A dog bit a man’s hand. The dog belongs to a lady who is a leader in a place called Moldova. The man is also a leader, but from a place called Austria. The dog got scared because there were many people. The man’s hand had to be wrapped up, but he still likes dogs.

The lady said she was sorry because her dog bit the man. She said her dog was just scared and is usually nice. The man said it’s okay and he is not mad at the lady or the dog. People are talking about how we should be careful with pets. The lady and the man are still friends, and their places are still friends too.

Original news source: Moldovan president’s dog bites hand of visiting Austrian president (BBC)

Listen

Slow

Normal

Fast

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down words from the article like “dog,” “bite,” “man,” “hand,” “lady,” “leader,” “Moldova,” “Austria,” “scared,” “people,” “wrapped,” “sorry,” “pets,” and “friends” on slips of paper. Students take turns acting out these words without speaking, while the rest of the class tries to guess the word.

– Word Association
Instructions: Say a word related to the article, such as “dog.” Students must quickly say a word that they associate with it, like “bark,” “tail,” or “furry.” Continue around the room with different words related to the article to keep the associations going and encourage quick thinking in English.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and give each group a word or phrase from the article, such as “dog bite” or “wrapped hand.” Each group has to draw a picture representing their word or phrase without writing any words. Then, they show their drawings to the rest of the class, who must guess what they represent.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Have students create a catchy newspaper headline for the article. This could be done individually or in pairs. Encourage them to think of something short and attention-grabbing that summarizes the main event, like “Leader’s Hand Bitten by Dog!” or “Diplomatic Dog Bite Doesn’t Damage Friendship!”

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Place signs on opposite walls of the classroom, one saying “Agree” and the other “Disagree.” Read statements related to the article, such as “Pets should always be kept away from strangers” or “The lady should not bring her dog to public events.” Students move to the side of the room that represents their opinion and discuss their reasons with classmates nearby.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the dog do to the man’s hand?
2. Who does the dog belong to?
3. Where is the man who was bitten a leader?
4. Why did the dog get scared?
5. What did they do to the man’s hand after the dog bit it?
6. What did the lady say about her dog?
7. Are the man and the lady still friends after what happened?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A dog bit a man’s (1)______. The dog belongs to a lady who is a (2)______ in a place called Moldova. The man is also a leader, but from a place called Austria. The dog got scared because there were many (3)______. The man’s hand had to be wrapped up, but he still likes dogs.

The (4)______ said she was sorry because her dog bit the man. She said her dog was just (5)______ and is usually nice. The man said it’s (6)______ and he is not mad at the lady or the dog. People are talking about how we should be careful with (7)______. The lady and the man are still friends, and their (8)______ are still friends too.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a dog?
2. Do you like dogs? Why or why not?
3. Have you ever been scared? How did you feel?
4. What do you do when you say sorry?
5. How would you feel if a dog bit your hand?
6. Do you think it’s important to be careful with pets? Why?
7. What can you do if your pet is scared?
8. Have you ever had to wrap up your hand? Why?
9. Are you still friends with someone after they say sorry? Why or why not?
10. Do you think the man is nice for not being mad? Why?
11. What is a leader? Can you be a leader?
12. Do you think places can be friends, like people? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. dog
2. hand
3. lady
4. leader
5. scared
6. sorry
7. mad
8. friends

Meanings:
(a) Feeling afraid or frightened
(b) The part of your body that you use to grab things
(c) A woman
(d) People who like each other and spend time together
(e) Feeling angry or upset
(f) An animal that barks and wags its tail
(g) Feeling bad for doing something wrong
(h) Someone who tells other people what to do
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who got bit by the dog?
(a) The man
(b) The lady
(c) Another dog
(d) A cat

2. Where is the lady from?
(a) Austria
(b) Moldova
(c) France
(d) Spain

3. Where is the man from?
(a) Moldova
(b) Austria
(c) Germany
(d) Russia

4. Why did the dog get scared?
(a) The man was mean to it
(b) The lady was mean to it
(c) There were many people
(d) It didn’t like the man

5. What happened to the man’s hand?
(a) It got bitten off
(b) It turned into a dog
(c) It got scared too
(d) It had to be wrapped up

6. How did the lady feel about her dog biting the man?
(a) She was sorry
(b) She was happy
(c) She was mad
(d) She didn’t care

7. How did the man feel about the lady and the dog?
(a) He was very mad at them
(b) He was scared of them
(c) He didn’t know them
(d) He was not mad at them

8. What are people talking about?
(a) Going to the park
(b) Eating ice cream
(c) Being careful with pets
(d) Playing with toys

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The dog got scared because there were many people.
2. The man still likes dogs.
3. A cat scratched a man’s hand.
4. The man’s leg had to be wrapped up.
5. The man is not mad at the lady or the dog.
6. The lady said she was sorry because her cat scratched the man.
7. The man is a leader from Austria.
8. The dog belongs to a lady who is a follower in Moldova.
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. Who did the dog bite?
2. Whose dog bit the man?
3. Why did the dog bite the man?
4. What did the lady say about her dog?
5. Are the man and the lady still friends?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the dog do to the man’s hand?
The dog bit the man’s hand.

2. Who does the dog belong to?
The dog belongs to a lady who is a leader in Moldova.

3. Where is the man who was bitten a leader?
The man is a leader in Austria.

4. Why did the dog get scared?
The dog got scared because there were many people.

5. What did they do to the man’s hand after the dog bit it?
They wrapped up the man’s hand.

6. What did the lady say about her dog?
The lady said she was sorry and her dog is usually nice but was just scared.

7. Are the man and the lady still friends after what happened?
Yes, the man and the lady are still friends.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) hand
(2) leader
(3) people
(4) lady
(5) scared
(6) okay
(7) pets
(8) places
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. dog
Answer: (f) An animal that barks and wags its tail

2. hand
Answer: (b) The part of your body that you use to grab things

3. lady
Answer: (c) A woman

4. leader
Answer: (h) Someone who tells other people what to do

5. scared
Answer: (a) Feeling afraid or frightened

6. sorry
Answer: (g) Feeling bad for doing something wrong

7. mad
Answer: (e) Feeling angry or upset

8. friends
Answer: (d) People who like each other and spend time together
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who got bit by the dog?
Answer: (a) The man

2. Where is the lady from?
Answer: (b) Moldova

3. Where is the man from?
Answer: (b) Austria

4. Why did the dog get scared?
Answer: (c) There were many people

5. What happened to the man’s hand?
Answer: (d) It had to be wrapped up

6. How did the lady feel about her dog biting the man?
Answer: (a) She was sorry

7. How did the man feel about the lady and the dog?
Answer: (d) He was not mad at them

8. What are people talking about?
Answer: (c) Being careful with pets
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The dog got scared because there were many people. (Answer: True)
2. The man still likes dogs. (Answer: True)
3. A cat scratched a man’s hand. (Answer: False)
4. The man’s leg had to be wrapped up. (Answer: False)
5. The man is not mad at the lady or the dog. (Answer: True)
6. The lady said she was sorry because her cat scratched the man. (Answer: False)
7. The man is a leader from Austria. (Answer: True)
8. The dog belongs to a lady who is a follower in Moldova. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧