A young boy named Oliver Reyes did something very brave. He saw a baby cow, Wynonna, fall into a pond covered with ice and he quickly went to help. Oliver didn’t think twice; he just wanted to save the cow. People are now talking about how brave he was to jump into the cold water.

Oliver got out of a car and ran into the icy pond. He grabbed Wynonna and pulled her out of the water. Everyone is saying good things about Oliver because he could have been hurt, but he saved the cow instead. His fast actions and courage are getting a lot of praise.

Oliver’s story is very touching because it shows how much some people care about animals. He showed that he was willing to do something dangerous to help the cow. His story reminds us that being kind and understanding is very important. Oliver showed us that it’s good to help others, even when it’s scary.

Original news source: Teenager jumps into frozen pond to rescue calf (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Ask each group to read the article together.
3. Instruct each group to write a summary of the article in their own words, focusing on the main points and key details.
4. After a few minutes, have each group share their summaries with the class.
5. Facilitate a discussion to compare and contrast the different summaries, highlighting any important information that may have been missed.

– Sketch It
Instructions:
1. Show the class a picture of a pond covered with ice.
2. Ask the students to individually draw a scene depicting Oliver saving the baby cow.
3. After a few minutes, have the students share their drawings with a partner or in small groups.
4. Encourage the students to discuss their drawings and explain the story behind them.
5. As a class, discuss the different interpretations and perspectives represented in the drawings.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write a list of key vocabulary words from the article on the board.
2. Divide the class into two teams.
3. Call out one vocabulary word at a time and have a student from each team come to the front of the class.
4. Give the students 30 seconds to draw a visual representation of the word on the board, without using any letters or numbers.
5. The rest of the teams must guess the word based on the drawing.
6. Each correct guess earns a point for the team.
7. Repeat the process with the remaining vocabulary words, alternating between teams.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions:
1. Ask the students to individually think about a time when they did something brave or helped someone in need.
2. Pair up the students and have them share their stories with each other.
3. Encourage the students to ask questions and show interest in their partner’s story.
4. After a few minutes, bring the class back together and ask a few pairs to share their stories with the whole class.
5. Facilitate a discussion about the importance of bravery and helping others, referencing Oliver’s story.

– Future Predictions
Instructions:
1. Write the following question on the board: “What do you think will happen next in Oliver’s story?”
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Instruct each group to discuss and come up with their own predictions about what might happen next in Oliver’s life, based on his actions and the values he demonstrated in the article.
4. After a few minutes, have each group share their predictions with the class.
5. Facilitate a discussion about the different predictions, encouraging the students to explain their reasoning and consider alternative perspectives.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who did Oliver save from the icy pond?
2. Why are people talking about Oliver?
3. What did Oliver do when he saw the baby cow in the pond?
4. Why are people saying good things about Oliver?
5. Why is Oliver’s story touching?
6. What did Oliver show us by saving the cow?
7. Why is it important to be kind and understanding, according to Oliver’s story?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A young boy named Oliver Reyes did something very brave. He saw a (1)______ cow, Wynonna, fall into a (2)______ covered with ice and he quickly went to help. Oliver didn’t (3)______ twice; he just wanted to save the cow. People are now talking about how brave he was to jump into the (4)______ (5)______.

Oliver got out of a car and ran into the icy pond. He (6)______ Wynonna and pulled her out of the water. Everyone is saying good things about Oliver because he could have been (7)______, but he saved the cow instead. His fast actions and courage are getting a lot of praise.

Oliver’s story is very touching because it (8)______ how (9)______ some people care about animals. He showed that he was willing to do something dangerous to help the cow. His story reminds us that being kind and understanding is very (10)______. (11)______ showed us that it’s (12)______ to help others, even when it’s scary.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What did Oliver do to help the baby cow?
2. How do you think Oliver felt when he saw the baby cow in the pond?
3. Have you ever seen someone help an animal in danger? How did it make you feel?
4. Why do you think people are saying good things about Oliver?
5. How would you feel if you saw an animal in danger? What would you do?
6. Do you think Oliver was brave for jumping into the cold water? Why or why not?
7. What do you think Oliver’s actions teach us about being kind and understanding?
8. Do you like animals? Why or why not?
9. Have you ever done something brave to help someone or something? What was it?
10. Why do you think it’s important to help others, even when it’s scary?
11. What are some ways we can show kindness to animals?
12. How can we be brave like Oliver in our everyday lives?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. difficult
2. matching
3. activity
4. corresponding
5. sequence
6. intermediate
7. device
8. vehicle
9. fuel
10. sudden
11. praise
12. touching

Meanings:
(A) Something like a car or bus that takes people or things from one place to another
(B) Not beginner, but not advanced either
(C) Saying good things about someone or something
(D) Something you do for fun or learning
(E) Going together well or matching
(F) Happening quickly and without warning
(G) Order in which things follow each other
(H) Something that makes machines like cars work
(I) Hard to do or understand
(J) Putting things together because they are similar or belong together
(K) Makes you feel strong emotions, often because it is very kind or very sad
(L) A thing made for a particular purpose, like a phone or a computer
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Oliver see fall into the pond?
(a) A baby cow
(b) A dog
(c) A cat
(d) A horse

2. What did Oliver do when he saw the cow in the pond?
(a) He called for help
(b) He jumped into the water to save it
(c) He walked away
(d) He took a picture

3. Why are people talking about Oliver?
(a) Because he was scared
(b) Because he was brave
(c) Because he was mean
(d) Because he was lazy

4. What did Oliver do after he saved the cow?
(a) He got out of the pond
(b) He went home
(c) He went to school
(d) He went to the park

5. Why are people praising Oliver?
(a) Because he hurt himself
(b) Because he scared the cow
(c) Because he didn’t help
(d) Because he saved the cow

6. What does Oliver’s story remind us?
(a) That being mean is important
(b) That being lazy is important
(c) That being scared is important
(d) That being kind is important

7. What did Oliver show us?
(a) That it’s good to hurt others
(b) That it’s good to scare others
(c) That it’s good to help others
(d) That it’s good to ignore others

8. What did Oliver’s actions show?
(a) That he didn’t care about the cow
(b) That he didn’t see the cow
(c) That he cared about the cow
(d) That he didn’t like the cow

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Oliver could have been hurt, but he chose to save the cow instead.
2. Oliver’s story reminds us that it’s not important to be kind and understanding.
3. Oliver Reyes saved a baby cow named Wynonna from a frozen pond.
4. Oliver didn’t hesitate to jump into the cold water to rescue the cow.
5. Helping others, even when it’s scary, is a good thing to do.
6. People are criticizing Oliver for his cowardice and slow thinking.
7. Oliver’s cowardice is getting a lot of negative attention.
8. Oliver’s actions show how little he cares about animals.
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 Oliver see when he went to the pond?
2. Why did Oliver want to save the cow?
3. What did Oliver do when he saw the cow in the pond?
4. Why are people saying good things about Oliver?
5. What does Oliver’s story remind us about being kind and understanding?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who did Oliver save from the icy pond?
Oliver saved a baby cow named Wynonna from the icy pond.

2. Why are people talking about Oliver?
People are talking about Oliver because he did something very brave and saved the cow from the pond.

3. What did Oliver do when he saw the baby cow in the pond?
Oliver ran into the icy pond and pulled the baby cow out of the water.

4. Why are people saying good things about Oliver?
People are saying good things about Oliver because he could have been hurt, but he still saved the cow. They think he is very brave and kind.

5. Why is Oliver’s story touching?
Oliver’s story is touching because it shows how much he cared about the baby cow. He was willing to risk his own safety to help the cow.

6. What did Oliver show us by saving the cow?
Oliver showed us that it’s important to help others, even when it’s scary or dangerous. He showed us that being brave and kind is a good thing.

7. Why is it important to be kind and understanding, according to Oliver’s story?
According to Oliver’s story, it is important to be kind and understanding because it shows that we care about others, including animals. It makes the world a better place when we help and show compassion towards others.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) baby
(2) pond
(3) think
(4) cold
(5) water
(6) grabbed
(7) hurt
(8) shows
(9) much
(10) important
(11) Oliver
(12) good
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. difficult
Answer: (I) Hard to do or understand

2. matching
Answer: (J) Putting things together because they are similar or belong together

3. activity
Answer: (D) Something you do for fun or learning

4. corresponding
Answer: (E) Going together well or matching

5. sequence
Answer: (G) Order in which things follow each other

6. intermediate
Answer: (B) Not beginner, but not advanced either

7. device
Answer: (L) A thing made for a particular purpose, like a phone or a computer

8. vehicle
Answer: (A) Something like a car or bus that takes people or things from one place to another

9. fuel
Answer: (H) Something that makes machines like cars work

10. sudden
Answer: (F) Happening quickly and without warning

11. praise
Answer: (C) Saying good things about someone or something

12. touching
Answer: (K) Makes you feel strong emotions, often because it is very kind or very sad
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Oliver see fall into the pond?
Answer: (a) A baby cow

2. What did Oliver do when he saw the cow in the pond?
Answer: (b) He jumped into the water to save it

3. Why are people talking about Oliver?
Answer: (b) Because he was brave

4. What did Oliver do after he saved the cow?
Answer: (a) He got out of the pond

5. Why are people praising Oliver?
Answer: (d) Because he saved the cow

6. What does Oliver’s story remind us?
Answer: (d) That being kind is important

7. What did Oliver show us?
Answer: (c) That it’s good to help others

8. What did Oliver’s actions show?
Answer: (c) That he cared about the cow
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Oliver could have been hurt, but he chose to save the cow instead. (Answer: True)
2. Oliver’s story reminds us that it’s not important to be kind and understanding. (Answer: False)
3. Oliver Reyes saved a baby cow named Wynonna from a frozen pond. (Answer: True)
4. Oliver didn’t hesitate to jump into the cold water to rescue the cow. (Answer: True)
5. Helping others, even when it’s scary, is a good thing to do. (Answer: True)
6. People are criticizing Oliver for his cowardice and slow thinking. (Answer: False)
7. Oliver’s cowardice is getting a lot of negative attention. (Answer: False)
8. Oliver’s actions show how little he cares about animals. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧