Rosemary Parslow, who really loves nature, spent Christmas on the Isles of Scilly looking for a rare fern that blooms in the winter. While most people were celebrating with family and friends, Rosemary was crawling on the frozen ground, determined to find this endangered plant. Her trips to find the fern have confused her three children, who thought she was a bit crazy. But Rosemary is determined to teach the next generation about conservation and has spent many years mapping rare and precious plants on the islands.

The Isles of Scilly are a group of islands near Cornwall. There are over 100 islands, but most of them don't have people living on them. These islands have a special natural history, with rare wildflowers, important seabirds, and strange sea creatures. Rosemary first visited the islands in 1958 and fell in love with them. She eventually found the rare fern, called the least adder's-tongue fern, growing on a small piece of land. This plant is only 2cm tall and has leaves the size of a human fingernail. It gets its name because it looks like a snake's tongue and appears in winter to make spores.

While looking for another rare plant, Rosemary had a really scary experience. She almost drowned when she jumped from a rubber boat onto the rocks of a faraway island and fell into the water. Luckily, she was able to swim to a boat and keep studying for the rest of the day. Rosemary has faced challenges throughout her career, like having to quit her job at the Natural History Museum when she got married and started a family. But she kept working in natural history, drawing pictures for books and writing about the natural history of the islands.

Now 87 years old and retired, Rosemary still maps the coasts and heaths of the islands. She has seen many plants decline because of climate change, especially the ones found near the shore. She's worried that some plants may have gone extinct, like the shore dock. This year, she also saw transparent jellyfish and rare sea squirts, which show that the climate is changing. Even with these challenges, Rosemary's love for nature has been recognized with a special medal from the Wildlife Trusts.

Rosemary's kids will carry on her work and love for the Isles of Scilly. Her youngest daughter, Helen, even became an archaeologist. Rosemary recently went to St Agnes, where the fern still grows, and showed others where to find it using the maps she made in the past. She hopes that someone else will keep an eye on the fern in the future.

Original news source: The woman who spent Christmas in search of a rare plant (BBC)

– News Summary
Instructions: Have students read the article individually or in pairs. Then, ask them to write a summary of the article in their own words, highlighting the main points and key details. Afterward, have students share their summaries with a partner or in small groups and compare and discuss their summaries.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of questions related to the article, such as "Do you think it's important to protect endangered plants?" or "Would you be willing to crawl on the frozen ground to find a rare fern?" Have each group discuss their opinions on the questions and come up with a consensus within their group. Then, have each group report their findings to the whole class.
– Sketch It
Instructions: Provide students with a blank sheet of paper and ask them to draw a sketch or illustration that represents the article. Encourage them to be creative and use their imagination. Afterward, have students share their sketches with a partner or in small groups and explain the reasoning behind their drawings.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select a list of vocabulary words from the article, such as "conservation," "endangered," or "spores." Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a vocabulary word and ask them to draw a picture that represents the word. The other members of the group must try to guess the word based on the drawing. Rotate the roles within the group so that each student has a chance to draw and guess.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have students discuss in pairs or small groups what they think the future holds for the Isles of Scilly and the rare fern. Encourage them to consider factors such as climate change, conservation efforts, and the impact of human activity. Afterward, have each group share their predictions with the class and engage in a class discussion about the different perspectives and ideas.

Rosemary Parslow, who really loves nature, spent Christmas on the Isles of Scilly looking for a rare fern that blooms in the ?. While most people were celebrating with ? and friends, Rosemary was crawling on the frozen ground, determined to find this endangered plant. Her ? to find the fern have confused her three children, who thought she was a bit crazy. But Rosemary is determined to teach the next generation about conservation and has spent many years mapping rare and precious plants on the ?. The Isles of Scilly are a group of islands near Cornwall. There are over 100 islands, but most of them don't have ? living on them. These islands have a special natural history, with rare wildflowers, important seabirds, and strange sea creatures. Rosemary first visited the islands in 1958 and fell in love with them. She eventually found the rare fern, ? the least adder's-tongue fern, ? on a small piece of land. This plant is only 2cm tall and has leaves the size of a human fingernail. It gets its name because it looks like a snake's tongue and ? in winter to make spores. While looking for another rare plant, Rosemary had a really scary experience. She almost drowned when she jumped from a rubber boat onto the rocks of a ? island and fell into the water. Luckily, she was able to swim to a boat and keep studying for the rest of the day. Rosemary has faced challenges throughout her career, like having to quit her job at the ? History Museum when she got married and started a family. But she kept working in natural history, drawing pictures for books and writing about the natural history of the islands. Now 87 years old and retired, Rosemary still maps the coasts and ? of the islands. She has seen many plants decline because of climate ?, especially the ones found near the shore. She's worried that some plants may have gone extinct, like the ? dock. This year, she also saw transparent jellyfish and rare sea ?, which show that the ? is changing. Even with these challenges, Rosemary's love for nature has been ? with a special medal from the Wildlife Trusts. Rosemary's kids will carry on her work and love for the Isles of Scilly. Her youngest daughter, Helen, even became an archaeologist. Rosemary recently went to St Agnes, where the fern still grows, and showed others where to find it using the maps she made in the past. She hopes that someone else will keep an eye on the fern in the future.

1. What is a rare fern?
2. How would you feel if you had to spend Christmas crawling on the frozen ground?
3. Do you like nature? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it's important to teach the next generation about conservation? Why or why not?
5. What is the Isle of Scilly known for?
6. How would you feel if you fell into the water while exploring a faraway island?
7. Do you think it's important to preserve rare plants and animals? Why or why not?
8. What challenges do you think Rosemary faced in her career?
9. How do you think climate change affects plants and animals?
10. How would you feel if you received a special medal for your love of nature?
11. Do you think it's important for children to continue their parents' work? Why or why not?
12. How would you feel if you discovered a rare plant or animal?
13. Do you think it's important for people to study and understand natural history? Why or why not?
14. How would you feel if you were able to help others find a rare plant or animal?
15. Do you think it's important for someone to continue monitoring the fern in the future? Why or why not?

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