A man in England made a special machine to keep foxes and badgers out of his garden. He used his home cameras and a sound-making machine to scare the animals away. He named this machine the Furbinator 3000. Some people don’t like these sound machines because they can hurt animals. But the man wanted to keep his garden safe and clean for his kids to play.

At first, the machine had trouble knowing what it was looking at. It thought badgers were umbrellas or sinks. But after some work, it learned to see the animals right. Now, the machine sees the animals and makes a loud sound to scare them away. The man thinks this machine could be used in other places to keep animals away.

Original news source: Man trains home cameras to help repel badgers and foxes (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades

Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of animal flashcards, including foxes and badgers. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and act out the animal on their flashcard without speaking. The rest of the team must guess which animal it is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– News Summary

Instructions: In pairs, students will read the article and then write a summary of the main points in their own words. Afterward, each pair will share their summary with the class. This activity will help students practice reading comprehension and summarizing skills.

– Opinion Poll

Instructions: Create a poll with the question, “Do you think it is right to use sound machines to scare away animals?” Have students go around the class and ask their classmates for their opinion. They should record their classmates’ responses and then report back to the class with the results. This activity will encourage students to practice asking and answering questions, as well as expressing their opinions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary

Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board, such as “garden,” “animals,” “machine,” etc. Divide the class into small groups. One person from each group will choose a word and draw it on the board while their teammates try to guess what it is. This activity will help students practice vocabulary recognition and communication skills.

– Headline Creation

Instructions: In pairs, students will create a newspaper headline related to the article. The headline should summarize the main idea in a catchy and attention-grabbing way. Afterward, each pair will share their headline with the class. This activity will encourage students to think creatively and practice summarizing skills.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the man make to keep foxes and badgers out of his garden?
2. What did the man use to scare the animals away?
3. What did the man name his machine?
4. Why do some people not like these machines?
5. Why did the man want to keep his garden safe and clean?
6. What did the machine have trouble knowing at first?
7. What does the machine do when it sees the animals now?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man in England (1)______ a (2)______ machine to keep foxes and badgers out of his garden. He used his home cameras and a sound-making machine to scare the animals away. He named this machine the (3)______ 3000. Some people don’t like these sound machines because they can hurt animals. But the man wanted to (4)______ his garden safe and clean for his kids to play.

At first, the machine had trouble knowing what it was looking at. It thought (5)______ were umbrellas or (6)______. But after some work, it learned to see the animals (7)______. Now, the machine sees the animals and makes a loud sound to (8)______ them away. The man thinks this machine could be used in other places to keep animals away.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a special machine?
2. How would you feel if animals came into your garden?
3. Do you like the Furbinator 3000? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about using cameras to scare animals away?
5. How do you think the man’s kids feel about having a safe and clean garden?
6. Do you think it’s important to keep animals out of gardens? Why or why not?
7. What do you think the man named the machine?
8. How do you think the animals feel when they hear the loud sound?
9. What do you think the machine thought the badgers were at first?
10. How do you think the man felt when the machine learned to see the animals right?
11. Do you think the machine could be used in other places? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the animals feel when they are scared away by the machine?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. machine
2. foxes
3. badgers
4. garden
5. cameras
6. sound-making
7. animals
8. kids

Meanings:
(a) Things that make noise
(b) Little people who are not grown-ups
(c) A place outside where you can grow flowers and vegetables
(d) Animals that look like dogs with pointy ears
(e) A special thing that does work for you
(f) Things that take pictures and videos
(g) Living things that are not people
(h) Animals that look like big rats with black and white fur
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the man make to keep foxes and badgers out of his garden?
(a) A machine
(b) A toy
(c) A book
(d) A tree

2. What did the man use to scare the animals away?
(a) Home cameras and a sound-making machine
(b) Food and water
(c) Toys and games
(d) Books and pencils

3. What did the man name his machine?
(a) The Animal Keeper 5000
(b) The Garden Protector 2000
(c) The Furbinator 3000
(d) The Sound Maker 1000

4. Why did some people not like the sound machines?
(a) Because they are too loud
(b) Because they can hurt animals
(c) Because they are too expensive
(d) Because they are too big

5. What did the machine think badgers were at first?
(a) Trees or flowers
(b) Umbrellas or sinks
(c) Cars or bikes
(d) Books or pencils

6. What did the machine learn to do after some work?
(a) Play with the animals
(b) Feed the animals
(c) Sleep with the animals
(d) See the animals right

7. What does the machine do when it sees the animals?
(a) Takes pictures of them
(b) Gives them food and water
(c) Plays with them
(d) Makes a loud sound to scare them away

8. What does the man think the machine could be used for?
(a) To make the garden dirty
(b) To scare kids away
(c) To keep animals away in other places
(d) To make noise in the neighborhood

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. A man in England made a special machine to attract foxes and badgers to his garden.
2. At first, the machine had trouble knowing what it was looking at.
3. The machine is called the Furbinator 3000.
4. The man used his home cameras and a sound-making machine to attract the animals.
5. Now, the machine sees the animals and makes a soothing sound to attract them.
6. Some people love these sound machines because they can help animals.
7. The machine thought badgers were umbrellas or sinks.
8. The man wanted to keep his garden safe and clean for his kids to play.
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 did the man in England make to keep foxes and badgers out of his garden?
2. What did he use to scare the animals away?
3. What did the man name his machine?
4. Why did some people not like the sound machines?
5. Why did the man want to keep his garden safe and clean?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the man make to keep foxes and badgers out of his garden?
He made a special machine.

2. What did the man use to scare the animals away?
He used his home cameras and a sound-making machine.

3. What did the man name his machine?
He named it the Furbinator 3000.

4. Why do some people not like these machines?
Because they can hurt animals.

5. Why did the man want to keep his garden safe and clean?
So his kids could play there.

6. What did the machine have trouble knowing at first?
It had trouble knowing what the animals were.

7. What does the machine do when it sees the animals now?
It makes a loud sound to scare them away.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) made
(2) special
(3) Furbinator
(4) keep
(5) badgers
(6) sinks
(7) right
(8) scare
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. machine
Answer: (e) A special thing that does work for you

2. foxes
Answer: (d) Animals that look like dogs with pointy ears

3. badgers
Answer: (h) Animals that look like big rats with black and white fur

4. garden
Answer: (c) A place outside where you can grow flowers and vegetables

5. cameras
Answer: (f) Things that take pictures and videos

6. sound-making
Answer: (a) Things that make noise

7. animals
Answer: (g) Living things that are not people

8. kids
Answer: (b) Little people who are not grown-ups
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the man make to keep foxes and badgers out of his garden?
Answer: (a) A machine

2. What did the man use to scare the animals away?
Answer: (a) Home cameras and a sound-making machine

3. What did the man name his machine?
Answer: (c) The Furbinator 3000

4. Why did some people not like the sound machines?
Answer: (b) Because they can hurt animals

5. What did the machine think badgers were at first?
Answer: (b) Umbrellas or sinks

6. What did the machine learn to do after some work?
Answer: (d) See the animals right

7. What does the machine do when it sees the animals?
Answer: (d) Makes a loud sound to scare them away

8. What does the man think the machine could be used for?
Answer: (c) To keep animals away in other places
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. A man in England made a special machine to attract foxes and badgers to his garden. (Answer: False)
2. At first, the machine had trouble knowing what it was looking at. (Answer: True)
3. The machine is called the Furbinator 3000. (Answer: True)
4. The man used his home cameras and a sound-making machine to attract the animals. (Answer: False)
5. Now, the machine sees the animals and makes a soothing sound to attract them. (Answer: False)
6. Some people love these sound machines because they can help animals. (Answer: False)
7. The machine thought badgers were umbrellas or sinks. (Answer: True)
8. The man wanted to keep his garden safe and clean for his kids to play. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧