Scientists found five new kinds of small, furry hedgehogs in the forests of South East Asia. They went on trips to the forest and also looked at old hedgehog samples in museums. They found two new kinds in the museums and three more in the forest. Dr. Melissa Hawkins, who led the team, said this shows us how many different living things there are on Earth and reminds us to take care of the forests.
These new hedgehogs are part of a group called Hylomys and they live in South East Asia. Before, people only knew about two kinds, but now there are seven. These hedgehogs have fur, not spiky backs, and they have long noses. Dr. Arlo Hinckley, who helped with the study, said finding these animals is important because the forests where they live are being cut down a lot.
Finding new animals is hard, especially when they are small and look alike, and live in thick forests. But the scientists could tell the hedgehogs apart by looking closely at their genes and at their skulls and teeth. They also found two kinds of hedgehogs in museums that no one knew were different. Their research, which they wrote about in a science journal, helps us learn more about these special hedgehogs and why we should protect the places they live.
Original news source: Five new soft-furred hedgehog species discovered (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns choosing a word or phrase related to the article and acting it out without speaking. The other groups will try to guess what they are acting out. Encourage the use of gestures and body language to convey the meaning.
– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students work individually or in pairs to write a summary of the article using their own words. Encourage them to include the main points and key details. Afterward, have a class discussion and compare the different summaries.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask the students to think about their own opinion on the importance of protecting the forests and the animals that live in them. Have them write down their opinion and then pair up with a classmate to discuss their reasons. Afterward, conduct a class poll to see the different opinions and have a class discussion.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Create a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. hedgehog, forests, genes) and write them on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into small groups. One student from each group will pick a word and draw a picture on the board without speaking. The other group members will try to guess the word based on the drawing.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about one thing they learned from the article that they found interesting or surprising. Have them pair up with a classmate and take turns sharing their thoughts. Then, have a class discussion and ask a few students to share their thoughts with the whole class.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
Scientists found five new kinds of small, furry hedgehogs in the forests of South East Asia.
The scientists also found two new kinds of hedgehogs in museums.
The scientists found a total of five new kinds of hedgehogs in the forest and two in museums, so they found a total of seven new kinds.
These hedgehogs have fur instead of spiky backs.
Finding these animals is important because it shows us how many different living things there are on Earth and reminds us to take care of the forests where they live.
The scientists were able to tell the hedgehogs apart by looking closely at their genes, skulls, and teeth.
The scientists wrote about their research on the new hedgehogs in a science journal.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Scientists found five new of small, hedgehogs in the forests of South East Asia. They went on trips to the forest and also looked at old hedgehog samples in museums. They found two new kinds in the museums and three more in the forest. Dr. Melissa , who led the team, said this shows us how many different living things there are on Earth and reminds us to take of the forests. These new hedgehogs are of a group called Hylomys and they live in South East Asia. Before, people only about two kinds, but now there are seven. These hedgehogs have fur, not spiky backs, and they have long noses. Dr. Arlo Hinckley, who helped with the study, said finding these animals is because the forests where they are being cut down a lot. Finding new animals is hard, especially when they are small and look alike, and live in thick forests. But the scientists could tell the apart by looking closely at their genes and at their skulls and . They also found two kinds of hedgehogs in museums that no one knew were different. Their research, which they wrote about in a science journal, helps us learn more about these hedgehogs and why we should the places they live.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What are hedgehogs?
2. How would you feel if you found a new kind of animal that no one knew about before?
3. Do you like forests? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it's important to protect the places where animals live? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever been to a museum? What did you see there?
6. How do scientists study animals that live in thick forests?
7. What do the new hedgehogs look like?
8. Why do you think the scientists studied the hedgehogs' genes, skulls, and teeth?
9. Do you think it's easy or hard to find new animals? Why or why not?
10. How can we learn more about animals that live in the forests?
11. Do you think it's fun to discover new kinds of animals? Why or why not?
12. What can we do to take care of the forests and the animals that live there?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!
