Big fires in Bolivia have hurt a lot of land and animals. Many animals need help because their homes are burned. Farmers are having a hard time because it’s very hot and their plants and animals are not doing well. People who live there are helping the animals. They give them water and food like fruit.

The leader of Bolivia, Luis Arce, is asking people from other places to help. The fires are very bad for the country and the big forest called the Amazon. Pictures show people in San Buenaventura taking care of a small animal that looks like a raccoon. They are giving water and fruit to the animals. A man who takes care of a park is looking for animals that are hurt or stuck because of the fires.

Original news source: Bolivia wildfires: Locals care for animals affected by blazes (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Write down a list of animal names on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat. One student from each group will pick a piece of paper from the hat and act out the animal without speaking. The other group members have to guess the animal. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different animals.

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article aloud to the class. Then, divide the class into pairs. Each pair will take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner. Encourage them to use their own words and keep the summary brief. After both partners have had a turn, ask a few pairs to share their summaries with the whole class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write the following question on the board: “Do you think it is important to help animals affected by the fires in Bolivia? Why or why not?” Have the students discuss their opinions in small groups. After a few minutes, ask each group to share their opinions with the class. Encourage the students to listen to each other’s opinions and ask follow-up questions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down a list of vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into small groups. One student from each group will pick a word and draw a picture to represent it, while the rest of the group tries to guess the word. The group that guesses the word gets a point. Repeat with different vocabulary words.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about the following question: “What can individuals do to help animals affected by natural disasters?” Give the students a few minutes to think about their answers individually. Then, have them pair up with a partner and share their ideas. After a few minutes, ask a few pairs to share their ideas with the whole class. Encourage the students to listen to each other’s ideas and add to their own.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened in Bolivia that hurt the land and animals?
2. Why do the animals need help?
3. Why are the farmers having a hard time?
4. How are the people helping the animals?
5. Who is asking for help from other places?
6. Why are the fires bad for the country and the Amazon forest?
7. What are the people in San Buenaventura doing to take care of the animals?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Big fires in Bolivia have hurt a lot of land and animals. Many animals (1)______ help because their homes are burned. Farmers are having a (2)______ time because it’s very hot and their plants and animals are not (3)______ well. People who live there are helping the animals. They give them (4)______ and food like fruit.

The leader of Bolivia, Luis Arce, is asking people from other (5)______ to help. The fires are very bad for the country and the big (6)______ called the Amazon. Pictures show people in San Buenaventura taking care of a small animal that looks like a raccoon. They are giving water and fruit to the (7)______. A man who takes (8)______ of a park is looking for animals that are hurt or stuck because of the fires.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is happening in Bolivia right now?
2. How do you think the animals feel when their homes are burned?
3. Do you think it’s important to help the animals? Why or why not?
4. How do you think the farmers feel when their plants and animals are not doing well?
5. What do the people in San Buenaventura do to help the animals?
6. How do you think the leader of Bolivia feels about the fires?
7. Do you think it’s good to ask people from other places to help? Why or why not?
8. What do the pictures show people doing in San Buenaventura?
9. How do you think the man who takes care of the park feels when he finds hurt or stuck animals?
10. Have you ever seen a raccoon before? What do you think they look like?
11. What do you think the animals eat when people give them food?
12. Do you think it’s important to take care of the land and animals? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. fires
2. hurt
3. animals
4. hot
5. water
6. food
7. country
8. help

Meanings:
(a) When something causes pain or damage
(b) Clear liquid that you drink and use to wash things
(c) Something you eat to give you energy and make you strong
(d) When you do something to make someone feel better
(e) A place where people live, like a city or a town
(f) Very warm, like an oven or the sun
(g) Big, dangerous flames that burn things
(h) Living creatures that can move and breathe
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why are the animals in Bolivia needing help?
(a) They are hungry
(b) Their homes are burned
(c) They are lost
(d) They are tired

2. What are the farmers having a hard time with?
(a) The hot weather
(b) The rainy weather
(c) The cold weather
(d) The windy weather

3. Who is asking people for help in Bolivia?
(a) The farmers
(b) The animals
(c) The firefighters
(d) Luis Arce

4. What are the people in San Buenaventura giving to the animals?
(a) Water and fruit
(b) Toys and clothes
(c) Books and pencils
(d) Candy and soda

5. What is the big forest called that is being affected by the fires?
(a) The Sahara
(b) The Arctic
(c) The Amazon
(d) The Rocky Mountains

6. What are the people in the park looking for?
(a) Lost toys
(b) Hurt or stuck animals
(c) Hidden treasures
(d) Broken trees

7. What is the leader of Bolivia’s name?
(a) Juan Garcia
(b) Maria Lopez
(c) Luis Arce
(d) Pedro Sanchez

8. What are the people from other places being asked to do?
(a) Help the farmers
(b) Help the firefighters
(c) Help the park
(d) Help the animals

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The farmers are having an easy time because it’s very hot and their plants and animals are doing well.
2. The leader of Bolivia, Luis Arce, is asking people from other places to help.
3. A man who vandalizes a park is looking for animals that are hurt or stuck because of the fires.
4. People in San Buenaventura are neglecting a small animal that looks like a raccoon by denying it water and fruit.
5. The fires are very bad for the country and the big forest called the Amazon.
6. The animals need help because their homes are flooded.
7. People who live in Bolivia are helping the animals by giving them water and fruit.
8. There are big fires in Bolivia that have hurt the land and animals.
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 happened in Bolivia that hurt the land and animals?
2. Why do the animals need help?
3. Why are the farmers having a hard time?
4. How are the people helping the animals?
5. Who is asking for help from people in other places?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened in Bolivia that hurt the land and animals?
There were big fires in Bolivia that hurt the land and animals.

2. Why do the animals need help?
The animals need help because their homes are burned and they have no food or water.

3. Why are the farmers having a hard time?
The farmers are having a hard time because it’s very hot and their plants and animals are not doing well.

4. How are the people helping the animals?
The people are giving water and food like fruit to the animals to help them.

5. Who is asking for help from other places?
The leader of Bolivia, Luis Arce, is asking for help from other places.

6. Why are the fires bad for the country and the Amazon forest?
The fires are bad because they hurt the land and animals, and they also harm the big forest called the Amazon.

7. What are the people in San Buenaventura doing to take care of the animals?
The people in San Buenaventura are giving water and fruit to the animals to take care of them.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) need
(2) hard
(3) doing
(4) water
(5) places
(6) forest
(7) animals
(8) care
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. fires
Answer: (g) Big, dangerous flames that burn things

2. hurt
Answer: (a) When something causes pain or damage

3. animals
Answer: (h) Living creatures that can move and breathe

4. hot
Answer: (f) Very warm, like an oven or the sun

5. water
Answer: (b) Clear liquid that you drink and use to wash things

6. food
Answer: (c) Something you eat to give you energy and make you strong

7. country
Answer: (e) A place where people live, like a city or a town

8. help
Answer: (d) When you do something to make someone feel better
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why are the animals in Bolivia needing help?
Answer: (b) Their homes are burned

2. What are the farmers having a hard time with?
Answer: (a) The hot weather

3. Who is asking people for help in Bolivia?
Answer: (d) Luis Arce

4. What are the people in San Buenaventura giving to the animals?
Answer: (a) Water and fruit

5. What is the big forest called that is being affected by the fires?
Answer: (c) The Amazon

6. What are the people in the park looking for?
Answer: (b) Hurt or stuck animals

7. What is the leader of Bolivia’s name?
Answer: (c) Luis Arce

8. What are the people from other places being asked to do?
Answer: (d) Help the animals
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The farmers are having an easy time because it’s very hot and their plants and animals are doing well. (Answer: False)
2. The leader of Bolivia, Luis Arce, is asking people from other places to help. (Answer: True)
3. A man who vandalizes a park is looking for animals that are hurt or stuck because of the fires. (Answer: False)
4. People in San Buenaventura are neglecting a small animal that looks like a raccoon by denying it water and fruit. (Answer: False)
5. The fires are very bad for the country and the big forest called the Amazon. (Answer: True)
6. The animals need help because their homes are flooded. (Answer: False)
7. People who live in Bolivia are helping the animals by giving them water and fruit. (Answer: True)
8. There are big fires in Bolivia that have hurt the land and animals. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧