Scientists found a very old sea monster’s head in the cliffs by the sea in a place called Dorset in England. It is from a long time ago, about 150 million years, and it is almost all together, which is very special. This sea monster had a big head, bigger than most people, and it had 130 sharp teeth. A famous person named David Attenborough will talk about it on TV.

The sea monster was very big and strong, and it could swim fast. It ate other animals that lived in the water, like itself. Someone found the monster’s head by accident on a beach, and people had to climb down the cliff carefully to get it. This was not easy to do.

Now, the scientists are learning new things from the sea monster’s head. They can tell how strong its mouth was and how it caught its food. They found some small holes in the head that might have helped the monster feel things in the water, and a space for an extra eye to see better. The head will be kept in a museum, and the scientists hope to find more of the monster before the sea washes it away.

Original news source: Pliosaur discovery: Huge sea monster emerges from Dorset cliffs (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will read the article and create a summary of the main points. They should include information about the discovery of the sea monster’s head, its size and features, and what the scientists hope to learn from it. Afterward, pairs can share their summaries with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of vocabulary words from the article, such as “sea monster”, “cliffs”, “sharp teeth”, “beach”, etc. One student from each group will choose a word and draw a picture representing that word. The rest of the group must guess the word based on the drawing. The group with the most correct guesses wins.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: In pairs, students will discuss the pros and cons of finding the sea monster’s head. They can consider factors such as the scientific knowledge gained, the preservation of history, and the impact on tourism. After discussing, each pair will present their arguments to the class, and the class can have a debate on the topic.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have students think individually about the following question: “What do you think it would be like to discover a sea monster’s head?” After a few minutes, students will pair up and share their thoughts with each other. Finally, pairs can share their ideas with the whole class, and a discussion can be held on the topic.

– Charades
Instructions: Write down various words related to the article on separate pieces of paper, such as “cliffs”, “sea”, “teeth”, “swim”, etc. One student will choose a word without showing it to others and act it out silently, while the rest of the class tries to guess the word. The student who guesses correctly gets to choose the next word. Repeat the process until everyone has had a turn.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Where did scientists find the sea monster’s head?
2. How old is the sea monster’s head?
3. What is special about the sea monster’s head?
4. How big was the sea monster’s head?
5. How many teeth did the sea monster have?
6. Who will talk about the sea monster on TV?
7. What are the scientists learning from the sea monster’s head?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Scientists found a very old sea (1)______’s head in the cliffs by the sea in a place (2)______ Dorset in England. It is from a long time ago, about 150 million years, and it is almost all together, which is very special. This sea monster had a big head, (3)______ than most people, and it had 130 (4)______ teeth. A famous person named David (5)______ will talk about it on TV.

The sea monster was very big and strong, and it could swim fast. It ate other animals that lived in the water, like itself. Someone (6)______ the monster’s (7)______ by accident on a beach, and people had to climb down the cliff carefully to get it. This was not easy to do.

Now, the scientists are learning new things from the sea monster’s head. They can tell how strong its mouth was and how it (8)______ its (9)______. They found some small holes in the head that might have helped the monster (10)______ things in the water, and a (11)______ for an extra eye to see better. The head will be kept in a museum, and the (12)______ hope to find more of the monster before the sea washes it away.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a sea monster?
2. How would you feel if you found a sea monster’s head on the beach?
3. Do you like learning about dinosaurs and sea monsters?
4. Do you think it’s cool that the sea monster’s head is almost all together?
5. Why do you think the scientists want to find more of the sea monster?
6. How do you think the sea monster caught its food?
7. Why do you think the sea monster had so many sharp teeth?
8. What do you think the small holes in the head were for?
9. How do you think the scientists felt when they found the sea monster’s head?
10. Do you think it was hard for the people to climb down the cliff to get the head?
11. Why do you think the head will be kept in a museum?
12. What would you do if you found a sea monster’s head on the beach?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. scientists
2. cliffs
3. Dorset
4. special
5. sharp
6. famous
7. accident
8. carefully
9. holes
10. extra
11. museum
12. washes

Meanings:
(A) People who study things to learn and find new information
(B) A place where you can see old and interesting things
(C) Not usual, different from others in a good way
(D) Openings or spaces in something
(E) Doing something with a lot of attention to not make mistakes
(F) Tall, steep rocks next to the sea or ocean
(G) Known by many people
(H) Moves something away with water
(I) Having a thin edge that can cut or hurt
(J) A place in England
(K) Something that happens without planning, by chance
(L) More than what is usual or needed
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where was the sea monster’s head found?
(a) Dorset, England
(b) Paris, France
(c) Berlin, Germany
(d) Tokyo, Japan

2. How old is the sea monster’s head?
(a) About 50 years old
(b) About 10 years old
(c) About 1 million years old
(d) About 150 million years old

3. Who will talk about the sea monster on TV?
(a) Barack Obama
(b) David Attenborough
(c) Taylor Swift
(d) Cristiano Ronaldo

4. How big was the sea monster’s head?
(a) Smaller than most people’s heads
(b) The same size as most people’s heads
(c) Bigger than most people’s heads
(d) It didn’t say in the article

5. How many teeth did the sea monster have?
(a) 10 teeth
(b) 50 teeth
(c) 130 teeth
(d) 100 teeth

6. What did the sea monster eat?
(a) Plants that grew in the water
(b) Other sea monsters
(c) People
(d) Other animals that lived in the water

7. How did someone find the sea monster’s head?
(a) By accident on a beach
(b) By searching for it in a museum
(c) By climbing up a cliff
(d) By swimming in the sea

8. What are scientists learning from the sea monster’s head?
(a) How to swim fast like the sea monster
(b) How strong its mouth was and how it caught its food
(c) How to find more sea monsters in the sea
(d) How to climb down cliffs carefully

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The sea monster was very big, strong, and could swim fast.
2. Laypeople discovered the head of an ancient sea monster in Dorset, England.
3. The sea monster lived about 150 million years ago.
4. The sea monster had a large head, bigger than most people, and 130 sharp teeth.
5. Scientists are learning new things from the sea monster’s head, such as how it caught its food and how it sensed things in the water.
6. It didn’t eat other animals that lived in the water, including other sea monsters.
7. David Attenborough, an ordinary person, will not talk about the sea monster on TV.
8. The head of the sea monster is barely started, which is very common.
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 did scientists find in Dorset, England?
2. How old is the sea monster’s head?
3. How big was the sea monster’s head compared to most people?
4. How did people find the sea monster’s head?
5. What are scientists learning from the sea monster’s head?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Where did scientists find the sea monster’s head?
Scientists found the sea monster’s head in the cliffs by the sea in Dorset, England.

2. How old is the sea monster’s head?
The sea monster’s head is about 150 million years old.

3. What is special about the sea monster’s head?
The sea monster’s head is almost all together, which is very special.

4. How big was the sea monster’s head?
The sea monster’s head was bigger than most people.

5. How many teeth did the sea monster have?
The sea monster had 130 sharp teeth.

6. Who will talk about the sea monster on TV?
David Attenborough, a famous person, will talk about the sea monster on TV.

7. What are the scientists learning from the sea monster’s head?
The scientists are learning how strong its mouth was, how it caught its food, and they found some small holes that might have helped the monster feel things in the water. They also found a space for an extra eye to see better.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) monster
(2) called
(3) bigger
(4) sharp
(5) Attenborough
(6) found
(7) head
(8) caught
(9) food
(10) feel
(11) space
(12) scientists
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. scientists
Answer: (A) People who study things to learn and find new information

2. cliffs
Answer: (F) Tall, steep rocks next to the sea or ocean

3. Dorset
Answer: (J) A place in England

4. special
Answer: (C) Not usual, different from others in a good way

5. sharp
Answer: (I) Having a thin edge that can cut or hurt

6. famous
Answer: (G) Known by many people

7. accident
Answer: (K) Something that happens without planning, by chance

8. carefully
Answer: (E) Doing something with a lot of attention to not make mistakes

9. holes
Answer: (D) Openings or spaces in something

10. extra
Answer: (L) More than what is usual or needed

11. museum
Answer: (B) A place where you can see old and interesting things

12. washes
Answer: (H) Moves something away with water
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where was the sea monster’s head found?
Answer: (a) Dorset, England

2. How old is the sea monster’s head?
Answer: (d) About 150 million years old

3. Who will talk about the sea monster on TV?
Answer: (b) David Attenborough

4. How big was the sea monster’s head?
Answer: (c) Bigger than most people’s heads

5. How many teeth did the sea monster have?
Answer: (c) 130 teeth

6. What did the sea monster eat?
Answer: (d) Other animals that lived in the water

7. How did someone find the sea monster’s head?
Answer: (a) By accident on a beach

8. What are scientists learning from the sea monster’s head?
Answer: (b) How strong its mouth was and how it caught its food
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The sea monster was very big, strong, and could swim fast. (Answer: True)
2. Laypeople discovered the head of an ancient sea monster in Dorset, England. (Answer: False)
3. The sea monster lived about 150 million years ago. (Answer: True)
4. The sea monster had a large head, bigger than most people, and 130 sharp teeth. (Answer: True)
5. Scientists are learning new things from the sea monster’s head, such as how it caught its food and how it sensed things in the water. (Answer: True)
6. It didn’t eat other animals that lived in the water, including other sea monsters. (Answer: False)
7. David Attenborough, an ordinary person, will not talk about the sea monster on TV. (Answer: False)
8. The head of the sea monster is barely started, which is very common. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧