At first, the machine had trouble knowing what it was looking at. It thought badgers were umbrellas or sinks. But after some work, it learned to see the animals right. Now, the machine sees the animals and makes a loud sound to scare them away. The man thinks this machine could be used in other places to keep animals away.
Original news source: Man trains home cameras to help repel badgers and foxes (BBC)
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of animal flashcards, including foxes and badgers. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and act out the animal on their flashcard without speaking. The rest of the team must guess which animal it is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will read the article and then write a summary of the main points in their own words. Afterward, each pair will share their summary with the class. This activity will help students practice reading comprehension and summarizing skills.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a poll with the question, "Do you think it is right to use sound machines to scare away animals?" Have students go around the class and ask their classmates for their opinion. They should record their classmates' responses and then report back to the class with the results. This activity will encourage students to practice asking and answering questions, as well as expressing their opinions.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board, such as "garden," "animals," "machine," etc. Divide the class into small groups. One person from each group will choose a word and draw it on the board while their teammates try to guess what it is. This activity will help students practice vocabulary recognition and communication skills.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs, students will create a newspaper headline related to the article. The headline should summarize the main idea in a catchy and attention-grabbing way. Afterward, each pair will share their headline with the class. This activity will encourage students to think creatively and practice summarizing skills.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
He made a special machine.
He used his home cameras and a sound-making machine.
He named it the Furbinator 3000.
Because they can hurt animals.
So his kids could play there.
It had trouble knowing what the animals were.
It makes a loud sound to scare them away.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A man in England a machine to keep foxes and badgers out of his garden. He used his home cameras and a sound-making machine to scare the animals away. He named this machine the 3000. Some people don't like these sound machines because they can hurt animals. But the man wanted to his garden safe and clean for his kids to play. At first, the machine had trouble knowing what it was looking at. It thought were umbrellas or . But after some work, it learned to see the animals . Now, the machine sees the animals and makes a loud sound to them away. The man thinks this machine could be used in other places to keep animals away.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a special machine?
2. How would you feel if animals came into your garden?
3. Do you like the Furbinator 3000? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about using cameras to scare animals away?
5. How do you think the man's kids feel about having a safe and clean garden?
6. Do you think it's important to keep animals out of gardens? Why or why not?
7. What do you think the man named the machine?
8. How do you think the animals feel when they hear the loud sound?
9. What do you think the machine thought the badgers were at first?
10. How do you think the man felt when the machine learned to see the animals right?
11. Do you think the machine could be used in other places? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the animals feel when they are scared away by the machine?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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