Sacagawea - an important woman in American History

Edgar Samuel Paxson [Public domain]

You probably know about Pocahontas but what about Sacagawea? The video clip today is about this amazing woman who is regarded as being a key woman in the development of modern USA.

 As TOEFL covers things US students learn about or know in their first year in University, it makes sense to know some of these names and dates just in case they come up in reading or listening! Or just because it is interesting!

Having watched several clips about her and read a few different posts, there doesn't seem to be total agreement about her story and so I would suggest that you look around the Internet to find out more and draw your own conclusions.

To set the scene..........

Lewis and Clark were hired by President Thomas Jefferson to lead an expedition across uncharted land back in 1804 - 1806. They spent the winter of 1804-1805 at Fort Mandan where they learnt more about the tribes they would encounter on their expedition.

Sacagawea was a Native American woman who was involved in the expedition.

Sacagawea Biography Part 1

Who was Sacagawea married to?

Name two of the Native American languages that Sacagawea could speak.

What was her role in the expedition?

How old was she and did she have a baby?

How did she know about the landmarks along the route?

Why was she considered to be a symbol of peace?

Describe the land beyond Fort Mandan.

Why was the boat sent back?

Scroll down to find the answers.....

Who was Sacagawea married to? Toussaint Charbonneau - a French trader

Name two of the Native American languages that Sacagawea could speak. Shoshone, Hidatsa, English and French

What was her role in the expedition? Interpreter and guide along with her husband.

How old was she and did she have a baby? She was 20 and had a newborn baby boy called Jean-Baptiste

How did she know about the landmarks along the route? She had been stolen from her tribe and brought to the East to the Missouri from the Rocky Mountains so she knew not only the landmarks but also the route.

Why was she considered to be a symbol of peace? She was a woman with a baby and this symbolised peace.

Describe the land beyond Fort Mandan .It was uncharted, untested, unknown terrain. It was indeed suspect terrain.

Why was the boat sent back? It was too cumbersome (too bulky or big). 

If you haven't tried the other listening exercises then have a go! 

Answers to Recolonisation of Seabirds

Answers to Recolonisation of Seabirds

Here is the link to the original post: Recolonisation of Seabirds 

What sort of Puffin is the film about and what is the name of the island they are on? It is the Atlantic Puffin and they are on Easter Egg Rock

Name some of the other birds that are mentioned. Laughing Gulls; Black Guillemots; Common, Arctic and Roseate Terns.

What did the actions of people do to the colony of birds on the island by 1887 and 1936? Hunters searching for eggs, feathers and meat, caused Easter Egg Rock to lose all the Puffins by 1887 and wiped out the Tern population by 1936.

What techniques were used in the 1970s to attract birds back to the island? They used decoys and recordings of busy Tern colonies to attract birds back to the island.

What happened in 1980 and 1981? In 1980, Terns returned to nest there and in 1981, 5 pairs of Puffins nested on the island after a 100-year absence.


Describe the accommodation for the researchers. 
They live in tents, have a wooden hut for a toilet and a solar powered research centre, which they call the Easter Rock Hilton, that serves as a both a kitchen and a conference centre.

What purpose do the numbers on the boulders serve?
They identify the burrows where the Puffins pairs nest and raise their young.

What is said about the relationship that Puffins have with their "partner"?They are monogamous and can last up to 30 years.

What do we know about the Puffin's ability to fly? They fly both in the sky and the sea.
  How deep to Puffins go to catch fish? 200 feet

Name some of the fish they bring back for their young. Sand Lance, Hake and Herring

What is "Head Flipping" and "Billing"? Head Flipping is when they make an abrupt toss of the head accompanied by a grunting sound and Billing is a behaviour that reinforces pair bonds. They tap each other's bills as if they are doing"la bise"!

Where else can this type of restoration work be carried out? Anywhere where recolonisation of seabirds is required and people are dedicated to conservation.

Recolonisation of seabirds

Courtesy of National Geographic.com

Hi all


I am quite excited about the video clip I have found here. Cornell Lab of Ornithology have put this success story video up of the work of Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It's a great story and there is a lot of useful vocabulary in it for your TOEFL exam. I hope you enjoy it!

A good idea would be to just listen to the recording instead of watching it and using visual cues that can help you. Answer the questions and then replay it, watching it this time so you can see what the narrator is talking about. I think it is quite difficult so you should stop and repeat as often as you need to gain full understanding of the narration.

Here is the link to the video clip:  Success Story

Here are the questions:

What sort of Puffin is the film about and what is the name of the island they are on?

Name some of the other birds that are mentioned.

What did the actions of people do to the colony of birds on the island by 1887 and 1936?

What techniques were used in the 1970s to attract birds back to the island? 

What happened in 1980 and 1981? 

Describe the accommodation for the researchers. 

What purpose do the numbers on the boulders serve?

What is said about the relationship that Puffins have with their "partner"?

What do we know about the Puffin's ability to fly?

How deep to Puffins go to catch fish?

Name some of the fish they bring back for their young.

What is "Head Flipping" and "Billing"?

Where else can this type of restoration work be carried out?



I hope you managed to get most of the answers correct. 

Here are the answers: Answers Recolonisation of Seabirds

Have a good day!

Crabs and Cars

Hi everyone!

Here is a video clip for you to watch and then answer questions about. It is from Science Daily which is a great resource for those of you doing TOEFL. It is a light-hearted look at some research that is currently underway and I hope you find it informative as well as entertaining.

Before getting to the video though, just run through this list of words/phrases and check your understanding of them using a dictionary:

Nimbly

Tricky

Strain

Guages

Wiggling

To set the stage

Common

Now here are the questions you need to answer after watching the video clip:

What is the main theme of this video clip ?

Why do the scientists want to study animals in particular ?

What sort of surfaces can the animals move through ?

In what two ways are their movements measured ?

- Ghost Crab

- Lizard

What is the other thing that the physicists are measuring ?

Why are they doing this ?

On what sort of creature is the robot designed by engineers at Pennsylvania University based?

Do they know how to design a car based on this technology yet ?

In what way is motion said to be changing ?

When you have read through the questions, play the video and try to answer them when it is finished. Here is the link: Crabs and Cars 

Here are the answers: Answers Crabs and Cars

I hope you enjoyed it and learnt something! Keep an eye on my blog and I will put more up to keep you going! 

 

 

Answers - Dry Ice and Dunes

Hi everyone

Well it has been really cold over the past few mornings where I live and I was happy not to be living anywhere near the Mars North Pole ;-)

Here are the answers to the Dry Ice and Dunes on Mars post. I hope you did OK if you tried to do it. Watch out for another post coming along in the next few days....!
    
What kind of planet do we tend to think Mars is? We think of Mars as a dead planet, where all the exciting geologic activity happened millions of years ago.

What sort of planet is it actually? It's a dynamic place.
 

What is at the North Pole of Mars? Mars has a permanent ice cap made up of water ice at its North Pole.

What surrounds this feature? Sand dunes surround this feature.

What is the name of the rock found there and what is it likened to on Earth? The rock is called Basalt. It is like the rock found around Hawaiian volcanoes.

In what seasons does it get extremely cold? It gets extremely cold in Fall and Winter.

What happens to the ground when it is cold? The ground gets covered with a layer of seasonal Carbon dioxide ice (or dry ice) that's about 1 to 2 feet thick.

 

The sequence of events during Spring is described several times. List the main events in the final explanation that is given.  The dunes are ice-covered in the early spring. Some areas of the ice rupture and crack, allowing sand and dust to escape along with the escaping gas. The gas from the dry ice destabilizes the slopes, reshaping the dunes. 
 

How often does this happen? It happens every Spring.

What conclusion is offered with regard to Mars and Earth?Mars may look Earth-like but in some ways it is a very different planet.

Any questions? Send me a message using the box below.

The Dry Ice and Dunes on Mars

 Today's short post is based on a video clip I found on the NASA website. It reminded me of those TOEFL lectures about natural phenomena and is nicely presented. It is also available for download and sharing so a big thank you to NASA for that!

I haven't put any vocabulary in today as I think for Upper Intermediate and Advanced students, this should be pretty easy! Just watch the video clip and answer the questions below. For students who are a lower level in English, let me know if you would like vocabulary included in this post by sending me a message in the box below!  

When you click on the link below, you should go directly to You Tube and the correct video clip. If it doesn't work, you can find the clip on the NASA.org website by typing Dry Ice and Dunes into the search box in the website.

Dry Ice and Dunes

1. What kind of planet do we tend to think Mars is?
2. What sort of planet is it actually?
3. What is at the North Pole of Mars?
4. What surrounds this feature?
5. What is the name of the rock found there and what is it likened to on Earth?
6. In what seasons does it get extremely cold?
7. What happens to the ground when it is cold?
8. The sequence of events during Spring is described several times. List the main events in the final explanation that is given. 
9. How often does this happen?
10. What conclusion is offered with regard to Mars and Earth?

And to finish, here is a link to some amazing images from Mars courtesy of National Geographic. Mars photos

Here are the Answers to this post: Answers Dry Ice and Dunes

Hope you enjoyed the clip...Bye for now!!

About Tsunamis Answers

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 Hi all,

Here are the answers to the post About Tsunamis. If you find the link disappears - let me know in feedback! 

Oh, and just so you know, I use Dictionary.com for most of my definitions but remember to take context into consideration!

Part A Vocabulary

To trigger something	To start something			To sweep onto	To move steadily and strongly onto
To shift	To move position			To engulf	To cover completely
A landslide	A downward sliding of a mass of earth and/or rocks			To near	To get closer
To be thrust up	To be pushed up violently			To brake	To stop
The body of water	The huge volume of water in total			Onshore	On the land by the sea
The ripples	Little waves

Part A Questions

-->

How is an ocean wave caused ?

An ocean wave is caused by the effect of wind on the surface of the sea.

What 3 things can cause a tsunami and what makes it so different from an ordinary wave ?

A volcanic eruption, or a landslide or an underwater earthquake.

A tsunami happens when a huge volume of water, not just on the suface, but right down to the ocean floor, is shifted in one sudden violent motion.

Exactly what happens to the ocean bed when an earthquake cracks the ocean floor ?

One side of the fault is thrust up.

What is the effect of this on the water above it ?

It pushes up the whole body of water above the fracture.

Describe the height and length of a tsunami.

A tsunami has a small wave height and a very long wave length, mid-ocean.

What 3 things happen as it reaches land ?

The water onshore gets sucked back 'drawback) ; the shallow water on the shore acts as a brake, slowing the front of the wave down ; the back of the wave is still travelling fast so it rears up.

How is the wave described ?

A wall of water.

Does it break onshore ? If not, what does it do ?

No it doesn't break onshore, instead, it sweeps onto land, engulfing everything in its path.

Part B Vocabulary

A slab	A broad, flat somewhat thick piece of stone, wood or other solid material				Saw-tooth	Having a zigzag profile similar to the teeth of a saw
Sheer	Perpendicular, very steep				To loom	To come into view in indistinct and enlarged form
A geological fault	A crack in the earth's crust caused by displacement of the two sides				A spring	A coiled wire
Sharp	Having angular lines

Part B Questions

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On what date did the tsunami being described, take place ?

26th December 2004

Why was it of interest to scientists ?

It was such a big tsunami, they wanted to understand how different the earthquake was that had caused it.

What was below the ship ?

A vast undersea chain of mountains.

How have these been formed and over how many years ?

They have been pushed up over millions of years through the action of two tectonic plates.

What did the scientists use to investigate the seabed ?

Remote equipment.

What did they find first ?

A sheer vertical cliff with a sharp, saw-teeth edge that was evidence of the formation of a recent fault.

What did they discover next ?

A second, bigger cliff above the first.

What did this give evidence of ?

A megathrust earthquake.

What is the magnitude of this kind of earthquake ?

Always over 9.

Why did it happen on this particular date ?

After hundreds of years of the plates pushing together, the pressure that had built up reached breaking point on that day.

Hope you did OK! 

 Bye...until the next post! 

Crabs and Cars Answers

 Hi all,

Here are the answers to the vocabulary and questions in the Crabs and Cars post. I hope you enjoyed the topic - I thought it was fun and thanks to Science Daily for putting up such fantastic little video clips for us to share.

Nimbly – quick, light and agile in movement or action¹

Tricky – involving snags or difficulties ; requiring caution or skill²

Strain – to stretch or force³

Guages – scales of measurement⁴

Wiggling – to move back and forth with irregular movements⁵

To set the stage – to make ready for further developments

Common – ordinary⁶

^1,2,3,4,5,6are from The Free Dictionary.com

What is the main theme of this video clip ?

The study of animal movement witha view to applying it to engineering projects.

Why do the scientists want to study animals in particular ?

They are spectacular performers.

What sort of surfaces can the animals move through ?

All kinds of terrain – sand, rocks

In what two ways are their movements measured ?

- Ghost Crab – a backpack with strain guages

- Lizard – high speed camera

What is the other thing that the physicists are measuring ?

They are measuring how other different forces impact unstable materials.

Why are they doing this ?

To make devices that can better move through the different types of terrain.

On what sort of creature is the robot designed by engineers at Pennsylvania University

based?

The common cockroach

Do they know how to design a car based on this technology yet ?

No (not at the time the video clip was made).

In what way is motion said to be changing ?

One step at a time !

Keep checking back for more posts!

About Tsunamis

Hi all,

Here I am with another link and questions about it to help with your listening and vocabulary. I hope there won't be a problem with it as it comes from National Geographic originally and doesn't appear on their site now which I think is a shame as it's interesting and has nice graphics.

It's loooong!!!!


As it is so long, I decided to break it up for you so you can go off for a coffee (see, that is why the coffee bit is in my blog domain name!) and come back to it when you feel refreshed! I have also started the vocabulary and questions from 3.50 as the first bit is just the introduction and although a very good one, is not going to challenge you enough!

Part A starts at 3.50 and as usual,  I have put some vocabulary up first for you to check out in a dictionary if you don't know it already. Part B starts at 6.03. -->

Part A (3.50)

To trigger something	To sweep onto
To shift	To engulf
A landslide	To near
To be thrust up	To brake
The body of water	onshore
The ripples

 Here is the link: About Tsunamis
Watch the clip up to about 6.03 then stop it. Now try to answer Part A questions. Keep going back over it if you have forgotton stuff.
  -->

How is an ocean wave caused ?

What 3 things can cause a tsunami and what makes it so different from an ordinary wave ?

Exactly what happens to the ocean bed when an earthquake cracks the ocean floor ?

What is the effect of this on the water above it ?

Describe the height and length of a tsunami.

What 3 things happen as it reaches land ?

How is the wave described ?

Does it break onshore ? If not, what does it do ?

 
Now either go and have a coffee....or not....then start Part B with the next set of vocabulary. 
  -->

Part B (6.03)

A slab	Saw-tooth
Sheer	To loom
A geological fault	A spring
Sharp

 
When you are ready, start watching again and at the end, try to answer Part B questions. 

-->

On what date did the tsunami being described, take place ?

Why was it of interest to scientists ?

What was below the ship ?

How have these been formed and over how many years ?

What did the scientists use to investigate the seabed ?

What did they find first ?

What did they discover next ?

What did this give evidence of ?

What is the magnitude of this kind of earthquake ?

Why did it happen on this particular date ?

Too short????!!!!
Yep...I know! You were getting really interested and the clip just stopped suddenly! But there is Part 2, so go ahead, watch some more!!

Here are the answers: Answers About Tsunamis

Keep checking back - you never know what I will post next!!! 

;-)