A very old elephant named Mali who lived in a zoo in the Philippines has died. She lived by herself in a small space for a long time, which made some people who care about animals very sad. Many people are saying nice things about Mali because she was famous at the zoo for 40 years. Even a famous singer, Sir Paul McCartney, wanted her to live in a better place with other elephants, but she stayed at the zoo.

Mali came to the zoo when she was a baby elephant as a gift from another country. She was the only elephant there after her friend Shiva died many years ago. Some people said the zoo was not a good place for Mali and she needed better care. But the people who worked at the zoo said she had to stay because she didn’t know how to live in the wild. In 2012, two famous singers tried to help Mali move to a nicer home, but she never left the zoo.

When Mali died, many people in the Philippines felt very sad because they remembered seeing her when they were kids. They shared their feelings on the internet and were sad that she was alone when she died. The leader of the city said she would ask for another elephant from the country that gave them Mali. She also said that Mali was important to many people who came to see her at the zoo.

Original news source: Philippines: World’s ‘saddest’ elephant dies in Manila zoo (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Provide each group with a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the students to read the article and summarize the main points.
4. Encourage them to discuss and exchange ideas within their groups.
5. After a designated time, ask each group to share their summary with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Write the following question on the board: “Do you think keeping animals in zoos is a good or bad thing?”
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Instruct the students to discuss their opinions and reasons for their answers.
4. Encourage them to use the vocabulary and concepts from the article in their discussions.
5. After a designated time, ask each group to share their opinions with the class.

– Word Association
Instructions:
1. Write the word “elephant” on the board.
2. Instruct the students to brainstorm and write down as many words as they can think of that are related to elephants.
3. After a designated time, ask the students to share their words with the class.
4. Encourage them to explain the connections between the words and elephants.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Provide each group with a set of vocabulary words from the article.
3. Instruct the students to take turns drawing pictures to represent the words, while their partners guess the words.
4. Encourage them to use the vocabulary words in sentences as they play the game.
5. After a designated time, ask each group to share their drawings and words with the class.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Write the following question on the board: “What are the pros and cons of keeping animals in zoos?”
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Instruct the students to discuss and list the advantages and disadvantages of keeping animals in zoos.
4. Encourage them to support their ideas with examples and reasoning.
5. After a designated time, ask each group to share their lists with the class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is Mali?
2. How long did Mali live in the zoo?
3. Why were some people sad about Mali’s living conditions?
4. Who wanted Mali to live in a better place with other elephants?
5. Why did Mali stay at the zoo?
6. Why did some people think the zoo was not a good place for Mali?
7. What did the leader of the city say she would do after Mali’s death?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A very old elephant named (1)______ who lived in a zoo in the Philippines has died. She lived by herself in a small (2)______ for a long time, which made some people who care about animals very sad. Many people are saying nice (3)______ about Mali because she was famous at the zoo for 40 years. Even a famous singer, Sir Paul McCartney, wanted her to live in a better place with other elephants, but she stayed at the zoo.

Mali (4)______ to the zoo when she was a baby elephant as a (5)______ from another country. She was the only elephant there after her friend Shiva died many years ago. Some people (6)______ the zoo was not a good place for Mali and she needed (7)______ care. But the people who worked at the zoo said she had to stay because she didn’t know how to live in the wild. In 2012, two famous singers tried to help Mali move to a nicer (8)______, but she never left the zoo.

When Mali (9)______, many people in the Philippines felt very sad because they remembered seeing her when they were (10)______. They shared their feelings on the (11)______ and were sad that she was alone when she died. The leader of the city said she would ask for another elephant from the country that gave them Mali. She also said that Mali was (12)______ to many people who came to see her at the zoo.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a zoo?
2. How would you feel if you were an elephant living by yourself in a small space for a long time?
3. Do you like animals? Why or why not?
4. Do you think Mali should have lived in a better place with other elephants? Why or why not?
5. How do you think Mali felt being the only elephant at the zoo?
6. What is a gift?
7. How would you feel if you were given a baby elephant as a gift?
8. Do you think the zoo was a good place for Mali? Why or why not?
9. Why do you think Mali didn’t leave the zoo when the famous singers tried to help her?
10. How do you think the people in the Philippines felt when Mali died?
11. Have you ever been to a zoo? How did you feel when you saw the animals?
12. Do you think it’s important for animals to have companionship? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. elephant
2. zoo
3. Philippines
4. died
5. Mali
6. alone
7. famous
8. singer

Meanings:
(a) A place where people can see animals
(b) When someone is not alive anymore
(c) The name of an old elephant
(d) When many people know who you are
(e) A country in Asia
(f) When someone is by themselves
(g) A very big animal with a long nose
(h) Someone who sings songs and is well-known
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did Mali live?
(a) In the wild
(b) In a circus
(c) In a zoo in the Philippines
(d) In a forest

2. How long was Mali famous at the zoo?
(a) 10 years
(b) 5 years
(c) 20 years
(d) 40 years

3. Who wanted Mali to live in a better place with other elephants?
(a) The zookeepers
(b) Sir Paul McCartney
(c) The leader of the city
(d) Mali’s friend Shiva

4. How did Mali come to the zoo?
(a) As a gift from another country
(b) She was born there
(c) She escaped from the wild
(d) She was bought from another zoo

5. Why did some people say the zoo was not a good place for Mali?
(a) She didn’t like the other animals
(b) She lived by herself in a small space
(c) She didn’t like the food at the zoo
(d) She was scared of the zookeepers

6. Why did Mali have to stay at the zoo?
(a) She liked living by herself
(b) She was too old to move
(c) The zookeepers didn’t want to let her go
(d) She didn’t know how to live in the wild

7. How did people in the Philippines feel when Mali died?
(a) Very happy
(b) Very angry
(c) Very sad
(d) Very scared

8. What did the leader of the city say she would do?
(a) Ask for another elephant from the country that gave them Mali
(b) Close down the zoo
(c) Give Mali a big funeral
(d) Move all the animals to a different zoo

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Sir Paul McCartney, an unknown singer, wanted Mali to live in a worse place without other elephants.
2. Mali was unknown at the zoo for 40 years and many people are saying mean things about her.
3. Mali lived with others in a large space for a short time, which made some people happy.
4. Mali was a very old elephant who lived in a zoo in the Philippines.
5. Mali came to the zoo as a baby elephant as a gift from another country.
6. Some people said the zoo was not a good place for Mali and she needed better care.
7. Mali’s friend Shiva is still alive, so she is not the only elephant at the zoo.
8. When Mali died, many people in the Philippines felt sad because they remembered seeing her when they were kids.
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. Who is Mali and where did she live?
2. How long did Mali live at the zoo?
3. Why did some people want Mali to live in a better place?
4. Why did Mali have to stay at the zoo?
5. Why were many people sad when Mali died?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is Mali?
Mali is a very old elephant who lived in a zoo in the Philippines.

2. How long did Mali live in the zoo?
Mali lived in the zoo for 40 years.

3. Why were some people sad about Mali’s living conditions?
Some people were sad because Mali lived by herself in a small space for a long time.

4. Who wanted Mali to live in a better place with other elephants?
Sir Paul McCartney, a famous singer, wanted Mali to live in a better place with other elephants.

5. Why did Mali stay at the zoo?
Mali stayed at the zoo because the people who worked there said she didn’t know how to live in the wild.

6. Why did some people think the zoo was not a good place for Mali?
Some people thought the zoo was not a good place for Mali because they believed she needed better care.

7. What did the leader of the city say she would do after Mali’s death?
The leader of the city said she would ask for another elephant from the country that gave them Mali.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Mali
(2) space
(3) things
(4) came
(5) gift
(6) said
(7) better
(8) home
(9) died
(10) kids
(11) internet
(12) important
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. elephant
Answer: (g) A very big animal with a long nose

2. zoo
Answer: (a) A place where people can see animals

3. Philippines
Answer: (e) A country in Asia

4. died
Answer: (b) When someone is not alive anymore

5. Mali
Answer: (c) The name of an old elephant

6. alone
Answer: (f) When someone is by themselves

7. famous
Answer: (d) When many people know who you are

8. singer
Answer: (h) Someone who sings songs and is well-known
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did Mali live?
Answer: (c) In a zoo in the Philippines

2. How long was Mali famous at the zoo?
Answer: (d) 40 years

3. Who wanted Mali to live in a better place with other elephants?
Answer: (b) Sir Paul McCartney

4. How did Mali come to the zoo?
Answer: (a) As a gift from another country

5. Why did some people say the zoo was not a good place for Mali?
Answer: (b) She lived by herself in a small space

6. Why did Mali have to stay at the zoo?
Answer: (d) She didn’t know how to live in the wild

7. How did people in the Philippines feel when Mali died?
Answer: (c) Very sad

8. What did the leader of the city say she would do?
Answer: (a) Ask for another elephant from the country that gave them Mali
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Sir Paul McCartney, an unknown singer, wanted Mali to live in a worse place without other elephants. (Answer: False)
2. Mali was unknown at the zoo for 40 years and many people are saying mean things about her. (Answer: False)
3. Mali lived with others in a large space for a short time, which made some people happy. (Answer: False)
4. Mali was a very old elephant who lived in a zoo in the Philippines. (Answer: True)
5. Mali came to the zoo as a baby elephant as a gift from another country. (Answer: True)
6. Some people said the zoo was not a good place for Mali and she needed better care. (Answer: True)
7. Mali’s friend Shiva is still alive, so she is not the only elephant at the zoo. (Answer: False)
8. When Mali died, many people in the Philippines felt sad because they remembered seeing her when they were kids. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧