A big cat named Kimba got out of his home at the circus and walked around a place where people live. People saw Kimba and were very surprised to see a lion near their houses. They took videos and shared them on the internet. After more than five hours, people caught Kimba and took him back to the circus.

People in the town were excited and a little scared to see Kimba walking around. They called for help to catch the lion. The man who takes care of Kimba at the circus said the lion is okay. He also said they will make sure Kimba cannot get out again.

Sometimes, animals get out and walk around places where people live. This has happened in other parts of the world with different animals. When this happens, it shows that people need to be careful to keep animals safe in their homes. This is important for the safety of everyone, including the animals.

Original news source: Escaped circus lion roams around Italian town before capture (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students will be divided into pairs. One student plays the role of a news reporter, and the other is a witness who saw Kimba. The reporter will ask the witness questions about what they saw and how they felt during the event. Encourage the use of past tense and descriptive vocabulary. After a few minutes, have the pairs switch roles.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article (e.g., circus, lion, surprised, caught, excited, scared, safety) on individual slips of paper. Students will take turns picking a word and drawing it on the board while the rest of the class guesses the word in English. This will help reinforce new vocabulary and prompt recall.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Pose a question to the class related to the article: “Do you think wild animals should be kept in circuses?” Have students move to different parts of the room based on their opinion (e.g., one side for ‘yes’, one side for ‘no’, and one for ‘not sure’). Each group will discuss their reasons and then share with the entire class, practicing expressing opinions and reasons.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Ask students to create an exciting newspaper headline for the article. Encourage them to think of attention-grabbing words and phrases that summarize the main event (e.g., “Lion on the Loose!”, “Big Cat’s Great Escape!”). Share the headlines and discuss which words help create a sense of excitement or urgency.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Discuss the sentence from the article, “He also said they will make sure Kimba cannot get out again.” Ask students to write or discuss their predictions about the future for Kimba and the circus. Will they really be able to prevent him from escaping again? What changes might they make? This activity encourages the use of future tense and critical thinking skills.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What kind of animal is Kimba?
2. Where did Kimba escape from?
3. How did people feel when they saw Kimba?
4. How long was Kimba out before he was caught?
5. What did the man who takes care of Kimba say they would do?
6. Why is it important to keep animals like Kimba in their homes?
7. What do people do when they see an animal like Kimba walking around their town?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big cat named Kimba got out of his home at the circus and walked around a place where people (1)______. (2)______ saw Kimba and were very (3)______ to see a lion near their houses. They took videos and shared them on the internet. After more than five (4)______, (5)______ caught Kimba and took him back to the circus.

People in the town were excited and a (6)______ scared to see Kimba walking around. They called for help to catch the lion. The man who takes care of (7)______ at the circus (8)______ the lion is okay. He also said they will make (9)______ Kimba cannot get out again.

Sometimes, animals get out and walk around places where people live. This has happened in other parts of the world with (10)______ animals. When this happens, it shows that people need to be (11)______ to keep animals safe in their homes. This is important for the safety of everyone, (12)______ the animals.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a circus?
2. How would you feel if you saw a big cat like a lion walking near your house?
3. Do you like going to the circus? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s okay for big cats to live at the circus?
5. Have you ever seen a big animal that is not usually in your town? What was it?
6. What would you do if you found a lion walking on your street?
7. Do you think animals like being in a circus? Why or why not?
8. What kind of home do you think is best for a big cat?
9. How do you think the people caught the lion to take him back?
10. Do you think it’s important to keep animals safe? Why?
11. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be and why?
12. Do you think the circus should have different kinds of animals? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. cat
2. circus
3. home
4. people
5. surprised
6. videos
7. caught
8. lion

Meanings:
(a) A small animal that is similar to a tiger
(b) To capture or get hold of something
(c) The place where someone lives
(d) A place where people perform tricks and show animals
(e) Humans
(f) Feeling shocked or amazed
(g) Short movies that you can watch on the internet
(h) A big animal that is similar to a tiger
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the big cat that got out of the circus?
(a) Simba
(b) Kumba
(c) Timba
(d) Kimba

2. Where did Kimba walk around?
(a) The circus
(b) A place where people live
(c) The zoo
(d) The forest

3. How did people react when they saw Kimba?
(a) They were angry
(b) They were happy
(c) They were surprised
(d) They were sad

4. How long did it take for people to catch Kimba?
(a) More than five hours
(b) Less than five minutes
(c) More than five days
(d) Less than five seconds

5. What did people do when they saw Kimba?
(a) They ran away
(b) They took videos and shared them on the internet
(c) They called the police
(d) They ignored him

6. Who said that Kimba is okay?
(a) The man who takes care of Kimba at the circus
(b) The mayor of the town
(c) A veterinarian
(d) A police officer

7. What did the man from the circus say they will do to make sure Kimba cannot get out again?
(a) They will build a bigger cage for Kimba
(b) They will hire more security guards
(c) They will give Kimba more food
(d) He didn’t say

8. Why is it important for people to keep animals safe in their homes?
(a) Because animals are dangerous
(b) Because animals don’t like being outside
(c) For the safety of everyone, including the animals
(d) Because animals are expensive to replace

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The people in the town called for help to release the lion.
2. The circus will ensure that Kimba can escape again.
3. After more than five hours, people managed to catch Kimba and bring him back to the circus.
4. People were surprised and a little scared to see a lion near their houses.
5. It is important for people to keep animals safe in their homes to disregard the safety of both humans and animals.
6. The man who takes care of Kimba at the circus said the lion is not okay.
7. Videos of Kimba walking around were shared on the internet.
8. A lion named Kimba escaped from the circus and wandered around a neighborhood where people live.
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 kind of animal is Kimba?
2. Where did Kimba come from?
3. How did people feel when they saw Kimba?
4. What did the man who looks after Kimba say about him?
5. Why is it important to keep animals like Kimba in a safe place?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What kind of animal is Kimba?
Kimba is a big cat, a lion.

2. Where did Kimba escape from?
Kimba escaped from the circus.

3. How did people feel when they saw Kimba?
People felt excited and a little scared.

4. How long was Kimba out before he was caught?
Kimba was out for more than five hours before he was caught.

5. What did the man who takes care of Kimba say they would do?
The man said they will make sure Kimba cannot get out again.

6. Why is it important to keep animals like Kimba in their homes?
It is important to keep animals like Kimba in their homes for the safety of everyone, including the animals.

7. What do people do when they see an animal like Kimba walking around their town?
When people see an animal like Kimba, they call for help to catch the animal.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) live
(2) People
(3) surprised
(4) hours
(5) people
(6) little
(7) Kimba
(8) said
(9) sure
(10) different
(11) careful
(12) including
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. cat
Answer: (a) A small animal that is similar to a tiger

2. circus
Answer: (d) A place where people perform tricks and show animals

3. home
Answer: (c) The place where someone lives

4. people
Answer: (e) Humans

5. surprised
Answer: (f) Feeling shocked or amazed

6. videos
Answer: (g) Short movies that you can watch on the internet

7. caught
Answer: (b) To capture or get hold of something

8. lion
Answer: (h) A big animal that is similar to a tiger
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the big cat that got out of the circus?
Answer: (d) Kimba

2. Where did Kimba walk around?
Answer: (b) A place where people live

3. How did people react when they saw Kimba?
Answer: (c) They were surprised

4. How long did it take for people to catch Kimba?
Answer: (a) More than five hours

5. What did people do when they saw Kimba?
Answer: (b) They took videos and shared them on the internet

6. Who said that Kimba is okay?
Answer: (a) The man who takes care of Kimba at the circus

7. What did the man from the circus say they will do to make sure Kimba cannot get out again?
Answer: (d) He didn’t say

8. Why is it important for people to keep animals safe in their homes?
Answer: (c) For the safety of everyone, including the animals
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The people in the town called for help to release the lion. (Answer: False)
2. The circus will ensure that Kimba can escape again. (Answer: False)
3. After more than five hours, people managed to catch Kimba and bring him back to the circus. (Answer: True)
4. People were surprised and a little scared to see a lion near their houses. (Answer: True)
5. It is important for people to keep animals safe in their homes to disregard the safety of both humans and animals. (Answer: False)
6. The man who takes care of Kimba at the circus said the lion is not okay. (Answer: False)
7. Videos of Kimba walking around were shared on the internet. (Answer: True)
8. A lion named Kimba escaped from the circus and wandered around a neighborhood where people live. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧