A really cool thing just happened in the world of science that might save the northern white rhino from going extinct. There are only two of these rhinos left in the whole world, but scientists have done something amazing – they made a rhino baby using IVF! They took an embryo that they made in a lab and put it into another rhino to grow. This was done with a different kind of rhino that is similar to the northern white rhino. Now, the scientists want to try doing the same thing with northern white rhino embryos. If it works, it could save the species!

The northern white rhino used to live all over central Africa, but they were killed off by people hunting them for their horns. Now, there are only two left, named Najin and Fatu, and they are being protected in Kenya. The Biorescue project is a group of scientists from all over the world who want to save these rhinos. They are using special science techniques to try and bring them back from the edge of extinction. They started by using a different kind of rhino that is doing better in the wild.

The scientists had a lot of challenges to overcome. They had to get eggs from the rhinos, which are really big animals, and then make embryos in a lab. It took them 13 tries, but they finally got a rhino baby using IVF! Unfortunately, the mom rhino got sick and died, but they know that the technique works. Now, they want to try it with the northern white rhino embryos. They have 30 of these embryos stored in Germany and Italy. They were made using eggs from Fatu and sperm from two male northern white rhinos. The problem is, the two remaining northern white rhinos can’t carry a baby, so they will put the embryo into a different kind of rhino. They think it will work!

The scientists are hoping to do this in the next few months, and they want the baby rhino to be born while some of the northern white rhinos are still alive. They think it’s important for the baby to learn from the last two rhinos. But just making a few more rhinos won’t save the species because they need more genetic diversity. So, the scientists are also working on a different technique to make rhino eggs and sperm using stem cells. This will take a long time and be really hard, but they think it’s worth it. Some people think it’s a waste of time and money, but the Biorescue team believes that since humans caused the northern white rhino to almost disappear, it’s our responsibility to try and save them.

Original news source: World’s first IVF rhino pregnancy ‘could save species’ (BBC)

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will read the article and then summarize the main points in their own words. They can take turns sharing their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Students will be divided into groups and given a statement related to the article, such as “Using IVF to save the northern white rhino is a good idea.” Each student will then indicate whether they agree or disagree with the statement and provide a reason for their opinion. After discussing within their groups, each group will present their opinions to the class.

– Word Association
Instructions: Students will brainstorm and write down as many words as they can think of that are related to the article. They can then take turns sharing their words with the class and explaining the connection to the article.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Students will choose a key event or concept from the article and create a simple sketch or drawing to represent it. They can then share their sketches with a partner or small group and explain the significance of their chosen image.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will create catchy and informative headlines for the article. They can then share their headlines with the class and discuss which ones they think are the most effective in capturing the main idea of the article.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did scientists do to try and save the northern white rhino from extinction?
2. How many northern white rhinos are left in the world?
3. Why were the northern white rhinos killed off in the past?
4. Where are the remaining two northern white rhinos being protected?
5. What is the Biorescue project and what do they want to do?
6. What challenges did the scientists face in their efforts to save the northern white rhino?
7. How many northern white rhino embryos do the scientists have stored and where were they made?
8. Why is it important for the baby rhino to be born while some of the northern white rhinos are still alive?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A really cool thing just happened in the world of science that might save the northern white rhino from going (1)______. There are only two of these (2)______ left in the whole world, but scientists have done something (3)______ – they made a rhino baby using IVF! They took an embryo that they made in a lab and put it into another rhino to grow. This was done with a (4)______ kind of rhino that is similar to the northern white rhino. Now, the scientists want to try doing the same thing with northern white rhino embryos. If it works, it could save the species!

The northern white rhino used to live all over central Africa, but they were killed off by people hunting them for their horns. Now, there are only two left, (5)______ Najin and Fatu, and they are being protected in Kenya. The (6)______ project is a group of scientists from all over the world who want to save these rhinos. They are using (7)______ science (8)______ to try and bring them back from the edge of extinction. They started by using a different kind of rhino that is doing better in the wild.

The scientists had a lot of challenges to overcome. They had to get eggs from the rhinos, which are really big animals, and then make embryos in a lab. It took them 13 tries, but they finally got a rhino baby using IVF! Unfortunately, the mom rhino got sick and died, but they know that the technique works. Now, they want to try it with the northern white rhino (9)______. They have 30 of these embryos stored in Germany and (10)______. They were made using eggs from Fatu and sperm from two male northern white rhinos. The problem is, the two (11)______ northern white rhinos can’t carry a baby, so they will put the embryo into a different kind of rhino. They (12)______ it will work!

The scientists are hoping to do this in the next few months, and they want the baby rhino to be born while some of the (13)______ white rhinos are still alive. They think it’s important for the baby to learn from the last two rhinos. But just making a few more rhinos won’t save the species because they need more genetic (14)______. So, the scientists are also working on a different technique to make rhino eggs and (15)______ using stem cells. This will take a long time and be really hard, but they think it’s worth it. Some people think it’s a waste of time and (16)______, but the Biorescue team believes that since humans caused the northern white rhino to almost disappear, it’s our responsibility to try and save them.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is IVF and how does it work?
2. How would you feel if you were one of the last two northern white rhinos in the world?
3. Do you think it is important for humans to try and save endangered species? Why or why not?
4. What challenges do you think the scientists faced when trying to create a rhino baby using IVF?
5. How do you think the baby rhino will learn from the last two rhinos?
6. Do you like animals? Why or why not?
7. What do you think about the idea of using stem cells to create rhino eggs and sperm?
8. How do you think the scientists feel when they finally succeeded in creating a rhino baby using IVF?
9. Do you think it is worth the time and money to try and save the northern white rhino? Why or why not?
10. How do you think the two remaining northern white rhinos feel knowing that they might be the last of their kind?
11. What is genetic diversity and why is it important for a species?
12. How do you think the scientists felt when the mom rhino got sick and died?
13. What would happen if the scientists were not able to save the northern white rhino from extinction?
14. How do you think the baby rhino will feel growing up without any other northern white rhinos around?
15. Do you think the Biorescue team is doing the right thing by trying to save the northern white rhino? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. extinct
2. embryos
3. IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
4. species
5. Biorescue
6. extinction
7. challenges
8. sperm
9. diversity
10. stem cells
11. technique
12. genetic
13. responsibility
14. conservation
15. innovation

Meanings:
(A) The male reproductive cells needed to create new life
(B) A project or effort to save something from danger or destruction
(C) Early stages of development for a new life, before they become a baby
(D) A group of living organisms that can breed with each other
(E) Having a variety of different types or kinds
(F) No longer existing or living
(G) Difficult tasks or problems that need to be solved
(H) A medical process where an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the body
(I) The process of a species dying out completely
(J) The duty to deal with something important
(K) Relating to the genes, which are the parts of cells that control how living things inherit features from their parents
(L) Special cells in the body that can develop into different types of cells
(M) A way of doing something, especially one that is well-established
(N) The act of introducing new ideas, methods, or devices
(O) The protection and management of the natural environment and wildlife
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did scientists do to try and save the northern white rhino?
(a) They hunted the remaining rhinos.
(b) They moved the rhinos to a different country.
(c) They made a rhino baby using IVF.
(d) They studied the rhinos in their natural habitat.

2. Why did the northern white rhino population decrease?
(a) They migrated to a different continent.
(b) They were affected by a natural disaster.
(c) They were given away as pets.
(d) People hunted them for their horns.

3. How many northern white rhinos are left in the world?
(a) Two
(b) Ten
(c) Fifty
(d) One hundred

4. Where are the remaining northern white rhinos being protected?
(a) Kenya
(b) Germany
(c) Italy
(d) Central Africa

5. What technique did scientists use to create a rhino baby?
(a) Cloning
(b) IVF
(c) Natural breeding
(d) Adoption

6. Where are the northern white rhino embryos stored?
(a) Kenya and Tanzania
(b) Russia and China
(c) Germany and Italy
(d) Australia and Canada

7. Why can’t the two remaining northern white rhinos carry a baby?
(a) They are not physically able to.
(b) They are too old.
(c) They don’t want to.
(d) They are not compatible with other rhinos.

8. What other technique are scientists working on to save the northern white rhino?
(a) Moving the rhinos to a different habitat
(b) Training the rhinos to defend themselves
(c) Introducing a new species of rhino to mate with the northern white rhinos
(d) Creating rhino eggs and sperm using stem cells

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Despite the success of creating a rhino baby using IVF, the mother rhino unfortunately passed away.
2. The scientists initially used a different kind of rhino to test their IVF technique before attempting it with northern white rhino embryos.
3. Scientists are not researching a technique to create rhino eggs and sperm using stem cells.
4. Scientists have not successfully created a rhino baby using IVF.
5. The scientists did not face many challenges in their efforts, including obtaining eggs from the rhinos and creating embryos in a lab.
6. The Biorescue project is a group of scientists from around the world dedicated to saving the northern white rhino.
7. The northern white rhino is currently on the brink of extinction, with only two remaining individuals.
8. The scientists do not plan to use the stored northern white rhino embryos in the next few months, implanting them into a different rhino species.
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 is the goal of the Biorescue project?
2. How did the scientists create a rhino baby using IVF?
3. Why did the northern white rhino population decrease?
4. What challenges did the scientists face in their efforts to save the rhinos?
5. Why do the scientists want the baby rhino to be born while some of the northern white rhinos are still alive?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Scientists made a rhino baby using IVF to try and save the northern white rhino from extinction.
2. There are only two northern white rhinos left in the world.
3. The northern white rhinos were killed off in the past because people hunted them for their horns.
4. The remaining two northern white rhinos are being protected in Kenya.
5. The Biorescue project is a group of scientists from all over the world who want to save the northern white rhinos. They want to use special science techniques, like IVF, to bring them back from the edge of extinction.
6. The scientists faced challenges in getting eggs from the rhinos, making embryos in a lab, and finding a surrogate rhino to carry the embryos.
7. The scientists have 30 northern white rhino embryos stored in Germany and Italy. They were made using eggs from Fatu and sperm from two male northern white rhinos.
8. It is important for the baby rhino to be born while some of the northern white rhinos are still alive so that the baby can learn from them and preserve some genetic diversity in the species.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) extinct
(2) rhinos
(3) amazing
(4) different
(5) named
(6) Biorescue
(7) special
(8) techniques
(9) embryos
(10) Italy
(11) remaining
(12) think
(13) northern
(14) diversity
(15) sperm
(16) money
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. extinct
Answer: (F) No longer existing or living

2. embryos
Answer: (C) Early stages of development for a new life, before they become a baby

3. IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
Answer: (H) A medical process where an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the body

4. species
Answer: (D) A group of living organisms that can breed with each other

5. Biorescue
Answer: (B) A project or effort to save something from danger or destruction

6. extinction
Answer: (I) The process of a species dying out completely

7. challenges
Answer: (G) Difficult tasks or problems that need to be solved

8. sperm
Answer: (A) The male reproductive cells needed to create new life

9. diversity
Answer: (E) Having a variety of different types or kinds

10. stem cells
Answer: (L) Special cells in the body that can develop into different types of cells

11. technique
Answer: (M) A way of doing something, especially one that is well-established

12. genetic
Answer: (K) Relating to the genes, which are the parts of cells that control how living things inherit features from their parents

13. responsibility
Answer: (J) The duty to deal with something important

14. conservation
Answer: (O) The protection and management of the natural environment and wildlife

15. innovation
Answer: (N) The act of introducing new ideas, methods, or devices
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did scientists do to try and save the northern white rhino?
Answer: (c) They made a rhino baby using IVF.

2. Why did the northern white rhino population decrease?
Answer: (d) People hunted them for their horns.

3. How many northern white rhinos are left in the world?
Answer: (a) Two

4. Where are the remaining northern white rhinos being protected?
Answer: (a) Kenya

5. What technique did scientists use to create a rhino baby?
Answer: (b) IVF

6. Where are the northern white rhino embryos stored?
Answer: (c) Germany and Italy

7. Why can’t the two remaining northern white rhinos carry a baby?
Answer: (b) They are too old.

8. What other technique are scientists working on to save the northern white rhino?
Answer: (d) Creating rhino eggs and sperm using stem cells
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Despite the success of creating a rhino baby using IVF, the mother rhino unfortunately passed away. (Answer: True)
2. The scientists initially used a different kind of rhino to test their IVF technique before attempting it with northern white rhino embryos. (Answer: True)
3. Scientists are not researching a technique to create rhino eggs and sperm using stem cells. (Answer: False)
4. Scientists have not successfully created a rhino baby using IVF. (Answer: False)
5. The scientists did not face many challenges in their efforts, including obtaining eggs from the rhinos and creating embryos in a lab. (Answer: False)
6. The Biorescue project is a group of scientists from around the world dedicated to saving the northern white rhino. (Answer: True)
7. The northern white rhino is currently on the brink of extinction, with only two remaining individuals. (Answer: True)
8. The scientists do not plan to use the stored northern white rhino embryos in the next few months, implanting them into a different rhino species. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧