The stones that move by themselves in Death Valley

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The stones that move by themselves in Death Valley

Warm-up

Have you ever heard of Death Valley? (Yes, it's...)

Vocabulary Match

pieces -   - path
conditions -   - scientists
trail -   - situations
researchers -   - parts
realizing -   - understanding
rare -   - uncommon

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In Death Valley, there is a place called Racetrack Playa where stones seem to move by themselves. Each stone moves a little bit every year, leaving a ________ on the ground. Scientists have been studying these "sailing stones" since the 1940s. They thought that wind, water, or ice might make the stones move.

In 2011, a scientist named Ralph Lorenz suggested that ice might lift the stones off the ground so the wind could move them. Recently, Lorenz and other ________ used cameras and GPS to watch the stones move. They discovered that the stones move when certain weather ________ happen.

First, it has to rain. Then, it has to freeze at night so that ice forms. The next day, the ice needs to break into large ________ and float on water. The wind can then push the ice into the stones, moving them across the ground.

Jim Norris, one of the researchers, said, "It's possible that tourists have actually seen this happening without ________ it." It is very ________ for all these conditions to happen at the same time. But when they do, the ice can move many stones at once. On December 20, 2013, more than 60 rocks moved on the same day.

Quiz

  1. What did Lorenz and other researchers discover?
  2. What have tourists possibly seen without realizing?

True or False

  1. The stones at Racetrack Playa have been moving since the 1940s.  T  |  F
  2. Scientists used cameras and GPS to watch the stones move.  T  |  F
  3. On December 20, 2013, up to 60 rocks moved on the same day.  T  |  F

Conversation

A: Hey Ralph, any movement on those stones today?
B: Yeah, Jim! More than 60 moved today.
A: Wow, that's a lot! Any tourists around?
B: A few, but I don't think they realized what was happening.
A: They probably thought it was magic or something!
B: Yeah, science is often mistaken for magic!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever visited a desert?
  2. Do you know any other natural mysteries like the moving stones?
  3. What place in nature, anywhere in the world, would you like to visit?

True Story Answers

In Death Valley, there is a place called Racetrack Playa where stones seem to move by themselves. Each stone moves a little bit every year, leaving a trail on the ground. Scientists have been studying these "sailing stones" since the 1940s. They thought that wind, water, or ice might make the stones move.

In 2011, a scientist named Ralph Lorenz suggested that ice might lift the stones off the ground so the wind could move them. Recently, Lorenz and other researchers used cameras and GPS to watch the stones move. They discovered that the stones move when certain weather conditions happen.

First, it has to rain. Then, it has to freeze at night so that ice forms. The next day, the ice needs to break into large pieces and float on water. The wind can then push the ice into the stones, moving them across the ground.

Jim Norris, one of the researchers, said, "It's possible that tourists have actually seen this happening without realizing it." It is very rare for all these conditions to happen at the same time. But when they do, the ice can move many stones at once. On December 20, 2013, more than 60 rocks moved on the same day.

Vocabulary Answers

trail → path
researchers → scientists
conditions → situations
pieces → parts
realizing → understanding
rare → uncommon

Quiz Answers

  1. They discovered that the stones move when certain weather conditions happen.
  2. The wind pushing ice into the stones, moving them across the ground.

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. False

Further Reading

https://www.vox.com/2014/8/28/6078799/sailing-stones-death-valley

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ESL Lessons: True Stories