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Pet dogs lower stress in kids (4th December, 2015)

The Reading / Listening - Level 3

New research shows that having a pet dog can help to reduce children's stress. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA shows that petting a dog is a great way to help stressed kids. Researchers looked at 643 children aged six and seven over an 18-month period. They found that children who have a pet dog suffer from less stress than children without a dog. The researchers said that just twelve per cent of children with pets showed signs of stress. This compares with 21 per cent of children with no dog. The research will come as no surprise to the parents of children who have a dog. They have always known that a dog is great for helping a child's development and mental health.

A researcher said there are many things about the research that she is still unclear about. She said she did not know if less anxious children have pet dogs, or if it is the other way round and pet dogs make children less anxious. She said the research just showed a link between pet dogs and children's stress. She said pet dogs help children start conversations. This can often be difficult for children to do and can cause them stress. The researchers also said a pet dog can be a source of comfort for children. The dog can also act as a friend to a small child, who tells the pet all his or her secrets and stories. Sometimes the dog is so important that its name can be the first word the child speaks.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 0, Level 1 or Level 2

Sources

http://www.healthaim.com/playing-pets-perfect-anxiety-cure/33472
http://rapidnewsnetwork.com/a-dog-is-a-child-s-best-friend-reducing-anxiety-levels/321154/
http://financialspots.com/2015/11/30/children-with-dogs-are-less-anxious/

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The 40 Lesson Activities on the PDF Handout

WARM-UPS

1. PET DOGS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about pet dogs. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

research / children's stress / petting a dog / 18 months / suffer / surprise / parents / unclear / anxious / link / conversations / source of comfort / secrets / stories / name

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. DOGS: How useful are dogs? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

Useful for…	Good things	Bad things
children's stress
blind people
family pets
police work
hunting
farmers

4. PETS: Students A strongly believe animals belong to the wild and should not be pets; Students B strongly believe disagree. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. KIDS' STRESS: Rank these with your partner. Put the most stressful things for kids at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• school

• parents

• bullies

• family problems

• money

• fashion

• social media

• world news

6. STRESS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "stress". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	A center for disease control conducted the study on kids and dogs.	T / F
b.	Researchers looked at how kids aged 18 months acted with pet dogs.	T / F
c.	The article said 12% of children have a pet dog.	T / F
d.	The research is news to parents of children who have a dog.	T / F
e.	A researcher was clear that less anxious children have pet dogs.	T / F
f.	A researcher said pet dogs help children start conversations.	T / F
g.	Some children tell their secrets to their pet dogs.	T / F
h.	Sometimes the name of a pet is the first word a child speaks.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	reduce	a.	uncertain
2.	found	b.	wonderful
3.	suffer from	c.	discussions
4.	stress	d.	discovered
5.	great	e.	significant
6.	unclear	f.	anxiety
7.	link	g.	lower
8.	conversations	h.	relaxation
9.	comfort	i.	experience
10.	important	j.	connection

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	a pet dog can help to reduce	a.	period
2.	petting	b.	is still unclear about.
3.	over an 18-month	c.	for children
4.	The research will come as no surprise	d.	children's stress
5.	great for helping a child's development	e.	and stories
6.	many things about the research that she	f.	to the parents
7.	it is the other way	g.	and mental health
8.	a source of comfort	h.	child speaks
9.	his or her secrets	i.	a dog
10.	the first word the	j.	round

GAP FILL

New research shows that having a pet dog can help to (1) ____________ children's stress. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA shows that (2) ____________ a dog is a great way to help stressed kids. Researchers looked at 643 children aged six and seven over an 18-month (3) ____________. They found that children who have a pet dog (4) ____________ from less stress than children without a dog. The researchers said that just twelve per cent of children with pets showed (5) ____________ of stress. This compares with 21 per cent of children with no dog. The research will come as no (6) ____________ to the parents of children who have a dog. They have always (7) ____________ that a dog is great for helping a child's (8) ____________ and mental health.

surprise
period
reduce
development
signs
known
petting
suffer

A researcher said there are many (9) ____________ about the research that she is still (10) ____________ about. She said she did not know if less (11) ____________ children have pet dogs, or if it is the other way round and pet dogs make children less anxious. She said the research just showed a (12) ____________ between pet dogs and children's stress. She said pet dogs help children start conversations. This can often be (13) ____________ for children to do and can cause them stress. The researchers also said a pet dog can be a (14) ____________ of comfort for children. The dog can also act as a friend to a small child, who tells the pet all his or her (15) ____________ and stories. Sometimes the dog is so important that its name can be the first word the child (16) ____________.

anxious
source
unclear
things
speaks
difficult
secrets
link

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	New research shows that having a pet dog can help to reduce ______
	a. children's stresses b. children's stressed c. children's stress d. children's stressful
2)	petting a dog is a great way to help ______
	a. stressed kids' b. stressed kid's c. stressed kids d. stressed kid
3)	Researchers looked at 643 children aged six and seven over ______
	a. an 18-month periods b. an 18-months period c. an 18-months periods d. an 18-month period
4)	The researchers said that just twelve per cent of children with pets showed ______
	a. signs off stress b. signs if stress c. signs of stress d. signs have stress
5)	They have always known that a dog is great for helping a child's development ______
	a. and mentally health b. and mental healthy c. and mentally healthy d. and mental health
6)	A researcher said there are many things about the research that she is still ______
	a. unclear abound b. not clear about c. unclear about d. clearly about
7)	it is the other way round and pet dogs make children ______
	a. less anxious b. lesser anxious c. lessen anxious d. loss anxious
8)	This can often be difficult for children to do and can ______
	a. cause them stress b. course them stress c. case them stress d. cross them stress
9)	The researchers also said a pet dog can be a source of ______
	a. comforts for children b. comfort for children c. comfortable for children d. comforted for children
10)	Sometimes the dog is so important that its name can be the first word ______
	a. the children speaks b. the child's speaks c. the child speaks d. a child speaks

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

New research shows that having a pet dog (1) ___________________ reduce children's stress. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA shows that petting a dog (2) ___________________ to help stressed kids. Researchers looked at 643 children aged six and seven over (3) ___________________ period. They found that children who have a pet dog suffer (4) ___________________ than children without a dog. The researchers said that just twelve per cent of children with pets showed signs of stress. This compares with 21 per cent of children with no dog. The research will come (5) ___________________ to the parents of children who have a dog. They have always known that a dog (6) ___________________ helping a child's development and mental health.

A researcher said there are many things about the research (7) ___________________ unclear about. She said she did not know if less anxious children have pet dogs, or if it (8) ___________________ round and pet dogs make children less anxious. She said the research just showed a (9) ___________________ pet dogs and children's stress. She said pet dogs help children start conversations. This can often be difficult (10) ___________________ and can cause them stress. The researchers also said a pet dog can be a (11) ___________________ for children. The dog can also act as a friend to a small child, who tells the pet all his or her secrets and stories. Sometimes the dog is so important (12) ___________________ be the first word the child speaks.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	How many children did the researchers look at?
2.	How long was the research?
3.	What percentage of children with dogs showed signs of stress?
4.	What percentage of children without a dog showed signs of stress?
5.	Who has always known that a dog is good for a child's development?
6.	What did the researcher say she was unclear about?
7.	What can a pet dog help children to start?
8.	What did researchers say dogs can be a source of?
9.	What does a child sometimes tell a dog?
10.	What is sometimes the first word a child speaks?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	How many children did the researchers look at?	6.	What did the researcher say she was unclear about?
	a) 634 b) 643 c) 346 d) 364		a) many things about the research b) dogs c) children d) stress
2.	How long was the research?	7.	What can a pet dog help children to start?
	a) 6 months b) a year c) 2 years d) 18 months		a) development b) a new way of life c) conversations d) new hobbies
3.	What percentage of children with dogs showed signs of stress?	8.	What did researchers say dogs can be a source of?
	a) 10% b) 11% c) 12% d) 13%		a) comfort b) exercise c) illnesses d) joy
4.	What percentage of children without a dog showed signs of stress?	9.	What does a child sometimes tell a dog?
	a) 21% b) 22% c) 23% d) 24%		a) to go home b) news c) orders d) secrets
5.	Who has always known that a dog is good for a child's development?	10.	What is sometimes the first word a child speaks?
	a) babies b) parents c) pet shop owners d) scientists		a) hello b) sorry c) their dog's name d) help

ROLE PLAY

Role A – School

You think school is the most stressful thing for kids. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't so stressful. Also, tell the others which is the least stressful of these (and why): parents, money or social media.

Role B – Parents

You think parents are the most stressful things for kids. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't so stressful. Also, tell the others which is the least stressful of these (and why): school, money or social media.

Role C – Money

You think money is the most stressful thing for kids. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't so stressful. Also, tell the others which is the least stressful of these (and why): parents, school or social media.

Role D – Social media

You think social media is the most stressful thing for kids. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't so stressful. Also, tell the others which is the least stressful of these (and why): parents, money or school.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'pet' and 'dog'.

pet

dog

Share your findings with your partners.

Make questions using the words you found.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

shows
way
18
12
21
mental

things
other
link
start
act
word

PET DOGS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about pet dogs in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

PET DOGS DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1)	What did you think when you read the headline?
2)	What springs to mind when you hear the word 'pet'?
3)	How important are pets?
4)	What do children get stressed about?
5)	What can we do to reduce stress in children?
6)	Why is a dog so good at reducing stress in children?
7)	Should all parents get a pet dog for their children?
8)	Should dogs be kept as pets?
9)	What do you do to reduce your stress?
10)	What stresses do pets have?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

11)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
12)	What is the best pet to have?
13)	What things made you stressed when you were a kid?
14)	What does a child learn from taking care of a pet?
15)	How good a friend is a pet to a child?
16)	Are there any bad things about having a dog as a pet?
17)	What secrets did you have when you were a child?
18)	Is a dog or a cat better to have as a pet?
19)	Is a snake or a spider a good pet?
20)	What questions would you like to ask the researchers?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE

New research shows that having a pet dog can help to (1) ____ children's stress. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA shows that petting a dog is a great (2) ____ to help stressed kids. Researchers looked at 643 children aged six and seven over an 18-month (3) ____. They found that children who have a pet dog (4) ____ from less stress than children without a dog. The researchers said that just twelve per cent of children with pets showed (5) ____ of stress. This compares with 21 per cent of children with no dog. The research will come as no surprise to the parents of children who have a dog. They have always known that a dog is great for (6) ____ a child's development and mental health.

A researcher said there are many things about the research that she is still (7) ____ about. She said she did not know if less anxious children have pet dogs, or if it is the other way (8) ____ and pet dogs make children less anxious. She said the research just showed a link (9) ____ pet dogs and children's stress. She said pet dogs help children start conversations. This can often be difficult for children to do and can cause them stress. The researchers also said a pet dog can be a (10) ____ of comfort for children. The dog can also act as a friend to a small child, who tells the pet (11) ____ his or her secrets and stories. Sometimes the dog is (12) ____ important that its name can be the first word the child speaks.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	deduce	(b)	reduce	(c)	deuce	(d)	juice
2.	(a)	stuff	(b)	way	(c)	thinking	(d)	fun
3.	(a)	length	(b)	timed	(c)	timing	(d)	period
4.	(a)	tougher	(b)	suffer	(c)	bother	(d)	hover
5.	(a)	banners	(b)	signs	(c)	symbols	(d)	posters
6.	(a)	helps	(b)	helped	(c)	helping	(d)	help
7.	(a)	clarity	(b)	clearly	(c)	unclear	(d)	clears
8.	(a)	square	(b)	straight	(c)	round	(d)	curve
9.	(a)	joined	(b)	throughout	(c)	as	(d)	between
10.	(a)	says	(b)	sauce	(c)	soars	(d)	source
11.	(a)	all	(b)	every	(c)	whole	(d)	entire
12.	(a)	sew	(b)	saw	(c)	so	(d)	sow

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	help to edreuc children's stress
2.	ttgpeni a dog
3.	over an 18-month dpieor
4.	efusfr from less stress
5.	This sporcame with 21% of children
6.	mental atehhl
Paragraph 2
7.	many things about the rceraseh
8.	she is still elrancu about
9.	make children less uxinsao
10.	help children start nrtnvaoeoicss
11.	a source of coortfm for children
12.	all his or her rtecses and stories

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	from less stress than children without a dog. The researchers said that just twelve per cent
( )	dog is so important that its name can be the first word the child speaks.
( )	Control and Prevention in the USA shows that petting a dog is a great way to help stressed kids. Researchers looked
( )	know if less anxious children have pet dogs, or if it is the other way round and pet dogs make children less
( )	great for helping a child's development and mental health.
( )	at 643 children aged six and seven over an 18-month period. They found that children who have a pet dog suffer
( )	children start conversations. This can often be difficult for children to do and can cause
( )	as a friend to a small child, who tells the pet all his or her secrets and stories. Sometimes the
( )	A researcher said there are many things about the research that she is still unclear about. She said she did not
( )	of children with pets showed signs of stress. This compares with 21 per cent of children with no dog. The research will come as
( )	them stress. The researchers also said a pet dog can be a source of comfort for children. The dog can also act
( 1 )	New research shows that having a pet dog can help to reduce children's stress. A study by the Centers for Disease
( )	anxious. She said the research just showed a link between pet dogs and children's stress. She said pet dogs help
( )	no surprise to the parents of children who have a dog. They have always known that a dog is

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	help to reduce children's stress Having a pet dog can .
2.	Petting kids stressed help to way great a is dog a .
3.	who have a pet dog suffer from less stress Children .
4.	with children of % 12 Just stress of signs showed pets .
5.	dog for child's A great a is helping development .
6.	is about the she unclear about that still Things research .
7.	children said start pet conversations dogs help She .
8.	can dog pet A children for comfort of source a be .
9.	as can a a also The small friend act dog child to .
10.	the the Its be word speaks can first child name .

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

New research shows that having a pet dog can help to / for reduce children's stress. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA shows / shown that petting a dog is a great way to help stress / stressed kids. Researchers looked at 643 children aged six and seven under / over an 18-month period. They found that children who have a pet dog suffer from less stress then / than children without a dog. The researchers said that just twelve per cent of children with pets showed sign / signs of stress. This compares with 21 per cent of children with not / no dog. The research will come as no surprise / surprising to the parents of children who have a dog. They have always known / knowing that a dog is great for helping a child's development and mentally / mental health.

A researcher said there are money / many things about the research that she is still unclear / clearly about. She said she did not know if less anxiety / anxious children have pet dogs, or if it is the another / other way round and pet dogs make children less anxious. She said the research just shown / showed a link between pet dogs and children's stress. She said pet dogs help children start conservation / conversations. This can often be / is difficult for children to do and can cause them stress. The researchers also said a pet dog can be a source / sauce of comfort for children. The dog can also act as a friend to a small child, who tells the pet all his or her secretly / secrets and stories. Sometimes the dog is so important / importance that its name can be the first word the child speaks.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

N_w r_s__rch sh_ws th_t h_v_ng _ p_t d_g c_n h_lp t_ r_d_c_ ch_ldr_n's str_ss. _ st_dy by th_ C_nt_rs f_r D_s__s_ C_ntr_l _nd Pr_v_nt__n _n th_ _S_ sh_ws th_t p_tt_ng _ d_g _s _ gr__t w_y t_ h_lp str_ss_d k_ds. R_s__rch_rs l__k_d _t 643 ch_ldr_n _g_d s_x _nd s_v_n _v_r _n 18-m_nth p_r__d. Th_y f__nd th_t ch_ldr_n wh_ h_v_ _ p_t d_g s_ff_r fr_m l_ss str_ss th_n ch_ldr_n w_th__t _ d_g. Th_ r_s__rch_rs s__d th_t j_st tw_lv_ p_r c_nt _f ch_ldr_n w_th p_ts sh_w_d s_gns _f str_ss. Th_s c_mp_r_s w_th 21 p_r c_nt _f ch_ldr_n w_th n_ d_g. Th_ r_s__rch w_ll c_m_ _s n_ s_rpr_s_ t_ th_ p_r_nts _f ch_ldr_n wh_ h_v_ _ d_g. Th_y h_v_ _lw_ys kn_wn th_t _ d_g _s gr__t f_r h_lp_ng _ ch_ld's d_v_l_pm_nt _nd m_nt_l h__lth.

_ r_s__rch_r s__d th_r_ _r_ m_ny th_ngs _b__t th_ r_s__rch th_t sh_ _s st_ll _ncl__r _b__t. Sh_ s__d sh_ d_d n_t kn_w _f l_ss _nx___s ch_ldr_n h_v_ p_t d_gs, _r _f _t _s th_ _th_r w_y r__nd _nd p_t d_gs m_k_ ch_ldr_n l_ss _nx___s. Sh_ s__d th_ r_s__rch j_st sh_w_d _ l_nk b_tw__n p_t d_gs _nd ch_ldr_n's str_ss. Sh_ s__d p_t d_gs h_lp ch_ldr_n st_rt c_nv_rs_t__ns. Th_s c_n _ft_n b_ d_ff_c_lt f_r ch_ldr_n t_ d_ _nd c_n c__s_ th_m str_ss. Th_ r_s__rch_rs _ls_ s__d _ p_t d_g c_n b_ _ s__rc_ _f c_mf_rt f_r ch_ldr_n. Th_ d_g c_n _ls_ _ct _s _ fr__nd t_ _ sm_ll ch_ld, wh_ t_lls th_ p_t _ll h_s _r h_r s_cr_ts _nd st_r__s. S_m_t_m_s th_ d_g _s s_ _mp_rt_nt th_t _ts n_m_ c_n b_ th_ f_rst w_rd th_ ch_ld sp__ks.

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

new research shows that having a pet dog can help to reduce children's stress a study by the centers for disease control and prevention in the usa shows that petting a dog is a great way to help stressed kids researchers looked at 643 children aged six and seven over an 18-month period they found that children who have a pet dog suffer from less stress than children without a dog the researchers said that just twelve per cent of children with pets showed signs of stress this compares with 21 per cent of children with no dog the research will come as no surprise to the parents of children who have a dog they have always known that a dog is great for helping a child's development and mental health

a researcher said there are many things about the research that she is still unclear about she said she did not know if less anxious children have pet dogs or if it is the other way round and pet dogs make children less anxious she said the research just showed a link between pet dogs and children's stress she said pet dogs help children start conversations this can often be difficult for children to do and can cause them stress the researchers also said a pet dog can be a source of comfort for children the dog can also act as a friend to a small child who tells the pet all his or her secrets and stories sometimes the dog is so important that its name can be the first word the child speaks

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

Newresearchshowsthathavingapetdogcanhelptoreducechildren'sstr
ess.AstudybytheCentersforDiseaseControlandPreventionintheUSAs
howsthatpettingadogisagreatwaytohelpstressedkids.Researcherslo
okedat643childrenagedsixandsevenoveran18-monthperiod.Th
eyfoundthatchildrenwhohaveapetdogsufferfromlessstressthanchild
renwithoutadog.Theresearcherssaidthatjusttwelvepercentofchildre
nwithpetsshowedsignsofstress.Thiscompareswith21percentofchildr
enwithnodog.Theresearchwillcomeasnosurprisetotheparentsofchild
renwhohaveadog.Theyhavealwaysknownthatadogisgreatforhelpin
gachild'sdevelopmentandmentalhealth.Aresearchersaidtherearem
anythingsabouttheresearchthatsheisstillunclearabout.Shesaidshed
idnotknowiflessanxiouschildrenhavepetdogs,orifitistheotherwayrou
ndandpetdogsmakechildrenlessanxious.Shesaidtheresearchjustsh
owedalinkbetweenpetdogsandchildren'sstress.Shesaidpetdogshelp
childrenstartconversations.Thiscanoftenbedifficultforchildrentodoa
ndcancausethemstress.Theresearchersalsosaidapetdogcanbeasour
ceofcomfortforchildren.Thedogcanalsoactasafriendtoasmallchild,w
hotellsthepetallhisorhersecretsandstories.Sometimesthedogissoim
portantthatitsnamecanbethefirstwordthechildspeaks.

FREE WRITING

Write about pet dogs for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

Animals should never be kept as pets. They are not here for that. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about pet dogs and how they help children. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. PET DOGS: Make a poster about pet dogs. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. PETS: Write a magazine article about pet dogs. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against keeping them.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on pet dogs. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on how they help children. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

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ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

T

b

F

c

F

d

F

e

F

f

T

g

T

h

T

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	reduce	a.	lower
2	found	b.	discovered
3.	suffer from	c.	experience
4.	stress	d.	anxiety
5.	great	e.	wonderful
6.	unclear	f.	uncertain
7.	link	g.	connection
8.	conversations	h.	discussions
9.	comfort	i.	relaxation
10.	important	j.	significant

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	643
2.	18 months
3.	12%
4.	21%
5.	Parents
6.	Many things about the research
7.	Conversations
8.	Comfort
9.	Secrets and stories
10.	The dog’s name

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

b

2.

d

3.

c

4.

a

5.

b

6.

a

7.

c

8.

a

9.

d

10.

c

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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Pet dogs lower stress in kids (4th December, 2015)

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