A very special baby alligator with white skin was born at a park in Florida. This baby girl alligator is very rare, with only six others like her in the whole world. She is not like other alligators because she has a different kind of white skin. The man who takes care of the park said having this baby alligator is very, very special. The baby alligator is about as long as a big school ruler.

The man who is the boss of the park is very happy about the baby alligator. He thinks she is amazing. The park wants people to help choose a name for her. This little alligator is very important because she is so different. She helps people learn about all the different animals in the world and why we should take care of them.

Original news source: See ‘beyond rare’ white baby alligator born in US (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a slip of paper with a word related to the article (e.g. alligator, white, park). One student from each group will act out the word without speaking, while the other students guess what word it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a list of words from the article (e.g. alligator, rare, skin). One student will choose a word and draw a picture to represent it, while the other student tries to guess the word. They can only use drawings, no speaking or writing. Switch roles and continue with different words.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Write the title of the article on the board, leaving out a few letters. Explain the rules of hangman (guessing letters to complete the word) to the class. Choose a student to guess a letter. If the letter is in the word, write it in the correct position. If the letter is not in the word, draw a part of the hangman. Continue until the word is completed or the hangman is drawn.

– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: Have each student come up with two true statements and one false statement about the article. They can be about specific details or general information. Each student will take turns sharing their three statements, and the rest of the class has to guess which statement is the lie. This encourages listening comprehension and critical thinking skills.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have the students think about and write down one question they have about the article. Then, pair them up and have them share their questions with each other. After discussing, have each pair share their most interesting question with the whole class. This activity promotes critical thinking and encourages students to engage with the content of the article.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What color is the baby alligator’s skin?
2. How many other alligators are like her in the whole world?
3. Why is the baby alligator special?
4. How long is the baby alligator?
5. Why is the boss of the park happy about the baby alligator?
6. What does the park want people to do?
7. Why is the baby alligator important?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A very special baby alligator with white skin was born at a (1)______ in Florida. This baby girl alligator is very rare, with only six (2)______ like her in the whole world. She is not like other (3)______ because she has a different kind of white skin. The man who takes care of the park said having this baby alligator is very, very (4)______. The baby alligator is about as long as a big school ruler.

The man who is the boss of the park is very (5)______ about the baby alligator. He (6)______ she is amazing. The park wants people to help choose a name for her. This (7)______ alligator is very important because she is so different. She helps people learn about all the different animals in the world and why we should (8)______ care of them.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a baby alligator?
2. How would you feel if you saw a baby alligator with white skin?
3. Do you like animals? Why or why not?
4. What do you think makes this baby alligator special?
5. How long is the baby alligator?
6. Do you think it is important to take care of animals? Why or why not?
7. What other animals do you know about?
8. How do you think this baby alligator can help people learn about animals?
9. What kind of name would you choose for the baby alligator?
10. Have you ever seen an alligator before? If yes, where?
11. How do you think the man who takes care of the park feels about the baby alligator?
12. Why do you think the park wants people to help choose a name for the baby alligator?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. alligator
2. rare
3. skin
4. different
5. boss
6. special
7. name
8. important
9. learn
10. care

Meanings:
(A) Something that matters a lot
(B) Very, very good or different from others
(C) Not common; very unusual
(D) What people call you
(E) To get knowledge about something
(F) The person in charge
(G) To look after something or someone
(H) The covering on your body that keeps you warm and protects you
(I) A big, scaly animal that lives in water and has a long tail
(J) Not the same as something else; unique
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How many baby alligators with white skin are there in the whole world?
(a) Ten
(b) Twenty
(c) Six
(d) Fifty

2. What makes the baby alligator special?
(a) Her long tail
(b) Her big teeth
(c) Her green eyes
(d) Her white skin

3. Who takes care of the park?
(a) A man
(b) A woman
(c) A baby
(d) A dog

4. How long is the baby alligator?
(a) As long as a car
(b) As long as a big school ruler
(c) As long as a tree
(d) As long as a mountain

5. What does the boss of the park think about the baby alligator?
(a) She is scary
(b) She is boring
(c) She is silly
(d) She is amazing

6. Why is the baby alligator important?
(a) She helps people learn about math
(b) She helps people learn about cooking
(c) She helps people learn about different animals
(d) She helps people learn about music

7. What does the park want people to do?
(a) Help clean the park
(b) Help choose a name for the baby alligator
(c) Help build a new park
(d) Help feed the other alligators

8. What does the baby alligator teach people about?
(a) All the different animals in the world
(b) All the different colors in the world
(c) All the different foods in the world
(d) All the different toys in the world

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True or False Questions:

1. There is a baby alligator with white skin at a park in Florida.
2. The baby alligator is very rare and there are only six others like her in the world.
3. The baby alligator is about as long as a big school ruler.
4. The baby alligator has identical white skin compared to other alligators.
5. The boss of the park is very unhappy about the baby alligator.
6. The baby alligator is unimportant because she doesn’t help people learn about different animals and why we should take care of them.
7. The man who neglects the park thinks the baby alligator is very ordinary.
8. The park wants people to help choose a name for the baby alligator.
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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 is special about the baby alligator in Florida?
2. How many other alligators are like her in the world?
3. What is different about the baby alligator’s skin?
4. Why is the man who takes care of the park happy about the baby alligator?
5. Why is the baby alligator important for people to learn about?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What color is the baby alligator’s skin?
The baby alligator’s skin is white.

2. How many other alligators are like her in the whole world?
There are only six other alligators like her in the whole world.

3. Why is the baby alligator special?
The baby alligator is special because she has a different kind of white skin.

4. How long is the baby alligator?
The baby alligator is about as long as a big school ruler.

5. Why is the boss of the park happy about the baby alligator?
The boss of the park is happy about the baby alligator because she is amazing and very rare.

6. What does the park want people to do?
The park wants people to help choose a name for the baby alligator.

7. Why is the baby alligator important?
The baby alligator is important because she helps people learn about different animals in the world and why we should take care of them.
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) park
(2) others
(3) alligators
(4) special
(5) happy
(6) thinks
(7) little
(8) take
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. alligator
Answer: (I) A big, scaly animal that lives in water and has a long tail

2. rare
Answer: (C) Not common; very unusual

3. skin
Answer: (H) The covering on your body that keeps you warm and protects you

4. different
Answer: (J) Not the same as something else; unique

5. boss
Answer: (F) The person in charge

6. special
Answer: (B) Very, very good or different from others

7. name
Answer: (D) What people call you

8. important
Answer: (A) Something that matters a lot

9. learn
Answer: (E) To get knowledge about something

10. care
Answer: (G) To look after something or someone
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Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How many baby alligators with white skin are there in the whole world?
Answer: (c) Six

2. What makes the baby alligator special?
Answer: (d) Her white skin

3. Who takes care of the park?
Answer: (a) A man

4. How long is the baby alligator?
Answer: (b) As long as a big school ruler

5. What does the boss of the park think about the baby alligator?
Answer: (d) She is amazing

6. Why is the baby alligator important?
Answer: (c) She helps people learn about different animals

7. What does the park want people to do?
Answer: (b) Help choose a name for the baby alligator

8. What does the baby alligator teach people about?
Answer: (a) All the different animals in the world
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True or False Answers:

1. There is a baby alligator with white skin at a park in Florida. (Answer: True)
2. The baby alligator is very rare and there are only six others like her in the world. (Answer: True)
3. The baby alligator is about as long as a big school ruler. (Answer: True)
4. The baby alligator has identical white skin compared to other alligators. (Answer: False)
5. The boss of the park is very unhappy about the baby alligator. (Answer: False)
6. The baby alligator is unimportant because she doesn’t help people learn about different animals and why we should take care of them. (Answer: False)
7. The man who neglects the park thinks the baby alligator is very ordinary. (Answer: False)
8. The park wants people to help choose a name for the baby alligator. (Answer: True)
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