The Reading / Listening - Our Homeland - Level 0

The origin of humans is in Botswana. Researchers said all our roots are in northern Botswana. Humans were there 200,000 years ago. They moved across Africa and into Europe and Asia. A professor said: "We've known for a long time that modern humans originated in Africa roughly 200,000 years ago."

Researchers said we come from an area called Okavango. They looked at DNA from people who live near there today. The people had a lot of DNA called L0. The professor said every time people moved, that event was recorded in our L0. It was a time-stamp. She said everyone walking around today is from this region.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Our Homeland - Level 1,  Our Homeland - Level 2   or  Our Homeland - Level 3

Sources
  • https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/29/ancestral-homeland-earliest-human-ancestors-traced-botswana-11005209/
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/ancestral-homeland-modern-humans-botswana-study-finds-191028162233348.html
  • https://newatlas.com/science/dna-study-human-homeland-southern-african-wetland/


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. The origin of humans
  2. all our
  3. Humans were there
  4. They moved across
  5. into Europe
  6. We've known for
  7. modern humans originated
  8. roughly 200,000 years
  1. a long time
  2. Africa
  3. ago
  4. roots
  5. in Africa
  6. is in Botswana
  7. and Asia
  8. 200,000 years ago

Paragraph 2

  1. we come from an area
  2. They looked
  3. The people had a lot of
  4. every time people
  5. that event was
  6. It was a time-
  7. everyone walking
  8. from this
  1. recorded
  2. DNA
  3. region
  4. called Okavango
  5. around today
  6. moved
  7. at DNA from people
  8. stamp

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The (1) ___________________ is in Botswana. Researchers said all (2) ___________________ in northern Botswana. Humans were there 200,000 years ago. (3) ___________________ Africa and into Europe and Asia. (4) ___________________: "We've known for (5) ___________________ that modern humans originated in Africa roughly (6) ___________________."

Researchers said we come (7) ___________________ called Okavango. They (8) ___________________ from people who live (9) ___________________. The people had a lot of DNA called L0. The professor (10) ___________________ people moved, that event (11) ___________________ our L0. It was a time-stamp. She said everyone walking around today is (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheoriginofhumansisinBotswana.Researcherssaidallourrootsareinn
orthernBotswana.Humanswerethere200,000yearsago.Theymoved
acrossAfricaandintoEuropeandAsia.Aprofessorsaid:"We'veknownfo
ralongtimethatmodernhumansoriginatedinAfricaroughly200,000ye
arsago."ResearcherssaidwecomefromanareacalledOkavango.Theyl
ookedatDNAfrompeoplewholiveneartheretoday.Thepeoplehadaloto
fDNAcalledL0.Theprofessorsaideverytimepeoplemoved,thateventw
asrecordedinourL0.Itwasatime-stamp.Shesaideveryonewalkingaro
undtodayisfromthisregion.

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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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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