A big elephant named Mali lived in a zoo in the Philippines. She was there for a very long time, almost all her life. People who like animals were sad because Mali was alone. A famous singer named Paul McCartney wanted to help her. But Mali got sick and died, and the zoo said it was because she had a bad sickness inside her.

Mali came to the zoo when she was a baby from a place called Sri Lanka. She was the only elephant there after her friend died. People said the zoo was not a good home for her. But the people at the zoo said she had to stay. Now that Mali is gone, the lady who takes care of the city wants to get another elephant.

Original news source: Philippines: World’s ‘saddest’ elephant dies in Manila zoo (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down the key words from the article on separate pieces of paper. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and choose a piece of paper. Without speaking, they must act out the word or phrase to their team. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns summarizing the article in their own words. They should focus on the main points and try to keep their summary under 1 minute. After both students have had a turn, they can compare their summaries and discuss any differences.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Give each student a slip of paper and ask them to write down whether they agree or disagree with the statement: “Zoos are good for animals.” Collect the papers and tally the results on the board. Have a class discussion about the different opinions and ask students to explain their reasoning.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into pairs. One student from each pair will choose a word and draw a picture to represent it, while the other student tries to guess the word. They can only use gestures and drawings, no words allowed.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Write down a key word from the article on the board, leaving out some of the letters. The class must guess the word by suggesting letters one at a time. If a letter is correct, write it in the correct spot. If a letter is incorrect, draw a body part of a hangman. The class wins if they guess the word before the hangman is completed.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who was the big elephant in the zoo?
2. How long did Mali live in the zoo?
3. Why were people sad about Mali?
4. Who wanted to help Mali?
5. Where did Mali come from when she was a baby?
6. Why did people say the zoo was not a good home for Mali?
7. What does the lady who takes care of the city want to get now?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big elephant named (1)______ lived in a zoo in the Philippines. She was there for a very long (2)______, almost all her life. People who like animals were sad because Mali was alone. A famous singer named Paul (3)______ wanted to help her. But Mali got (4)______ and died, and the zoo said it was because she had a bad sickness inside her.

Mali came to the zoo when she was a baby from a place called Sri Lanka. She was the (5)______ (6)______ there after her friend died. People said the zoo was not a good home for her. But the people at the zoo said she had to stay. Now that Mali is gone, the lady who takes (7)______ of the city (8)______ to get another elephant.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is an elephant?
2. How would you feel if you were alone in a zoo?
3. Do you like animals? Why or why not?
4. What do you think it means to have a bad sickness inside you?
5. How do you think Mali felt when her friend died?
6. Do you think the zoo was a good home for Mali? Why or why not?
7. Why do you think the lady who takes care of the city wants to get another elephant?
8. Have you ever been to a zoo? What did you see there?
9. What do you think Paul McCartney wanted to do to help Mali?
10. How do you think the people who like animals felt when Mali died?
11. Do you think it’s important for animals to have friends? Why or why not?
12. What would you do if you were in charge of the zoo?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. elephant
2. zoo
3. Philippines
4. alone
5. sick
6. baby
7. Sri Lanka
8. city

Meanings:
(a) By yourself, with no one else around
(b) Another country where Mali came from
(c) A place where animals live
(d) A very young child or animal
(e) A big animal with a long trunk
(f) Not feeling well, not healthy
(g) A country far away from here
(h) A place where many people live together
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did Mali live?
(a) In a zoo in Sri Lanka
(b) In a zoo in the Philippines
(c) In a zoo in France
(d) In a zoo in Germany

2. How long did Mali live in the zoo?
(a) Only a few months
(b) Just a few days
(c) Almost all her life
(d) She never lived in a zoo

3. Who wanted to help Mali?
(a) A famous actor
(b) The zookeeper
(c) Nobody wanted to help her
(d) Paul McCartney

4. Why did Mali die?
(a) She had a bad sickness inside her
(b) She was too old
(c) She didn’t like living in a zoo
(d) She got lost

5. Where did Mali come from?
(a) The Philippines
(b) France
(c) Germany
(d) Sri Lanka

6. Why did people think the zoo was not a good home for Mali?
(a) Because the zoo was too small
(b) Because she was alone
(c) Because the zookeeper was mean
(d) Because the zoo was too far away

7. Who wants to get another elephant now?
(a) Paul McCartney
(b) The zookeeper
(c) The lady who takes care of the city
(d) Nobody wants another elephant

8. What kind of animal was Mali?
(a) An elephant
(b) A lion
(c) A giraffe
(d) A monkey

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Now that Mali is gone, the lady who takes care of the city wants to get another elephant.
2. There was a small elephant named Mali who lived in a zoo in the Philippines.
3. Mali got sick and died because she had a bad sickness inside her.
4. Mali’s friend died, so she was the only elephant in the zoo.
5. People who like animals were happy because Mali was alone.
6. Mali only lived in the zoo for a very short time, not her whole life.
7. A famous singer named Paul McCartney wanted to help Mali.
8. Mali came to the zoo when she was an adult from a place called Sri Lanka.
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 lived in the zoo in the Philippines for a long time?
2. Why were people sad about Mali?
3. Who wanted to help Mali?
4. Why did Mali get sick and die?
5. Where did Mali come from before she went to the zoo?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who was the big elephant in the zoo?
Mali was the big elephant in the zoo.

2. How long did Mali live in the zoo?
Mali lived in the zoo for a very long time, almost all her life.

3. Why were people sad about Mali?
People were sad about Mali because she was alone in the zoo.

4. Who wanted to help Mali?
A famous singer named Paul McCartney wanted to help Mali.

5. Where did Mali come from when she was a baby?
Mali came from a place called Sri Lanka when she was a baby.

6. Why did people say the zoo was not a good home for Mali?
People said the zoo was not a good home for Mali because she was the only elephant there and her friend had died.

7. What does the lady who takes care of the city want to get now?
The lady who takes care of the city wants to get another elephant.
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Mali
(2) time
(3) McCartney
(4) sick
(5) only
(6) elephant
(7) care
(8) wants
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. elephant
Answer: (e) A big animal with a long trunk

2. zoo
Answer: (c) A place where animals live

3. Philippines
Answer: (g) A country far away from here

4. alone
Answer: (a) By yourself, with no one else around

5. sick
Answer: (f) Not feeling well, not healthy

6. baby
Answer: (d) A very young child or animal

7. Sri Lanka
Answer: (b) Another country where Mali came from

8. city
Answer: (h) A place where many people live together
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did Mali live?
Answer: (b) In a zoo in the Philippines

2. How long did Mali live in the zoo?
Answer: (c) Almost all her life

3. Who wanted to help Mali?
Answer: (d) Paul McCartney

4. Why did Mali die?
Answer: (a) She had a bad sickness inside her

5. Where did Mali come from?
Answer: (d) Sri Lanka

6. Why did people think the zoo was not a good home for Mali?
Answer: (b) Because she was alone

7. Who wants to get another elephant now?
Answer: (c) The lady who takes care of the city

8. What kind of animal was Mali?
Answer: (a) An elephant
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Now that Mali is gone, the lady who takes care of the city wants to get another elephant. (Answer: True)
2. There was a small elephant named Mali who lived in a zoo in the Philippines. (Answer: False)
3. Mali got sick and died because she had a bad sickness inside her. (Answer: True)
4. Mali’s friend died, so she was the only elephant in the zoo. (Answer: True)
5. People who like animals were happy because Mali was alone. (Answer: False)
6. Mali only lived in the zoo for a very short time, not her whole life. (Answer: False)
7. A famous singer named Paul McCartney wanted to help Mali. (Answer: True)
8. Mali came to the zoo when she was an adult from a place called Sri Lanka. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧