Big bears called pandas lived in a zoo in a big city. The bears were a gift from a country named China a long time ago. Now, after many years, the bears are going back to China. Other zoos sent their pandas back too. Only one zoo still has pandas, but they will go back next year.

People are sad because they love the pandas. The pandas were special to see at the zoo. Now that they are going back to China, people will miss them. The pandas were a sign of two countries being friends. Saying goodbye to the pandas is a big deal.

Original news source: Sad farewells for US pandas heading back to China (BBC)

Listen

Slow

Normal

Fast

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down words from the article such as “pandas,” “zoo,” “China,” “gift,” “country,” “sad,” “special,” “friends,” and “goodbye.” Students take turns acting out these words without speaking while the rest of the class guesses the word.

– Word Association
Instructions: Say a word related to the article, like “bear,” and have the students say the first word that comes to their mind. Continue around the class, building a chain of associated words. This will help students with vocabulary recall and speaking fluency.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and give each group a word or phrase from the article, such as “big city,” “gift from China,” or “going back.” The groups have to draw a picture that represents their word or phrase, and the rest of the class guesses what it is. This activity supports vocabulary understanding and creativity.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Ask students to create a catchy headline for the story they just heard. Encourage them to think of something short and engaging that captures the main point of the article about the pandas going back to China. This helps with summarizing and vocabulary practice.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Conduct a simple opinion poll where you ask students whether they agree or disagree with statements related to the article. For example, “The pandas should stay at the zoo,” or “It is a good idea to send the pandas back to China.” Students can either raise their hands or move to different sides of the room to show their opinion. This encourages students to practice their speaking skills and to use new vocabulary in a context.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What kind of animals lived in the zoo?
2. Where did the pandas come from?
3. Are the pandas staying in the zoo or going somewhere?
4. Are all the pandas gone from the zoos now?
5. How do people feel about the pandas leaving?
6. What did the pandas show about the two countries?
7. Why is it a big deal to say goodbye to the pandas?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Big bears called pandas (1)______ in a zoo in a big city. The bears were a gift from a (2)______ named China a long time ago. Now, after many years, the bears are (3)______ back to China. Other (4)______ sent their pandas back too. Only one zoo still has pandas, but they will go back next year.

(5)______ are sad because they love the (6)______. The pandas were special to see at the zoo. Now that they are going back to China, (7)______ will miss them. The pandas were a sign of two countries being friends. Saying (8)______ to the pandas is a big deal.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a panda?
2. Do you like pandas? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you saw a panda at the zoo?
4. Have you ever been to a zoo? What did you see?
5. Why do you think people are sad about pandas going away?
6. What does it mean to be friends with someone from another country?
7. Do you think it is good to share animals with zoos in other places? Why or why not?
8. How do you say goodbye to someone you care about?
9. Are there any animals that are special to you? What are they?
10. Do you think pandas are happy at the zoo or in the wild? Why?
11. What would you miss if it went away?
12. Do you think other animals should be sent back to their home country? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. pandas
2. zoo
3. China
4. gift
5. years
6. sad
7. friends
8. goodbye

Meanings:
(a) People who like each other
(b) Something given to you for free
(c) A place where you can see animals
(d) Big, cuddly bears
(e) Saying “see you later”
(f) Feeling unhappy
(g) A long time
(h) A country in Asia
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did the pandas live?
(a) In a forest
(b) In a zoo
(c) In a school
(d) In a hospital

2. Where did the pandas come from?
(a) Japan
(b) Australia
(c) China
(d) India

3. Why are the pandas going back to China?
(a) They were a gift from China
(b) They miss their home
(c) They don’t like the zoo
(d) They want to see their friends

4. How do people feel about the pandas leaving?
(a) Happy
(b) Angry
(c) Sad
(d) Excited

5. What do people think the pandas were a sign of?
(a) Two countries being enemies
(b) Two countries being strangers
(c) Two countries being neighbors
(d) Two countries being friends

6. How many zoos still have pandas?
(a) Two
(b) One
(c) Three
(d) Four

7. When will the last zoo’s pandas go back to China?
(a) Next year
(b) In five years
(c) In ten years
(d) Never

8. What did people like about the pandas at the zoo?
(a) They were scary
(b) They were loud
(c) They were boring
(d) They were special to see

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Big bears called pandas lived in a zoo in a big city.
2. People are happy because they hate the pandas.
3. All zoos still have pandas, but they will not leave next year.
4. The bears are going back to China after many years.
5. Other zoos also sent their pandas back to China.
6. Saying goodbye to the pandas is not a big deal.
7. The pandas were special to see at the zoo.
8. The pandas were a gift from a country named Japan.
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. Where did the big bears called pandas live?
2. Who gave the pandas to the zoo?
3. Are the pandas staying in the zoo or going back to China?
4. How do people feel about the pandas leaving?
5. What did the pandas show about the two countries?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What kind of animals lived in the zoo?
Big bears called pandas lived in the zoo.

2. Where did the pandas come from?
The pandas came from a country named China.

3. Are the pandas staying in the zoo or going somewhere?
The pandas are going back to China.

4. Are all the pandas gone from the zoos now?
No, not all. One zoo still has pandas, but they will go back next year.

5. How do people feel about the pandas leaving?
People are sad because they love the pandas.

6. What did the pandas show about the two countries?
The pandas were a sign of two countries being friends.

7. Why is it a big deal to say goodbye to the pandas?
Saying goodbye to the pandas is a big deal because they were special to see and people will miss them.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) lived
(2) country
(3) going
(4) zoos
(5) People
(6) pandas
(7) people
(8) goodbye
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. pandas
Answer: (d) Big, cuddly bears

2. zoo
Answer: (c) A place where you can see animals

3. China
Answer: (h) A country in Asia

4. gift
Answer: (b) Something given to you for free

5. years
Answer: (g) A long time

6. sad
Answer: (f) Feeling unhappy

7. friends
Answer: (a) People who like each other

8. goodbye
Answer: (e) Saying “see you later”
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did the pandas live?
Answer: (b) In a zoo

2. Where did the pandas come from?
Answer: (c) China

3. Why are the pandas going back to China?
Answer: (a) They were a gift from China

4. How do people feel about the pandas leaving?
Answer: (c) Sad

5. What do people think the pandas were a sign of?
Answer: (d) Two countries being friends

6. How many zoos still have pandas?
Answer: (b) One

7. When will the last zoo’s pandas go back to China?
Answer: (a) Next year

8. What did people like about the pandas at the zoo?
Answer: (d) They were special to see
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Big bears called pandas lived in a zoo in a big city. (Answer: True)
2. People are happy because they hate the pandas. (Answer: False)
3. All zoos still have pandas, but they will not leave next year. (Answer: False)
4. The bears are going back to China after many years. (Answer: True)
5. Other zoos also sent their pandas back to China. (Answer: True)
6. Saying goodbye to the pandas is not a big deal. (Answer: False)
7. The pandas were special to see at the zoo. (Answer: True)
8. The pandas were a gift from a country named Japan. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧