A big bird called an ostrich escaped from a park in South Korea and caused a lot of excitement. People saw the ostrich running on the roads in a city called Seongnam. It was really lucky because it didn’t get hit by any cars, but it did bump into a truck. The police and firefighters came to help and caught the ostrich. They took it back to the park where it belonged.

This happened on a Tuesday morning, and the news about the ostrich spread quickly. Lots of people saw videos of the ostrich running on the streets. It’s not something you see every day!

The ostrich running away caused some problems in the area. The police and firefighters had to work hard to catch the bird and make sure everyone was safe. They did a good job and the ostrich was brought back to the park without any harm.

This shows us that unexpected things can happen in our lives. It’s also important for authorities to respond quickly and efficiently to keep both animals and people safe. Even though it was a strange thing to see for the people in Seongnam, everything turned out okay because the authorities did their job well.

Original news source: Watch: Escaped ostrich runs loose in South Korea (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Instruct each group to read the article and write a summary of the main points.
4. After a designated amount of time, have each group share their summary with the class.

– Word Association
Instructions:
1. Write the word “ostrich” on the board.
2. Instruct the students to think of as many words associated with ostriches as they can in one minute.
3. After one minute, have the students share their words with the class.
4. Discuss the associations and see if any students have similar or unique words.

– Charades
Instructions:
1. Write down different actions related to the article on small pieces of paper (e.g. “running”, “escaping”, “chasing”, “catching”).
2. Divide the class into two teams.
3. Have one student from each team come to the front of the class and pick a piece of paper without showing it to their team.
4. The students must then act out the action without speaking, while their team tries to guess what they are acting out.
5. The team that guesses correctly earns a point, and the game continues with new students acting out actions.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Write the question “Do you think it was dangerous for the ostrich to escape?” on the board.
2. Divide the class into small groups.
3. Instruct each group to discuss the question and come up with their own opinion.
4. After a designated amount of time, have each group share their opinions and reasons with the class.
5. Facilitate a class discussion on the different perspectives and reasons given.

– Sketch It
Instructions:
1. Instruct the students to work individually.
2. Give each student a blank piece of paper and a pencil.
3. Have the students close their eyes and visualize the ostrich running on the streets.
4. Instruct them to sketch their visualization of the scene on the paper.
5. After a designated amount of time, have the students share their sketches with a partner and describe what they drew.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What kind of bird escaped from the park in South Korea?
2. Where did the ostrich run after escaping from the park?
3. What happened when the ostrich bumped into a truck?
4. Who came to help catch the ostrich?
5. When did this happen?
6. How did people find out about the ostrich running on the streets?
7. What problems did the ostrich running away cause in the area?
8. Why is it important for authorities to respond quickly and efficiently in situations like this?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big bird called an ostrich escaped from a park in South (1)______ and caused a lot of excitement. (2)______ saw the ostrich running on the roads in a city called (3)______. It was really lucky because it didn’t get hit by any cars, but it did bump into a (4)______. The police and firefighters came to help and caught the (5)______. They took it back to the park where it belonged.

This (6)______ on a Tuesday (7)______, and the news about the ostrich spread quickly. Lots of people saw videos of the ostrich running on the (8)______. It’s not something you see every day!

The ostrich running away caused some problems in the area. The police and firefighters had to work hard to catch the bird and make sure everyone was safe. They did a good job and the ostrich was brought back to the park without any harm.

This shows us that unexpected things can (9)______ in our lives. It’s also important for authorities to (10)______ quickly and efficiently to keep both animals and people safe. Even though it was a strange (11)______ to see for the people in Seongnam, everything turned out okay because the authorities did their job well.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. Have you ever seen an ostrich before? If not, what do you think it looks like?
2. How do you think the people in Seongnam felt when they saw the ostrich running on the roads?
3. What would you do if you saw an ostrich running loose in your city?
4. How do you think the police and firefighters felt when they were trying to catch the ostrich?
5. Do you think it was dangerous for the ostrich to be running on the roads? Why or why not?
6. How do you think the ostrich felt when it bumped into the truck?
7. Have you ever had an unexpected experience like this? What happened?
8. How do you think the authorities should respond when something unexpected happens?
9. Do you think it’s important for people to share videos and news about unusual events like this? Why or why not?
10. How would you feel if you were the owner of the park and one of the animals escaped?
11. Have you ever been to a park with animals? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
12. What do you think the ostrich was thinking when it was running on the roads?
13. Do you think it’s common for animals to escape from parks? Why or why not?
14. How do you think the people in Seongnam will remember this event?
15. If you were in charge of the park, what steps would you take to make sure this doesn’t happen again?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. ostrich
2. escaped
3. excitement
4. Seongnam
5. lucky
6. firefighters
7. caught
8. spread
9. videos
10. problems
11. authorities
12. efficiently
13. unexpected
14. respond
15. safe

Meanings:
(A) Managed to capture or take hold of something
(B) People who put out fires and sometimes help in other emergencies
(C) Got away or broke free from where it was supposed to be
(D) Not in danger or likely to be harmed
(E) A feeling of being very happy or thrilled
(F) The name of a city in South Korea
(G) A large bird that can run very fast but cannot fly
(H) Doing something in a way that doesn’t waste time or resources
(I) Not expected or predicted
(J) To give an answer or take action when something happens
(K) To move or be communicated widely
(L) Short films or clips that are recorded and watched on electronic devices
(M) Difficulties or complications that arise
(N) The people or groups in charge of making decisions and enforcing rules
(O) Having good fortune or a favorable outcome by chance
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did the ostrich escape from?
(a) A zoo in South Korea
(b) A park in South Korea
(c) A farm in South Korea
(d) A forest in South Korea

2. What city did the ostrich run through?
(a) Seoul
(b) Busan
(c) Incheon
(d) Seongnam

3. What day of the week did the ostrich escape?
(a) Tuesday
(b) Wednesday
(c) Thursday
(d) Friday

4. How did the ostrich get back to the park?
(a) The police and firefighters caught it
(b) It found its own way back
(c) A kind stranger helped it
(d) It flew back to the park

5. What did people see videos of?
(a) The ostrich flying in the sky
(b) The ostrich swimming in a lake
(c) The ostrich running on the streets
(d) The ostrich hiding in a tree

6. What did the police and firefighters have to do?
(a) Ignore the ostrich and let it roam freely
(b) Run away from the ostrich in fear
(c) Catch the ostrich and ensure everyone’s safety
(d) Film the ostrich for social media

7. What did this event show us?
(a) Ostriches are dangerous animals
(b) Ostriches should not be kept in parks
(c) Authorities should not respond to animal escapes
(d) Unexpected things can happen in our lives

8. How did everything turn out in the end?
(a) Bad, because the ostrich was harmed
(b) Okay, because the authorities did their job well
(c) Bad, because the ostrich was never caught
(d) Okay, because the ostrich found a new home

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The ostrich was not returned to the zoo where it belonged.
2. The news about the ostrich spread quickly, with many people seeing videos of it running on the streets.
3. The incident highlighted the importance of authorities responding quickly and efficiently to ensure the safety of both animals and people.
4. Despite running on the roads, the ostrich was unlucky and got hit by a few cars.
5. The ostrich did, however, bump into a truck during its escape.
6. The ostrich was seen running on the roads in a city called Seongnam.
7. An ostrich escaped from a zoo in South Korea and caused a lot of chaos.
8. The police and firefighters were called to help but struggled to catch the ostrich.
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 happened in South Korea that caused a lot of excitement?
2. How did the police and firefighters help with the situation?
3. How did the ostrich escape from the park?
4. What problems did the ostrich running away cause in the area?
5. Why is it important for authorities to respond quickly and efficiently in situations like this?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What kind of bird escaped from the park in South Korea?
An ostrich escaped from the park in South Korea.

2. Where did the ostrich run after escaping from the park?
The ostrich ran on the roads in a city called Seongnam.

3. What happened when the ostrich bumped into a truck?
When the ostrich bumped into a truck, it caused a small collision.

4. Who came to help catch the ostrich?
The police and firefighters came to help catch the ostrich.

5. When did this happen?
This happened on a Tuesday morning.

6. How did people find out about the ostrich running on the streets?
People found out about the ostrich running on the streets through videos that were shared online.

7. What problems did the ostrich running away cause in the area?
The ostrich running away caused some chaos and the police and firefighters had to work hard to catch it and ensure everyone’s safety.

8. Why is it important for authorities to respond quickly and efficiently in situations like this?
It is important for authorities to respond quickly and efficiently in situations like this to ensure the safety of both the animal and the people in the area. Their quick response helps prevent any harm or accidents that could occur.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Korea
(2) People
(3) Seongnam
(4) truck
(5) ostrich
(6) happened
(7) morning
(8) streets
(9) happen
(10) respond
(11) thing
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. ostrich
Answer: (G) A large bird that can run very fast but cannot fly

2. escaped
Answer: (C) Got away or broke free from where it was supposed to be

3. excitement
Answer: (E) A feeling of being very happy or thrilled

4. Seongnam
Answer: (F) The name of a city in South Korea

5. lucky
Answer: (O) Having good fortune or a favorable outcome by chance

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

7. caught
Answer: (A) Managed to capture or take hold of something

8. spread
Answer: (K) To move or be communicated widely

9. videos
Answer: (L) Short films or clips that are recorded and watched on electronic devices

10. problems
Answer: (M) Difficulties or complications that arise

11. authorities
Answer: (N) The people or groups in charge of making decisions and enforcing rules

12. efficiently
Answer: (H) Doing something in a way that doesn’t waste time or resources

13. unexpected
Answer: (I) Not expected or predicted

14. respond
Answer: (J) To give an answer or take action when something happens

15. safe
Answer: (D) Not in danger or likely to be harmed
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did the ostrich escape from?
Answer: (b) A park in South Korea

2. What city did the ostrich run through?
Answer: (d) Seongnam

3. What day of the week did the ostrich escape?
Answer: (a) Tuesday

4. How did the ostrich get back to the park?
Answer: (a) The police and firefighters caught it

5. What did people see videos of?
Answer: (c) The ostrich running on the streets

6. What did the police and firefighters have to do?
Answer: (c) Catch the ostrich and ensure everyone’s safety

7. What did this event show us?
Answer: (d) Unexpected things can happen in our lives

8. How did everything turn out in the end?
Answer: (b) Okay, because the authorities did their job well
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The ostrich was not returned to the zoo where it belonged. (Answer: False)
2. The news about the ostrich spread quickly, with many people seeing videos of it running on the streets. (Answer: True)
3. The incident highlighted the importance of authorities responding quickly and efficiently to ensure the safety of both animals and people. (Answer: True)
4. Despite running on the roads, the ostrich was unlucky and got hit by a few cars. (Answer: False)
5. The ostrich did, however, bump into a truck during its escape. (Answer: True)
6. The ostrich was seen running on the roads in a city called Seongnam. (Answer: True)
7. An ostrich escaped from a zoo in South Korea and caused a lot of chaos. (Answer: False)
8. The police and firefighters were called to help but struggled to catch the ostrich. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧