Australia has a new zoo with pretend animals. These animals look real, but they are made with light and lasers. People can touch and walk with these pretend animals. The zoo also lets you smell flowers and trees. The man who made this zoo, Bruce Dell, thinks these pretend animals can change many things like shows, shops, and doctor’s work.

Scientists at a big school in Australia are making these pretend animals even better. They are making them smaller and more detailed. This could help doctors see inside our bodies better. There is also a play in Australia that has a pretend person. This play helps people who don’t eat enough.

Original news source: Why a ‘hologram revolution’ could be on the way (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 pretend animal from the article using gestures and body language. The other groups will try to guess the animal being portrayed. Encourage the use of English vocabulary to describe the animal.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “zoo” on the board. Ask the students to brainstorm and write down as many words as they can think of that are related to a zoo. After a few minutes, have the students share their words and create a word association web on the board.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. pretend, lasers, smell, detailed, etc.). One student will draw a picture to represent the word, while the other student tries to guess the word. Encourage the students to use English to describe the word they are trying to guess.

– Keyword Taboo
Instructions: Write a selection of keywords from the article on index cards. Divide the class into two teams. One member from each team will come to the front of the class. The teacher will show them a keyword card, and they must try to describe the keyword to their team without using the actual word. The team that guesses the keyword correctly gets a point.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a topic related to the article (e.g. pretend animals in zoos, using lasers in medical technology, etc.). Have the groups discuss and write down the pros and cons of their assigned topic. After a few minutes, have each group share their ideas with the class and facilitate a class discussion on the topics.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is special about the animals at the new zoo?
2. Can people touch and walk with the pretend animals?
3. What can the pretend animals change?
4. What are the scientists doing to make the pretend animals even better?
5. How could the smaller and more detailed pretend animals help doctors?
6. What is special about the play in Australia?
7. Who does the play help?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Australia has a new zoo with (1)______ (2)______. These animals look real, but they are made with light and lasers. People can touch and walk with these pretend animals. The zoo also lets you smell (3)______ and (4)______. The man who made this zoo, Bruce Dell, thinks these pretend animals can change many things like shows, shops, and doctor’s work.

(5)______ at a big school in Australia are making these pretend animals even better. They are making them smaller and more (6)______. This could help doctors see inside our bodies better. There is also a play in Australia that has a pretend person. This play helps people who don’t eat enough.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a zoo?
2. How would you feel if you could touch and walk with pretend animals?
3. Do you like smelling flowers and trees? Why or why not?
4. What do you think shows, shops, and doctor’s work could be changed by pretend animals?
5. What are scientists doing to make the pretend animals even better?
6. How would it help doctors if the pretend animals were smaller and more detailed?
7. Have you ever seen a play? What was it about?
8. How do you think a play with a pretend person can help people who don’t eat enough?
9. Do you like going to the zoo? Why or why not?
10. How do you think pretend animals are different from real animals?
11. Do you think pretend animals are a good idea? Why or why not?
12. What other things do you think pretend animals could be used for?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. pretend
2. animals
3. light
4. lasers
5. touch
6. smell
7. flowers
8. trees

Meanings:
(a) Not real, just make-believe
(b) Tall plants with branches and leaves
(c) Pretty plants with colorful petals
(d) A special kind of light that can cut things
(e) To use your hands to feel something
(f) Something that helps us see in the dark
(g) To use your nose to sense something
(h) Living creatures that can move and make sounds
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What are the animals in the new zoo made of?
(a) Wood and metal
(b) Plastic and paper
(c) Fur and feathers
(d) Light and lasers

2. What can people do with the pretend animals in the zoo?
(a) Touch and walk with them
(b) Watch them from afar
(c) Feed them food
(d) Ride on their backs

3. What else can people experience at the zoo?
(a) Riding roller coasters
(b) Smelling flowers and trees
(c) Swimming with dolphins
(d) Playing with real animals

4. Who made the new zoo?
(a) Steve Jobs
(b) Mary Smith
(c) John Johnson
(d) Bruce Dell

5. What are the scientists in Australia doing to the pretend animals?
(a) Making them smaller and more detailed
(b) Making them bigger and scarier
(c) Painting them different colors
(d) Giving them real fur and feathers

6. How can the smaller and more detailed pretend animals help doctors?
(a) They can help doctors perform surgeries
(b) They can help doctors see inside our bodies better
(c) They can help doctors talk to patients
(d) They can help doctors write prescriptions

7. What is the pretend person in the play in Australia for?
(a) Teaching people how to dance
(b) Entertaining children at birthday parties
(c) Helping people who don’t eat enough
(d) Showing people how to cook

8. What are some things that the pretend animals can change?
(a) Movies, restaurants, and schools
(b) Parks, museums, and libraries
(c) Shows, shops, and doctor’s work
(d) Cars, airplanes, and trains

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. In Australia, there is a new zoo where the animals are not real, but made with light and lasers.
2. The woman who made the zoo is named Alice Dell.
3. The zoo also has flowers and trees that you can smell.
4. People cannot touch or walk with these pretend animals at the zoo.
5. The pretend animals could help doctors see inside our bodies better.
6. The scientists are making the real animals larger and less detailed.
7. Scientists at a small school in Australia are making the real animals even worse.
8. Bruce Dell believes that these pretend animals can change things like shows, shops, and doctor’s work.
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 is the new zoo in Australia like?
2. What are the pretend animals made of?
3. Can people touch and walk with the pretend animals?
4. What are scientists doing to make the pretend animals better?
5. How does the play in Australia help people who don’t eat enough?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is special about the animals at the new zoo?
The animals at the new zoo are pretend animals made with light and lasers.

2. Can people touch and walk with the pretend animals?
Yes, people can touch and walk with the pretend animals.

3. What can the pretend animals change?
The pretend animals can change many things like shows, shops, and doctor’s work.

4. What are the scientists doing to make the pretend animals even better?
The scientists are making the pretend animals smaller and more detailed.

5. How could the smaller and more detailed pretend animals help doctors?
The smaller and more detailed pretend animals could help doctors see inside our bodies better.

6. What is special about the play in Australia?
The play in Australia has a pretend person.

7. Who does the play help?
The play helps people who don’t eat enough.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) pretend
(2) animals
(3) flowers
(4) trees
(5) Scientists
(6) detailed
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. pretend
Answer: (a) Not real, just make-believe

2. animals
Answer: (h) Living creatures that can move and make sounds

3. light
Answer: (f) Something that helps us see in the dark

4. lasers
Answer: (d) A special kind of light that can cut things

5. touch
Answer: (e) To use your hands to feel something

6. smell
Answer: (g) To use your nose to sense something

7. flowers
Answer: (c) Pretty plants with colorful petals

8. trees
Answer: (b) Tall plants with branches and leaves
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What are the animals in the new zoo made of?
Answer: (d) Light and lasers

2. What can people do with the pretend animals in the zoo?
Answer: (a) Touch and walk with them

3. What else can people experience at the zoo?
Answer: (b) Smelling flowers and trees

4. Who made the new zoo?
Answer: (d) Bruce Dell

5. What are the scientists in Australia doing to the pretend animals?
Answer: (a) Making them smaller and more detailed

6. How can the smaller and more detailed pretend animals help doctors?
Answer: (b) They can help doctors see inside our bodies better

7. What is the pretend person in the play in Australia for?
Answer: (c) Helping people who don’t eat enough

8. What are some things that the pretend animals can change?
Answer: (c) Shows, shops, and doctor’s work
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. In Australia, there is a new zoo where the animals are not real, but made with light and lasers. (Answer: True)
2. The woman who made the zoo is named Alice Dell. (Answer: False)
3. The zoo also has flowers and trees that you can smell. (Answer: True)
4. People cannot touch or walk with these pretend animals at the zoo. (Answer: False)
5. The pretend animals could help doctors see inside our bodies better. (Answer: True)
6. The scientists are making the real animals larger and less detailed. (Answer: False)
7. Scientists at a small school in Australia are making the real animals even worse. (Answer: False)
8. Bruce Dell believes that these pretend animals can change things like shows, shops, and doctor’s work. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧