A man named Carlos Gauna, who likes to make videos of sharks, might have filmed a very young great white shark. He saw a small shark with a special white layer on its skin that could mean it’s a newborn. A shark expert thinks this might be true because the shark’s fins look different from older sharks. But, some other scientists say we should be careful before saying it’s a baby shark because the white layer might be something else.

People now use flying cameras called drones to make videos of sharks from the sky. Carlos’s videos show big sharks swimming near people in the ocean. These videos help us learn more about sharks and how they live. Carlos dreams of filming a shark being born one day, but he needs more proof to show that the small shark he filmed was really a baby.

Using drones has changed the way we watch and understand sharks. Carlos’s work is important because it helps everyone know more about these big fish. Even though we’re not sure if the shark he saw was a baby, his videos are still very helpful. Scientists and people who love animals are excited to learn more from Carlos’s videos in the future.

Original news source: Has great white shark newborn been caught on film for the first time? (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article aloud to the students. Then, ask them to work in pairs or small groups to summarize the main points of the article in their own words. After they have discussed, ask a few groups to share their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a few minutes to discuss their opinions on the following questions: Do you think Carlos filmed a baby shark? Why or why not? Do you think his videos are important for learning about sharks? After they have discussed, ask a few pairs to share their opinions with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a selection of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. newborn, layer, expert, drones). Divide the class into teams. Each team takes turns choosing a word and drawing a picture to represent it. The other teams must guess the word within a certain time limit. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, ask the students to create a catchy headline for the article. Encourage them to use their creativity and include key information from the article. After they have come up with their headlines, ask a few groups to share with the class.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about and write down their answers to the following question: If you could film any animal in the world, which animal would you choose and why? Give them a few minutes to think and write. Then, ask them to share their answers with a partner. Finally, select a few students to share their answers with the whole class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is Carlos Gauna?
2. What did Carlos see on the skin of the small shark?
3. Why do some scientists think the small shark might be a baby?
4. Why do other scientists think we should be careful before saying it’s a baby shark?
5. What are flying cameras called?
6. What do Carlos’s videos show?
7. Why is Carlos’s work important?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man named Carlos Gauna, who likes to make videos of (1)______s, might have filmed a very young great white shark. He saw a small shark with a special white layer on its (2)______ that could mean it’s a newborn. A shark expert thinks this might be (3)______ because the shark’s fins look different from older sharks. But, some other scientists say we should be careful before saying it’s a baby shark because the white layer might be something else.

People now use flying (4)______ called (5)______ to make (6)______ of sharks from the sky. Carlos’s videos show big sharks swimming near people in the ocean. These videos (7)______ us learn more about sharks and how they live. Carlos dreams of filming a shark being (8)______ one day, but he needs more proof to show that the small shark he filmed was really a baby.

Using drones has (9)______ the way we watch and understand sharks. Carlos’s work is important because it helps everyone know more about these big fish. Even though we’re not sure if the shark he saw was a baby, his videos are still very (10)______. (11)______ and (12)______ who love animals are excited to learn more from Carlos’s videos in the future.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. Do you like sharks? Why or why not?
2. Have you ever seen a shark in real life? How did you feel?
3. What do you think it would be like to film a shark being born?
4. How do you think drones help us learn about sharks?
5. What other animals do you think drones could help us learn about?
6. How do you think Carlos’s videos are helpful to scientists?
7. Do you think it’s important to learn more about sharks? Why or why not?
8. How would you feel if you saw a big shark swimming near you in the ocean?
9. What do you think the white layer on the shark’s skin might be?
10. How would you feel if you were able to film a baby shark being born?
11. What other animals do you think it would be interesting to film being born?
12. Do you think Carlos’s videos will help us understand sharks better in the future? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. newborn
2. expert
3. drones
4. ocean
5. proof
6. understand
7. important
8. excited
9. videos
10. layer
11. fins
12. sharks

Meanings:
(A) Flying machines controlled from the ground, used for taking pictures or videos from the sky
(B) To know or grasp the meaning of something
(C) Recordings of moving images that can be watched on a screen
(D) A thin covering or coating on something
(E) Something that matters a lot or is very significant
(F) The parts of a fish used for swimming
(G) A large body of salt water that covers most of the Earth
(H) A very young baby animal or person
(I) Large fish that live in the sea, some of which can be very big and scary
(J) Feeling very happy and eager about something
(K) A person who knows a lot about a specific thing
(L) Evidence or something that shows something else is true
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the man who likes to make videos of sharks?
(a) Carlos Santos
(b) Carlos Hernandez
(c) Carlos Rodriguez
(d) Carlos Gauna

2. What did Carlos see on the skin of the small shark?
(a) A black spot
(b) A blue stripe
(c) A green pattern
(d) A special white layer

3. Why do some scientists think the small shark might be a baby?
(a) Because it has a special white layer on its skin
(b) Because it was swimming near people in the ocean
(c) Because its fins look different from older sharks
(d) Because it was filmed by a drone

4. What are flying cameras called that people use to film sharks from the sky?
(a) Drones
(b) Helicopters
(c) Airplanes
(d) Balloons

5. What do Carlos’s videos help us learn more about?
(a) Sharks and how they live
(b) Birds and their nests
(c) Dolphins and their tricks
(d) Turtles and their shells

6. What does Carlos dream of filming one day?
(a) A whale jumping out of the water
(b) A dolphin swimming with a person
(c) A shark being born
(d) A turtle laying eggs on the beach

7. Why is Carlos’s work important?
(a) It helps everyone know more about birds
(b) It helps everyone know more about sharks
(c) It helps everyone know more about dolphins
(d) It helps everyone know more about turtles

8. Who is excited to learn more from Carlos’s videos in the future?
(a) Astronauts and people who love space
(b) Scientists and people who love animals
(c) Chefs and people who love cooking
(d) Teachers and people who love books

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The small shark he saw had a special white layer on its skin.
2. Carlos’s videos show big sharks swimming near people in the ocean.
3. The white layer on the shark’s skin could mean it’s an adult.
4. People now use flying cameras called drones to film whales from the sky.
5. Carlos may have filmed a very old great white shark.
6. Some scientists are confident about calling it a baby shark because the white layer might be something else.
7. Carlos’s work with drones has changed the way we learn about and understand sharks.
8. Carlos Gauna enjoys making videos of sharks.
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 Carlos Gauna film in his videos?
2. How can you tell if a shark is a newborn?
3. Why do some scientists think the small shark might not be a baby?
4. How do people use drones to film sharks?
5. Why is Carlos’s work important for understanding sharks?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is Carlos Gauna?
Carlos Gauna is a man who likes to make videos of sharks.

2. What did Carlos see on the skin of the small shark?
Carlos saw a special white layer on the skin of the small shark.

3. Why do some scientists think the small shark might be a baby?
Some scientists think the small shark might be a baby because its fins look different from older sharks.

4. Why do other scientists think we should be careful before saying it’s a baby shark?
Other scientists think we should be careful because the white layer on the shark’s skin might be something else.

5. What are flying cameras called?
Flying cameras are called drones.

6. What do Carlos’s videos show?
Carlos’s videos show big sharks swimming near people in the ocean.

7. Why is Carlos’s work important?
Carlos’s work is important because it helps everyone know more about sharks and how they live.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) shark
(2) skin
(3) true
(4) cameras
(5) drones
(6) videos
(7) help
(8) born
(9) changed
(10) helpful
(11) Scientists
(12) people
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. newborn
Answer: (H) A very young baby animal or person

2. expert
Answer: (K) A person who knows a lot about a specific thing

3. drones
Answer: (A) Flying machines controlled from the ground, used for taking pictures or videos from the sky

4. ocean
Answer: (G) A large body of salt water that covers most of the Earth

5. proof
Answer: (L) Evidence or something that shows something else is true

6. understand
Answer: (B) To know or grasp the meaning of something

7. important
Answer: (E) Something that matters a lot or is very significant

8. excited
Answer: (J) Feeling very happy and eager about something

9. videos
Answer: (C) Recordings of moving images that can be watched on a screen

10. layer
Answer: (D) A thin covering or coating on something

11. fins
Answer: (F) The parts of a fish used for swimming

12. sharks
Answer: (I) Large fish that live in the sea, some of which can be very big and scary
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the man who likes to make videos of sharks?
Answer: (d) Carlos Gauna

2. What did Carlos see on the skin of the small shark?
Answer: (d) A special white layer

3. Why do some scientists think the small shark might be a baby?
Answer: (c) Because its fins look different from older sharks

4. What are flying cameras called that people use to film sharks from the sky?
Answer: (a) Drones

5. What do Carlos’s videos help us learn more about?
Answer: (a) Sharks and how they live

6. What does Carlos dream of filming one day?
Answer: (c) A shark being born

7. Why is Carlos’s work important?
Answer: (b) It helps everyone know more about sharks

8. Who is excited to learn more from Carlos’s videos in the future?
Answer: (b) Scientists and people who love animals
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The small shark he saw had a special white layer on its skin. (Answer: True)
2. Carlos’s videos show big sharks swimming near people in the ocean. (Answer: True)
3. The white layer on the shark’s skin could mean it’s an adult. (Answer: False)
4. People now use flying cameras called drones to film whales from the sky. (Answer: False)
5. Carlos may have filmed a very old great white shark. (Answer: False)
6. Some scientists are confident about calling it a baby shark because the white layer might be something else. (Answer: False)
7. Carlos’s work with drones has changed the way we learn about and understand sharks. (Answer: True)
8. Carlos Gauna enjoys making videos of sharks. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧