A lot of snow has fallen in some places in the north of the United States. This is the first big snowstorm of the year. It has brought loud snow with thunder and times when you can’t see anything because of the snow. Videos show everything covered in a thick layer of snow.

Loud snow with thunder is called “thundersnow.” It’s a rare and strong kind of storm. When you can’t see because of the snow, it’s called a “whiteout.” These make it very hard and dangerous to drive. People who tell us about the weather say to be careful.

Because of the snow, people can’t travel like they want to. Planes can’t fly, and cars can’t drive on some roads. Everyone is told to stay home and not go out unless they really have to. The cold and snow tell people they need to be ready for winter and stay safe.

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. Give each group a slip of paper with a word or phrase related to the article (e.g. snowstorm, thundersnow, whiteout). One person from each group will act out the word/phrase without speaking, while the others in the group try to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words/phrases.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner. Encourage them to use their own words and keep the summary concise. After each person has had a turn, they can compare their summaries and discuss any differences or similarities.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article (e.g. “Thundersnow sounds exciting” or “I prefer warm weather over cold weather”). Have students rate their agreement with each statement on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree). After everyone has rated the statements, students can discuss their responses in small groups or as a class, sharing their reasons and trying to find commonalities or differences in opinions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a selection of vocabulary words from the article on slips of paper and put them in a hat or container. Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team comes up to the front and draws a vocabulary word without speaking, while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words and continue until all the words have been guessed.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article. Set a timer for 3 minutes and challenge the students to read the article together and summarize the main points in that time. After the timer goes off, pairs can take turns sharing their summaries with the rest of the class. Encourage them to be concise and focus on the most important information.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is happening in the north of the United States?
2. What is the first big snowstorm of the year called?
3. What happens when it snows and you can’t see anything?
4. What is it called when snow covers everything and you can’t see?
5. Why is it dangerous to drive in a thundersnow or whiteout?
6. Why can’t planes and cars travel in the snow?
7. What do people need to do when there is a lot of snow and cold weather?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A lot of snow has fallen in some places in the north of the United States. This is the (1)______ big (2)______ of the year. It has brought (3)______ snow with thunder and times when you can’t see anything because of the snow. Videos show everything (4)______ in a thick layer of snow.

Loud snow with (5)______ is called “thundersnow.” It’s a rare and (6)______ kind of storm. When you can’t see because of the snow, it’s called a “whiteout.” These make it very (7)______ and dangerous to drive. (8)______ who tell us about the weather say to be careful.

Because of the (9)______, people can’t travel like they want to. Planes can’t fly, and cars can’t drive on some (10)______. Everyone is (11)______ to stay home and not go out unless they really have to. The cold and snow tell people they need to be ready for (12)______ and stay safe.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is thundersnow?
2. How do you think thundersnow is different from a regular snowstorm?
3. Have you ever experienced a whiteout? How would you feel if you couldn’t see anything because of the snow?
4. Do you think it’s dangerous to drive during a whiteout? Why or why not?
5. How do you think the snowstorm affects people’s travel plans?
6. What do you think happens when planes can’t fly and cars can’t drive on some roads?
7. Do you like playing in the snow? Why or why not?
8. How do you think the snowstorm affects people’s daily routines?
9. Have you ever been told to stay home because of bad weather? How did it make you feel?
10. How do you think people can stay safe during a snowstorm?
11. What are some things you can do to be ready for winter?
12. Do you think snowstorms are exciting or scary? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. snowstorm
2. thundersnow
3. whiteout
4. travel
5. planes
6. roads
7. stay home
8. winter

Meanings:
(a) A big storm with a lot of snow
(b) A rare and strong storm with snow and thunder
(c) The paths that cars drive on
(d) Big machines that fly in the sky
(e) Not going outside and staying in your house
(f) The season with cold weather and snow
(g) When you can’t see anything because of the snow
(h) Going from one place to another
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the first big snowstorm of the year called?
(a) Whiteout
(b) Blizzard
(c) Snowfall
(d) Thundersnow

2. What is it called when you can’t see anything because of the snow?
(a) Whiteout
(b) Thundersnow
(c) Blizzard
(d) Snowfall

3. What kind of storm is thundersnow?
(a) Common and weak
(b) Rare and strong
(c) Mild and gentle
(d) Loud and windy

4. Why is it dangerous to drive during a whiteout?
(a) Because the snow is loud
(b) Because the snow is thick
(c) Because you can’t see anything
(d) Because the snow is rare

5. What happens to planes during a snowstorm?
(a) They fly faster
(b) They fly higher
(c) They fly lower
(d) They can’t fly

6. What do people need to do during a snowstorm?
(a) Stay home and not go out
(b) Go out and have fun
(c) Travel like they want to
(d) Drive on dangerous roads

7. What does the cold and snow tell people to do?
(a) Ignore the weather and go out
(b) Be ready for winter and stay safe
(c) Travel as much as possible
(d) Drive on icy roads

8. What do videos show during a snowstorm?
(a) Thunder and lightning
(b) People playing in the snow
(c) Everything covered in a thick layer of snow
(d) Clear blue skies

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Whiteouts make it difficult and dangerous to drive.
2. Thundersnow is accompanied by quiet thunder.
3. There has been a big snowstorm in the northern part of the United States.
4. People are advised to stay home and only go out if necessary to stay safe.
5. The snowstorm is the second big one of the year.
6. The snowstorm has brought thundersnow, which is a rare and strong kind of storm.
7. Due to the snowstorm, planes can fly and cars can drive on some roads.
8. When you can see everything clearly despite the snow, it is called a whiteout.
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 is the name for a snowstorm with thunder?
2. What is it called when you can’t see because of the snow?
3. Why is it dangerous to drive during a thundersnow or whiteout?
4. What are some ways that the snowstorm is affecting people’s travel plans?
5. Why are people being told to stay home and not go out during the snowstorm?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is happening in the north of the United States?
A lot of snow has fallen in the north of the United States.

2. What is the first big snowstorm of the year called?
The first big snowstorm of the year is called a thundersnow.

3. What happens when it snows and you can’t see anything?
When it snows and you can’t see anything, it’s called a whiteout.

4. What is it called when snow covers everything and you can’t see?
When snow covers everything and you can’t see, it’s also called a whiteout.

5. Why is it dangerous to drive in a thundersnow or whiteout?
It is dangerous to drive in a thundersnow or whiteout because you can’t see where you’re going and it’s hard to control the car.

6. Why can’t planes and cars travel in the snow?
Planes and cars can’t travel in the snow because the snow covers the roads and runways, making it difficult to drive or take off.

7. What do people need to do when there is a lot of snow and cold weather?
When there is a lot of snow and cold weather, people need to stay home and not go out unless they really have to. They also need to be prepared for winter and stay safe.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) first
(2) snowstorm
(3) loud
(4) covered
(5) thunder
(6) strong
(7) hard
(8) People
(9) snow
(10) roads
(11) told
(12) winter
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. snowstorm
Answer: (a) A big storm with a lot of snow

2. thundersnow
Answer: (b) A rare and strong storm with snow and thunder

3. whiteout
Answer: (g) When you can’t see anything because of the snow

4. travel
Answer: (h) Going from one place to another

5. planes
Answer: (d) Big machines that fly in the sky

6. roads
Answer: (c) The paths that cars drive on

7. stay home
Answer: (e) Not going outside and staying in your house

8. winter
Answer: (f) The season with cold weather and snow
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the first big snowstorm of the year called?
Answer: (d) Thundersnow

2. What is it called when you can’t see anything because of the snow?
Answer: (a) Whiteout

3. What kind of storm is thundersnow?
Answer: (b) Rare and strong

4. Why is it dangerous to drive during a whiteout?
Answer: (c) Because you can’t see anything

5. What happens to planes during a snowstorm?
Answer: (d) They can’t fly

6. What do people need to do during a snowstorm?
Answer: (a) Stay home and not go out

7. What does the cold and snow tell people to do?
Answer: (b) Be ready for winter and stay safe

8. What do videos show during a snowstorm?
Answer: (c) Everything covered in a thick layer of snow
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Whiteouts make it difficult and dangerous to drive. (Answer: True)
2. Thundersnow is accompanied by quiet thunder. (Answer: False)
3. There has been a big snowstorm in the northern part of the United States. (Answer: True)
4. People are advised to stay home and only go out if necessary to stay safe. (Answer: True)
5. The snowstorm is the second big one of the year. (Answer: False)
6. The snowstorm has brought thundersnow, which is a rare and strong kind of storm. (Answer: True)
7. Due to the snowstorm, planes can fly and cars can drive on some roads. (Answer: False)
8. When you can see everything clearly despite the snow, it is called a whiteout. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧