The Reading / Listening - Miracle Puppy - Level 5

There is a lot of bad news on our screens, but a heart-warming story comes from a vet in the USA. A puppy born with severe abnormalities has survived. Doctors are optimistic that she will live a healthy life. Skipper the puppy is a cross-breed. She was one of nine puppies. While her siblings were "normal," Skipper was born with six legs and two tails. These are her most visible abnormalities. She has others, including two pelvises, two lower urinary tracts and two reproductive regions. Her vet said that despite Skipper's condition, her organs are working "just fine".

Vets called Skipper's survival a "miracle". They wrote on their hospital Facebook page that: "She has survived longer than we suspect any other canine has....with her combination of congenital conditions." They added: "Skipper...is able to scoot around just like a regular puppy." They said: "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 "accomplishing all of her milestones...She is following a path to a happy and healthy life".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Miracle Puppy - Level 4 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 puppy born with severe
  3. Doctors are optimistic
  4. Skipper the puppy is a
  5. While her siblings
  6. Skipper was born with six legs
  7. two reproductive
  8. her organs are working just
  1. cross-breed
  2. regions
  3. and two tails
  4. fine
  5. abnormalities
  6. were normal
  7. news on our screens
  8. that she will live

Paragraph 2

  1. Vets called Skipper's survival
  2. her combination of congenital
  3. scoot around just
  4. she may have some things to
  5. she is at the correct weight
  6. accomplishing all
  7. She is following
  8. a happy
  1. of her milestones
  2. overcome
  3. and healthy life
  4. like a regular puppy
  5. a path
  6. conditions
  7. for her age
  8. a miracle

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

There is a lot of bad news (1) ___________________, but a heart-warming story comes from a vet in the USA. A puppy (2) ___________________ abnormalities has survived. Doctors are optimistic that she will live a healthy life. Skipper the puppy is a cross-breed. She was (3) ___________________ puppies. While her siblings were "normal," Skipper was born with six legs and two tails. These are (4) ___________________ abnormalities. She has others, including two pelvises, two lower urinary tracts and two reproductive regions. Her vet (5) ___________________ Skipper's condition, her organs are (6) ___________________.

Vets called Skipper's (7) ___________________. They wrote on their hospital Facebook page that: "She has survived longer than we suspect (8) ___________________ has....with her combination of congenital conditions." They added: "Skipper...is able to scoot around just like (9) ___________________." They said: "We think that she may have some things to overcome, but she is determined right (10) ___________________." Skipper has her own Facebook page. It says she is at the (11) ___________________ her age and "accomplishing all of her milestones...She is (12) ___________________ to a happy and healthy life".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thereisalotofbadnewsonourscreens,butaheart-warmingstorycome
sfromavetintheUSA.Apuppybornwithsevereabnormalitieshassurviv
ed.Doctorsareoptimisticthatshewillliveahealthylife.Skipperthepupp
yisacross-breed.Shewasoneofninepuppies.Whilehersiblingswere"
normal,"Skipperwasbornwithsixlegsandtwotails.Thesearehermostv
isibleabnormalities.Shehasothers,includingtwopelvises,twolowerur
inarytractsandtworeproductiveregions.HervetsaidthatdespiteSkipp
er'scondition,herorgansareworking"justfine".VetscalledSkipper'ssu
rvivala"miracle".TheywroteontheirhospitalFacebookpagethat:"She
hassurvivedlongerthanwesuspectanyothercaninehas....withherco
mbinationofcongenitalconditions."Theyadded:"Skipper...isabletosc
ootaroundjustlikearegularpuppy."Theysaid:"Wethinkthatshemayh
avesomethingstoovercome,butsheisdeterminedrightnowandthrivin
g."SkipperhasherownFacebookpage.Itsayssheisatthecorrectweight
forherageand"accomplishingallofhermilestones...Sheisfollowingap
athtoahappyandhealthylife".

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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