The contest for the best bird helps people think about wild birds that need help. Many birds in New Zealand are in danger and need to be safe. The pūteketeke winning makes people want to take care of these special birds. Some people didn't like that John Oliver helped, but it made more people notice the birds. Now, more people know and care about the birds that live in New Zealand.

Original news source: Bird of Century: Pūteketeke wins NZ poll after campaign by John Oliver (BBC)

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Give students a brief summary of the article without giving away the title. Then, ask students to create their own headlines that could fit the article. Encourage them to use descriptive words and make it catchy. After they're done, reveal the actual headline and discuss which student-created headline is closest to it.
– Sketch It
Instructions: Read descriptions of the pūteketeke bird from the article to the students, emphasizing its “funny hair” and other distinctive features. Ask the students to draw the bird as they imagine it based on the descriptions. They can share their drawings with their classmates and discuss the similarities and differences in their interpretations.
– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word "bird" on the board. Ask students to say or write other words that they associate with "bird." Encourage them to think about words from the article, such as "New Zealand," "contest," "endangered," and "funny hair." This activity will help with vocabulary recall and the understanding of context.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: After explaining the concept of the 'best bird' contest mentioned in the article, conduct a simple opinion poll in the classroom. Ask students to raise their hands to vote on whether they think it's good or bad for a famous person to influence a vote like John Oliver did. Tally the votes and discuss the reasons for their opinions.
– Role-play News Reporter
Instructions: Have students work in pairs. One student is the news reporter who has just learned about the pūteketeke winning the contest, and the other student is an expert on New Zealand birds. The reporter interviews the expert, asking questions about the bird, why it's special, and the importance of the contest. This helps students practice speaking, listening, and using vocabulary from the article.

A special bird from New ?, called the pūteketeke, was picked as the best bird. A famous man from TV, John Oliver, told ? people to vote for it. He made funny pictures and wore a big bird costume. ? from all over the world ? the bird and voted a lot. The bird is known for its funny hair and for getting sick sometimes. The contest for the best bird helps people think about wild birds that need help. Many birds in New Zealand are in danger and need to be ?. The pūteketeke winning makes people ? to take care of these special ?. Some people didn't like that John ? helped, but it made more people notice the birds. Now, more people know and care about the birds that live in New Zealand.

1. What is your favorite bird?
2. Do you like funny hair on a bird? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if a bird you like got sick?
4. Do you think it's good to help birds? Why?
5. Have you ever seen a bird costume? Was it funny?
6. What is a contest? Have you ever been in one?
7. Do you like when people from TV tell you to do things? Why or why not?
8. Have you ever voted for something? What was it?
9. Why do you think we should take care of birds?
10. Do you know any birds that need help? Can you tell me about it?
11. Do you think more people should know about birds? Why?
12. Would you wear a costume to help animals? Why or why not?

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