A white alligator at a zoo had to have a big doctor’s visit because it ate 70 coins. People threw these coins into the alligator’s home, which was not good for it. The alligator, named Thibodaux, is very special because it is white and 36 years old. The zoo doctors helped Thibodaux by taking out all the coins so it could feel better. The zoo wants people to stop throwing coins into the water where animals live.

The zoo doctors found the coins when they were checking all the alligators. They made sure Thibodaux was asleep and safe, then took out the coins. The zoo tells everyone that throwing coins can make animals sick because coins are dirty and not for eating. They want all the animals to be happy and healthy. Thibodaux getting better reminds us to be kind and careful around animals, especially at the zoo.

Original news source: US zoo extracts 70 coins from white alligator (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of animal vocabulary flashcards. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and act out the animal on their flashcard without speaking. The rest of the team has to guess the animal. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students and flashcards.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns summarizing the article to their partner. Each student will have 1 minute to give a summary of the article, highlighting the main points. After both students have had a turn, they can compare their summaries and discuss any differences or similarities.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a survey with questions related to the article, such as “Do you think it’s okay to throw coins into animals’ homes?” or “Should people be more careful around animals at the zoo?” In small groups or pairs, students will ask each other the survey questions and record their classmates’ opinions. Afterward, they can share their findings with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board, such as “alligator,” “coins,” “zoo,” etc. Divide the class into teams. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and draw a picture representing one of the vocabulary words. The rest of the team has to guess the word. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students and vocabulary words.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns discussing the following questions related to the article: “Why do you think people threw coins into the alligator’s home?” and “What can we do to make sure animals at the zoo stay healthy and happy?” After discussing with their partner, students can share their ideas with the whole class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why did the white alligator have to go to the doctor?
2. What did people throw into the alligator’s home?
3. How old is the white alligator?
4. What did the doctors do to help the alligator?
5. Why did the zoo doctors check all the alligators?
6. Why did the zoo tell everyone to stop throwing coins?
7. What did Thibodaux getting better remind us to do around animals?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A white alligator at a zoo had to (1)______ a big doctor’s visit because it ate 70 coins. People threw these coins into the alligator’s home, which was not (2)______ for it. The alligator, named Thibodaux, is very special because it is white and 36 years old. The zoo doctors helped Thibodaux by taking out all the coins so it could feel better. The zoo wants (3)______ to stop throwing coins into the (4)______ where animals live.

The zoo doctors found the coins when they were checking all the alligators. They made sure Thibodaux was asleep and safe, then (5)______ out the coins. The zoo (6)______ everyone that throwing coins can make animals sick because coins are dirty and not for eating. They want all the animals to be (7)______ and (8)______. Thibodaux getting better reminds us to be kind and careful around animals, especially at the zoo.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a white alligator?
2. How would you feel if people threw coins into your home?
3. Do you like going to the zoo? Why or why not?
4. What do you think happened to the alligator after it ate the coins?
5. How do you think the zoo doctors helped the alligator?
6. Why do you think the zoo wants people to stop throwing coins into the water?
7. Have you ever seen an alligator before? Where did you see it?
8. Do you think it’s important to be kind to animals? Why or why not?
9. What other things do you think people should not throw into the water where animals live?
10. How do you think the alligator felt after the coins were taken out of its stomach?
11. Have you ever thrown coins into the water? Why or why not?
12. What can we learn from Thibodaux’s story about being around animals?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. alligator
2. zoo
3. coins
4. water
5. doctors
6. special
7. asleep
8. checking
9. throwing
10. reminds

Meanings:
(A) A place where you can see many different animals
(B) Sleeping, not awake
(C) Small round pieces of metal that people use to buy things
(D) A clear liquid that you drink and swim in
(E) To toss something away from you
(F) Looking at something carefully
(G) A big animal with a long tail and sharp teeth
(H) People who help you when you are sick
(I) Makes you think about something important
(J) Something that is not like the others, very unique
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the alligator eat?
(a) Food
(b) Coins
(c) Toys
(d) Leaves

2. How old is the white alligator?
(a) 36 years old
(b) 10 years old
(c) 50 years old
(d) 20 years old

3. Why did the alligator have to go to the doctor?
(a) It was sick
(b) It was lonely
(c) It ate coins
(d) It wanted to play

4. What did the zoo doctors take out of the alligator?
(a) Toys
(b) Food
(c) Coins
(d) Leaves

5. Why did people throw coins into the alligator’s home?
(a) They thought it was fun
(b) They wanted to feed the alligator
(c) They wanted to make the alligator sick
(d) They wanted to make the alligator happy

6. What did the zoo doctors find when they checked the alligators?
(a) Toys
(b) Coins
(c) Food
(d) Leaves

7. Why did the zoo want people to stop throwing coins into the water?
(a) Coins are fun to play with
(b) Coins are for eating
(c) Coins are dirty
(d) Coins can make animals sick

8. What did Thibodaux getting better remind us to be?
(a) Loud and noisy around animals
(b) Scared and mean around animals
(c) Ignorant and careless around animals
(d) Kind and careful around animals

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. A white alligator at the zoo named Thibodaux had to go to the doctor because it refused to eat 70 coins.
2. The zoo tells everyone that throwing coins can improve the health of animals because coins are clean and nutritious for them.
3. Thibodaux is ordinary because it is white and 36 years old.
4. The zoo encourages people to continue throwing coins into the water where animals live.
5. The zoo doctors helped Thibodaux by taking out all the coins so it could feel better.
6. Thibodaux getting better reminds us to be kind and careful around animals, especially at the zoo.
7. People threw the coins into the alligator’s home, which was not good for it.
8. The doctors found the coins when they were checking all the alligators.
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 the alligator eat that made it sick?
2. Why did people throw coins into the alligator’s home?
3. How did the zoo doctors help the alligator?
4. Why did the zoo doctors have to make sure the alligator was asleep?
5. Why is it important to be kind and careful around animals, especially at the zoo?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why did the white alligator have to go to the doctor?
The white alligator had to go to the doctor because it ate 70 coins.

2. What did people throw into the alligator’s home?
People threw coins into the alligator’s home.

3. How old is the white alligator?
The white alligator is 36 years old.

4. What did the doctors do to help the alligator?
The doctors took out all the coins from the alligator’s stomach to help it feel better.

5. Why did the zoo doctors check all the alligators?
The zoo doctors checked all the alligators to make sure they were healthy.

6. Why did the zoo tell everyone to stop throwing coins?
The zoo told everyone to stop throwing coins because it can make animals sick.

7. What did Thibodaux getting better remind us to do around animals?
Thibodaux getting better reminds us to be kind and careful around animals, especially at the zoo.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) have
(2) good
(3) people
(4) water
(5) took
(6) tells
(7) happy
(8) healthy
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. alligator
Answer: (G) A big animal with a long tail and sharp teeth

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

3. coins
Answer: (C) Small round pieces of metal that people use to buy things

4. water
Answer: (D) A clear liquid that you drink and swim in

5. doctors
Answer: (H) People who help you when you are sick

6. special
Answer: (J) Something that is not like the others, very unique

7. asleep
Answer: (B) Sleeping, not awake

8. checking
Answer: (F) Looking at something carefully

9. throwing
Answer: (E) To toss something away from you

10. reminds
Answer: (I) Makes you think about something important
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the alligator eat?
Answer: (b) Coins

2. How old is the white alligator?
Answer: (a) 36 years old

3. Why did the alligator have to go to the doctor?
Answer: (c) It ate coins

4. What did the zoo doctors take out of the alligator?
Answer: (c) Coins

5. Why did people throw coins into the alligator’s home?
Answer: (a) They thought it was fun

6. What did the zoo doctors find when they checked the alligators?
Answer: (b) Coins

7. Why did the zoo want people to stop throwing coins into the water?
Answer: (d) Coins can make animals sick

8. What did Thibodaux getting better remind us to be?
Answer: (d) Kind and careful around animals
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. A white alligator at the zoo named Thibodaux had to go to the doctor because it refused to eat 70 coins. (Answer: False)
2. The zoo tells everyone that throwing coins can improve the health of animals because coins are clean and nutritious for them. (Answer: False)
3. Thibodaux is ordinary because it is white and 36 years old. (Answer: False)
4. The zoo encourages people to continue throwing coins into the water where animals live. (Answer: False)
5. The zoo doctors helped Thibodaux by taking out all the coins so it could feel better. (Answer: True)
6. Thibodaux getting better reminds us to be kind and careful around animals, especially at the zoo. (Answer: True)
7. People threw the coins into the alligator’s home, which was not good for it. (Answer: True)
8. The doctors found the coins when they were checking all the alligators. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧