The Reading / Listening - Music and Genes - Level 0

We all love music. We cannot stop tapping our foot when we listen to it. Moving our body to music is genetic. Our parents pass their sense of rhythm down to us. Researchers found 69 "music" genes. These change how we react to music, and move in sync with beats. The genes also change rhythms like breathing and sleeping.

Researchers said their study is "a leap forward" for understanding the link between genetics and music. They said hundreds of genes change our sense of rhythm. They added that clapping and dancing in sync with music beats "is at the core" of music and us. Doctors could use music and rhythms to make us healthier.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Music and Genes - Level 1 Music and Genes - Level 2   or  Music and Genes - Level 3

Sources
  • https://neurosciencenews.com/genetic-lmusic-movement-21443/
  • https://newatlas.com/science/genes-beat-sync-music-study-nature/
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-022-01359-x


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. tapping our
  2. Moving our body
  3. their sense
  4. Researchers found 69
  5. These change how we react
  6. move in
  7. The genes also
  8. breathing
  1. "music" genes
  2. change rhythms
  3. to music
  4. and sleeping
  5. to music
  6. foot
  7. sync with beats
  8. of rhythm

Paragraph 2

  1. a leap
  2. hundreds
  3. change our sense
  4. clapping and
  5. dancing in
  6. at the core
  7. Doctors could use music
  8. make us
  1. of music
  2. of rhythm
  3. healthier
  4. of genes
  5. dancing
  6. and rhythms
  7. forward
  8. sync

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

(1) ___________________ music. We cannot stop (2) ___________________ when we listen to it. Moving our body to music is genetic. Our parents (3) ___________________ of rhythm down to us. Researchers found (4) ___________________. These change how we react to music, and (5) ___________________ with beats. The genes also change rhythms like (6) ___________________.

Researchers said their study is "(7) ___________________" for understanding (8) ___________________ genetics and music. They said hundreds of genes change (9) ___________________ rhythm. (10) ___________________ clapping and dancing in sync with music beats "is (11) ___________________" of music and us. Doctors could use music and rhythms (12) ___________________ healthier.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Wealllovemusic.Wecannotstoptappingourfootwhenwelistentoit.Mo
vingourbodytomusicisgenetic.Ourparentspasstheirsenseofrhythmd
owntous.Researchersfound69"music"genes.Thesechangehowwere
acttomusic,andmoveinsyncwithbeats.Thegenesalsochangerhythms
likebreathingandsleeping.Researcherssaidtheirstudyis"aleapforwar
d"forunderstandingthelinkbetweengeneticsandmusic.Theysaidhun
dredsofgeneschangeoursenseofrhythm.Theyaddedthatclappingand
dancinginsyncwithmusicbeats"isatthecore"ofmusicandus.Doctorsc
ouldusemusicandrhythmstomakeushealthier.

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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