There is a very big fish called paiche that is causing trouble for other fish where they live in the Amazon river in Bolivia. This fish is as long as a car and very heavy. It came from a place where people were growing it on purpose, but it got out. Now, it is taking over the water and making it hard for the other fish to live. People who know a lot about fish are worried because the paiche is changing how things are supposed to be in the water.
Even though the paiche is not good for other fish, people who catch fish like it because they can sell it and make money. At first, they were scared of the big fish, but now they cook it and eat it. There is even a big kitchen in a town called Riberalta where they make lots of paiche food every month. But finding the paiche is not easy because it likes quiet water and moves around a lot. People who lived there first are not happy because now they have to share the places where the paiche likes to be.
Original news source: The fish that eats piranhas for breakfast (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a slip of paper with a word related to the article (e.g. paiche, fish, Amazon, Bolivia). One person from each group will act out the word without speaking, while the others try to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words.
– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article aloud to the class. Afterward, ask the students to work in pairs or small groups and write a short summary of the article in their own words. Encourage them to include the main ideas and key details. Have each group share their summaries with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Ask each group to discuss and write down their opinions about the paiche fish situation in the Amazon river. Then, have each group select a spokesperson to present their opinions to the class. As a class, create a graph or chart to display the different opinions.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select a few key vocabulary words from the article (e.g. paiche, Amazon, Riberalta). Write each word on a separate piece of paper and put them in a bag or box. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come up and pick a word from the bag. They must then draw a picture to represent the word, while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about and write down two things they learned from the article. Then, have them pair up with a partner and share their ideas. Afterward, randomly select a few pairs to share their thoughts with the whole class. Encourage them to use complete sentences and explain their answers.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
The name of the big fish is paiche.
The paiche fish is as long as a car.
The paiche fish came from a place where people were growing it on purpose.
People who know a lot about fish are worried because the paiche fish is changing how things are supposed to be in the water.
Yes, people who catch fish like the paiche fish because they can sell it and make money.
No, it is not easy to find the paiche fish because it likes quiet water and moves around a lot.
No, the people who lived there first are not happy about sharing the places with the paiche fish because they have to share the places where the paiche fish likes to be.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
There is a very big fish called paiche that is trouble for other fish where they live in the Amazon river in . This fish is as long as a car and very heavy. It came from a place where people were growing it on purpose, but it got out. Now, it is taking over the water and making it hard for the other fish to . People who a lot about fish are worried because the paiche is changing how things are supposed to be in the water. Even though the paiche is not good for other fish, who catch fish like it because they can sell it and make money. At first, they were of the big fish, but now they cook it and eat it. There is even a big kitchen in a town called Riberalta where they make lots of paiche food every month. But finding the paiche is not easy because it likes water and moves around a lot. People who lived there first are not happy because now they have to share the where the paiche likes to be.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a paiche?
2. How would you feel if a big fish like the paiche was taking over the water where you live?
3. Do you like eating fish? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it's fair that people catch and eat the paiche even though it's causing trouble for other fish? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever caught a fish before? If yes, what kind of fish was it?
6. How do you think the other fish feel when the paiche is around?
7. What do you think the people who lived there first should do about the paiche?
8. What kind of food do you like to eat? Do you think you would like paiche food?
9. Why do you think the paiche likes quiet water and moves around a lot?
10. How do you think the paiche got out of the place where people were growing it on purpose?
11. Have you ever been to a big kitchen where lots of food is made? What was it like?
12. Do you think the paiche will continue to cause trouble for the other fish? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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