Some women in Pakistan take care of animals in the big mountains. They walk with their animals to find food on the grass. These women are very important because they help everyone in their village. They make things like cheese and sell them. They also helped build a road so people can go to the doctor or school.

But now, there are only seven of these women left. It is very hard for them to walk to the mountains because of bad weather and falling rocks. They are happy that their children have good jobs like being doctors. But they are sad because they can’t go to the mountains like before. They love the mountains very much and want to be close to them forever.

Original news source: The last of their kind: The unique life of Pakistan’s Wakhi shepherdesses (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a word or phrase related to the article (e.g. “mountains”, “cheese”, “walking with animals”). One person from each group acts out the word or phrase without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess what it is.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the words “women” and “mountains” on the board. Ask the students to brainstorm and write down as many words as they can that are related to these two words. Encourage them to think of both nouns and adjectives. After a few minutes, have the students share their words with the class and discuss the connections.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Give each student a small piece of paper and ask them to write down a vocabulary word from the article. Collect the papers and mix them up. Then, one by one, pick a word and show it to the class. The students must draw a picture representing the word on the board, while the rest of the class tries to guess what it is.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article and a timer. Set a time limit (e.g. 2 minutes) and instruct the students to read the article together and summarize the main points to each other within the time limit. After the time is up, have the pairs switch partners and repeat the activity.

– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: Have each student think of two true statements and one false statement about the article. They should write these statements on a piece of paper, without indicating which is true or false. Then, have the students take turns sharing their statements with the class. The rest of the class must guess which statement is the lie. After each student shares, reveal the correct answer and have a short discussion about the true statements.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What do the women in Pakistan do in the big mountains?
2. Why are these women important in their village?
3. What do the women make and sell?
4. What did the women help build?
5. Why is it hard for the women to walk to the mountains now?
6. Why are the women happy for their children?
7. Why are the women sad about not being able to go to the mountains anymore?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some women in Pakistan take (1)______ of animals in the big mountains. They (2)______ with their animals to find food on the grass. These women are very important because they help everyone in their village. They make things like (3)______ and (4)______ them. They also helped build a road so people can go to the doctor or school.

But now, there are only seven of these women (5)______. It is very hard for them to walk to the mountains because of bad weather and falling (6)______. They are happy that their children have good (7)______ like being doctors. But they are sad because they can’t go to the mountains like before. They love the mountains very much and want to be (8)______ to them forever.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What do the women in Pakistan do in the big mountains?
2. How do these women help everyone in their village?
3. What do these women make and sell?
4. Why is it important for people to have a road to go to the doctor or school?
5. How do the women feel about their children having good jobs?
6. Why are the women sad?
7. Why do the women love the mountains so much?
8. What is your favorite place in nature?
9. How would you feel if you couldn’t go to your favorite place anymore?
10. Do you like helping others? Why or why not?
11. What kind of job would you like to have when you grow up?
12. Do you think it’s important to protect nature? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. women
2. animals
3. mountains
4. grass
5. village
6. cheese
7. road
8. children

Meanings:
(a) A yummy food made from milk
(b) A small place where lots of people live
(c) Very big hills that touch the sky
(d) Grown-up girls who take care of things
(e) Living creatures like cats and dogs
(f) A path for cars and bikes to drive on
(g) Green stuff that grows in the ground
(h) Little boys and girls who have moms and dads
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What do the women in Pakistan do in the big mountains?
(a) Play games
(b) Take care of animals
(c) Swim in the river
(d) Watch TV

2. Why are these women important to their village?
(a) They make toys
(b) They sing songs
(c) They paint pictures
(d) They help everyone

3. What do these women make and sell?
(a) Clothes
(b) Cars
(c) Cheese
(d) Computers

4. What did these women help build?
(a) A house
(b) A bridge
(c) A road
(d) A park

5. How many of these women are left?
(a) Seven
(b) Ten
(c) Two
(d) Fifteen

6. Why is it hard for these women to walk to the mountains?
(a) Too many animals
(b) Too many people
(c) Too much food
(d) Bad weather and falling rocks

7. What jobs do their children have?
(a) Doctors
(b) Teachers
(c) Farmers
(d) Artists

8. What do these women want to be close to forever?
(a) The ocean
(b) The mountains
(c) The city
(d) The desert

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. These women help everyone in their village.
2. Some women in Pakistan avoid animals in the mountains.
3. They are happy that their children have good jobs, like being doctors.
4. They make cheese and give it away.
5. There are hundreds of these women left.
6. It is hard for them to walk to the mountains because of bad weather and falling rocks.
7. They despise the mountains and want to be far from them forever.
8. They helped build a road for people to go to the doctor or school.
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 do the women in Pakistan do in the big mountains?
2. Why are these women important to their village?
3. What do the women make and sell?
4. Why is it hard for the women to walk to the mountains now?
5. Why are the women sad?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What do the women in Pakistan do in the big mountains?
They take care of animals and find food on the grass.

2. Why are these women important in their village?
They help everyone in their village by making things to sell and building roads.

3. What do the women make and sell?
They make cheese and sell it.

4. What did the women help build?
They helped build a road.

5. Why is it hard for the women to walk to the mountains now?
Because of bad weather and falling rocks.

6. Why are the women happy for their children?
Because their children have good jobs like being doctors.

7. Why are the women sad about not being able to go to the mountains anymore?
Because they love the mountains very much and want to be close to them forever.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) care
(2) walk
(3) cheese
(4) sell
(5) left
(6) rocks
(7) jobs
(8) close
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. women
Answer: (d) Grown-up girls who take care of things

2. animals
Answer: (e) Living creatures like cats and dogs

3. mountains
Answer: (c) Very big hills that touch the sky

4. grass
Answer: (g) Green stuff that grows in the ground

5. village
Answer: (b) A small place where lots of people live

6. cheese
Answer: (a) A yummy food made from milk

7. road
Answer: (f) A path for cars and bikes to drive on

8. children
Answer: (h) Little boys and girls who have moms and dads
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What do the women in Pakistan do in the big mountains?
Answer: (b) Take care of animals

2. Why are these women important to their village?
Answer: (d) They help everyone

3. What do these women make and sell?
Answer: (c) Cheese

4. What did these women help build?
Answer: (c) A road

5. How many of these women are left?
Answer: (a) Seven

6. Why is it hard for these women to walk to the mountains?
Answer: (d) Bad weather and falling rocks

7. What jobs do their children have?
Answer: (a) Doctors

8. What do these women want to be close to forever?
Answer: (b) The mountains
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. These women help everyone in their village. (Answer: True)
2. Some women in Pakistan avoid animals in the mountains. (Answer: False)
3. They are happy that their children have good jobs, like being doctors. (Answer: True)
4. They make cheese and give it away. (Answer: False)
5. There are hundreds of these women left. (Answer: False)
6. It is hard for them to walk to the mountains because of bad weather and falling rocks. (Answer: True)
7. They despise the mountains and want to be far from them forever. (Answer: False)
8. They helped build a road for people to go to the doctor or school. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧