In a little village surrounded by a big, green forest, there was a boy named Max who loved old things and exploring. One day, while walking through the trees, he found a strange rock sticking out of the ground. When he cleaned it, it turned out to be an old bone from a long-ago animal, called a fossil.

Max was super excited and took the fossil home. Soon, everyone in the village was talking about his discovery. Experts came from far away to see it and said it was from a very old animal that wasn’t around anymore. Max felt like a hero because he had found something so special.

But then, a man from a museum said he needed to take the fossil away to show it to more people. Max was sad and asked to keep it, but the man said it was important for others to learn from it. Max understood this was a good thing and said okay, even though he didn’t want to.

On the day the fossil was supposed to leave, the whole village threw a big party with music and banners. But during the party, a storm came, and the truck carrying the fossil broke down. They had to leave it there until after the storm. Max sat near the fossil, feeling strange, and as lightning flashed, he had a thought: maybe the fossil was meant to stay in their village.

Max told the museum man about his idea, and the man finally agreed to let the fossil stay. Everyone in the village was so happy and threw another party to celebrate. They put the fossil back in its place, and it made both kids and grown-ups want to explore and find cool stuff too. Max kept looking for treasures and the village became famous for its fossil. The story of Max and the fossil was told for many years to come.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What did Max find while walking through the forest?
3. Why did Max feel like a hero?
4. Why did the man from the museum want to take the fossil away?
5. What happened to the truck carrying the fossil during the party?
6. What idea did Max have while sitting near the fossil during the storm?
7. How did the village become famous?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a (1)______ village surrounded by a big, green forest, there was a boy (2)______ Max who loved old things and exploring. One day, while walking through the (3)______, he found a strange rock sticking out of the ground. When he cleaned it, it turned out to be an old bone from a long-ago animal, called a fossil.

Max was super excited and took the fossil home. Soon, everyone in the village was talking about his (4)______. Experts came from far away to see it and said it was from a very old animal that wasn’t around anymore. Max felt like a hero because he had (5)______ something so special.

But then, a man from a museum said he needed to take the (6)______ away to show it to more people. Max was sad and asked to keep it, but the man said it was important for (7)______ to (8)______ from it. Max understood this was a good thing and said okay, even though he didn’t want to.

On the day the fossil was supposed to leave, the whole (9)______ threw a big (10)______ with music and banners. But during the party, a (11)______ came, and the truck carrying the fossil (12)______ down. They had to leave it there until after the storm. Max sat near the fossil, feeling strange, and as lightning flashed, he had a thought: maybe the fossil was meant to stay in their village.

Max told the (13)______ man about his idea, and the man finally agreed to let the fossil stay. Everyone in the village was so happy and threw another party to celebrate. They put the fossil back in its (14)______, and it made both kids and grown-ups want to explore and find cool stuff too. Max kept (15)______ for (16)______ and the village became famous for its fossil. The story of Max and the fossil was told for many years to come.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a fossil and why do you think Max was so excited to find one?
2. Have you ever found something special like Max did? How did it make you feel?
3. How would you feel if someone wanted to take away something you found and keep it in a museum?
4. Do you think it was fair for the man from the museum to take the fossil away? Why or why not?
5. How do you think Max felt when he had to say goodbye to the fossil?
6. What would you do if you were in Max’s situation and had to decide whether to keep the fossil or let it go to a museum?
7. Do you like exploring and finding cool stuff? Why or why not?
8. How do you think the village felt when they found out the fossil could stay?
9. Why do you think the story of Max and the fossil was told for many years to come?
10. If you were in the village, would you want to go and see the fossil? Why or why not?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. village
2. exploring
3. fossil
4. discovery
5. experts
6. hero
7. museum
8. important
9. banners
10. storm
11. lightning
12. strange
13. celebrate
14. treasures
15. famous

Meanings:
(A) Well-known by many people
(B) Searching or traveling for the purpose of discovery
(C) A bright flash of light in the sky that happens during a storm
(D) A person who is admired for doing something very brave or great
(E) Unusual or not expected
(F) To have a joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event
(G) Having great significance or value
(H) People who have a lot of knowledge about a particular subject
(I) The remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in rock
(J) A small community or group of houses in a rural area
(K) A violent disturbance in the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow
(L) A place where historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural objects are kept and shown
(M) Valuable items that are hidden or found
(N) Long strips of cloth or paper, often with words or designs, used for decoration
(O) The act of finding something for the first time
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Max find while walking through the forest?
(a) A fossil
(b) A treasure chest
(c) A rare flower
(d) A shiny rock

2. What did the experts say about Max’s discovery?
(a) It was from a very old animal
(b) It was a piece of jewelry
(c) It was a valuable gemstone
(d) It was a toy from long ago

3. Why did the man from the museum want to take the fossil?
(a) To sell it for money
(b) To show it to more people
(c) To keep it in his personal collection
(d) To use it for scientific experiments

4. What happened on the day the fossil was supposed to leave?
(a) Max decided to keep the fossil for himself
(b) The village threw a big party
(c) A storm came and the truck broke down
(d) The experts changed their minds and left the fossil behind

5. How did Max feel when the man from the museum wanted to take the fossil?
(a) Excited
(b) Angry
(c) Indifferent
(d) Sad

6. What did Max think when lightning flashed during the storm?
(a) Maybe the fossil was cursed
(b) Maybe the fossil was meant to stay in their village
(c) Maybe the fossil was fake
(d) Maybe the fossil was dangerous

7. How did the village celebrate when the fossil was allowed to stay?
(a) They buried the fossil in the ground
(b) They sold the fossil to a different museum
(c) They threw another party
(d) They forgot about the fossil and moved on

8. What did the fossil inspire the people in the village to do?
(a) Hide their own treasures
(b) Forget about the fossil
(c) Leave the village and never come back
(d) Explore and find cool stuff

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The village became excited about Max’s discovery and experts came to see it.
2. Max found a fossil while exploring the forest near his village.
3. A man from a museum wanted to keep the fossil hidden from more people.
4. The museum man agreed to let the fossil stay, and the village celebrated with another party.
5. A storm caused the truck carrying the fossil to arrive early, expediting its departure.
6. Max had a thought that maybe the fossil was meant to leave their village.
7. Max was sad but understood that it was important for others to learn from the fossil.
8. Max felt ashamed and ordinary because he found something common.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this story in two sentences. Here are some hints:
Who are the main characters?
What happens in the story?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
The main character in the story is Max.

2. What did Max find while walking through the forest?
Max found a strange rock sticking out of the ground, which turned out to be an old bone from a long-ago animal, called a fossil.

3. Why did Max feel like a hero?
Max felt like a hero because he had found something very special and everyone in the village was talking about his discovery.

4. Why did the man from the museum want to take the fossil away?
The man from the museum wanted to take the fossil away to show it to more people and teach them about the old animal it came from.

5. What happened to the truck carrying the fossil during the party?
During the party, a storm came and the truck carrying the fossil broke down, so they had to leave it there until after the storm.

6. What idea did Max have while sitting near the fossil during the storm?
While sitting near the fossil during the storm, Max had the idea that maybe the fossil was meant to stay in their village instead of going to the museum.

7. How did the village become famous?
The village became famous because of the fossil. People started coming to the village to see the fossil and it made both kids and grown-ups want to explore and find cool stuff too.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) little
(2) named
(3) trees
(4) discovery
(5) found
(6) fossil
(7) others
(8) learn
(9) village
(10) party
(11) storm
(12) broke
(13) museum
(14) place
(15) looking
(16) treasures
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. village
Answer: (J) A small community or group of houses in a rural area

2. exploring
Answer: (B) Searching or traveling for the purpose of discovery

3. fossil
Answer: (I) The remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in rock

4. discovery
Answer: (O) The act of finding something for the first time

5. experts
Answer: (H) People who have a lot of knowledge about a particular subject

6. hero
Answer: (D) A person who is admired for doing something very brave or great

7. museum
Answer: (L) A place where historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural objects are kept and shown

8. important
Answer: (G) Having great significance or value

9. banners
Answer: (N) Long strips of cloth or paper, often with words or designs, used for decoration

10. storm
Answer: (K) A violent disturbance in the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow

11. lightning
Answer: (C) A bright flash of light in the sky that happens during a storm

12. strange
Answer: (E) Unusual or not expected

13. celebrate
Answer: (F) To have a joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event

14. treasures
Answer: (M) Valuable items that are hidden or found

15. famous
Answer: (A) Well-known by many people
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Max find while walking through the forest?
Answer: (a) A fossil

2. What did the experts say about Max’s discovery?
Answer: (a) It was from a very old animal

3. Why did the man from the museum want to take the fossil?
Answer: (b) To show it to more people

4. What happened on the day the fossil was supposed to leave?
Answer: (c) A storm came and the truck broke down

5. How did Max feel when the man from the museum wanted to take the fossil?
Answer: (d) Sad

6. What did Max think when lightning flashed during the storm?
Answer: (b) Maybe the fossil was meant to stay in their village

7. How did the village celebrate when the fossil was allowed to stay?
Answer: (c) They threw another party

8. What did the fossil inspire the people in the village to do?
Answer: (d) Explore and find cool stuff
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The village became excited about Max’s discovery and experts came to see it. (Answer: True)
2. Max found a fossil while exploring the forest near his village. (Answer: True)
3. A man from a museum wanted to keep the fossil hidden from more people. (Answer: False)
4. The museum man agreed to let the fossil stay, and the village celebrated with another party. (Answer: True)
5. A storm caused the truck carrying the fossil to arrive early, expediting its departure. (Answer: False)
6. Max had a thought that maybe the fossil was meant to leave their village. (Answer: False)
7. Max was sad but understood that it was important for others to learn from the fossil. (Answer: True)
8. Max felt ashamed and ordinary because he found something common. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧