The Reading / Listening - Bread Recipe - Level 1

Researchers found 24 ancient breadcrumbs from the world's oldest bread. They found them on a dig in Jordan. They were burnt, which is how they have survived. The crumbs are about 14,000 years old. This means that Stone Age people who lived from 12,500 to 9,500 B.C. were baking bread. This is 4,000 years earlier than we thought. They were hunter-gatherers. The people lived thousands of years before humans became farmers.

The breadcrumbs were made from barley, wheat and oats. The bread took a long time to make. The ancient people made flour and mixed it with water. After that, they baked it in hot ashes or on a hot stone. The bread looked like flat pitta bread. Another researcher said the bread could be a reason why the agricultural revolution started. Stone Age people understood it was easier to farm the wheat instead of getting it from the wild.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Bread Recipe - Level 0 Bread Recipe - Level 2   or  Bread Recipe - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-evidence-bread-baked-advent-agriculture-180969667/
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44846874
  • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-eu/forcing-china-on-trade-with-illegal-action-will-not-work-eus-malmstrom-idUSKBN1K912H


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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Researchers found 24
  2. They found them on
  3. how they
  4. Stone Age people who lived from
  5. This is 4,000 years earlier
  6. They were hunter-
  7. The people lived thousands
  8. humans became
  1. have survived
  2. of years before
  3. ancient breadcrumbs
  4. farmers
  5. gatherers
  6. a dig in Jordan
  7. than we thought
  8. 12,500 to 9,500 B.C.

Paragraph 2

  1. The breadcrumbs were
  2. people made flour and mixed
  3. they baked
  4. The bread looked
  5. the bread could
  6. why the agricultural
  7. it was easier to
  8. getting it from the
  1. it in hot ashes
  2. be a reason
  3. wild
  4. it with water
  5. farm the wheat
  6. made from barley
  7. like flat pitta bread
  8. revolution started

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Researchers (1) ___________________ breadcrumbs from the world's oldest bread. They found them (2) ___________________ in Jordan. They were burnt, (3) ___________________ they have survived. The crumbs are about 14,000 years old. This means that Stone Age people (4) ___________________ 12,500 to 9,500 B.C. were baking bread. This is 4,000 years earlier than we thought. They (5) ___________________. The people lived thousands (6) ___________________ humans became farmers.

The breadcrumbs (7) ___________________ barley, wheat and oats. The bread (8) ___________________ time to make. The ancient people made flour and mixed it with water. After that, they (9) ___________________ hot ashes or on a hot stone. The bread (10) ___________________ pitta bread. Another researcher said the bread (11) ___________________ reason why the agricultural revolution started. Stone Age people understood it was easier to farm the wheat (12) ___________________ it from the wild.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Researchersfound24ancientbreadcrumbsfromtheworld'soldestbrea
d.TheyfoundthemonadiginJordan.Theywereburnt,whichishowtheyh
avesurvived.Thecrumbsareabout14,000yearsold.ThismeansthatSt
oneAgepeoplewholivedfrom12,500to9,500B.C.werebakingbread.T
hisis4,000yearsearlierthanwethought.Theywerehunter-gatherer
s.Thepeoplelivedthousandsofyearsbeforehumansbecamefarmers.T
hebreadcrumbsweremadefrombarley,wheatandoats.Thebreadtook
alongtimetomake.Theancientpeoplemadeflourandmixeditwithwate
r.Afterthat,theybakeditinhotashesoronahotstone.Thebreadlookedli
keflatpittabread.Anotherresearchersaidthebreadcouldbeareasonw
hytheagriculturalrevolutionstarted.StoneAgepeopleunderstooditwa
seasiertofarmthewheatinsteadofgettingitfromthewild.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic 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.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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