A long time ago, people built a very big city in the middle of the jungle where the trees are very tall and thick. No one could see this city for many, many years because the trees and plants grew over it. Some smart people looking for old things found this city. They used special tools to see through the trees. They found places where people used to live, big open spaces, and long paths.

This city is very old, maybe as old as 2,500 years, and people lived there for a very long time. Before, many people thought that only a few people lived in the jungle and they didn’t build big things. But this city shows that a lot of people lived together and made big things a long time ago. The smart people found many houses and paths that are very straight. They also think there were water paths for boats. This city tells us that people a long time ago could do amazing things, just like people today.

Original news source: Huge ancient lost city found in the Amazon (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of cards with words related to the article (e.g. city, jungle, trees, paths). One student from each group will act out the word without speaking, while the other students try to guess the word. Encourage the students to use gestures and body language to communicate.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “city” on the board. Ask the students to think of words that are related to the article and the word “city” (e.g. jungle, trees, paths). Go around the class and have each student share one word. Write all the words on the board and discuss their meanings.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. smart, tools, houses). One student from each pair will draw a picture representing the word, while the other student tries to guess the word. Encourage the students to use simple drawings and gestures to communicate.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a few minutes to read the article. Then, ask each group to summarize the article in one or two sentences. Go around the class and have each group share their summary. Encourage the students to use their own words and keep the summary concise.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about the following question: “Why is it important to study history?” Give them a few minutes to think individually. Then, pair the students up and ask them to discuss their thoughts with their partner. Finally, have a class discussion where each pair shares their ideas. Encourage the students to use simple sentences and share their opinions.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Where did people build a big city a long time ago?
2. Why couldn’t anyone see the city for many years?
3. How did the smart people find the city?
4. How old is the city?
5. What did the smart people find in the city?
6. What do the straight paths in the city show us?
7. What does this city tell us about people a long time ago?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A long time ago, people built a very big (1)______ in the middle of the jungle where the trees are very (2)______ and thick. No one could see this city for many, many years because the trees and plants grew over it. Some smart people looking for old things (3)______ this city. They used special (4)______ to see through the trees. They found places where people used to live, big open spaces, and long paths.

This city is very old, maybe as old as 2,500 years, and people lived there for a very (5)______ (6)______. Before, many people thought that only a few people lived in the jungle and they didn’t build big things. But this city shows that a lot of people lived together and made big things a long time ago. The smart people found many houses and paths that are very straight. They also think there were (7)______ paths for boats. This city tells us that people a long time ago could do amazing (8)______, just like people today.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a jungle?
2. Have you ever seen a very tall tree? How did it make you feel?
3. How would you feel if you found an old city in the middle of the jungle?
4. Do you like exploring and finding new things? Why or why not?
5. What do you think the smart people used to see through the trees?
6. Do you think it’s possible for plants to grow over a city? Why or why not?
7. Why do you think people thought only a few people lived in the jungle before?
8. What do you think it means when the text says “big things”?
9. Have you ever seen a house? What does it look like?
10. How do you think people a long time ago made straight paths?
11. Do you like going on boats? Why or why not?
12. Do you think people a long time ago were amazing? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. jungle
2. city
3. tools
4. paths
5. houses
6. smart
7. old
8. water
9. boats
10. amazing

Meanings:
(A) Things that float on water and can carry people or things
(B) What you drink when you’re thirsty and what fish swim in
(C) A place where lots of people live close together with buildings and streets
(D) Something from a very long time ago
(E) Roads that you can walk or drive on
(F) People who know a lot of things
(G) Things you use to fix stuff or make things
(H) Really, really cool and surprising
(I) A place with lots of trees and animals where it’s easy to get lost
(J) Where people live, like your home
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where was the big city built?
(a) In the desert
(b) In the mountains
(c) In the ocean
(d) In the jungle

2. How did people find the city?
(a) They climbed the tall trees
(b) They used special tools to see through the trees
(c) They dug underground tunnels
(d) They asked the animals for help

3. How old is the city?
(a) Maybe as old as 100 years
(b) Maybe as old as 10 years
(c) Maybe as old as 2,500 years
(d) Maybe as old as 1 year

4. What did the smart people find in the city?
(a) Houses and paths
(b) Cars and airplanes
(c) Robots and computers
(d) Books and toys

5. What did the city show about the people who lived there?
(a) They were very lazy
(b) They could do amazing things
(c) They didn’t build anything
(d) They didn’t like each other

6. What kind of paths did the smart people find?
(a) Very curvy paths
(b) Very bumpy paths
(c) Very long paths
(d) Very straight paths

7. What do the smart people think there were for boats?
(a) Water paths
(b) Air paths
(c) Road paths
(d) Tree paths

8. What does the city tell us about people a long time ago?
(a) They couldn’t do anything
(b) They only built small things
(c) They could do amazing things, just like people today
(d) They didn’t live in cities

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. There might have been water paths for boats in the city.
2. Some people thought that only a few people lived in the jungle, but this city shows that many people lived together.
3. The city was exposed for many years because the trees and plants grew over it.
4. Some smart people found the city by using ordinary tools to see through the trees.
5. The smart people found houses and straight paths in the city.
6. The city is very new, maybe 250 years old.
7. A long time ago, people built a small city in the desert with short trees.
8. Many people used to live in this city for a long time.
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. What did the smart people find in the jungle?
2. How long ago did people live in this city?
3. Did people think that only a few people lived in the jungle?
4. What did the smart people find in the city?
5. What does this city tell us about people a long time ago?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Where did people build a big city a long time ago?
In the middle of the jungle.

2. Why couldn’t anyone see the city for many years?
Because the trees and plants grew over it.

3. How did the smart people find the city?
They used special tools to see through the trees.

4. How old is the city?
It is maybe as old as 2,500 years.

5. What did the smart people find in the city?
They found houses, big open spaces, and long paths.

6. What do the straight paths in the city show us?
They show us that people a long time ago could make things in a straight line.

7. What does this city tell us about people a long time ago?
It tells us that people a long time ago could do amazing things, just like people today.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) city
(2) tall
(3) found
(4) tools
(5) long
(6) time
(7) water
(8) things
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. jungle
Answer: (I) A place with lots of trees and animals where it’s easy to get lost

2. city
Answer: (C) A place where lots of people live close together with buildings and streets

3. tools
Answer: (G) Things you use to fix stuff or make things

4. paths
Answer: (E) Roads that you can walk or drive on

5. houses
Answer: (J) Where people live, like your home

6. smart
Answer: (F) People who know a lot of things

7. old
Answer: (D) Something from a very long time ago

8. water
Answer: (B) What you drink when you’re thirsty and what fish swim in

9. boats
Answer: (A) Things that float on water and can carry people or things

10. amazing
Answer: (H) Really, really cool and surprising
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where was the big city built?
Answer: (d) In the jungle

2. How did people find the city?
Answer: (b) They used special tools to see through the trees

3. How old is the city?
Answer: (c) Maybe as old as 2,500 years

4. What did the smart people find in the city?
Answer: (a) Houses and paths

5. What did the city show about the people who lived there?
Answer: (b) They could do amazing things

6. What kind of paths did the smart people find?
Answer: (d) Very straight paths

7. What do the smart people think there were for boats?
Answer: (a) Water paths

8. What does the city tell us about people a long time ago?
Answer: (c) They could do amazing things, just like people today
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. There might have been water paths for boats in the city. (Answer: True)
2. Some people thought that only a few people lived in the jungle, but this city shows that many people lived together. (Answer: True)
3. The city was exposed for many years because the trees and plants grew over it. (Answer: False)
4. Some smart people found the city by using ordinary tools to see through the trees. (Answer: False)
5. The smart people found houses and straight paths in the city. (Answer: True)
6. The city is very new, maybe 250 years old. (Answer: False)
7. A long time ago, people built a small city in the desert with short trees. (Answer: False)
8. Many people used to live in this city for a long time. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧