Some firefighters in a place called Minnesota helped a deer that was stuck on ice. People who live nearby saw the deer having trouble and called for help. The firefighters moved on their hands and knees to get to the deer without breaking the ice. They then pulled the deer to a safe place, and someone recorded it on video.

The video shows the firefighters being very careful as they move on the ice. They got close to the deer without scaring it. The firefighters worked hard and were able to help the deer get off the ice. Now, many people have seen the video of what they did.

The story of the deer shows how firefighters help everyone, even animals. They are brave and kind to do this. People think the firefighters did a great job, and they feel happy when they watch the video of the deer being saved.

Original news source: Firefighters crawl to rescue deer stuck on frozen lake (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a word or phrase related to the article (e.g. firefighters, deer, ice, rescue). One member of the group must act out the word or phrase without speaking, while the others guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Play several rounds, giving each group a different word or phrase each time.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns summarizing the article to their partner. They should try to include the main points and key details. After each summary, the partner can ask questions to clarify any information they didn’t understand.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write a question on the board related to the article (e.g. “Do you think firefighters are heroes?”). Students should walk around the classroom and ask their classmates the question, recording their responses (e.g. yes, no, not sure). After collecting responses from several classmates, they can share their findings with the rest of the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. firefighters, deer, ice, rescue). One member of the group must draw a picture to represent each word, while the others try to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Play several rounds, giving each group a different set of words each time.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Set a timer for 1 minute. In pairs, students take turns summarizing the article to their partner within the time limit. They should try to include the main points and key details. After each round, partners can provide feedback on what was clear and what could be improved. Repeat the activity with a shorter time limit (e.g. 30 seconds) to challenge students to be more concise.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the firefighters in Minnesota do to help the deer?
2. How did the people who live nearby know that the deer needed help?
3. How did the firefighters move on the ice to get to the deer?
4. What did the firefighters do to make sure they didn’t scare the deer?
5. What did the firefighters do to help the deer get off the ice?
6. Why do people think the firefighters did a great job?
7. How do people feel when they watch the video of the deer being saved?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some firefighters in a (1)______ called Minnesota helped a deer that was stuck on ice. People who live nearby saw the deer having (2)______ and called for help. The firefighters (3)______ on their hands and knees to get to the deer without breaking the ice. They then pulled the deer to a (4)______ place, and someone recorded it on (5)______.

The video shows the firefighters being very (6)______ as they move on the ice. They got close to the (7)______ without scaring it. The firefighters worked hard and were able to (8)______ the deer get off the ice. Now, (9)______ people have seen the video of what they did.

The story of the deer shows how firefighters help everyone, even animals. They are brave and (10)______ to do this. People think the firefighters did a great job, and they (11)______ happy when they (12)______ the video of the deer being saved.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What did the firefighters do to help the deer?
2. How do you think the deer felt when it was stuck on the ice?
3. Have you ever seen a firefighter before? What do they do?
4. Do you think firefighters are brave? Why or why not?
5. How would you feel if you were stuck on the ice and someone came to help you?
6. Do you like animals? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever seen a video of an animal being saved? How did it make you feel?
8. What do you think the people who live nearby felt when they saw the deer in trouble?
9. Do you think it’s important to help animals? Why or why not?
10. If you were a firefighter, what kind of animals would you like to help?
11. How do you think the firefighters were able to get close to the deer without scaring it?
12. Why do you think people think the firefighters did a great job?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. firefighters
2. deer
3. ice
4. video
5. help
6. careful
7. brave
8. saved

Meanings:
(a) People who put out fires and help others
(b) A recording of moving pictures and sound
(c) A type of animal with antlers
(d) Rescued or protected from danger or harm
(e) To assist or aid someone in need
(f) A hard, frozen substance that is slippery
(g) Showing courage and not being afraid
(h) Being cautious and not causing harm
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who called for help when they saw the deer in trouble?
(a) The firefighters
(b) The deer
(c) People who live nearby
(d) The video recorder

2. How did the firefighters move on the ice?
(a) On their hands and knees
(b) By crawling on their stomachs
(c) By walking on their hands
(d) By sliding on their backs

3. What did the firefighters do to the deer?
(a) They scared it away
(b) They pulled it to a safe place
(c) They broke the ice around it
(d) They ignored it

4. What did someone do while the firefighters were helping the deer?
(a) They called for more firefighters
(b) They watched from a safe distance
(c) They helped the firefighters
(d) They recorded it on video

5. How did the firefighters approach the deer?
(a) Carefully and without scaring it
(b) Quickly and loudly
(c) Roughly and aggressively
(d) Slowly and cautiously

6. How do people feel when they watch the video of the deer being saved?
(a) Sad
(b) Happy
(c) Angry
(d) Scared

7. What do people think of the firefighters’ actions?
(a) They think they were too slow
(b) They think they were too scared
(c) They think they should have left the deer alone
(d) They think they did a great job

8. What does the story of the deer show about firefighters?
(a) They only help people, not animals
(b) They are scared of animals
(c) They help everyone, even animals
(d) They don’t like to be recorded on video

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The story shows how firefighters are cowardly and unkind to help animals as well as people.
2. Many people have watched the video of the deer being saved.
3. Firefighters in Minnesota helped a deer that was stuck on ice.
4. People who lived nearby saw the deer in trouble and called for help.
5. The firefighters worked hard but were unsuccessful in helping the deer get off the ice.
6. No one recorded the firefighters’ rescue on video.
7. The firefighters crawled on their hands and knees to reach the deer without breaking the ice.
8. They quickly approached the deer without scaring it.
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 helped the deer that was stuck on the ice?
2. How did the firefighters move on the ice to get to the deer?
3. What did the firefighters do to help the deer?
4. What did someone do while the firefighters were helping the deer?
5. Why do people think the firefighters did a great job?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the firefighters in Minnesota do to help the deer?
The firefighters helped the deer by pulling it to a safe place.

2. How did the people who live nearby know that the deer needed help?
The people who live nearby saw the deer having trouble and called for help.

3. How did the firefighters move on the ice to get to the deer?
The firefighters moved on their hands and knees to get to the deer without breaking the ice.

4. What did the firefighters do to make sure they didn’t scare the deer?
The firefighters were very careful and moved close to the deer without scaring it.

5. What did the firefighters do to help the deer get off the ice?
The firefighters pulled the deer to a safe place.

6. Why do people think the firefighters did a great job?
People think the firefighters did a great job because they were brave and kind to help the deer.

7. How do people feel when they watch the video of the deer being saved?
People feel happy when they watch the video of the deer being saved.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) place
(2) trouble
(3) moved
(4) safe
(5) video
(6) careful
(7) deer
(8) help
(9) many
(10) kind
(11) feel
(12) watch
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. firefighters
Answer: (a) People who put out fires and help others

2. deer
Answer: (c) A type of animal with antlers

3. ice
Answer: (f) A hard, frozen substance that is slippery

4. video
Answer: (b) A recording of moving pictures and sound

5. help
Answer: (e) To assist or aid someone in need

6. careful
Answer: (h) Being cautious and not causing harm

7. brave
Answer: (g) Showing courage and not being afraid

8. saved
Answer: (d) Rescued or protected from danger or harm
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who called for help when they saw the deer in trouble?
Answer: (c) People who live nearby

2. How did the firefighters move on the ice?
Answer: (a) On their hands and knees

3. What did the firefighters do to the deer?
Answer: (b) They pulled it to a safe place

4. What did someone do while the firefighters were helping the deer?
Answer: (d) They recorded it on video

5. How did the firefighters approach the deer?
Answer: (a) Carefully and without scaring it

6. How do people feel when they watch the video of the deer being saved?
Answer: (b) Happy

7. What do people think of the firefighters’ actions?
Answer: (d) They think they did a great job

8. What does the story of the deer show about firefighters?
Answer: (c) They help everyone, even animals
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The story shows how firefighters are cowardly and unkind to help animals as well as people. (Answer: False)
2. Many people have watched the video of the deer being saved. (Answer: True)
3. Firefighters in Minnesota helped a deer that was stuck on ice. (Answer: True)
4. People who lived nearby saw the deer in trouble and called for help. (Answer: True)
5. The firefighters worked hard but were unsuccessful in helping the deer get off the ice. (Answer: False)
6. No one recorded the firefighters’ rescue on video. (Answer: False)
7. The firefighters crawled on their hands and knees to reach the deer without breaking the ice. (Answer: True)
8. They quickly approached the deer without scaring it. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧