A big bird, called an ostrich, got out of a park and ran on the streets in a place called Seongnam in South Korea. People saw it running fast, moving around cars, and it even bumped into a truck. The police and firefighters came to help catch the bird. They were able to grab it and take it back to the park where it lives. This made many people talk about it and it was even on the news.

The ostrich was running around the city streets, making cars stop and go around it. It got out on a Tuesday morning and made a big mess on the roads. People who saw it took videos of the bird hitting a truck. Then, the people who take care of the city caught the ostrich and took it back home to the park. Lots of people heard about this and saw the videos, making them very surprised.

Original news source: Watch: Escaped ostrich runs loose in South Korea (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 related to the article (e.g. ostrich, park, truck). One person from each group will act out the word without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess what it is.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. ostrich, park, truck). One person from each pair will draw a picture to represent a word, while the other person tries to guess what it is.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Write the words “Ostrich Escapes Park” on the board. In small groups, ask the students to create a catchy newspaper headline based on the article. Encourage them to use their creativity and English vocabulary to make the headline interesting.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Give each student a copy of the article. Set a timer for 1 minute. In pairs, students take turns summarizing the article to their partner as quickly as possible. After 1 minute, they switch roles. The goal is to practice summarizing skills and speaking fluency.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about a time when they saw something unusual or unexpected. In pairs, have them share their stories with their partner, using English to describe the event. After sharing, ask a few pairs to share their stories with the whole class. This activity encourages speaking and sharing personal experiences.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What kind of bird got out of the park?
2. What did the ostrich do when it got out of the park?
3. Who came to help catch the bird?
4. Where did they take the ostrich after they caught it?
5. How did the ostrich make a mess on the roads?
6. What did people do when they saw the ostrich hitting a truck?
7. Why were people surprised when they heard about the ostrich running on the streets?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big bird, called an ostrich, got out of a (1)______ and ran on the streets in a (2)______ called Seongnam in South Korea. People saw it running fast, moving around cars, and it even bumped into a truck. The police and (3)______ came to help catch the bird. They were able to grab it and take it back to the park where it lives. This made many people (4)______ about it and it was even on the news.

The ostrich was running around the (5)______ streets, (6)______ cars stop and go around it. It got out on a Tuesday morning and made a big mess on the roads. People who saw it took videos of the bird hitting a truck. Then, the (7)______ who (8)______ care of the city caught the ostrich and took it back home to the park. Lots of people heard about this and saw the videos, making them very surprised.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is an ostrich?
2. Have you ever seen an ostrich before? If yes, where did you see it? If no, would you like to see one?
3. How do you think the ostrich felt when it was running on the streets?
4. How would you feel if you saw an ostrich running on the streets?
5. Do you like birds? Why or why not?
6. What do you think the police and firefighters did to catch the ostrich?
7. Do you think it was easy or difficult for them to catch the ostrich? Why?
8. How do you think the people in the cars felt when they saw the ostrich on the road?
9. What do you think the people who saw the ostrich took videos of?
10. If you were there, what would you have done when you saw the ostrich?
11. Do you think it was a good idea to take the ostrich back to the park? Why or why not?
12. Why do you think many people talked about the ostrich and it was on the news?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. ostrich
2. Seongnam
3. streets
4. firefighters
5. videos
6. truck
7. park
8. Tuesday
9. mess
10. surprised

Meanings:
(A) Roads in a city where cars drive
(B) A big vehicle that carries things
(C) The day of the week that comes after Monday
(D) Feeling when something happens that you didn’t think would happen
(E) A place with lots of trees and grass where you can play
(F) Moving pictures you watch on a phone or camera
(G) A place in South Korea
(H) People who put out fires and help in emergencies
(I) When things are not clean or tidy
(J) A very big bird that can run fast
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What kind of animal got out of the park and ran on the streets?
(a) Lion
(b) Elephant
(c) Ostrich
(d) Giraffe

2. Where did this happen?
(a) Paris, France
(b) Seongnam, South Korea
(c) London, England
(d) New York, USA

3. What did the ostrich do when it was running on the streets?
(a) It flew into the sky
(b) It swam in a river
(c) It climbed a tree
(d) It bumped into a truck

4. Who came to help catch the ostrich?
(a) Doctors and nurses
(b) Teachers and students
(c) Police and firefighters
(d) Chefs and waiters

5. Where did the police and firefighters take the ostrich after they caught it?
(a) Back to the park
(b) To the zoo
(c) To a farm
(d) To a museum

6. When did the ostrich get out of the park?
(a) On a Friday afternoon
(b) On a Sunday evening
(c) On a Wednesday night
(d) On a Tuesday morning

7. What did people do when they saw the ostrich running on the streets?
(a) They ignored it
(b) They took videos of it
(c) They ran away
(d) They chased it

8. What did people think when they heard about the ostrich running on the streets?
(a) They were very surprised
(b) They were not interested
(c) They were scared
(d) They were angry

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. They were able to grab the ostrich and take it back to the park.
2. A big bird named an ostrich got out of a park in South Korea.
3. The ostrich caused cars to keep moving smoothly on the roads.
4. People captured photos of the bird avoiding a truck.
5. The people who take care of the city caught the ostrich and took it back home to the park.
6. Few people mentioned the ostrich and it wasn’t on the news.
7. The police and firefighters helped catch the bird.
8. The ostrich strolled on the streets and grazed by a truck.
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 kind of bird got out of the park in South Korea?
2. What did the ostrich do when it got out of the park?
3. Who came to help catch the bird?
4. Where did they take the ostrich after they caught it?
5. Why were people surprised when they heard about the ostrich running on the streets?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What kind of bird got out of the park?
An ostrich got out of the park.

2. What did the ostrich do when it got out of the park?
The ostrich ran on the streets.

3. Who came to help catch the bird?
The police and firefighters came to help catch the bird.

4. Where did they take the ostrich after they caught it?
They took the ostrich back to the park where it lives.

5. How did the ostrich make a mess on the roads?
The ostrich ran around and made cars stop and go around it.

6. What did people do when they saw the ostrich hitting a truck?
People took videos of the ostrich hitting a truck.

7. Why were people surprised when they heard about the ostrich running on the streets?
People were surprised because it’s not normal to see a big bird like an ostrich running on the streets.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) park
(2) place
(3) firefighters
(4) talk
(5) city
(6) making
(7) people
(8) take
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. ostrich
Answer: (J) A very big bird that can run fast

2. Seongnam
Answer: (G) A place in South Korea

3. streets
Answer: (A) Roads in a city where cars drive

4. firefighters
Answer: (H) People who put out fires and help in emergencies

5. videos
Answer: (F) Moving pictures you watch on a phone or camera

6. truck
Answer: (B) A big vehicle that carries things

7. park
Answer: (E) A place with lots of trees and grass where you can play

8. Tuesday
Answer: (C) The day of the week that comes after Monday

9. mess
Answer: (I) When things are not clean or tidy

10. surprised
Answer: (D) Feeling when something happens that you didn’t think would happen
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What kind of animal got out of the park and ran on the streets?
Answer: (c) Ostrich

2. Where did this happen?
Answer: (b) Seongnam, South Korea

3. What did the ostrich do when it was running on the streets?
Answer: (d) It bumped into a truck

4. Who came to help catch the ostrich?
Answer: (c) Police and firefighters

5. Where did the police and firefighters take the ostrich after they caught it?
Answer: (a) Back to the park

6. When did the ostrich get out of the park?
Answer: (d) On a Tuesday morning

7. What did people do when they saw the ostrich running on the streets?
Answer: (b) They took videos of it

8. What did people think when they heard about the ostrich running on the streets?
Answer: (a) They were very surprised
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. They were able to grab the ostrich and take it back to the park. (Answer: True)
2. A big bird named an ostrich got out of a park in South Korea. (Answer: True)
3. The ostrich caused cars to keep moving smoothly on the roads. (Answer: False)
4. People captured photos of the bird avoiding a truck. (Answer: False)
5. The people who take care of the city caught the ostrich and took it back home to the park. (Answer: True)
6. Few people mentioned the ostrich and it wasn’t on the news. (Answer: False)
7. The police and firefighters helped catch the bird. (Answer: True)
8. The ostrich strolled on the streets and grazed by a truck. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧