A woman named Sue Stubley has a dog called Teasel. Teasel did something very surprising. She started to take care of some baby cats that did not have a mom. Teasel acted like their mom, even though she is a dog.

Sometimes animals take care of babies that are not their own and not even the same kind of animal. A smart person named Dr. Rachel Grant says this happens because animals have a strong feeling to take care of little ones. Teasel felt like this with the baby cats because they are all animals that drink milk from their moms.

This story of Teasel and the baby cats is very sweet. It makes people think about how animals live and grow. Dr. Grant says that if taking care of other animals’ babies works well, it can be a good thing in nature. The baby cats will soon stop needing Teasel, and they will go to new homes with people who will take care of them.

Original news source: Why did a dog in Newmarket end up nursing a litter of kittens? (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students pair up, with one student acting as a news reporter and the other as an eyewitness who saw Teasel taking care of the baby cats. The reporter asks questions about what the eyewitness saw, and the eyewitness describes the events using simple past tense. Swap roles after a few minutes.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article (e.g., care, surprising, nature, animals, babies) on separate pieces of paper. Students take turns drawing the words on the board without speaking or writing letters while the rest of the class guesses the word. This helps reinforce new vocabulary.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Write a statement on the board, such as “Animals should only take care of their own babies.” Students line up according to their opinion, from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Select individuals to explain their position, encouraging the use of comparative adjectives and opinion phrases.

– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Prepare a list of words from the article and their synonyms (e.g., surprising – astonishing, care – nurture, sweet – endearing). Divide the class into two teams. Call out the words from the article, and students race to shout out the correct synonym. This helps expand their vocabulary.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Discuss with students what they think will happen to Teasel and the baby cats in the future. Have them use future tense to make predictions (e.g., “The baby cats will find loving homes.”). This could be done in small groups or as a class discussion, encouraging the use of future tense constructions.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the woman who has a dog?
2. What is the name of the dog in the story?
3. What did Teasel the dog do that was surprising?
4. Who are the baby cats being taken care of by Teasel?
5. What kind of feeling makes animals want to take care of little ones?
6. Why does Dr. Rachel Grant think it is a good thing for animals to take care of babies that are not their own?
7. What will happen to the baby cats when they no longer need Teasel?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A woman (1)______ Sue Stubley has a dog (2)______ Teasel. Teasel did something very surprising. She started to take care of some baby cats that did not have a mom. Teasel (3)______ like their mom, even though she is a dog.

Sometimes animals take (4)______ of babies that are not their own and not even the same (5)______ of animal. A smart person named Dr. Rachel (6)______ says this happens because animals have a strong feeling to take care of little ones. Teasel felt like this with the (7)______ cats because they are all animals that drink (8)______ from their moms.

This story of Teasel and the baby cats is very sweet. It makes (9)______ think about how animals live and grow. Dr. Grant (10)______ that if taking care of (11)______ animals’ babies works well, it can be a good (12)______ in nature. The baby cats will soon stop needing Teasel, and they will go to new homes with people who will take care of them.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a pet you would like to have?
2. How would you feel if your pet started taking care of another animal’s babies?
3. Do you like stories about animals doing surprising things? Why or why not?
4. Do you think animals have feelings like people do? Why do you think that?
5. What is the kindest thing you have seen an animal do?
6. Have you ever seen different kinds of animals being friends? Can you tell us about it?
7. Do you think it’s a good idea for animals to take care of babies that are not their own? Why or why not?
8. What would you do if you found baby animals without a mom?
9. Do you think all animals can be like Teasel and take care of other animals’ babies?
10. Would you like to take care of a baby cat or dog? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the baby cats feel about Teasel the dog?
12. What do you think happens when the baby animals need to go to new homes?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. surprising
2. mom
3. strong
4. sweet
5. smart
6. feeling
7. nature
8. needing

Meanings:
(a) Having a lot of power or force
(b) An emotion or sensation
(c) Not expected, makes you feel amazed
(d) A female parent
(e) Requiring something because it is necessary
(f) Very nice and kind
(g) The world of animals, plants, and the Earth
(h) Intelligent and knows a lot of things
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the woman who has a dog called Teasel?
(a) Rachel Grant
(b) Mary Johnson
(c) Sue Stubley
(d) Sarah Smith

2. Why did Teasel start taking care of the baby cats?
(a) She felt like their mom
(b) She was bored
(c) She was hungry
(d) She was told to by Dr. Grant

3. According to Dr. Rachel Grant, why do animals sometimes take care of babies that are not their own?
(a) They are bored
(b) They have a strong feeling to take care of little ones
(c) They want to annoy other animals
(d) They want to show off

4. What do Teasel and the baby cats have in common?
(a) They are all animals that drink milk from their moms
(b) They can all fly
(c) They all have the same fur color
(d) They all live in the same house

5. What does Dr. Grant say about taking care of other animals’ babies?
(a) It is always a bad thing
(b) It can be a good thing in nature
(c) It is never a good thing
(d) It is only good for Teasel

6. What will happen to the baby cats after they stop needing Teasel?
(a) They will stay with Teasel forever
(b) They will go back to the wild
(c) They will find new moms in the forest
(d) They will go to new homes with people who will take care of them

7. What does the article make people think about?
(a) What to have for dinner
(b) How to train a dog
(c) How to take care of baby cats
(d) How animals live and grow

8. What is the main idea of the article?
(a) Dr. Grant studies animals
(b) Sue Stubley has a lot of pets
(c) Teasel, a dog, takes care of baby cats
(d) Cats and dogs are enemies

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Sue Stubley has a cat named Teasel.
2. The story of Teasel and the baby cats is very bitter.
3. The baby cats will soon go to new homes with people who will take care of them.
4. Teasel took care of some baby cats that didn’t have a mom.
5. Dr. Grant says taking care of other animals’ babies can be a good thing in nature.
6. Teasel felt this way with the baby cats because they all drink milk from their moms.
7. Teasel acted like the dad of the baby cats, even though she’s a dog.
8. Dr. Rachel Grant says animals have a weak feeling to take care of little ones.
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 Teasel the dog do that was surprising?
2. Who is Sue Stubley?
3. Why did Teasel take care of the baby cats?
4. What does Dr. Rachel Grant say about animals taking care of babies that are not their own?
5. What will happen to the baby cats when they no longer need Teasel?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the name of the woman who has a dog?
The woman’s name is Sue Stubley.

2. What is the name of the dog in the story?
The dog’s name is Teasel.

3. What did Teasel the dog do that was surprising?
Teasel took care of some baby cats that did not have a mom.

4. Who are the baby cats being taken care of by Teasel?
The baby cats do not have a mom.

5. What kind of feeling makes animals want to take care of little ones?
A strong feeling to take care of babies makes animals want to do this.

6. Why does Dr. Rachel Grant think it is a good thing for animals to take care of babies that are not their own?
Dr. Rachel Grant thinks it can be a good thing because it helps the babies grow and survive.

7. What will happen to the baby cats when they no longer need Teasel?
The baby cats will go to new homes with people who will take care of them.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) named
(2) called
(3) acted
(4) care
(5) kind
(6) Grant
(7) baby
(8) milk
(9) people
(10) says
(11) other
(12) thing
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. surprising
Answer: (c) Not expected, makes you feel amazed

2. mom
Answer: (d) A female parent

3. strong
Answer: (a) Having a lot of power or force

4. sweet
Answer: (f) Very nice and kind

5. smart
Answer: (h) Intelligent and knows a lot of things

6. feeling
Answer: (b) An emotion or sensation

7. nature
Answer: (g) The world of animals, plants, and the Earth

8. needing
Answer: (e) Requiring something because it is necessary
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the woman who has a dog called Teasel?
Answer: (c) Sue Stubley

2. Why did Teasel start taking care of the baby cats?
Answer: (a) She felt like their mom

3. According to Dr. Rachel Grant, why do animals sometimes take care of babies that are not their own?
Answer: (b) They have a strong feeling to take care of little ones

4. What do Teasel and the baby cats have in common?
Answer: (a) They are all animals that drink milk from their moms

5. What does Dr. Grant say about taking care of other animals’ babies?
Answer: (b) It can be a good thing in nature

6. What will happen to the baby cats after they stop needing Teasel?
Answer: (d) They will go to new homes with people who will take care of them

7. What does the article make people think about?
Answer: (d) How animals live and grow

8. What is the main idea of the article?
Answer: (c) Teasel, a dog, takes care of baby cats
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Sue Stubley has a cat named Teasel. (Answer: False)
2. The story of Teasel and the baby cats is very bitter. (Answer: False)
3. The baby cats will soon go to new homes with people who will take care of them. (Answer: True)
4. Teasel took care of some baby cats that didn’t have a mom. (Answer: True)
5. Dr. Grant says taking care of other animals’ babies can be a good thing in nature. (Answer: True)
6. Teasel felt this way with the baby cats because they all drink milk from their moms. (Answer: True)
7. Teasel acted like the dad of the baby cats, even though she’s a dog. (Answer: False)
8. Dr. Rachel Grant says animals have a weak feeling to take care of little ones. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧