SHORT HISTORY, LONG ECHOES · A2/B1 · 50 min

Shackleton and the Endurance

A ship gets stuck in the ice — and everyone survives.

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Today: learn 8 key words, then tell the true story of a ship called the Endurance. Grammar: will and going to for the future.

Key words — learn them first

Here are 8 simple words for today's story. Read each word. Try to say its meaning out loud. Then click to check.

1. an explorer
A person who travels to new and difficult places.
2. ice
Water that is very cold and hard, like in your freezer.
3. trapped
Stuck. You cannot move and you cannot get out.
4. to sink
To go down under the water. (Boats sink.)
5. a lifeboat
A small boat you use to escape when a big ship is in danger.
6. an island
Land with water all around it.
7. to rescue
To save someone from danger.
8. to survive
To stay alive when something is very dangerous.

Now put the words in order

These six things tell the story, but they are mixed up. Put them in the right order (1 to 6) and say it out loud — "I think ___ is first, then ___…" — then check.

  • A. a small boat
  • B. the ship is stuck
  • C. the ship sinks
  • D. rescue
  • E. the ship sails into ice
  • F. the ice traps the ship

1 = E (ship sails into ice) · 2 = F (ice traps ship) · 3 = B (ship is stuck)

4 = C (ship sinks) · 5 = A (small boat) · 6 = D (rescue)

Now talk — out loud

Before we read:
  • Which words are about danger? Which word is good news?
  • Use three of the words. What do you think happens in this story?

The story, in three parts

Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.

Part 1 — A big plan

In 1914, an explorer called Ernest Shackleton had a big plan. He wanted to be the first person to walk across Antarctica. Antarctica is the land at the bottom of the world. It is full of ice and snow. It is very, very cold.

His ship was called the Endurance. On the ship there were 28 men. They sailed south, towards the ice.

But there was a big problem. Before the men could start their walk, the ship got stuck in thick ice. The ice was all around the ship. The ship could not move forwards. It could not move back. The men were trapped.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What did Shackleton want to do?

2. What happened to the ship?

1. He wanted to be the first person to walk across Antarctica.

2. The ship got stuck (trapped) in thick ice and could not move.

Talk about it:
  • The men were trapped in the ice. How do you think they felt? What can they do now?

Part 2 — The ship sinks

The ship was stuck for many months. The men waited and waited. Then, slowly, the ice broke the ship. The ice was too strong. In the end, the ship sank under the water.

Now the men had no ship. They lived on the ice for a long time. It was very cold and very hard. But Shackleton helped them. He kept the men together. He did not give up.

The men had three small boats from the ship. When the ice broke up, they got into the small boats. They sailed across the freezing sea. After a dangerous trip, they reached a small, empty island.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What happened to the ship in the end?

2. How did the men get to the island?

1. The ice broke the ship and it sank under the water.

2. They used three small boats and sailed across the sea to a small, empty island.

Talk about it:
  • The men were now safe on land. But was the danger over? Why or why not?

Part 3 — The rescue

The island was empty. No one lived there. No one knew the men were there. So no one was coming to help them.

Shackleton made a very brave plan. He took five men and a tiny boat. They sailed 800 miles across a very dangerous sea to find help. The sea was full of big waves. It was very, very hard. But they did it.

Then Shackleton and his men walked across high mountains to a small station, where there were people. In the end, Shackleton came back for his men. He saved every single one of them. Nobody died. Today, it is one of the most famous survival stories in the world.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Why did Shackleton sail away in a tiny boat?

2. How did the story end?

1. No one knew where the men were, so he sailed 800 miles to find help.

2. Shackleton came back and saved every man. Nobody died.

Talk about it:
  • Shackleton did not give up. Why is it important to never give up in a hard time?

Grammar: will & going to

We use will and going to to talk about the future. They are a little different.

going to = a plan you made before. "I am going to walk across Antarctica." (This was the plan.)
will = a promise or a decision you make now. "I will come back for you!" (A promise, right now.)

1. going to — the plans

Put the verb in the going to form (am / is / are going to + verb).

1. Shackleton said, "I (walk) across Antarctica."

2. The 28 men (sail) to the ice on the ship.

3. "We (cross) the whole country on foot," he said.

1. am going to walk

2. are going to sail

3. are going to cross

These were all plans, made before. (But the plan went wrong!)

2. will — the promises

Put the verb in the will form (will + verb).

1. Shackleton said, "I (come) back for you."

2. "We (not / leave) anyone here," he said.

3. "I promise — you (be) safe," he told the men.

1. will come

2. will not leave (won't leave)

3. will be

These are promises and decisions. We use will for promises.

Listen

There is a real podcast about this story. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.

Your job is easy: you know the story now, and you know the key words. So just try to catch a few words you know — a name, a place, a word from today. Don't worry about the rest. This is great practice for your ears.

🎧 Short History Of… Shackleton and the Endurance

From the Noiser podcast network. Hosted by historians, roughly 50 minutes.

Listen on Spotify →
While you listen:
  • Write down three words you hear and know from today's lesson (ice, ship, island…).
  • Can you hear the name Shackleton? Can you hear the ship's name, Endurance?

Speak

Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.

Useful language: use going to for the plan ("they were going to walk across Antarctica"), and will for promises ("I will come back"). For your opinion: "I think…", "For me…", "In my opinion…".
Time remaining: 3:00
Task A · Tell the story (3 minutes)

Tell the story of Shackleton in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a big plan → the ship gets stuck in the ice → the ship sinks → the men live on the ice → small boats to an island → a tiny boat for help → rescue, nobody dies.

Try to use will and going to, and some key words (explorer, ice, trapped, sink, lifeboat, island, rescue, survive).

Task B · Success or failure? (3 minutes)

Shackleton failed his mission — he never walked across Antarctica, and he lost his ship. But he saved all his men. Was he a success or a failure? Why?

Task C · A hard time (3 minutes)

Tell me about a difficult journey or a hard time in your life, or in your country. What was the problem? How did it end?

Not sure what to talk about? Choose one:

  • A long or difficult trip — a delayed flight, a bus that broke down, getting lost.
  • A time the weather caused a big problem (snow, a storm, a flood).
  • Your first days in a new place — a new school, job, or country.
  • A time you were stuck and had to wait, or had to ask for help.
  • A hard time in your country that people still remember.

To finish

  1. Shackleton never gave up. Are you a person who gives up easily, or not? Why?
  2. Would you like to be an explorer? Where would you like to go?
  3. From memory: what is the difference between will and going to? Give me one example of each.