A man in England found a cool way to keep foxes and badgers out of his garden. He connected his home cameras to a device that makes high-pitched sounds. When the cameras see the animals, the device makes the sounds and scares them away. He calls his invention the Furbinator 3000. It took some time to teach the cameras to recognize the animals, but after using machine learning, it finally worked.

Some people don’t like devices like the Furbinator. They say the loud sounds can hurt animals. But the man who made it, James Milward, wanted a way to protect his garden and his kids without hurting the animals. He thinks his invention could also help farmers who have trouble with predators.

Milward is sharing the code he used to program the cameras with other people. He doesn’t want to make money from the Furbinator. He just wants to help people solve problems with animals. Even though his wife doesn’t understand why he made it, Milward is proud of his invention and wants to keep finding unique solutions.

Original news source: Man trains home cameras to help repel badgers and foxes (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns acting out a word or phrase related to the article (e.g. garden, animals, invention). The other groups must guess the word or phrase within a time limit. The group with the most correct guesses wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students work in pairs. Each pair must write a summary of the article in their own words, using no more than 5 sentences. Afterward, they will share their summaries with the class and discuss any differences or similarities.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article (e.g. “Using the Furbinator is a good solution to protect gardens”). Have the students move around the room and ask their classmates for their opinions on each statement. They should record their classmates’ responses (agree, disagree, or unsure) and be prepared to share the results with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns choosing a vocabulary word from the article and drawing it on the board without using any letters or numbers. The other groups must guess the word within a time limit. The group with the most correct guesses wins.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. One group will brainstorm the pros (advantages) of using the Furbinator, while the other group will brainstorm the cons (disadvantages). Afterward, the groups will debate their points and try to convince the other group to change their opinion.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the man in England do to keep foxes and badgers out of his garden?
2. What is the name of the invention the man created?
3. How did the man teach the cameras to recognize the animals?
4. Why do some people not like devices like the Furbinator?
5. What is the man’s name who made the Furbinator?
6. Why did James Milward create the Furbinator?
7. What is James Milward sharing with other people?
8. How does James Milward feel about his invention?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man in England (1)______ a cool way to keep foxes and badgers out of his (2)______. He connected his home cameras to a device that (3)______ high-pitched sounds. When the cameras see the (4)______, the device makes the sounds and scares them away. He calls his invention the Furbinator 3000. It took some time to teach the cameras to (5)______ the animals, but after using machine learning, it finally (6)______.

Some (7)______ don’t like (8)______ like the Furbinator. They say the loud sounds can hurt animals. But the man who made it, James Milward, wanted a way to (9)______ his garden and his kids without hurting the animals. He thinks his (10)______ could also help (11)______ who have trouble with predators.

Milward is sharing the code he used to (12)______ the cameras with other people. He doesn’t want to make money from the (13)______. He just (14)______ to help people (15)______ problems with animals. Even though his wife doesn’t understand why he made it, Milward is proud of his invention and wants to keep finding (16)______ solutions.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is the Furbinator 3000 and how does it work?
2. How do you think the high-pitched sounds scare away the animals?
3. Do you think it’s a good idea to use devices like the Furbinator to keep animals out of gardens? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you had a problem with animals damaging your garden?
5. Do you think it’s important to protect your garden from animals? Why or why not?
6. What are some other ways people can protect their gardens from animals?
7. Do you like the idea of sharing the code for the Furbinator with other people? Why or why not?
8. How do you think the Furbinator could help farmers with predator problems?
9. Do you think it’s fair to use loud sounds to scare away animals? Why or why not?
10. What do you think about James Milward’s decision to not make money from the Furbinator?
11. How do you think James Milward’s wife feels about his invention? Why?
12. Do you have any unique solutions to problems that you’re proud of? Can you share one?
13. Have you ever had a problem with animals in your garden or yard? What did you do to solve it?
14. Do you think it’s important to find solutions to problems like animals damaging gardens? Why or why not?
15. How do you feel when you see animals in your garden or yard?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. cool
2. high-pitched
3. scare
4. hurt
5. protect
6. code
7. unique
8. solutions

Meanings:
(a) Answers or ways to fix a problem or situation
(b) To cause pain or injury to someone or something
(c) A sound that is very high and sharp
(d) Different or special in a way that is interesting or unusual
(e) To make someone feel afraid or frightened
(f) Not hot, but not cold either
(g) To keep someone or something safe from harm or danger
(h) A set of instructions that tells a computer what to do
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the man in England connect his home cameras to?
(a) A device that sprays water
(b) A device that emits a strong smell
(c) A device that makes high-pitched sounds
(d) A device that plays music

2. What is the name of the man’s invention?
(a) The Animal Repeller
(b) The Furbinator 3000
(c) The Garden Protector
(d) The Wildlife Deterrent

3. How did the man teach the cameras to recognize the animals?
(a) By watching animal videos
(b) By reading books about animals
(c) By talking to animal experts
(d) By using machine learning

4. What do some people think about devices like the Furbinator?
(a) They think the devices are too expensive
(b) They think the devices are ineffective
(c) They think the loud sounds can hurt animals
(d) They think the devices are unnecessary

5. Why did James Milward create the Furbinator?
(a) To make money by selling the invention
(b) To protect his garden and his kids without hurting the animals
(c) To scare away his neighbors’ pets
(d) To entertain himself and his family

6. Who does Milward think could benefit from his invention?
(a) Farmers who have trouble with predators
(b) People who want to annoy their neighbors
(c) Kids who want to play pranks on animals
(d) Gardeners who want to attract more wildlife

7. What is Milward doing with the code he used to program the cameras?
(a) Selling it to other inventors
(b) Keeping it a secret
(c) Deleting it from his computer
(d) Sharing it with other people

8. How does Milward feel about his invention?
(a) Proud
(b) Embarrassed
(c) Indifferent
(d) Ashamed

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. A woman in England has come up with a careless way to attract foxes and badgers into her garden.
2. He connected his home cameras to a device that emits high-pitched sounds to scare away the animals.
3. Milward believes his invention could also be useless for farmers dealing with predator problems.
4. The man named his invention the Furbinator 3000.
5. However, the inventor, James Milward, designed it to endanger his garden and children without causing harm.
6. It took some time for the cameras to learn to recognize the animals, but with machine learning, they eventually succeeded.
7. Some people are concerned that the soft sounds from the Furbinator could benefit the animals.
8. He is generously sharing the code he used to program the cameras with others, as he wants to help people solve animal-related issues.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. How does the Furbinator 3000 work to keep foxes and badgers out of the man’s garden?
2. Why do some people not like devices like the Furbinator?
3. What does James Milward want to accomplish by sharing the code he used to program the cameras?
4. Why did James Milward create the Furbinator 3000?
5. How does James Milward feel about his invention?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the man in England do to keep foxes and badgers out of his garden?
He connected his home cameras to a device that makes high-pitched sounds.

2. What is the name of the invention the man created?
The Furbinator 3000.

3. How did the man teach the cameras to recognize the animals?
He used machine learning to teach the cameras to recognize the animals.

4. Why do some people not like devices like the Furbinator?
They believe the loud sounds can hurt animals.

5. What is the man’s name who made the Furbinator?
James Milward.

6. Why did James Milward create the Furbinator?
He wanted a way to protect his garden and his kids without hurting the animals.

7. What is James Milward sharing with other people?
He is sharing the code he used to program the cameras.

8. How does James Milward feel about his invention?
He is proud of his invention and wants to keep finding unique solutions.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) found
(2) garden
(3) makes
(4) animals
(5) recognize
(6) worked
(7) people
(8) devices
(9) protect
(10) invention
(11) farmers
(12) program
(13) Furbinator
(14) wants
(15) solve
(16) unique
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. cool
Answer: (f) Not hot, but not cold either

2. high-pitched
Answer: (c) A sound that is very high and sharp

3. scare
Answer: (e) To make someone feel afraid or frightened

4. hurt
Answer: (b) To cause pain or injury to someone or something

5. protect
Answer: (g) To keep someone or something safe from harm or danger

6. code
Answer: (h) A set of instructions that tells a computer what to do

7. unique
Answer: (d) Different or special in a way that is interesting or unusual

8. solutions
Answer: (a) Answers or ways to fix a problem or situation
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the man in England connect his home cameras to?
Answer: (c) A device that makes high-pitched sounds

2. What is the name of the man’s invention?
Answer: (b) The Furbinator 3000

3. How did the man teach the cameras to recognize the animals?
Answer: (d) By using machine learning

4. What do some people think about devices like the Furbinator?
Answer: (c) They think the loud sounds can hurt animals

5. Why did James Milward create the Furbinator?
Answer: (b) To protect his garden and his kids without hurting the animals

6. Who does Milward think could benefit from his invention?
Answer: (a) Farmers who have trouble with predators

7. What is Milward doing with the code he used to program the cameras?
Answer: (d) Sharing it with other people

8. How does Milward feel about his invention?
Answer: (a) Proud
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. A woman in England has come up with a careless way to attract foxes and badgers into her garden. (Answer: False)
2. He connected his home cameras to a device that emits high-pitched sounds to scare away the animals. (Answer: True)
3. Milward believes his invention could also be useless for farmers dealing with predator problems. (Answer: False)
4. The man named his invention the Furbinator 3000. (Answer: True)
5. However, the inventor, James Milward, designed it to endanger his garden and children without causing harm. (Answer: False)
6. It took some time for the cameras to learn to recognize the animals, but with machine learning, they eventually succeeded. (Answer: True)
7. Some people are concerned that the soft sounds from the Furbinator could benefit the animals. (Answer: False)
8. He is generously sharing the code he used to program the cameras with others, as he wants to help people solve animal-related issues. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧