People listened under the water and found out that blue whales stay in this ocean area for many months. They think the whales might have babies there. A long time ago, people killed lots of blue whales, but now they have a chance to grow in numbers again. The ocean near the Seychelles islands is quiet and safe, which is good for the whales.
Scientists want to keep the blue whales safe and learn more about them. The Seychelles has made a big part of its ocean a protected area. This means that the whales can live there without being bothered too much. It's important to keep the ocean quiet because noise can be bad for whales and other sea animals.
Original news source: Blue whales: Ocean giants return to 'safe' tropical haven (BBC)
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns acting out a word or phrase related to the article, such as "blue whale," "hunting," or "protected area." The other group members must guess what the word or phrase is within a certain time limit. The group that guesses correctly gets a point, and the group with the most points at the end wins.
– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner. They should try to include important details such as why the blue whales disappeared, where they have been seen again, and why it is important to protect the ocean. After both partners have shared their summaries, they can discuss any similarities or differences in their responses.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a set of questions related to the article, such as "Do you think it is important to protect endangered species like blue whales?" or "Should more areas of the ocean be made protected areas?" Have students walk around the room and ask their classmates the questions, recording their answers on a tally sheet. Afterward, they can share the results and discuss different opinions.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board, such as "disappearing," "protected," or "endangered." Divide the class into two teams. One member from each team will come to the board and draw a picture to represent one of the words. The rest of their team must guess what word it is based on the drawing. The team that guesses correctly gets a point, and the team with the most points at the end wins.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Give students a few minutes to think about the article and come up with a question they would like to ask their classmates. They can write it down if they prefer. Then, have them pair up with a partner and take turns asking and answering their questions. Afterward, they can share some of the interesting questions and answers with the whole class.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
People hunted too many blue whales a long time ago.
People started seeing the blue whales again in 2020 and 2021.
It's good news because blue whales are still in danger of disappearing, and there are not many of them left.
Scientists think the blue whales might have babies in the ocean near the Seychelles islands.
The ocean near the Seychelles islands is quiet and safe, which is good for the whales.
The Seychelles made a big part of its ocean a protected area to keep the blue whales safe.
It's important to keep the ocean quiet because noise can be bad for whales and other sea animals.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Big blue are back in a part of the ocean near India. They were because people hunted too many of them a long ago. Now, people have seen the whales again in 2020 and 2021. This is good news because blue whales are still in danger of disappearing, and there are not many of them left. People under the water and found out that blue whales stay in this ocean for many months. They the whales might have babies there. A long time ago, people killed lots of whales, but now they have a chance to grow in numbers again. The ocean near the islands is quiet and safe, which is good for the whales. Scientists to keep the blue whales safe and learn more about them. The Seychelles has a big part of its ocean a area. This means that the whales can live there without being bothered too much. It's important to keep the ocean because noise can be bad for whales and other sea animals.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a blue whale?
2. How would you feel if you saw a blue whale in the ocean?
3. Do you like whales? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it's important to protect animals like blue whales? Why or why not?
5. Why do you think people hunted blue whales a long time ago?
6. How do you think the blue whales feel when they are in a quiet and safe ocean?
7. What do you think scientists can learn from studying blue whales?
8. How would you feel if you heard loud noises in the ocean where the blue whales live?
9. What do you think might happen if people keep hunting blue whales?
10. Have you ever seen a whale in real life? How did you feel?
11. Why do you think it's good news that blue whales are back in the ocean near India?
12. How can we help protect blue whales and other sea animals?
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.
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