The Reading / Listening - Smallest Reptile - Level 1

Scientists found what could be the world's smallest reptile in the mountains in northern Madagascar. It is a chameleon the size of a sunflower seed. Chameleons are usually 40cm long. The new ones are just 22mm long. At first, the scientists thought the chameleons were juveniles. They later found they were fully-grown adults. The scientists called the lizards "nano-chameleons". The scientists tried to find more of them, but didn't find any.

Madagascar has two-thirds of the world's chameleons. They may come from there. The chameleon's survival is in danger because of deforestation. A scientist said: "Their habitat has...been subject to deforestation, but the area was placed under protection recently, so the species will survive." A lot of Madagascar's rainforest could disappear by 2070 if deforestation does not slow down. This would put many of the island's unique species in danger.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Smallest Reptile - Level 0 Smallest Reptile - Level 2   or  Smallest Reptile - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/05/seed-sized-chameleon-madagascar-world-tiniest-reptile
  • https://www.dw.com/en/worlds-smallest-reptile-discovered-in-madagascar/a-56478001
  • https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/mysterious-chameleon-may-smallest-reptile-151728681.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. what could be the world's
  2. in the mountains in
  3. the size of a sunflower
  4. Chameleons are usually
  5. The new ones are just 22mm
  6. the chameleons
  7. they were fully-
  8. The scientists tried
  1. long
  2. 40cm long
  3. grown adults
  4. northern Madagascar
  5. were juveniles
  6. smallest
  7. to find more
  8. seed

Paragraph 2

  1. two-thirds of the world's
  2. They may come
  3. The chameleon's survival is in
  4. because of
  5. the area was placed under
  6. the species will
  7. A lot of Madagascar's
  8. many of the island's unique
  1. protection
  2. danger
  3. species
  4. rainforest
  5. chameleons
  6. deforestation
  7. from there
  8. survive

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists found (1) ___________________ the world's smallest reptile in (2) ___________________ northern Madagascar. It is a chameleon (3) ___________________ a sunflower seed. Chameleons are usually 40cm long. The (4) ___________________ just 22mm long. At first, the scientists thought the chameleons were juveniles. They (5) ___________________ were fully-grown adults. The scientists called the lizards "nano-chameleons". The scientists tried to find more of them, but (6) ___________________.

Madagascar has (7) ___________________ world's chameleons. They may (8) ___________________. The chameleon's survival is in danger because of deforestation. A scientist said: "Their habitat (9) ___________________ to deforestation, but the area was placed under protection recently, (10) ___________________ will survive." A lot of Madagascar's rainforest (11) ___________________ 2070 if deforestation does not slow down. This would put many of the island's (12) ___________________ danger.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scientistsfoundwhatcouldbetheworld'ssmallestreptileinthemountai
nsinnorthernMadagascar.Itisachameleonthesizeofasunflowerseed.
Chameleonsareusually40cmlong.Thenewonesarejust22mmlong.At
first,thescientiststhoughtthechameleonswerejuveniles.Theylaterfo
undtheywerefully-grownadults.Thescientistscalledthelizards"nano-
chameleons".Thescientiststriedtofindmoreofthem,butdidn'tfindany
.Madagascarhastwo-thirdsoftheworld'schameleons.Theymaycom
efromthere.Thechameleon'ssurvivalisindangerbecauseofdeforestat
ion.Ascientistsaid:"Theirhabitathas...beensubjecttodeforestation,b
uttheareawasplacedunderprotectionrecently,sothespecieswillsurvi
ve."AlotofMadagascar'srainforestcoulddisappearby2070ifdeforesta
tiondoesnotslowdown.Thiswouldputmanyoftheisland'suniquespecie
sindanger.

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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