A dog got lost and was away from home for 12 days. People used a flying robot with a special camera to find the dog. The camera could see the dog’s body heat, and the dog looked like a white spot on the camera. The robot followed the white spot to a bush where the dog was hiding. The dog’s family was very happy to have him back and now they want to help get more robots to find other lost pets.

The flying robot with the camera is very good at finding animals that are lost. It helped see where the dog was because the dog was warm and stood out. The dog was in the bush for a long time, but the robot helped find him. The family is now trying to get money so the people who have the robot can buy another one. They want to help find more pets that are lost and bring them back to their families.

Original news source: Missing dog found using thermal drone in Bedfordshire (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a word or phrase related to the article (e.g. “lost dog,” “flying robot,” “body heat”). One person from each group will act out the word or phrase without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess what it is.

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students work in pairs. One student will read the article and summarize it in their own words. Then, the other student will listen and try to retell the article based on their partner’s summary. Afterward, they can compare their versions and discuss any differences.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask the students a series of questions related to the article, such as “Do you think using a flying robot to find lost pets is a good idea?” or “Should more money be raised to buy more robots?” Have the students discuss their opinions in small groups and then report back to the class with their findings.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate index cards. Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a set of cards. One person from each group will pick a card and try to draw a picture representing the word, while the rest of the group tries to guess what it is. Continue until all the cards have been used.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article. Set a timer for a short amount of time (e.g. 1 minute). One student will read the article as quickly as possible while their partner listens attentively. When the timer goes off, the second student will try to summarize the article based on what they remember. Switch roles and repeat the activity with a longer timer.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the dog in the story?
2. How did people find the dog?
3. What did the camera on the robot help see?
4. Where was the dog hiding?
5. How did the dog’s family feel when they found him?
6. What do the people want to do with the money they are trying to get?
7. Why do they want to find more lost pets?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A dog got lost and was away from home for 12 days. People used a flying robot with a (1)______ camera to find the dog. The camera could see the dog’s body heat, and the dog looked like a (2)______ spot on the camera. The robot (3)______ the white spot to a bush where the dog was hiding. The dog’s family was very happy to have him back and now they want to help get more robots to find other lost (4)______.

The flying robot with the camera is very (5)______ at finding animals that are lost. It helped see where the dog was because the dog was warm and stood out. The dog was in the (6)______ for a long time, but the robot helped find him. The family is now trying to get (7)______ so the (8)______ who have the robot can buy another one. They want to help find more pets that are lost and bring them back to their families.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a flying robot?
2. How would you feel if your pet got lost?
3. Do you like dogs? Why or why not?
4. What is a camera?
5. How do you think the robot found the dog?
6. Do you think it’s good to have robots help find lost pets? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever seen a bush? What does it look like?
8. How do you think the dog’s family felt when they found him?
9. Do you have a pet? What kind of pet do you have?
10. What do you think the robot can do to help find other lost pets?
11. Why do you think the family wants to get more robots?
12. How can you help if you see a lost pet?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. difficult
2. matching
3. activity
4. corresponding
5. sequence
6. beginner
7. ESL
8. native
9. speaker
10. language

Meanings:
(A) Order in which things follow each other
(B) Learning English when it’s not the first language you spoke
(C) Going together or being the same
(D) Hard to do or understand
(E) When things go together or are the same
(F) Someone who is just starting to learn
(G) Someone who talks
(H) Something you do for fun or to learn
(I) Where you were born
(J) Words we use to talk or write
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How long was the dog away from home?
(a) 1 day
(b) 12 days
(c) 6 days
(d) 24 days

2. What did people use to find the dog?
(a) A flying robot with a special camera
(b) A car
(c) A bicycle
(d) A boat

3. How did the camera on the robot help find the dog?
(a) It could see the dog’s fur color
(b) It could see the dog’s body heat
(c) It could see the dog’s paw prints
(d) It could see the dog’s tail wagging

4. Where did the robot follow the white spot to?
(a) A tree
(b) A lake
(c) A bush
(d) A house

5. How did the dog’s family feel when they found him?
(a) Very happy
(b) Very sad
(c) Very angry
(d) Very scared

6. What are the dog’s family trying to do now?
(a) Get money to buy a car
(b) Get money to buy a house
(c) Get money to buy more robots
(d) Get money to buy a boat

7. What do the dog’s family want to do with more robots?
(a) Go on a vacation
(b) Start a new business
(c) Learn how to fly a robot
(d) Find more lost pets

8. What did the camera on the robot see on the dog?
(a) A black spot
(b) A red spot
(c) A blue spot
(d) A white spot

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The dog’s family was not very happy to have him back.
2. The robot followed the white spot to a bush where the dog was hiding.
3. The robot is not very good at finding animals that are lost.
4. A dog was not lost and away from home for 12 days.
5. People used a walking robot with a special camera to find the dog.
6. The camera on the robot could see the dog’s body heat.
7. The dog looked like a white spot on the camera.
8. The family wants to help get more robots to find other lost pets.
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 did people find the lost dog?
2. What did the camera on the flying robot see?
3. Where was the dog hiding?
4. Why was the dog’s family happy?
5. What are the dog’s family trying to do now?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened to the dog in the story?
The dog got lost and was away from home for 12 days.

2. How did people find the dog?
They used a flying robot with a special camera to find the dog.

3. What did the camera on the robot help see?
The camera on the robot helped see the dog’s body heat.

4. Where was the dog hiding?
The dog was hiding in a bush.

5. How did the dog’s family feel when they found him?
The dog’s family felt very happy when they found him.

6. What do the people want to do with the money they are trying to get?
They want to use the money to buy more robots to find other lost pets.

7. Why do they want to find more lost pets?
They want to find more lost pets to bring them back to their families.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) special
(2) white
(3) followed
(4) pets
(5) good
(6) bush
(7) money
(8) people
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. difficult
Answer: (D) Hard to do or understand

2. matching
Answer: (E) When things go together or are the same

3. activity
Answer: (H) Something you do for fun or to learn

4. corresponding
Answer: (C) Going together or being the same

5. sequence
Answer: (A) Order in which things follow each other

6. beginner
Answer: (F) Someone who is just starting to learn

7. ESL
Answer: (B) Learning English when it’s not the first language you spoke

8. native
Answer: (I) Where you were born

9. speaker
Answer: (G) Someone who talks

10. language
Answer: (J) Words we use to talk or write
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How long was the dog away from home?
Answer: (b) 12 days

2. What did people use to find the dog?
Answer: (a) A flying robot with a special camera

3. How did the camera on the robot help find the dog?
Answer: (b) It could see the dog’s body heat

4. Where did the robot follow the white spot to?
Answer: (c) A bush

5. How did the dog’s family feel when they found him?
Answer: (a) Very happy

6. What are the dog’s family trying to do now?
Answer: (c) Get money to buy more robots

7. What do the dog’s family want to do with more robots?
Answer: (d) Find more lost pets

8. What did the camera on the robot see on the dog?
Answer: (d) A white spot
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The dog’s family was not very happy to have him back. (Answer: False)
2. The robot followed the white spot to a bush where the dog was hiding. (Answer: True)
3. The robot is not very good at finding animals that are lost. (Answer: False)
4. A dog was not lost and away from home for 12 days. (Answer: False)
5. People used a walking robot with a special camera to find the dog. (Answer: False)
6. The camera on the robot could see the dog’s body heat. (Answer: True)
7. The dog looked like a white spot on the camera. (Answer: True)
8. The family wants to help get more robots to find other lost pets. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧