The Reading / Listening - Miracle Puppy - Level 4

There is a lot of bad news today, but a heart-warming story comes from the USA. A puppy was born with severe abnormalities. Doctors are hopeful that she will live a healthy life. Skipper the puppy was one of nine puppies. Eight were "normal" but Skipper was born with six legs and two tails. These are her most visible abnormalities. She also has two pelvises and two reproductive regions. Her vet said that all her organs are working "just fine".

Vets called Skipper's survival a "miracle". They wrote that: "She has survived longer than we suspect any other canine has....with her combination of congenital conditions." They added: "We think that she may have some things to overcome, but she is determined right now and thriving." Skipper has her own Facebook page. It says she is at the correct weight for her age and that she is following a path to a happy and healthy life.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Miracle Puppy - Level 5 or  Miracle Puppy - Level 6

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/23/us/puppy-born-with-six-legs-trnd/index.html
  • https://wgntv.com/news/shes-probably-one-of-a-kind-6-legged-puppy-is-a-miracle-veterinarians-say/
  • https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/29821/20210223/miracle-puppy-oklahoma-six-legs-two-tails.htm


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. There is a lot of bad
  2. a heart-warming story comes
  3. A puppy was born with severe
  4. Doctors are
  5. she will live a
  6. Skipper was born with six legs
  7. She also has two
  8. all her organs are working
  1. and two tails
  2. hopeful
  3. from the USA
  4. "just fine"
  5. pelvises
  6. news today
  7. healthy life
  8. abnormalities

Paragraph 2

  1. Vets called Skipper's survival
  2. She has survived
  3. congenital
  4. she may have some
  5. she is determined
  6. It says she is at the correct
  7. she is following
  8. a happy
  1. weight for her age
  2. a path
  3. and healthy life
  4. conditions
  5. longer
  6. a "miracle"
  7. right now
  8. things to overcome

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

There is a lot of (1) ___________________, but a heart-warming story comes from the USA. A puppy was (2) ___________________ abnormalities. Doctors (3) ___________________ she will live (4) ___________________. Skipper the puppy was one of nine puppies. Eight were "normal" but Skipper was born with six legs (5) ___________________. These are her most visible abnormalities. She also has two pelvises and two reproductive regions. Her vet said that all her organs are (6) ___________________.

Vets called Skipper's (7) ___________________. They wrote that: "She has survived longer (8) ___________________ any other canine has....with (9) ___________________ congenital conditions." They added: "We think that she may have some (10) ___________________, but she is determined right (11) ___________________." Skipper has her own Facebook page. It says she is at the correct weight for her age and that she is (12) ___________________ to a happy and healthy life.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thereisalotofbadnewstoday,butaheart-warmingstorycomesfromth
eUSA.Apuppywasbornwithsevereabnormalities.Doctorsarehopefult
hatshewillliveahealthylife.Skipperthepuppywasoneofninepuppies.E
ightwere"normal"butSkipperwasbornwithsixlegsandtwotails.These
arehermostvisibleabnormalities.Shealsohastwopelvisesandtworepr
oductiveregions.Hervetsaidthatallherorgansareworking"justfine".V
etscalledSkipper'ssurvivala"miracle".Theywrotethat:"Shehassurviv
edlongerthanwesuspectanyothercaninehas....withhercombinationo
fcongenitalconditions."Theyadded:"Wethinkthatshemayhavesomet
hingstoovercome,butsheisdeterminedrightnowandthriving."Skippe
rhasherownFacebookpage.Itsayssheisatthecorrectweightforherage
andthatsheisfollowingapathtoahappyandhealthylife.

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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