Some firefighters in Russia found a hurt owl outside their station. The owl couldn’t fly because its wing was hurt, and some mean crows were pecking at it. The firefighters scared the crows away and took the owl inside. They kept it warm and gave it food, and then they took it to a doctor for animals.

A woman who talks for the firefighters told people about how they saved the owl. They used a shovel to carefully pick up the owl and put it in a box that was dark and safe. The owl is getting better with the doctor and will stay there until it can go to a special place for hurt birds.

The story shows that firefighters in Russia help everyone, even animals. They saved the owl from the crows and took good care of it. The owl will get better and then go back to living in the wild.

Original news source: Firefighters rescue injured owl from crows (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and act out a word or phrase related to the article, such as “firefighter,” “owl,” or “crows.” The rest of the class will guess what the word or phrase is.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns summarizing the article to their partner. They should include the main points of the story and any important details. After both partners have had a chance to summarize, they can compare their summaries and discuss any differences.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns choosing a vocabulary word from the article and drawing a picture to represent it. The other groups will then try to guess the word based on the picture. The group with the most correct guesses wins.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask the students to think about the actions of the firefighters in the article. In pairs or small groups, have them discuss and share their opinions on whether or not they think the firefighters did the right thing by helping the owl. Then, as a class, conduct an opinion poll to see how many students agree or disagree with each opinion.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns making predictions about what will happen to the owl in the future. They can use phrases like “I think the owl will…” or “Maybe the owl will…” based on the information in the article. After making their predictions, they can share them with the class and discuss the likelihood of each outcome.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the firefighters find outside their station?
2. Why couldn’t the owl fly?
3. What were the mean crows doing to the owl?
4. How did the firefighters scare the crows away?
5. What did the firefighters do with the owl after they scared the crows away?
6. Who told people about how the firefighters saved the owl?
7. Where will the owl go after it gets better?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some firefighters in Russia found a (1)______ owl outside their station. The owl couldn’t fly because its wing was hurt, and some mean (2)______ were (3)______ at it. The firefighters scared the crows away and took the owl inside. They kept it warm and gave it food, and then they took it to a doctor for animals.

A (4)______ who (5)______ for the firefighters (6)______ people about how they saved the owl. They used a (7)______ to carefully pick up the owl and put it in a box that was dark and safe. The owl is getting better with the (8)______ and will stay there until it can go to a special (9)______ for hurt birds.

The story (10)______ that (11)______ in (12)______ help everyone, even animals. They saved the owl from the crows and took good care of it. The owl will get better and then go back to living in the wild.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What do firefighters in Russia do to help animals?
2. How do you think the owl felt when it was being pecked by the crows?
3. What do you think the firefighters used to scare the crows away?
4. How would you feel if you found a hurt animal outside your house?
5. Do you think it was a good idea for the firefighters to take the owl to a doctor for animals? Why or why not?
6. What do you think the doctor did to help the owl?
7. How do you think the owl felt when the firefighters picked it up with a shovel?
8. Do you like owls? Why or why not?
9. What do you think the special place for hurt birds is like?
10. How do you think the owl will feel when it can go back to living in the wild?
11. Have you ever seen a hurt animal before? What did you do?
12. If you were a firefighter, how would you help animals in need?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. firefighters
2. hurt
3. owl
4. fly
5. wing
6. crows
7. pecking
8. scared
9. warm
10. doctor
11. animals
12. saved

Meanings:
(A) Black birds that make loud noises and eat other animals
(B) People who put out fires and help in emergencies
(C) Injured or in pain
(D) Not cold, comfortable temperature
(E) Feeling afraid or frightened
(F) A bird that comes out at night and can turn its head all the way around
(G) To move through the air with wings
(H) The part of a bird’s body that helps it fly
(I) Hitting something with a sharp beak
(J) Rescued or kept safe from danger
(K) Living creatures that are not humans
(L) A person who helps sick or injured animals
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why couldn’t the owl fly?
(a) It was too scared
(b) Its wing was hurt
(c) It didn’t want to
(d) It was too tired

2. What were the crows doing to the owl?
(a) Playing with it
(b) Feeding it
(c) Ignoring it
(d) Pecking at it

3. What did the firefighters use to pick up the owl?
(a) Their hands
(b) A net
(c) A stick
(d) A shovel

4. Where did the firefighters put the owl?
(a) In a cage
(b) In a dark and safe box
(c) In a tree
(d) In a car

5. Who took care of the owl at the doctor’s?
(a) The doctor
(b) The firefighters
(c) The woman who talks for the firefighters
(d) The crows

6. Where will the owl go after it gets better?
(a) A special place for hurt birds
(b) The firefighters’ station
(c) The doctor’s office
(d) The woman’s house

7. What does the story show about firefighters in Russia?
(a) They only help people
(b) They don’t like animals
(c) They help everyone, even animals
(d) They are scared of owls

8. What will the owl do after it gets better?
(a) Stay with the firefighters
(b) Stay at the doctor’s office
(c) Go back to living in the wild
(d) Go live with the crows

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. They kept the owl cold and denied it food.
2. The owl couldn’t fly because its wing was hurt.
3. The owl is not improving with the help of a doctor for animals.
4. The owl will stay at the doctor’s until it can go to a special place for hurt birds.
5. The firefighters attracted the crows and left the owl outside.
6. Mean crows were pecking at the owl.
7. The firefighters used a shovel to carefully pick up the owl and put it in a dark and safe box.
8. Firefighters in Russia found a healthy owl outside their station.
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 did the firefighters find outside their station?
2. Why couldn’t the owl fly?
3. What were the mean crows doing to the owl?
4. How did the firefighters help the owl?
5. Where will the owl go after it gets better?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the firefighters find outside their station?
The firefighters found a hurt owl outside their station.

2. Why couldn’t the owl fly?
The owl couldn’t fly because its wing was hurt.

3. What were the mean crows doing to the owl?
The mean crows were pecking at the owl.

4. How did the firefighters scare the crows away?
The firefighters scared the crows away by making loud noises or waving their arms.

5. What did the firefighters do with the owl after they scared the crows away?
The firefighters took the owl inside, kept it warm, gave it food, and then took it to a doctor for animals.

6. Who told people about how the firefighters saved the owl?
A woman who talks for the firefighters told people about how they saved the owl.

7. Where will the owl go after it gets better?
The owl will go to a special place for hurt birds after it gets better.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) hurt
(2) crows
(3) pecking
(4) woman
(5) talks
(6) told
(7) shovel
(8) doctor
(9) place
(10) shows
(11) firefighters
(12) Russia
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. firefighters
Answer: (B) People who put out fires and help in emergencies

2. hurt
Answer: (C) Injured or in pain

3. owl
Answer: (F) A bird that comes out at night and can turn its head all the way around

4. fly
Answer: (G) To move through the air with wings

5. wing
Answer: (H) The part of a bird’s body that helps it fly

6. crows
Answer: (A) Black birds that make loud noises and eat other animals

7. pecking
Answer: (I) Hitting something with a sharp beak

8. scared
Answer: (E) Feeling afraid or frightened

9. warm
Answer: (D) Not cold, comfortable temperature

10. doctor
Answer: (L) A person who helps sick or injured animals

11. animals
Answer: (K) Living creatures that are not humans

12. saved
Answer: (J) Rescued or kept safe from danger
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why couldn’t the owl fly?
Answer: (b) Its wing was hurt

2. What were the crows doing to the owl?
Answer: (d) Pecking at it

3. What did the firefighters use to pick up the owl?
Answer: (d) A shovel

4. Where did the firefighters put the owl?
Answer: (b) In a dark and safe box

5. Who took care of the owl at the doctor’s?
Answer: (a) The doctor

6. Where will the owl go after it gets better?
Answer: (a) A special place for hurt birds

7. What does the story show about firefighters in Russia?
Answer: (c) They help everyone, even animals

8. What will the owl do after it gets better?
Answer: (c) Go back to living in the wild
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. They kept the owl cold and denied it food. (Answer: False)
2. The owl couldn’t fly because its wing was hurt. (Answer: True)
3. The owl is not improving with the help of a doctor for animals. (Answer: False)
4. The owl will stay at the doctor’s until it can go to a special place for hurt birds. (Answer: True)
5. The firefighters attracted the crows and left the owl outside. (Answer: False)
6. Mean crows were pecking at the owl. (Answer: True)
7. The firefighters used a shovel to carefully pick up the owl and put it in a dark and safe box. (Answer: True)
8. Firefighters in Russia found a healthy owl outside their station. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧