A dog owned by the leader of Moldova bit the hand of the leader of Austria. This happened when they were walking outside in Moldova’s capital. The dog, named Codrut, got scared because there were many people around. The leader of Austria had to put a bandage on his hand but said he still likes dogs.

People are sharing a video that shows the dog biting the Austrian leader’s hand. The leader of Moldova said she was sorry and that her dog was just scared. She promised to make sure this doesn’t happen again. The dog had never been mean before.

The leader of Austria wasn’t mad and said he gets why the dog was excited. The video made people talk about how to act around pets. Both leaders are still friends, and the countries they lead are still getting along well.

Original news source: Moldovan president’s dog bites hand of visiting Austrian president (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Students are divided into small groups. Each group is tasked with creating an attention-grabbing headline for the article they just heard about. Encourage them to use vivid language and play with words to make the headline interesting and reflective of the article’s content. After they come up with their headlines, have each group share theirs with the class.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students pair up, with one student playing the role of a news reporter and the other as the leader of Moldova or Austria. Using information from the article, the reporter interviews the leader about the incident. Encourage students to use direct and reported speech as they role-play the interview. After a few minutes, have them switch roles.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: On the board, write down the question “How should leaders handle unexpected situations with their pets in public?” Give students a few minutes to think about their own opinions. Then, have them walk around the classroom and ask their classmates for their opinions. Afterward, discuss the various opinions as a class and see which ones are the most popular.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article (e.g., “leader,” “bit,” “bandage,” “apologize,” “scared,” “mean,” “excited”) on slips of paper. Divide the class into two teams. Players take turns drawing a word for their team to guess without speaking or writing letters or numbers. Set a time limit for each turn. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Hand out paper and pencils to each student. Ask them to draw a scene from the article, like the moment the dog got scared or the two leaders discussing the incident. After they finish their drawings, have students describe their sketches to a partner, practicing past tense and descriptive language. This exercise helps with comprehension and vocabulary retention related to the news story.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Whose dog bit the leader of Austria’s hand?
2. Where did the dog bite happen?
3. Why did the dog bite the leader of Austria?
4. What did the leader of Austria have to put on his hand after the dog bit him?
5. What did the leader of Moldova say about her dog after it bit the other leader?
6. How did the leader of Austria feel about the dog after it bit him?
7. What did the video of the dog biting make people talk about?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A dog (1)______ by the leader of Moldova bit the (2)______ of the leader of Austria. This happened when they were walking outside in Moldova’s capital. The dog, named Codrut, got (3)______ because there were many (4)______ around. The leader of Austria had to put a bandage on his hand but (5)______ he still likes dogs.

People are sharing a video that shows the dog biting the (6)______ leader’s hand. The leader of Moldova said she was sorry and that her dog was just scared. She promised to make (7)______ this doesn’t (8)______ again. The dog had never been (9)______ before.

The leader of Austria wasn’t mad and said he gets why the dog was excited. The video made people (10)______ about how to act around pets. Both (11)______ers are still (12)______, and the countries they lead are still getting along well.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your favorite kind of pet?
2. Have you ever been scared by a big group of people? How did you feel?
3. Do you like dogs? Why or why not?
4. What would you do if a dog bit your hand?
5. How would you feel if your pet scared someone?
6. Do you think it’s important to say sorry if your pet causes trouble?
7. Have you ever had to say sorry for something your pet did? What happened?
8. Why do you think pets get scared sometimes?
9. Do you think the leader of Austria was nice for not being mad? Why?
10. How would you make sure a pet doesn’t hurt anyone?
11. Do you think it’s good to still be friends after an accident?
12. What do you think is the best way to act around new pets?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. dog
2. leader
3. bit
4. hand
5. scared
6. video
7. sorry
8. friends

Meanings:
(a) Someone who is in charge and makes decisions
(b) Feeling afraid or frightened
(c) Feeling bad for something you did wrong
(d) When an animal uses its teeth to hurt someone
(e) A moving picture that you can watch on a screen
(f) The part of your body at the end of your arm
(g) People who like each other and spend time together
(h) An animal that barks and wags its tail
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who owns the dog that bit the leader of Austria?
(a) The leader of Germany
(b) The leader of Spain
(c) The leader of Russia
(d) The leader of Moldova

2. Where did the dog bite the leader of Austria?
(a) On his hand
(b) On his leg
(c) On his head
(d) On his foot

3. Why did the dog get scared?
(a) Because it didn’t like the leader of Austria
(b) Because it was hungry
(c) Because it was tired
(d) Because there were many people around

4. What did the leader of Austria have to put on his hand?
(a) A glove
(b) A bandage
(c) A hat
(d) A scarf

5. What did the leader of Moldova say about her dog?
(a) She was sorry and her dog was just scared
(b) She was angry at her dog for biting
(c) She didn’t care about what happened
(d) She blamed the leader of Austria for the incident

6. What did the video show?
(a) The dog playing with the Austrian leader
(b) The dog barking at the Austrian leader
(c) The dog biting the Austrian leader’s hand
(d) The dog running away from the Austrian leader

7. How did the leader of Austria feel about the incident?
(a) He was very angry and wanted the dog to be punished
(b) He wasn’t mad and understood why the dog was scared
(c) He was scared of dogs after the incident
(d) He blamed the leader of Moldova for not controlling her dog

8. How are the countries of Moldova and Austria getting along?
(a) They are not talking to each other anymore
(b) They are planning to go to war
(c) They are still friends
(d) They are ignoring each other

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The incident did not happen when they were outside in Moldova’s capital.
2. The leader of Austria had to put a bandage on his hand.
3. The dog bit the hand of the leader of Austria.
4. People are not sharing a video of the dog biting the Austrian leader’s hand.
5. The leader of Austria no longer likes dogs after being bitten.
6. Both leaders are no longer friends and their countries are not getting along well.
7. The leader of Moldova owns a dog named Codrut.
8. The dog got scared because there were many people around.
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 happened to the leader of Austria’s hand?
2. Where were the two leaders when the dog bit the hand?
3. Why did the dog bite the leader of Austria?
4. What did the leader of Moldova say about her dog?
5. How did the leader of Austria feel about dogs after he was bitten?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Whose dog bit the leader of Austria’s hand?
The dog owned by the leader of Moldova bit the hand of the leader of Austria.

2. Where did the dog bite happen?
The dog bite happened outside in Moldova’s capital.

3. Why did the dog bite the leader of Austria?
The dog bit the leader of Austria because it got scared by the many people around.

4. What did the leader of Austria have to put on his hand after the dog bit him?
The leader of Austria had to put a bandage on his hand after the dog bit him.

5. What did the leader of Moldova say about her dog after it bit the other leader?
The leader of Moldova said she was sorry and that her dog was just scared. She said the dog had never been mean before.

6. How did the leader of Austria feel about the dog after it bit him?
The leader of Austria wasn’t mad and said he understands why the dog was excited.

7. What did the video of the dog biting make people talk about?
The video of the dog biting made people talk about how to act around pets.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) owned
(2) hand
(3) scared
(4) people
(5) said
(6) Austrian
(7) sure
(8) happen
(9) mean
(10) talk
(11) lead
(12) friends
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. dog
Answer: (h) An animal that barks and wags its tail

2. leader
Answer: (a) Someone who is in charge and makes decisions

3. bit
Answer: (d) When an animal uses its teeth to hurt someone

4. hand
Answer: (f) The part of your body at the end of your arm

5. scared
Answer: (b) Feeling afraid or frightened

6. video
Answer: (e) A moving picture that you can watch on a screen

7. sorry
Answer: (c) Feeling bad for something you did wrong

8. friends
Answer: (g) People who like each other and spend time together
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who owns the dog that bit the leader of Austria?
Answer: (d) The leader of Moldova

2. Where did the dog bite the leader of Austria?
Answer: (a) On his hand

3. Why did the dog get scared?
Answer: (d) Because there were many people around

4. What did the leader of Austria have to put on his hand?
Answer: (b) A bandage

5. What did the leader of Moldova say about her dog?
Answer: (a) She was sorry and her dog was just scared

6. What did the video show?
Answer: (c) The dog biting the Austrian leader’s hand

7. How did the leader of Austria feel about the incident?
Answer: (b) He wasn’t mad and understood why the dog was scared

8. How are the countries of Moldova and Austria getting along?
Answer: (c) They are still friends
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The incident did not happen when they were outside in Moldova’s capital. (Answer: False)
2. The leader of Austria had to put a bandage on his hand. (Answer: True)
3. The dog bit the hand of the leader of Austria. (Answer: True)
4. People are not sharing a video of the dog biting the Austrian leader’s hand. (Answer: False)
5. The leader of Austria no longer likes dogs after being bitten. (Answer: False)
6. Both leaders are no longer friends and their countries are not getting along well. (Answer: False)
7. The leader of Moldova owns a dog named Codrut. (Answer: True)
8. The dog got scared because there were many people around. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧