Big blue whales are back in a part of the big water where they used to live. Long ago, people on big boats took too many whales from this place. Now, some people with cameras saw the whales again in 2020 and 2021. They think the whales might be having baby whales there. The place where the whales are is called the Seychelles, and it is safe for them.

People listened under the water for a whole year and heard the big whales. This means the whales like to stay in the Seychelles for a long time. A long time ago, people took too many whales from the water. But now, the Seychelles is a good place for the whales because there are not many boats and the water is safe. People want to keep it this way so the whales can stay safe.

Original news source: Blue whales: Ocean giants return to ‘safe’ tropical haven (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down a list of words related to the article on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat. One student from each team will come up and pick a word from the hat without showing it to anyone. They will then act out the word silently, using gestures and body movements, while their team tries to guess what word they are acting out. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue until all the words have been used or a specific time limit is reached. The team with the most points wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, have students take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner. Encourage them to use their own words and keep it concise. After each summary, the partner can ask questions or request more information. Switch roles and repeat the activity with a different article.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of vocabulary words from the article. One student from each group will have to draw a picture representing one of the words while the others try to guess what word it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Rotate the roles within the group and continue until all the words have been used or a specific time limit is reached. The group with the most points wins.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Write down one keyword from the article on the board, leaving the letters blank. Have the students take turns guessing letters and filling in the blanks. If a student guesses a correct letter, write it in the appropriate blank. If a student guesses a wrong letter, draw a body part of a hangman on the board. The students have to try to guess the keyword before the hangman is complete. After the keyword is guessed, discuss its meaning and use it in a sentence.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a topic related to the article, such as “protecting marine life” or “ecotourism”. Have the groups discuss the pros and cons of the topic, listing them on a piece of paper. After a few minutes, have each group present their lists to the class and facilitate a class discussion about the different perspectives. Encourage the students to use the vocabulary and ideas from the article in their discussion.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Where did the big blue whales used to live a long time ago?
2. What did people do to the whales in the past?
3. When did people see the whales again?
4. What do people think the whales might be doing in the Seychelles?
5. Why do the whales like to stay in the Seychelles for a long time?
6. Why is the Seychelles a good place for the whales now?
7. Why do people want to keep the water safe for the whales?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Big (1)______ whales are back in a (2)______ of the big water where they used to live. Long ago, people on big boats took too many whales from this place. Now, some people with cameras saw the whales again in 2020 and 2021. They think the whales might be having baby whales there. The (3)______ where the whales are is (4)______ the Seychelles, and it is safe for them.

People listened under the water for a whole year and heard the big whales. This means the whales (5)______ to (6)______ in the Seychelles for a long time. A long time ago, people took too many whales from the (7)______. But now, the Seychelles is a good place for the whales because there are not (8)______ boats and the water is safe. People want to keep it this way so the whales can stay safe.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What are big blue whales?
2. How would you feel if you saw a big blue whale in the water?
3. Do you like whales? Why or why not?
4. What do you think it means if the whales are having baby whales?
5. Have you ever seen a whale before? Where?
6. What do people use cameras for when they see the whales?
7. Why do you think the Seychelles is a good place for the whales?
8. What do you think happened a long time ago when people took too many whales from the water?
9. Do you think it’s important to protect the whales? Why or why not?
10. What do you think people can do to keep the water safe for the whales?
11. How do you think the whales feel when they stay in the Seychelles for a long time?
12. What would you do if you saw a whale in the water?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. whales
2. water
3. Seychelles
4. boats
5. safe
6. cameras
7. baby
8. stay

Meanings:
(a) A place where the big blue whales are found
(b) Very big animals that live in the ocean
(c) Things that people use to travel on the water
(d) A liquid that you drink and swim in
(e) Very young animals
(f) Devices that take pictures and videos
(g) Not leave a place
(h) Not dangerous or harmful
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did people see the big blue whales again in 2020 and 2021?
(a) Australia
(b) Canada
(c) Brazil
(d) Seychelles

2. Why did people take too many whales from the water a long time ago?
(a) They wanted to play with them
(b) They wanted to catch them
(c) They wanted to help them
(d) They wanted to scare them

3. What did people do to listen to the whales under the water?
(a) Used big boats
(b) Used their ears
(c) Used cameras
(d) Used binoculars

4. Why is the Seychelles a good place for the whales?
(a) There are many boats and the water is dangerous
(b) There are not many boats and the water is dangerous
(c) There are not many boats and the water is safe
(d) There are many boats and the water is safe

5. What do people think the whales might be doing in the Seychelles?
(a) Having baby whales
(b) Playing with other animals
(c) Eating a lot of fish
(d) Sleeping all day

6. When did people first see the whales in the Seychelles?
(a) 2020
(b) 2010
(c) 2000
(d) 1990

7. What color are the whales mentioned in the article?
(a) Red
(b) Green
(c) Yellow
(d) Blue

8. What did people use to see the whales in the Seychelles?
(a) Binoculars
(b) Cameras
(c) Telescopes
(d) Microscopes

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Some people with cameras saw the whales again in 2020 and 2021.
2. The people think the whales might be having baby whales in the Seychelles.
3. People listened above the water for a whole year and didn’t hear the big whales.
4. The whales are unhappy and unsafe in the Seychelles.
5. The whales like to stay in the Seychelles for a long time.
6. The Seychelles is a bad place for the whales because there are many boats and the water is dangerous.
7. Big blue whales used to live in a place called the Seychelles, but people didn’t take any of them long ago.
8. People want to keep the Seychelles safe so the whales can stay there.
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 kind of animals are back in the water?
2. Why did people take too many whales from this place?
3. When did people see the whales again?
4. Where is the safe place for the whales?
5. Why do people want to keep the water safe for the whales?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Where did the big blue whales used to live a long time ago?
They used to live in the Seychelles.

2. What did people do to the whales in the past?
People took too many whales from the water.

3. When did people see the whales again?
They saw the whales again in 2020 and 2021.

4. What do people think the whales might be doing in the Seychelles?
People think the whales might be having baby whales there.

5. Why do the whales like to stay in the Seychelles for a long time?
The whales like to stay in the Seychelles for a long time because they feel safe there.

6. Why is the Seychelles a good place for the whales now?
The Seychelles is a good place for the whales now because there are not many boats and the water is safe.

7. Why do people want to keep the water safe for the whales?
People want to keep the water safe for the whales so that they can stay safe and protected.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) blue
(2) part
(3) place
(4) called
(5) like
(6) stay
(7) water
(8) many
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. whales
Answer: (b) Very big animals that live in the ocean

2. water
Answer: (d) A liquid that you drink and swim in

3. Seychelles
Answer: (a) A place where the big blue whales are found

4. boats
Answer: (c) Things that people use to travel on the water

5. safe
Answer: (h) Not dangerous or harmful

6. cameras
Answer: (f) Devices that take pictures and videos

7. baby
Answer: (e) Very young animals

8. stay
Answer: (g) Not leave a place
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did people see the big blue whales again in 2020 and 2021?
Answer: (d) Seychelles

2. Why did people take too many whales from the water a long time ago?
Answer: (b) They wanted to catch them

3. What did people do to listen to the whales under the water?
Answer: (c) Used cameras

4. Why is the Seychelles a good place for the whales?
Answer: (c) There are not many boats and the water is safe

5. What do people think the whales might be doing in the Seychelles?
Answer: (a) Having baby whales

6. When did people first see the whales in the Seychelles?
Answer: (a) 2020

7. What color are the whales mentioned in the article?
Answer: (d) Blue

8. What did people use to see the whales in the Seychelles?
Answer: (b) Cameras
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Some people with cameras saw the whales again in 2020 and 2021. (Answer: True)
2. The people think the whales might be having baby whales in the Seychelles. (Answer: True)
3. People listened above the water for a whole year and didn’t hear the big whales. (Answer: False)
4. The whales are unhappy and unsafe in the Seychelles. (Answer: False)
5. The whales like to stay in the Seychelles for a long time. (Answer: True)
6. The Seychelles is a bad place for the whales because there are many boats and the water is dangerous. (Answer: False)
7. Big blue whales used to live in a place called the Seychelles, but people didn’t take any of them long ago. (Answer: False)
8. People want to keep the Seychelles safe so the whales can stay there. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧