Some people catch fish they are not supposed to. This is bad because there are not enough fish for everyone if they keep doing this. Now, some smart people are using computers and space cameras to watch where boats go. The computers can tell if a boat is being sneaky and fishing where it shouldn’t. This helps stop people from taking too many fish.

Also, there’s a cool underwater robot being made. It can listen to sounds in the water. The robot is learning to hear the difference between normal water sounds and the noise from fishing boats that shouldn’t be there. If the robot hears something wrong, it can tell the people who can stop it. This way, by using robots and computers, we can help save the fish and the ocean.

Original news source: How AI is being used to prevent illegal fishing (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of vocabulary cards related to the article (e.g. fish, boat, robot, ocean). One student from each team takes turns acting out the word on the card without speaking, while their team guesses what word they are acting out. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the words “fish” and “ocean” on the board. Ask students to take turns saying a word that is related to either “fish” or “ocean”. Encourage them to think of as many words as possible in a given time limit (e.g. 1 minute). The student who can come up with the most words wins.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of vocabulary cards related to the article. One student from each pair chooses a card and has to draw a picture of the word on the card, while their partner tries to guess what word it is. The pair with the most correct guesses wins.

– Keyword Taboo
Instructions: Write the keywords from the article (e.g. fish, boat, robot, ocean) on separate index cards. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team takes turns picking a card and describing the keyword without using the word itself. Their team members have to guess the keyword. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask students to think about their own opinions on the topic of overfishing and the use of technology to address it. Then, pair them up and ask them to discuss their opinions with their partner. After a few minutes, ask some pairs to share their opinions with the whole class. Encourage students to listen and respond respectfully to each other’s opinions.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why is it bad when people catch fish they are not supposed to?
2. How are some smart people using computers and space cameras to help stop people from fishing where they shouldn’t?
3. What is the underwater robot learning to do?
4. How does the robot know if there is a fishing boat that shouldn’t be there?
5. Why is it important to save the fish and the ocean?
6. How can robots and computers help save the fish and the ocean?
7. Can you think of other ways we can help protect the fish and the ocean?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some people catch fish they are not (1)______ to. This is bad because there are not enough fish for everyone if they keep doing this. Now, some (2)______ people are using computers and space (3)______ to watch where (4)______ go. The computers can tell if a boat is being sneaky and fishing where it shouldn’t. This helps stop people from taking too many fish.

Also, there’s a cool underwater robot being made. It can listen to (5)______ in the water. The robot is learning to hear the difference between (6)______ water sounds and the noise from fishing boats that shouldn’t be there. If the (7)______ hears something wrong, it can tell the people who can stop it. This way, by using robots and computers, we can help (8)______ the fish and the ocean.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a fish?
2. How would you feel if there were not enough fish for everyone?
3. Do you like fishing? Why or why not?
4. What is a computer?
5. How do computers help stop people from taking too many fish?
6. What is a robot?
7. How does the underwater robot help save the fish and the ocean?
8. Have you ever heard sounds in the water? What did they sound like?
9. Do you think it’s important to protect the ocean? Why or why not?
10. What do you think about using robots and computers to help save the fish?
11. Have you ever seen a fishing boat? What did it look like?
12. Do you think it’s good to catch fish you’re not supposed to? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. fish
2. computers
3. cameras
4. boats
5. underwater
6. robot
7. sneaky
8. sounds
9. ocean
10. save

Meanings:
(A) Animals that live in water and can swim
(B) Below the surface of the water
(C) Noises that things make
(D) To keep someone or something safe from harm or danger
(E) Things that float on water and can move people or things from one place to another
(F) Machines that help us think and solve problems
(G) Doing something quietly and secretly so no one notices
(H) Things we use to take pictures or see far away
(I) A machine that can move and do tasks without a person telling it what to do every time
(J) A big, big area of salt water that covers most of the Earth
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why is it bad if people catch fish they are not supposed to?
(a) They will have too many fish
(b) The fish will be happy
(c) The ocean will be too crowded
(d) There won’t be enough fish for everyone

2. How are smart people using computers and space cameras to help stop people from fishing where they shouldn’t?
(a) They take pictures of the fish
(b) They watch where the boats go
(c) They count all the fish in the ocean
(d) They make sure the boats have enough fuel

3. What can the computers tell if a boat is being sneaky and fishing where it shouldn’t?
(a) If the boat is too big
(b) If the boat is painted a funny color
(c) If the boat is in the wrong place
(d) If the boat is going too fast

4. What is the cool underwater robot learning to listen to?
(a) Sounds in the water
(b) Sounds in the sky
(c) Sounds on land
(d) Sounds in space

5. What is the robot learning to hear the difference between?
(a) Normal water sounds and the noise from airplanes
(b) Normal water sounds and the noise from cars
(c) Normal water sounds and the noise from birds
(d) Normal water sounds and the noise from fishing boats

6. What does the robot do if it hears something wrong?
(a) It starts fishing too
(b) It takes pictures of the fish
(c) It tells the people who can stop it
(d) It swims away

7. How can using robots and computers help save the fish and the ocean?
(a) By stopping people from taking too many fish
(b) By teaching the fish to swim faster
(c) By making more fish appear in the ocean
(d) By making the ocean bigger

8. What is the main idea of this article?
(a) The importance of catching fish
(b) Using computers and robots to stop people from fishing where they shouldn’t
(c) How to build an underwater robot
(d) The different sounds in the ocean

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The robot is failing to distinguish between normal water sounds and the noise from fishing boats that shouldn’t be there.
2. This encourages people to take more fish.
3. The robot cannot listen to sounds in the water.
4. There is a cool underwater robot being made.
5. The computers can tell if a boat is being sneaky and fishing where it shouldn’t.
6. There are plenty of fish for everyone if people keep doing this.
7. Smart people are using computers and space cameras to watch where boats go.
8. Some people catch fish they are not supposed to.
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 are some people doing that is bad for the fish?
2. How are computers and space cameras helping to stop people from fishing where they shouldn’t?
3. What can a cool underwater robot do?
4. How does the robot know if there is a fishing boat that shouldn’t be there?
5. Why is it important to save the fish and the ocean?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why is it bad when people catch fish they are not supposed to?
It is bad because there won’t be enough fish for everyone if people keep doing this.

2. How are some smart people using computers and space cameras to help stop people from fishing where they shouldn’t?
They use computers and space cameras to watch where boats go. The computers can tell if a boat is being sneaky and fishing where it shouldn’t.

3. What is the underwater robot learning to do?
The underwater robot is learning to hear the difference between normal water sounds and the noise from fishing boats that shouldn’t be there.

4. How does the robot know if there is a fishing boat that shouldn’t be there?
If the robot hears something wrong, like the noise from a fishing boat that shouldn’t be there, it can tell the people who can stop it.

5. Why is it important to save the fish and the ocean?
It is important to save the fish and the ocean because they are part of our environment and many animals and people depend on them for food and livelihood.

6. How can robots and computers help save the fish and the ocean?
Robots and computers can help save the fish and the ocean by monitoring where boats go and detecting if they are fishing where they shouldn’t. They can alert the authorities to stop illegal fishing.

7. Can you think of other ways we can help protect the fish and the ocean?
Some other ways we can help protect the fish and the ocean include not littering, reducing our use of plastic, recycling, and supporting organizations that work to protect marine life and their habitats.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) supposed
(2) smart
(3) cameras
(4) boats
(5) sounds
(6) normal
(7) robot
(8) save
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. fish
Answer: (A) Animals that live in water and can swim

2. computers
Answer: (F) Machines that help us think and solve problems

3. cameras
Answer: (H) Things we use to take pictures or see far away

4. boats
Answer: (E) Things that float on water and can move people or things from one place to another

5. underwater
Answer: (B) Below the surface of the water

6. robot
Answer: (I) A machine that can move and do tasks without a person telling it what to do every time

7. sneaky
Answer: (G) Doing something quietly and secretly so no one notices

8. sounds
Answer: (C) Noises that things make

9. ocean
Answer: (J) A big, big area of salt water that covers most of the Earth

10. save
Answer: (D) To keep someone or something safe from harm or danger
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why is it bad if people catch fish they are not supposed to?
Answer: (d) There won’t be enough fish for everyone

2. How are smart people using computers and space cameras to help stop people from fishing where they shouldn’t?
Answer: (b) They watch where the boats go

3. What can the computers tell if a boat is being sneaky and fishing where it shouldn’t?
Answer: (c) If the boat is in the wrong place

4. What is the cool underwater robot learning to listen to?
Answer: (a) Sounds in the water

5. What is the robot learning to hear the difference between?
Answer: (d) Normal water sounds and the noise from fishing boats

6. What does the robot do if it hears something wrong?
Answer: (c) It tells the people who can stop it

7. How can using robots and computers help save the fish and the ocean?
Answer: (a) By stopping people from taking too many fish

8. What is the main idea of this article?
Answer: (b) Using computers and robots to stop people from fishing where they shouldn’t
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The robot is failing to distinguish between normal water sounds and the noise from fishing boats that shouldn’t be there. (Answer: False)
2. This encourages people to take more fish. (Answer: False)
3. The robot cannot listen to sounds in the water. (Answer: False)
4. There is a cool underwater robot being made. (Answer: True)
5. The computers can tell if a boat is being sneaky and fishing where it shouldn’t. (Answer: True)
6. There are plenty of fish for everyone if people keep doing this. (Answer: False)
7. Smart people are using computers and space cameras to watch where boats go. (Answer: True)
8. Some people catch fish they are not supposed to. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧