The Reading / Listening - Southern Ocean - Level 0

At school, we learn that there are four oceans - the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Arctic Oceans. The National Geographic Society now says there are five. The fifth one is the "Southern Ocean". This is around Antarctica. National Geographic said it is important for children to learn that the Southern Ocean is "a fifth ocean".

Children will learn about climate change when they study the Southern Ocean. National Geographic said students should know how important it is. It said the Southern Ocean has "unique and fragile marine ecosystems" full of wonderful ocean life like whales, penguins and seals.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Southern Ocean - Level 1,  Southern Ocean - Level 2   or  Southern Ocean - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/10/new-ocean-global-total-five-national-geographic
  • https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/theres-a-new-ocean-now-can-you-name-all-five-southern-ocean
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/06/10/southern-ocean-officially-recognized-fifth-ocean-national-geographic/7645212002/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. we learn that there are
  2. Pacific and Arctic
  3. there
  4. The fifth one is the
  5. This is around
  6. it is important
  7. to learn
  8. the Southern Ocean is a
  1. are five
  2. fifth ocean
  3. Oceans
  4. Antarctica
  5. four oceans
  6. that
  7. "Southern Ocean"
  8. for children

Paragraph 2

  1. Children will learn about climate
  2. when they study the Southern
  3. National Geographic said students
  4. know how important
  5. unique and
  6. marine
  7. full of wonderful
  8. whales, penguins
  1. Ocean
  2. ocean life
  3. fragile
  4. and seals
  5. change
  6. it is
  7. ecosystems
  8. should

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

At school, (1) ___________________ there are four oceans - the (2) ___________________ and Arctic Oceans. The National Geographic Society (3) ___________________ are five. The fifth one is the "Southern Ocean". (4) ___________________ Antarctica. National Geographic (5) ___________________ important for children to learn that the Southern Ocean is "(6) ___________________ ".

Children (7) ___________________ climate change when (8) ___________________ Southern Ocean. National Geographic (9) ___________________ know how (10) ___________________. It said the Southern Ocean has "(11) ___________________ marine ecosystems" full of wonderful (12) ___________________ whales, penguins and seals.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Atschool,welearnthattherearefouroceans-theAtlantic,Indian,Paci
ficandArcticOceans.TheNationalGeographicSocietynowsaystherear
efive.Thefifthoneisthe"SouthernOcean".ThisisaroundAntarctica.Nat
ionalGeographicsaiditisimportantforchildrentolearnthattheSouther
nOceanis"afifthocean".Childrenwilllearnaboutclimatechangewhent
heystudytheSouthernOcean.NationalGeographicsaidstudentsshoul
dknowhowimportantitis.ItsaidtheSouthernOceanhas"uniqueandfra
gilemarineecosystems"fullofwonderfuloceanlifelikewhales,penguin
sandseals.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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