There is a very big fish called paiche that is causing trouble for other fish where they live in the Amazon river in Bolivia. This fish is as long as a car and very heavy. It came from a place where people were growing it on purpose, but it got out. Now, it is taking over the water and making it hard for the other fish to live. People who know a lot about fish are worried because the paiche is changing how things are supposed to be in the water.

Even though the paiche is not good for other fish, people who catch fish like it because they can sell it and make money. At first, they were scared of the big fish, but now they cook it and eat it. There is even a big kitchen in a town called Riberalta where they make lots of paiche food every month. But finding the paiche is not easy because it likes quiet water and moves around a lot. People who lived there first are not happy because now they have to share the places where the paiche likes to be.

Original news source: The fish that eats piranhas for breakfast (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a slip of paper with a word related to the article (e.g. paiche, fish, Amazon, Bolivia). One person from each group will act out the word without speaking, while the others try to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words.

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article aloud to the class. Afterward, ask the students to work in pairs or small groups and write a short summary of the article in their own words. Encourage them to include the main ideas and key details. Have each group share their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Ask each group to discuss and write down their opinions about the paiche fish situation in the Amazon river. Then, have each group select a spokesperson to present their opinions to the class. As a class, create a graph or chart to display the different opinions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select a few key vocabulary words from the article (e.g. paiche, Amazon, Riberalta). Write each word on a separate piece of paper and put them in a bag or box. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come up and pick a word from the bag. They must then draw a picture to represent the word, while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about and write down two things they learned from the article. Then, have them pair up with a partner and share their ideas. Afterward, randomly select a few pairs to share their thoughts with the whole class. Encourage them to use complete sentences and explain their answers.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the big fish that is causing trouble for other fish in the Amazon river?
2. How long is the paiche fish? Is it as long as a car?
3. Where did the paiche fish come from?
4. Why are people who know a lot about fish worried about the paiche fish?
5. Do people who catch fish like the paiche fish? Why?
6. Is it easy to find the paiche fish? Why or why not?
7. Are the people who lived there first happy about sharing the places with the paiche fish? Why or why not?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

There is a very big fish called paiche that is (1)______ trouble for other fish where they live in the Amazon river in (2)______. This fish is as long as a car and very heavy. It came from a place where people were growing it on purpose, but it got out. Now, it is taking over the water and making it hard for the other fish to (3)______. People who (4)______ a lot about fish are worried because the paiche is changing how things are supposed to be in the water.

Even though the paiche is not good for other fish, (5)______ who catch fish like it because they can sell it and make money. At first, they were (6)______ of the big fish, but now they cook it and eat it. There is even a big kitchen in a town called Riberalta where they make lots of paiche food every month. But finding the paiche is not easy because it likes (7)______ water and moves around a lot. People who lived there first are not happy because now they have to share the (8)______ where the paiche likes to be.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a paiche?
2. How would you feel if a big fish like the paiche was taking over the water where you live?
3. Do you like eating fish? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s fair that people catch and eat the paiche even though it’s causing trouble for other fish? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever caught a fish before? If yes, what kind of fish was it?
6. How do you think the other fish feel when the paiche is around?
7. What do you think the people who lived there first should do about the paiche?
8. What kind of food do you like to eat? Do you think you would like paiche food?
9. Why do you think the paiche likes quiet water and moves around a lot?
10. How do you think the paiche got out of the place where people were growing it on purpose?
11. Have you ever been to a big kitchen where lots of food is made? What was it like?
12. Do you think the paiche will continue to cause trouble for the other fish? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. paiche
2. Amazon
3. Bolivia
4. purpose
5. taking over
6. worried
7. changing
8. catch
9. Riberalta
10. quiet

Meanings:
(A) To grab something with your hands
(B) A place where people live and there are houses and streets
(C) When someone or something starts to be everywhere
(D) A place where there are mountains and it can be very cold
(E) When there is no noise
(F) A reason why you do something
(G) When something becomes different
(H) A long river with lots of water and trees around it
(I) When you think something bad might happen
(J) A very big fish that is making trouble
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is causing trouble for other fish in the Amazon river?
(a) Paiche
(b) Sharks
(c) Dolphins
(d) Turtles

2. How big is the paiche fish?
(a) As small as a pencil
(b) As long as a car
(c) As tall as a tree
(d) As heavy as a feather

3. Where did the paiche fish come from?
(a) The ocean
(b) Another river
(c) The sky
(d) A place where people were growing it on purpose

4. Why are people worried about the paiche fish?
(a) It is very friendly to other fish
(b) It is helping other fish survive
(c) It is changing how things are supposed to be in the water
(d) It is making the water cleaner

5. Why do people like to catch the paiche fish?
(a) They want to keep it as a pet
(b) They want to study it in a lab
(c) They want to release it back into the wild
(d) They can sell it and make money

6. Where is the big kitchen that makes lots of paiche food?
(a) Paris
(b) Riberalta
(c) London
(d) Berlin

7. Why is it hard to find the paiche fish?
(a) It is very loud and stays in one place
(b) It only comes out at night
(c) It likes quiet water and moves around a lot
(d) It is very small and hard to see

8. Who is not happy about sharing the places where the paiche likes to be?
(a) People who lived there first
(b) People who catch fish
(c) People who cook paiche food
(d) People who study fish

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. People were accidentally growing the paiche, but it got out.
2. People who lived there first are not happy because they have to share the places where the paiche likes to be.
3. There is a very small fish in the Amazon river called paiche.
4. People who catch fish like the paiche because they can sell it and make money.
5. There is a big kitchen in Riberalta where they make lots of paiche food every month.
6. The paiche is as short as a car and very light.
7. The paiche is not causing trouble for other fish in the river.
8. The paiche is taking over the water and making it hard for other fish to live.
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 is the name of the big fish causing trouble for other fish in the Amazon river?
2. Where did the big fish come from?
3. Why are people who catch fish happy about the big fish?
4. Where is the big kitchen that makes lots of food with the big fish?
5. Why are the people who lived there first not happy about the big fish?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the name of the big fish that is causing trouble for other fish in the Amazon river?
The name of the big fish is paiche.

2. How long is the paiche fish? Is it as long as a car?
The paiche fish is as long as a car.

3. Where did the paiche fish come from?
The paiche fish came from a place where people were growing it on purpose.

4. Why are people who know a lot about fish worried about the paiche fish?
People who know a lot about fish are worried because the paiche fish is changing how things are supposed to be in the water.

5. Do people who catch fish like the paiche fish? Why?
Yes, people who catch fish like the paiche fish because they can sell it and make money.

6. Is it easy to find the paiche fish? Why or why not?
No, it is not easy to find the paiche fish because it likes quiet water and moves around a lot.

7. Are the people who lived there first happy about sharing the places with the paiche fish? Why or why not?
No, the people who lived there first are not happy about sharing the places with the paiche fish because they have to share the places where the paiche fish likes to be.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) causing
(2) Bolivia
(3) live
(4) know
(5) people
(6) scared
(7) quiet
(8) places
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. paiche
Answer: (J) A very big fish that is making trouble

2. Amazon
Answer: (H) A long river with lots of water and trees around it

3. Bolivia
Answer: (D) A place where there are mountains and it can be very cold

4. purpose
Answer: (F) A reason why you do something

5. taking over
Answer: (C) When someone or something starts to be everywhere

6. worried
Answer: (I) When you think something bad might happen

7. changing
Answer: (G) When something becomes different

8. catch
Answer: (A) To grab something with your hands

9. Riberalta
Answer: (B) A place where people live and there are houses and streets

10. quiet
Answer: (E) When there is no noise
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is causing trouble for other fish in the Amazon river?
Answer: (a) Paiche

2. How big is the paiche fish?
Answer: (b) As long as a car

3. Where did the paiche fish come from?
Answer: (d) A place where people were growing it on purpose

4. Why are people worried about the paiche fish?
Answer: (c) It is changing how things are supposed to be in the water

5. Why do people like to catch the paiche fish?
Answer: (d) They can sell it and make money

6. Where is the big kitchen that makes lots of paiche food?
Answer: (b) Riberalta

7. Why is it hard to find the paiche fish?
Answer: (c) It likes quiet water and moves around a lot

8. Who is not happy about sharing the places where the paiche likes to be?
Answer: (a) People who lived there first
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. People were accidentally growing the paiche, but it got out. (Answer: False)
2. People who lived there first are not happy because they have to share the places where the paiche likes to be. (Answer: True)
3. There is a very small fish in the Amazon river called paiche. (Answer: False)
4. People who catch fish like the paiche because they can sell it and make money. (Answer: True)
5. There is a big kitchen in Riberalta where they make lots of paiche food every month. (Answer: True)
6. The paiche is as short as a car and very light. (Answer: False)
7. The paiche is not causing trouble for other fish in the river. (Answer: False)
8. The paiche is taking over the water and making it hard for other fish to live. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧