after seeing someone waving for help.
5. Lukas survived by drinking water from his boot and eating wild berries.
6. A man named Lukas McClish got lost in the mountains in California for 10 days.
7. Lukas drank water from a stream every day and was tired but okay when they found him.
8. Lukas’ friends reported him missing on June 16, and a big search began.
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 to Lukas McClish when he went hiking in the mountains?
2. How did Lukas survive while he was lost?
3. How did the police find Lukas?
4. Why did Lukas say he won’t go hiking again?
5. Who did Lukas thank for rescuing him?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who got lost in the mountains in California?
Lukas McClish got lost in the mountains in California.

2. How long was Lukas McClish lost for?
Lukas McClish was lost for 10 days.

3. Why couldn’t Lukas find his way back?
Lukas couldn’t find his way back because wildfires had changed the area.

4. How did Lukas stay alive while he was lost?
Lukas stayed alive by drinking water from his boot and eating wild berries.

5. How did the police find Lukas?
The police found Lukas using a drone.

6. Where was Lukas found?
Lukas was found between two roads in Santa Cruz County.

7. What did Lukas say about going hiking again?
Lukas said he won’t go hiking again for a long time.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) McClish
(2) days
(3) wildfires
(4) wild
(5) found
(6) heard
(7) Cruz
(8) water
(9) hiking
(10) important
(11) natural
(12) thanked
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. wildfires
Answer: (D) Large fires that spread quickly in forests or grasslands

2. drone
Answer: (B) A flying machine controlled from the ground

3. yelling
Answer: (G) Shouting loudly

4. waterfall
Answer: (A) A place where water falls from a high place

5. rescue
Answer: (E) Saving someone from danger

6. natural
Answer: (J) Something that is not made by humans

7. disaster
Answer: (H) A sudden event that causes a lot of damage

8. search
Answer: (C) Looking for someone or something

9. hiking
Answer: (K) Walking in nature, usually on trails

10. missing
Answer: (I) Not being found

11. berries
Answer: (F) Small, juicy fruits that grow on bushes

12. boot
Answer: (L) A type of shoe that covers the ankle and foot
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did Lukas McClish get lost?
Answer: (c) in the mountains in California

2. How long was Lukas missing for?
Answer: (b) 10 days

3. How did Lukas stay alive while he was lost?
Answer: (d) by drinking water from his boot and eating wild berries

4. How did the police find Lukas?
Answer: (a) using a drone

5. Where was Lukas found?
Answer: (d) between two roads in Santa Cruz County

6. What did Lukas drink a lot of every day while he was lost?
Answer: (a) water from a waterfall

7. How did Lukas feel when he was found?
Answer: (b) very tired but okay

8. What lesson did Lukas learn from this experience?
Answer: (c) It is important to be prepared when going into the wild.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Lukas said he won’t go hiking again for a long time and is now back with his family. (Answer: True)
2. Lukas was found between two roads in Santa Cruz County. (Answer: True)
3. Lukas went camping in the Santa Cruz Mountains but couldn’t find his way back because of wildlife. (Answer: False)
4. The firefighter found Lukas using a drone after seeing someone waving for help. (Answer: False)
5. Lukas survived by drinking water from his boot and eating wild berries. (Answer: True)
6. A man named Lukas McClish got lost in the mountains in California for 10 days. (Answer: True)
7. Lukas drank water from a stream every day and was tired but okay when they found him. (Answer: False)
8. Lukas’ friends reported him missing on June 16, and a big search began. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧