Some people who study animals found five new kinds of small, furry animals with pointy noses in the forests of South East Asia. They went on trips to the forest and looked at old animal bones and skins in museums. They found two new kinds in the museums and three in the forest. A smart person named Dr. Melissa said finding these animals is very important because it shows there are many different kinds of life in the world, and we need to take care of the forests where they live.

The small, furry animals are part of a family called Hylomys, and they live in South East Asia. Before, people only knew about two kinds, but now they know about seven. These animals are not like the hedgehogs with sharp spikes; they have soft fur. Another smart person, Dr. Arlo, said this is a big deal because the forests where these animals live are going away very fast.

Original news source: Five new soft-furred hedgehog species discovered (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down the names of the five new kinds of animals on separate pieces of paper and put them in a hat. One person from each team will take turns picking a piece of paper and acting out the animal without using any words. The team members will have to guess the name of the animal. The team that guesses the most animals correctly wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article out loud to the class. Then, have the students take turns summarizing the main points of the article in their own words. Encourage them to use simple sentences and key vocabulary from the article.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper and put them in a hat. Divide the class into pairs. One person from each pair will pick a word from the hat and have to draw a picture to represent that word. The other person will have to guess the word based on the drawing. The pair that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article. Set a timer for 2 minutes. Students will take turns summarizing the article to their partner within the 2-minute time limit. After each turn, they will switch roles. The goal is to summarize the article as quickly and accurately as possible.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about the following question: “Why is it important to discover new kinds of animals?” Give them a few minutes to think about their answer. Then, have them pair up with a partner and share their thoughts. After the discussion, ask a few pairs to share their answers with the whole class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did some people find in the forests of South East Asia?
2. How did they find the new animals?
3. How many new kinds of animals did they find in the museums?
4. How many new kinds of animals did they find in the forest?
5. Why did Dr. Melissa say finding these animals is important?
6. What is the name of the family that the small, furry animals belong to?
7. Why did Dr. Arlo say it is a big deal that the forests where these animals live are going away?
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🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some people who study animals found five new kinds of small, furry animals with pointy noses in the forests of South (1)______ Asia. They went on (2)______ to the forest and looked at old animal bones and skins in museums. They found two new kinds in the museums and three in the forest. A (3)______ person named Dr. Melissa said finding these animals is very important because it (4)______ there are many different kinds of life in the world, and we need to take care of the forests where they live.

The small, furry animals are part of a family called (5)______, and they live in South East Asia. Before, (6)______ only knew about two kinds, but now they know about seven. These animals are not like the hedgehogs with sharp spikes; they have (7)______ fur. Another smart person, Dr. Arlo, said this is a big deal because the forests where these animals (8)______ are going away very fast.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a forest?
2. How do you think the animals felt when the people found them?
3. Do you like animals with soft fur? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you saw a new kind of animal that no one had ever seen before?
5. What do you think it means to “take care of” the forests?
6. Do you think it’s important to study animals? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever been to a museum? What did you see there?
8. What do you think the new animals look like?
9. How do you think the forests are going away?
10. Why do you think it’s a big deal that the forests are going away?
11. Do you think it’s important to protect animals and their homes? Why or why not?
12. Have you ever seen a hedgehog? What did it look like?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. study
2. forests
3. trips
4. museums
5. bones
6. skins
7. important
8. family
9. spikes
10. deal

Meanings:
(A) The hard parts inside your body that help you stand up
(B) Something that is very special and means a lot
(C) Something that is a big thing to think about or talk about
(D) Places with lots of trees and plants where animals live
(E) Pointy things that can poke you
(F) To learn about something by looking at it very carefully
(G) People or animals that are related to each other
(H) Big buildings where old and special things are kept
(I) Going places to see new things
(J) The outside covering of animals or fruits
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🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did the people find the new kinds of animals?
(a) In the oceans of South East Asia
(b) In the forests of South East Asia
(c) In the deserts of South East Asia
(d) In the mountains of South East Asia

2. How many new kinds of animals did the people find in the museums?
(a) Two
(b) Three
(c) Four
(d) Five

3. Why did Dr. Melissa say finding these animals is important?
(a) Because it shows there are no other animals in the world
(b) Because it shows there are only two kinds of life in the world
(c) Because it shows there are many different kinds of life in the world
(d) Because it shows there are no forests in the world

4. What family are the small, furry animals a part of?
(a) Hedgehogs
(b) Tigers
(c) Hylomys
(d) Elephants

5. How many kinds of animals did people know about before?
(a) Two
(b) Three
(c) Four
(d) Five

6. What is special about the fur of these animals?
(a) It is sharp
(b) It is colorful
(c) It is spiky
(d) It is soft

7. Why did Dr. Arlo say this is a big deal?
(a) Because the forests where these animals live are growing quickly
(b) Because the forests where these animals live are staying the same
(c) Because the forests where these animals live are full of other animals
(d) Because the forests where these animals live are disappearing quickly

8. What did the people say we need to take care of?
(a) The cities where the animals live
(b) The forests where the animals live
(c) The oceans where the animals live
(d) The mountains where the animals live

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. A careless person named Dr. Melissa said finding these animals is unimportant because there are only a few different kinds of life in the world.
2. Before, people only knew about three kinds of these animals, but now they know about nine.
3. They found three new kinds of animals in the forest.
4. Dr. Melissa also said we need to take care of the forests where these animals live.
5. The small, furry animals are part of a family called Hylomys.
6. They looked at old animal bones and skins in zoos to find two new kinds of animals.
7. The animals have hard scales, not soft fur like hedgehogs.
8. Some people found five new kinds of small, furry animals with pointy noses in the forests of South East Asia.
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 some people find in the forests of South East Asia?
2. Where did they also find some of the new animals?
3. Why is it important to find new kinds of animals?
4. How many kinds of small, furry animals did people know about before?
5. Why is it a big deal that the forests where these animals live are going away?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did some people find in the forests of South East Asia?
They found five new kinds of small, furry animals with pointy noses.

2. How did they find the new animals?
They looked at old animal bones and skins in museums and went on trips to the forest.

3. How many new kinds of animals did they find in the museums?
They found two new kinds in the museums.

4. How many new kinds of animals did they find in the forest?
They found three new kinds in the forest.

5. Why did Dr. Melissa say finding these animals is important?
Dr. Melissa said finding these animals is important because it shows there are many different kinds of life in the world, and we need to take care of the forests where they live.

6. What is the name of the family that the small, furry animals belong to?
The small, furry animals belong to the family called Hylomys.

7. Why did Dr. Arlo say it is a big deal that the forests where these animals live are going away?
Dr. Arlo said it is a big deal because the forests where these animals live are disappearing very fast.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) East
(2) trips
(3) smart
(4) shows
(5) Hylomys
(6) people
(7) soft
(8) live
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. study
Answer: (F) To learn about something by looking at it very carefully

2. forests
Answer: (D) Places with lots of trees and plants where animals live

3. trips
Answer: (I) Going places to see new things

4. museums
Answer: (H) Big buildings where old and special things are kept

5. bones
Answer: (A) The hard parts inside your body that help you stand up

6. skins
Answer: (J) The outside covering of animals or fruits

7. important
Answer: (B) Something that is very special and means a lot

8. family
Answer: (G) People or animals that are related to each other

9. spikes
Answer: (E) Pointy things that can poke you

10. deal
Answer: (C) Something that is a big thing to think about or talk about
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did the people find the new kinds of animals?
Answer: (b) In the forests of South East Asia

2. How many new kinds of animals did the people find in the museums?
Answer: (a) Two

3. Why did Dr. Melissa say finding these animals is important?
Answer: (c) Because it shows there are many different kinds of life in the world

4. What family are the small, furry animals a part of?
Answer: (c) Hylomys

5. How many kinds of animals did people know about before?
Answer: (a) Two

6. What is special about the fur of these animals?
Answer: (d) It is soft

7. Why did Dr. Arlo say this is a big deal?
Answer: (d) Because the forests where these animals live are disappearing quickly

8. What did the people say we need to take care of?
Answer: (b) The forests where the animals live
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. A careless person named Dr. Melissa said finding these animals is unimportant because there are only a few different kinds of life in the world. (Answer: False)
2. Before, people only knew about three kinds of these animals, but now they know about nine. (Answer: False)
3. They found three new kinds of animals in the forest. (Answer: True)
4. Dr. Melissa also said we need to take care of the forests where these animals live. (Answer: True)
5. The small, furry animals are part of a family called Hylomys. (Answer: True)
6. They looked at old animal bones and skins in zoos to find two new kinds of animals. (Answer: False)
7. The animals have hard scales, not soft fur like hedgehogs. (Answer: False)
8. Some people found five new kinds of small, furry animals with pointy noses in the forests of South East Asia. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧