A video about a butter cow wins a prize

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Art & simple descriptions · News English

A video about a butter cow wins a prize

A museum reports an award for a short video about an unusual cow.

A1 · Beginner5–8 minutes

Created by , British English teacher.

The exterior of the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC.
Background photograph of the Renwick Gallery, 21 June 2024. It does not show the butter cow or the award. Resized for display; the card crops the edges.Photo: Ajay Suresh · CC BY 2.0. Resized; card thumbnail cropped.

Read the story, check the words, then answer the questions and speak.

A cow made from butter

Is this a real animal?

1On 1 October, the Smithsonian American Art Museum shared some news. A short video about a cow won a regional Emmy, a prize for television work.

2The cow is not a real animal. It is a sculpture: a work of art with a shape. It is made from butter. Sarah Pratt made it with her daughters, Hannah and Grace. They worked at the Renwick Gallery.

3The cow was part of an art show called State Fairs: Growing American Craft. That show finished in September 2026.

4The museum worked with Smithsonian Digital Studio on the video. The prize is for the video. It is not a prize for the cow itself.

Original teaching summary. Examples and model answers are learning examples, not news quotations.

Word help · Three useful words

Read the meanings and examples. Choose one word to use in your own sentence.

butter

a soft yellow food made from milk

I put butter on bread.

sculpture

a work of art with a shape

This sculpture looks like a bird.

prize

something you win for doing well

The student wins a prize.

Check your reading · Three questions

Choose one answer for every question, then check. You can change an answer and check again.

1. What won the prize?

2. What is the cow made from?

3. Who worked with Sarah Pratt?

Useful English: it is / it is not

Use It is for one thing: It is a sculpture. Use It is not to say no: It is not a real cow. To name a material, use It is made from: It is made from butter.

Speak for 20 seconds

Describe one thing near you. Say what it is and what it is not.

Model and help

Model: It is a picture. It is not a window.

Alone: repeat without reading. Tutor: ask one follow-up question.

Speak: your ideas

Describe one thing near you. Say what it is and what it is not. Give one reason for your answer. Speak for 30-45 seconds.

Labelled model answer

It is a picture. It is not a window.

This is an illustrative learning example, not a news quotation.

Alone: try again without the model. Tutor: ask for one more detail.

Mastery check · Three questions

Choose one answer for every question, then check. You can change an answer and check again.

1. Complete: It ___ a real animal.

2. Which word means a work of art with a shape?

3. Choose the correct sentence.

Sources and reporting date

Published 1 October 2026; datePublished metadata records 00:00 EDT (04:00 UTC). This reports a video award, not an award for a live animal.