Pre-reading Activities

Vocabulary of Place

1 In this novel, the characters do a lot of travelling! Complete the map with the correct names of countries / places they visit.

England Scotland Ireland France Germany

Switzerland Italy Russia The Arctic

The Arctic

12 • Do you like travelling? • Where do you want to go? • Where have you been?

Discuss in pairs.

Vocabulary – Adjectives to Describe Character

2 Write a short definition of each word – use a dictionary to help you with any you don’t know.

a curious ____________________________________________________ b affectionate ____________________________________________________ c gentle ____________________________________________________ d brave ____________________________________________________ e educated ____________________________________________________ f clever ____________________________________________________ g pleasant ____________________________________________________ h nervous ____________________________________________________ i sad ____________________________________________________ j cool ____________________________________________________ k persevering ____________________________________________________ l careful ____________________________________________________ m lonely ____________________________________________________

Vocabulary – Adjectives to Describe Character

3 Choose 5 words from the list above, then write a short description of someone – real or invented – giving examples for each one.

An example has been done for you.

My friend is affectionate, he hugs his friends and family, but he can be nervous when meeting new people.

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Vocabulary of the Arctic

4 Match these words with the correct definition.

1 Arctic 2 sledge 3 ice, frost and snow 4 ship 5 sailors 6 mist 7 unexplored 8 North pole 9 map 10 telescope

a people who are paid to work on boats b types of frozen water, from hard to softer c large frozen area in the north of the planet d the most northern point of the Earth e a careful drawing of a place including hills, coasts, rivers etc.; made using measurements f used for moving people and things across ice and snow g equipment you use to see long distances h that has not been visited, is unknown i drops of water in the air, stops you seeing long distances j you use this to travel on the sea

Critical Thinking

5 It is 1795, you have decided to explore the Arctic, how will you get there? What will you take with you? And what would you take with you today that did not exist in 1795?

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Listening and Writing

2 6 Listen to the first part of Chapter 1, then imagine you are the first person to arrive on the Arctic coast. Write a letter home describing:

• what you can see; • what you are feeling; • what you are doing.

Talking about Positives and Negatives

7 Do you like the idea of being an Arctic explorer? What would you like, what would you not like? Discuss your answers in pairs.

Like Not like

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