Vishal Jaiswal loves drones and uses them for his job. He maps the Sundarbans, a big forest in India and Bangladesh. This forest is hard to map because it is very thick and has lots of wild animals. Vishal and his team mapped a large area in just three days.

The Sundarbans are not in danger, but they face problems. Some areas are losing trees because of farming and building. The forest is home to dangerous animals like crocodiles and tigers. Scientists use drones to study the forest safely.

Besides drones, scientists use special tools to watch the forest. These tools help them see changes in the land. This helps protect the forest and the people who depend on it, like fishermen. Saving the forest is important for everyone.

Original news source: Tigers and crocs make mangrove preservation tough work (BBC)

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down some key words from the article on separate cards (e.g., drones, Sundarbans, forest, animals, scientists). Have students pick a card and act out the word without speaking while their classmates guess what it is.

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Have one student summarize the article about Vishal Jaiswal and the Sundarbans to their partner in their own words. Encourage the listener to ask questions for clarification.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down some vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g., map, thick, dangerous, tools, protect). Have students take turns coming to the board to draw a quick sketch to help their classmates guess the word.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and have them discuss their opinions on the importance of using drones to map and study the Sundarbans. After the discussion, each group can present their main points to the class.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Choose keywords from the article (e.g., drones, forest, scientists) and play a round of hangman with the class. Have students guess letters to uncover the keyword related to the article.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What does Vishal Jaiswal love and use for his job?
2. Why is it difficult to map the Sundarbans forest?
3. What are some problems facing the Sundarbans forest?
4. Why do scientists use drones to study the Sundarbans forest?
5. Besides drones, what other special tools do scientists use to watch the forest?
6. Who depends on the Sundarbans forest, according to the article?
7. Why is saving the Sundarbans forest important for everyone?
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🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Vishal Jaiswal (1)______ drones and uses them for his job. He maps the Sundarbans, a big forest in (2)______ and Bangladesh. This forest is hard to map because it is very (3)______ and has lots of wild animals. (4)______ and his team mapped a (5)______ area in just three days.

The Sundarbans are not in danger, but they face (6)______. Some areas are losing trees because of farming and building. The (7)______ is home to dangerous animals like crocodiles and tigers. Scientists use drones to study the forest safely.

Besides drones, (8)______ use (9)______ tools to watch the forest. These tools (10)______ them see changes in the land. This helps (11)______ the forest and the people who depend on it, like fishermen. Saving the forest is (12)______ for everyone.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What do you think about drones?
2. How would you feel if you had to map a big, thick forest like the Sundarbans?
3. Do you like forests? Why or why not?
4. What is a scientist?
5. Do you think it’s important to protect forests? Why?
6. How do you think drones can help scientists study dangerous animals?
7. What tools do you think scientists use to watch the forest?
8. How important do you think it is to save forests for fishermen and other people?
9. What animals do you know that live in forests?
10. Have you ever seen a drone before?
11. Why do you think some areas of the Sundarbans are losing trees?
12. How do you think drones can help protect forests?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. drones
2. maps
3. Sundarbans
4. thick
5. wild
6. mapped
7. losing
8. crocodiles
9. scientists
10. tools
11. depend
12. fishermen

Meanings:
(A) People who study and learn about things in nature
(B) A large forest area in India and Bangladesh
(C) Not having something anymore
(D) People who catch fish for a living
(E) Large reptiles with big mouths and sharp teeth
(F) Drawings that show where places are
(G) To need something to live or work
(H) Very dense or packed closely together
(I) Made a drawing of an area showing where things are
(J) Flying machines that can take pictures or videos from the sky
(K) Objects or devices used to do a job
(L) Not tamed, living in nature
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What does Vishal Jaiswal use for his job?
(a) Drones
(b) Cars
(c) Bicycles
(d) Boats

2. Where is the Sundarbans located?
(a) Brazil and Argentina
(b) Australia and New Zealand
(c) India and Bangladesh
(d) China and Japan

3. Why is it hard to map the Sundarbans?
(a) It is small and easy to navigate
(b) It is a desert with no vegetation
(c) It is a flat plain with no obstacles
(d) It is very thick and has lots of wild animals

4. What animals can be found in the Sundarbans?
(a) Penguins and polar bears
(b) Elephants and giraffes
(c) Crocodiles and tigers
(d) Wolves and bears

5. Why are some areas of the Sundarbans losing trees?
(a) Because of heavy rainfall
(b) Because of farming and building
(c) Because of too many tourists
(d) Because of forest fires

6. What do scientists use drones for in the Sundarbans?
(a) To study the forest safely
(b) To play games
(c) To scare away animals
(d) To take pictures for fun

7. Besides drones, what do scientists use to watch the forest?
(a) Binoculars
(b) Special tools
(c) Magnifying glasses
(d) Flashlights

8. Why is saving the Sundarbans important?
(a) To build more houses
(b) To create a new shopping mall
(c) To make a new road
(d) To protect the forest and the people who depend on it

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Special tools are used by scientists to monitor changes in the forest.
2. Protecting the Sundarbans is important for both the forest and the people who rely on it.
3. Alice Sharma uses drones to map the Sundarbans forest.
4. The Sundarbans forest is very thick and has many wild animals.
5. Vishal and his team mapped a large area of the forest in just three days.
6. The forest is devoid of dangerous animals like crocodiles and tigers.
7. Scientists avoid using drones to study the Sundarbans safely.
8. Some parts of the Sundarbans are gaining trees due to farming and building.
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 does Vishal Jaiswal use drones for?
2. Why is mapping the Sundarbans difficult?
3. What are some problems the Sundarbans are facing?
4. How do scientists use drones to study the forest?
5. Why is it important to protect the Sundarbans?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What does Vishal Jaiswal love and use for his job?
Vishal Jaiswal loves drones and uses them for his job.

2. Why is it difficult to map the Sundarbans forest?
It is difficult to map the Sundarbans forest because it is very thick and has lots of wild animals.

3. What are some problems facing the Sundarbans forest?
Some problems facing the Sundarbans forest include losing trees due to farming and building.

4. Why do scientists use drones to study the Sundarbans forest?
Scientists use drones to study the Sundarbans forest safely because it is home to dangerous animals like crocodiles and tigers.

5. Besides drones, what other special tools do scientists use to watch the forest?
Besides drones, scientists use special tools to watch the forest that help them see changes in the land.

6. Who depends on the Sundarbans forest, according to the article?
According to the article, people like fishermen depend on the Sundarbans forest.

7. Why is saving the Sundarbans forest important for everyone?
Saving the Sundarbans forest is important for everyone because it helps protect the forest and the people who depend on it.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) loves
(2) India
(3) thick
(4) Vishal
(5) large
(6) problems
(7) forest
(8) scientists
(9) special
(10) help
(11) protect
(12) important
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. drones
Answer: (J) Flying machines that can take pictures or videos from the sky

2. maps
Answer: (F) Drawings that show where places are

3. Sundarbans
Answer: (B) A large forest area in India and Bangladesh

4. thick
Answer: (H) Very dense or packed closely together

5. wild
Answer: (L) Not tamed, living in nature

6. mapped
Answer: (I) Made a drawing of an area showing where things are

7. losing
Answer: (C) Not having something anymore

8. crocodiles
Answer: (E) Large reptiles with big mouths and sharp teeth

9. scientists
Answer: (A) People who study and learn about things in nature

10. tools
Answer: (K) Objects or devices used to do a job

11. depend
Answer: (G) To need something to live or work

12. fishermen
Answer: (D) People who catch fish for a living
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What does Vishal Jaiswal use for his job?
Answer: (a) Drones

2. Where is the Sundarbans located?
Answer: (c) India and Bangladesh

3. Why is it hard to map the Sundarbans?
Answer: (d) It is very thick and has lots of wild animals

4. What animals can be found in the Sundarbans?
Answer: (c) Crocodiles and tigers

5. Why are some areas of the Sundarbans losing trees?
Answer: (b) Because of farming and building

6. What do scientists use drones for in the Sundarbans?
Answer: (a) To study the forest safely

7. Besides drones, what do scientists use to watch the forest?
Answer: (b) Special tools

8. Why is saving the Sundarbans important?
Answer: (d) To protect the forest and the people who depend on it
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Special tools are used by scientists to monitor changes in the forest. (Answer: True)
2. Protecting the Sundarbans is important for both the forest and the people who rely on it. (Answer: True)
3. Alice Sharma uses drones to map the Sundarbans forest. (Answer: False)
4. The Sundarbans forest is very thick and has many wild animals. (Answer: True)
5. Vishal and his team mapped a large area of the forest in just three days. (Answer: True)
6. The forest is devoid of dangerous animals like crocodiles and tigers. (Answer: False)
7. Scientists avoid using drones to study the Sundarbans safely. (Answer: False)
8. Some parts of the Sundarbans are gaining trees due to farming and building. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧