Some smart people found a very special animal with spikes and a long nose that people thought was gone forever. They took videos of it in a faraway place with big mountains. This animal is very old, like from the time of the dinosaurs. The smart people were very happy to see it. Even a famous man who loves animals was very happy about this.

The smart people also found new bugs, frogs, and saw some jumping animals and pretty birds. The place they went to was hard to walk in because it had big rocks, snakes that could make you sick, and bugs that stick to your skin. They worked hard and found many new bugs, a shrimp that lives in trees, and a big hole in the ground that no one knew about before. They hope that finding these animals and bugs will help keep the place safe so that all the special living things there can stay safe and not go away.

Original news source: First-ever images prove ‘lost echidna’ not extinct (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Before class, prepare cards with words related to the article, such as “animal,” “spikes,” “long nose,” “mountains,” “videos,” “bugs,” “frogs,” “birds,” and “rocks.” Divide students into two teams. Students take turns drawing a card and then acting out the word without speaking while their teammates guess the word. Set a time limit for each turn, like 1 minute. This activity helps students with vocabulary recall and non-verbal communication skills.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Provide students with paper and pencils. Read out short sentences or phrases from the article, such as “special animal with spikes,” “big mountains,” “pretty birds,” and “big hole in the ground.” Students must quickly sketch their interpretation of the sentence or phrase. Afterward, students can show their drawings and explain in simple English what they drew, practicing their speaking and listening skills.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Explain to the students that headlines are important for summarizing news stories. Give them a brief overview of the article in simple English. Then, ask the students to create a catchy headline that could fit the story. They can work in pairs to come up with their headline and then share it with the class, which encourages creativity and understanding of main ideas.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article on individual cards, like “spikes,” “long nose,” “big mountains,” “shrimp,” “trees,” and “hole.” Split the class into two teams. Players take turns drawing a word from the pile for their team to guess, without writing letters or numbers. Set a timer for each round. This game helps with word recognition and understanding of key concepts from the article.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask a question related to the article, such as “Why is it important to find and protect special animals and bugs?” Students first think about the question individually, then pair up with a classmate to discuss their thoughts, and finally, share their ideas with the whole class. This activity encourages personal reflection, collaborative learning, and public speaking practice.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What kind of special animal did the smart people find?
2. Where did they find the animal with spikes and a long nose?
3. How old is the special animal they found?
4. What did the smart people feel when they saw the special animal?
5. What else did the smart people find in the faraway place?
6. Why was the place hard to walk in?
7. What do the smart people want to happen because they found the animals and bugs?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some smart people found a very special animal with (1)______ and a long nose that people thought was (2)______ forever. They took videos of it in a faraway place with big mountains. This animal is very old, like from the time of the dinosaurs. The smart (3)______ were very (4)______ to see it. Even a famous man who loves animals was very happy about this.

The smart people also found new bugs, frogs, and saw some jumping animals and pretty birds. The place they went to was hard to (5)______ in because it had big rocks, snakes that could make you sick, and (6)______ that stick to your skin. They worked hard and found many new bugs, a shrimp that lives in trees, and a big hole in the ground that no one knew about before. They hope that finding these (7)______ and bugs will help keep the place safe so that all the special (8)______ things there can stay safe and not go away.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your favorite animal with spikes?
2. How would you feel if you saw an animal you thought was gone?
3. Do you like to watch videos of animals?
4. What is a long nose? Can you think of an animal with a long nose?
5. Do you think it’s good to find animals that are very old? Why?
6. Have you ever been to a place with big mountains?
7. What is a bug? Do you like bugs?
8. Can you jump like a jumping animal? What animal jumps high?
9. Do you think frogs are cute or scary? Why?
10. What color are pretty birds you know?
11. Would you like to walk in a place with big rocks and snakes? Why or why not?
12. Do you think it’s important to keep special animals safe? Why do you think that?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. special
2. spikes
3. faraway
4. mountains
5. dinosaurs
6. bugs
7. frogs
8. safe

Meanings:
(a) Not in danger or harm, protected and secure
(b) A place that is very, very far
(c) Pointy things that stick out
(d) Small animals that can jump and make noise
(e) Small creatures that crawl and fly
(f) Very tall land with snow on top
(g) Something very unique and different
(h) Very old, big animals that are not alive now
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the smart people find in a faraway place?
(a) A treasure chest
(b) A special animal with spikes and a long nose
(c) A magic lamp
(d) A spaceship

2. What kind of place did the smart people go to?
(a) A place with big mountains
(b) A place with big buildings
(c) A place with big lakes
(d) A place with big trees

3. What did the smart people find in the hard-to-walk-in place?
(a) New cars, bikes, and scooters
(b) New toys, books, and games
(c) New bugs, frogs, jumping animals, and pretty birds
(d) New clothes, shoes, and hats

4. What did the smart people hope to do by finding these animals and bugs?
(a) Keep the place safe
(b) Make the place noisy
(c) Make the place messy
(d) Make the place dark

5. What did the smart people find in the ground that no one knew about before?
(a) A small hole
(b) A big rock
(c) A small rock
(d) A big hole

6. What did the famous man who loves animals feel when he saw the special animal?
(a) Very sad
(b) Very happy
(c) Very angry
(d) Very scared

7. What kind of animals did the smart people find in the hard-to-walk-in place?
(a) Lions, tigers, and bears
(b) Elephants, giraffes, and zebras
(c) Bugs, frogs, and jumping animals
(d) Dogs, cats, and birds

8. What did the smart people hope to keep safe by finding these animals and bugs?
(a) All the special toys
(b) All the special food
(c) All the special clothes
(d) All the special living things

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The smart people also found new bugs, frogs, and pretty birds.
2. The animal was thought to be gone forever, but the smart people found it.
3. Some smart people found a special animal with spikes and a long nose.
4. The smart people hope that finding these animals and bugs will help make the place dangerous.
5. They did not take videos of the animal in a close place with big mountains.
6. The place they went to was easy to walk in because it had small rocks, snakes, and bugs.
7. They found a shrimp that does not live in trees and a small hole in the ground that everyone knew about before.
8. The animal is very old, like from the time of the dinosaurs.
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 special animal did the smart people find?
2. Where did the smart people find the animal?
3. What did the smart people see besides the special animal?
4. Why was it hard for the smart people to walk in that place?
5. Why do the smart people want to keep the place safe?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What kind of special animal did the smart people find?
They found a very special animal with spikes and a long nose.

2. Where did they find the animal with spikes and a long nose?
They found it in a faraway place with big mountains.

3. How old is the special animal they found?
The animal is very old, like from the time of the dinosaurs.

4. What did the smart people feel when they saw the special animal?
The smart people were very happy to see it.

5. What else did the smart people find in the faraway place?
They found new bugs, frogs, jumping animals, and pretty birds.

6. Why was the place hard to walk in?
The place was hard to walk in because it had big rocks, snakes that could make you sick, and bugs that stick to your skin.

7. What do the smart people want to happen because they found the animals and bugs?
They hope that finding these animals and bugs will help keep the place safe so the special living things can stay safe and not go away.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) spikes
(2) gone
(3) people
(4) happy
(5) walk
(6) bugs
(7) animals
(8) living
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. special
Answer: (g) Something very unique and different

2. spikes
Answer: (c) Pointy things that stick out

3. faraway
Answer: (b) A place that is very, very far

4. mountains
Answer: (f) Very tall land with snow on top

5. dinosaurs
Answer: (h) Very old, big animals that are not alive now

6. bugs
Answer: (e) Small creatures that crawl and fly

7. frogs
Answer: (d) Small animals that can jump and make noise

8. safe
Answer: (a) Not in danger or harm, protected and secure
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the smart people find in a faraway place?
Answer: (b) A special animal with spikes and a long nose

2. What kind of place did the smart people go to?
Answer: (a) A place with big mountains

3. What did the smart people find in the hard-to-walk-in place?
Answer: (c) New bugs, frogs, jumping animals, and pretty birds

4. What did the smart people hope to do by finding these animals and bugs?
Answer: (a) Keep the place safe

5. What did the smart people find in the ground that no one knew about before?
Answer: (d) A big hole

6. What did the famous man who loves animals feel when he saw the special animal?
Answer: (b) Very happy

7. What kind of animals did the smart people find in the hard-to-walk-in place?
Answer: (c) Bugs, frogs, and jumping animals

8. What did the smart people hope to keep safe by finding these animals and bugs?
Answer: (d) All the special living things
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The smart people also found new bugs, frogs, and pretty birds. (Answer: True)
2. The animal was thought to be gone forever, but the smart people found it. (Answer: True)
3. Some smart people found a special animal with spikes and a long nose. (Answer: True)
4. The smart people hope that finding these animals and bugs will help make the place dangerous. (Answer: False)
5. They did not take videos of the animal in a close place with big mountains. (Answer: False)
6. The place they went to was easy to walk in because it had small rocks, snakes, and bugs. (Answer: False)
7. They found a shrimp that does not live in trees and a small hole in the ground that everyone knew about before. (Answer: False)
8. The animal is very old, like from the time of the dinosaurs. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧