The Reading / Listening - Cooking - Level 6

New research suggests that using fire to cook food started 600,000 years before previously thought. Archeologists from the Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Israel assert that our early ancestors cooked fish with fire 770,000 years ago. The archaeologists claim that these prehistoric humans, who lived alongside the banks of the Jordan River in what is present-day northern Israel, used fire to cook the "huge fish" they caught in a nearby lake. They say their finding is the earliest recorded evidence of food being cooked. Until this new discovery, scientists believed the first "definitive evidence" of cooking was by Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens, around 170,000 years ago.

Lead researcher Irit Zohar spent 16 years analyzing ancient fish bones and the enamel found on fish teeth. Her analysis showed that the grilled or baked fish had been eaten 770 millennia ago. She told the AFP news agency that: "It was like facing a puzzle, with more and more information until we could make a story about human evolution." She added that her biggest conundrum was to ascertain whether or not the fish had been eaten raw and then their bones thrown into the fire, or whether it had been cooked first. She said: "The whole question about exposure to fire is whether it is about getting rid of remains or a desire to cook." She said the fish were two-metre-long carp, that would have been particularly succulent when cooked.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Cooking - Level 4  or  Cooking - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01910-z
  • https://www.timesofisrael.com/fish-teeth-found-near-jordan-river-yield-worlds-earliest-evidence-of-cooking/
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/14/world/earliest-evidence-of-cooking-with-fire-scn


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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. COOKING: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about cooking. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       research / fire / cook / archaeologist / ancestors / prehistoric / humans / discovery /
       bones / enamel / millennia / puzzle / conundrum / exposure / desire / succulent
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. RAW FOOD: Students A strongly believe it is better to eat raw food than cooked food; Students B strongly believe coked food is better. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. CUISINE: What do you know about these cuisines? What' the most famous dish? What do you think of that dish? Complete this table and share what you wrote with your partner(s). Change partners often.

 

What I Know

Top Dish

My Thoughts

Middle Eastern

 

 

 

Italian

 

 

 

Japanese

 

 

 

Mexican

 

 

 

Chinese

 

 

 

Indian

 

 

 
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. FISH: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "fish". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. COOKED FOOD: Rank these with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Grilled fish
  • Roast chicken
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Baked potatoes
  • Steamed rice
  • Toasted sandwiches
  • Barbecued prawns
  • Fried noodles

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. previously a. An extinct species of human that was widely distributed in ice-age Europe.
      2. assert b. State a fact or belief confidently.
      3. ancestor c. Facts or information showing whether a belief or idea is true.
      4. evidence d. At an earlier time; before.
      5. definitive e. The species to which modern humans belong; humans regarded as a species.
      6. Neanderthals f. A family relative further back than a grandparent, from whom one is descended.
      7. Homo sapiens g. Of a conclusion or agreement that is done or reached decisively and with authority.

    Paragraph 2

      8. ancient h. A confusing and difficult problem or question.
      9. enamel i. The process by which different kinds of living organism are believed to have developed from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
      10. evolution j. Experience of something.
      11. conundrum k. Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence.
      12. ascertain l. The hard glossy substance that covers a tooth.
      13. exposure m. Of food - tender, juicy, and tasty.
      14. succulent n. Find something out for certain; make sure of.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. A team of nutritionists from Tel Aviv university conducted the research.   T / F
  2. Researchers believe we first used fire to cook 970,000 years ago.     T / F
  3. Prehistoric humans cooked fish they caught in the Jordan RIver.     T / F
  4. Scientists originally believed we first cooked 170,000 years ago.     T / F
  5. Researchers analyzed the enamel of fish teeth in their research.     T / F
  6. A researcher said her ancient humans boiled their fish.     T / F
  7. A researcher tried to figure out if fish was eaten raw or cooked.     T / F
  8. The fish ancient humans ate were up to two metres long.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. previously
  2. predecessors
  3. assert
  4. evidence
  5. definitive
  6. ancient
  7. conundrum
  8. ascertain
  9. exposure
  10. succulent
  1. maintain
  2. juicy
  3. primitive
  4. earlier
  5. find out
  6. proof
  7. contact with
  8. ancestors
  9. problem
  10. conclusive

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. 600,000 years before previously
  2. alongside the banks
  3. present-
  4. the earliest recorded evidence
  5. Neanderthals and early
  6. the enamel found
  7. her biggest
  8. eaten
  9. getting
  10. particularly succulent
  1. rid of remains
  2. on fish teeth
  3. of food being cooked
  4. thought
  5. raw
  6. of the Jordan River
  7. when cooked
  8. conundrum
  9. Homo sapiens
  10. day northern Israel

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
finding
previously
definitive
banks
suggests
recorded
present
ancestors

New research (1) _____________________ that using fire to cook food started 600,000 years before (2) _____________________ thought. Archeologists from the Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Israel assert that our early (3) _____________________ cooked fish with fire 770,000 years ago. The archaeologists claim that these prehistoric humans, who lived alongside the (4) _____________________ of the Jordan River in what is (5) _____________________ -day northern Israel, used fire to cook the "huge fish" they caught in a nearby lake. They say their (6) _____________________ is the earliest (7) _____________________ evidence of food being cooked. Until this new discovery, scientists believed the first "(8) _____________________ evidence" of cooking was by Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens, around 170,000 years ago.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
facing
raw
ancient
succulent
millennia
exposure
analysis
conundrum

Lead researcher Irit Zohar spent 16 years analyzing (9) _____________________ fish bones and the enamel found on fish teeth. Her (10) _____________________ showed that the grilled or baked fish had been eaten 770 (11) _____________________ ago. She told the AFP news agency that: "It was like (12) _____________________ a puzzle, with more and more information until we could make a story about human evolution." She added that her biggest (13) _____________________ was to ascertain whether or not the fish had been eaten (14) _____________________ and then their bones thrown into the fire, or whether it had been cooked first. She said: "The whole question about (15) _____________________ to fire is whether it is about getting rid of remains or a desire to cook." She said the fish were two-metre-long carp, that would have been particularly (16) _____________________ when cooked.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) suggests that using fire to cook food started 600,000 years ______
     a.  before imperviously thought
     b.  before grievously thought
     c.  before previously thought
     d.  before preview less thought
2)  Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Israel assert that ______
     a.  our early ancestors
     b.  our early ancestries
     c.  our early onsets
     d.  our early ancestor
3)  The archaeologists claim that these prehistoric humans, who lived ______
     a.  alongside the bakes
     b.  alongside the barks
     c.  alongside the banks
     d.  alongside the bonks
4)  They say their finding is the ______
     a.  early yeast recorded evidence
     b.  early lest recorded evidence
     c.  earl yeast recorded evidence
     d.  earliest recorded evidence
5) the first "definitive evidence" of cooking was by Neanderthals and ______
     a.  early Promo sapiens
     b.  early Homo sapiens
     c.  early Homeless sapiens
     d.  early Homonym sapiens

6)  Lead researcher Irit Zohar spent 16 years analyzing ancient fish bones ______
     a.  and the enamel
     b.  and the enamour
     c.  and the enemy
     d.  and the animal
7)  She told the AFP news agency that it was like ______
     a.  phasing a puzzle
     b.  facing a puzzle
     c.  farce in a puzzle
     d.  fracking a puzzle
8)  with more and more information until we could make a story ______
     a.  about humane evolution
     b.  about humane revolution
     c.  about human evolution
     d.  about human elocution
9)  her biggest conundrum was to ascertain whether or not the fish had ______
     a.  been eaten law
     b.  been eating raw
     c.  been eaten raw
     d.  been eating law
10) the fish were two-metre-long carp, that would have ______
     a.  been particularly turbulent
     b.  been particularly succulent
     c.  been particularly virulent
     d.  been particularly truculent

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

New research suggests that using fire to cook food started 600,000 years (1) ____________________. Archeologists from the Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Israel (2) ____________________ early ancestors cooked fish with fire 770,000 years ago. The archaeologists claim that (3) ____________________, who lived alongside the banks of the Jordan River in what is present-day northern Israel, used fire to cook the "huge fish" they caught in (4) ____________________. They say their finding is the earliest recorded evidence of food being cooked. Until this new discovery, scientists believed the (5) ____________________ of cooking was by Neanderthals and (6) ____________________, around 170,000 years ago.

Lead researcher Irit Zohar spent 16 years analyzing (7) ____________________ and the enamel found on fish teeth. Her analysis showed that the (8) ____________________ fish had been eaten 770 millennia ago. She told the AFP news agency that: "It was like (9) ____________________, with more and more information until we could make a story about human evolution." She added that her biggest conundrum (10) ____________________ whether or not the fish had been eaten raw and then their bones thrown into the fire, or whether it had been cooked first. She said: "The whole question about exposure to fire is whether it is about getting (11) ____________________ or a desire to cook." She said the fish were two-metre-long carp, that would have (12) ____________________ when cooked.

Comprehension questions

  1. What is the focus of Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum?
  2. Alongside which river did the ancient descendants in this research live?
  3. Where were the fish remains, that were studied in this research, caught?
  4. What did the researcher say about the size of the fish?
  5. Before this latest research, when did scientists think we first cooked?
  6. How long did a researcher spend studying fish bones?
  7. What did the researcher liken her research to?
  8. What was the researcher's biggest conundrum?
  9. What was the researcher unsure about the fish being exposed to?
  10. What did the researcher say about the possible taste of the fish?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What is the focus of Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum?
a) archaeology
b) nutrition
c) natural history
d) ancient history
2) Alongside which river did the ancient descendants in this research live?
a) the Jordan River
b) the River Nile
c) the Euphrates
d) the Tigris
3) Where were the fish remains, that were studied in this research, caught?
a) in a lake
b) from the sea
c) in a river
d) from a dam
4) What did the researcher say about the size of the fish?
a) the were average size
b) they were huge
c) they were small
d) they were of various sizes
5) Before this latest research, when did scientists think we first cooked?
a) just less than 170,000 years ago
b) over 170,000 years ago
c) exactly 170,000 years ago
d) around 170,000 years ago

6) How long did a researcher spend studying fish bones?
a) 18 years
b) 16 years
c) 19 years
d) 15 years
7) What did the researcher liken her research to?
a) a puzzle
b) a mystery
c) a cookery lesson
d) a journey back in time
8) What was the researcher's biggest conundrum?
a) if the teeth were from fish or not
b) if the teeth were from fish or humans
c) if the fish were eaten raw
d) if the fish were cooked or burnt in a forest fire
9) What was the researcher unsure about the fish being exposed to?
a) danger
b) predators
c) tooth decay
d) fire
10) What did the researcher say about the possible taste of the fish?
a) it was succulent
b) like chicken
c) salmon
d) sushi

Role play

Role  A – Fish
You think fish is the best thing to cook. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as good to cook. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): meat, vegetables or rice.

Role  B – Meat
You think meat is the best thing to cook. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as good to cook. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why):: fish, vegetables or rice.

Role  C – Vegetables
You think vegetables is the best thing to cook. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as good to cook. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why):: meat, fish or rice.

Role  D – Rice
You think rice is the best thing to cook. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't as good to cook. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why):: meat, vegetables or fish.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'cooking'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'fish'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • suggests
    • assert
    • claim
    • huge
    • new
    • ago
    • enamel
    • baked
    • facing
    • raw
    • rid
    • carp

    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 - Cooking

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'cooking'?
    3. What do you think of cooking?
    4. What do you think the first hot food tasted like?
    5. What was food like 770,000 years ago?
    6. What are you best at cooking?
    7. Would you like to be a chef?
    8. Do you like cooking using a fire?
    9. What do you know about Neanderthals and Homo sapiens?
    10. What advice do you have for people learning to cook?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'fish'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. How good are you at cooking?
    5. How bad is cooking for the environment?
    6. Should we eat more raw food to help the environment?
    7. What do you know about the enamel on our teeth?
    8. What's the biggest conundrum you've ever faced?
    9. What's the most succulent food you know of?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the researchers?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    New research suggests that using fire to cook food started 600,000 years before previously (1) ____. Archeologists from the Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Israel assert that our early (2) ____ cooked fish with fire 770,000 years ago. The archaeologists claim that these prehistoric humans, who lived alongside the (3) ____ of the Jordan River in what is present-day northern Israel, used fire to cook the "huge fish" they (4) ____ in a nearby lake. They say their finding is the earliest recorded evidence of food being cooked. Until this new discovery, scientists believed the first "(5) ____ evidence" of cooking was by Neanderthals and early Homo (6) ____, around 170,000 years ago.

    Lead researcher Irit Zohar spent 16 years analyzing ancient fish bones and the (7) ____ found on fish teeth. Her analysis showed that the grilled or baked fish had been eaten 770 (8) ____ ago. She told the AFP news agency that: "It was like facing a puzzle, with more and more information until we could make a story about human (9) ____." She added that her biggest conundrum was to ascertain whether or not the fish had been eaten (10) ____ and then their bones thrown into the fire, or whether it had been cooked first. She said: "The whole question about exposure to fire is whether it is about getting (11) ____ of remains or a desire to cook." She said the fish were two-metre-long carp, that would have been particularly (12) ____ when cooked.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     thoughts     (b)     thoughts     (c)     think     (d)     thinking    
    2. (a)     ancestries     (b)     ancestor     (c)     ancestry     (d)     ancestors    
    3. (a)     offices     (b)     banks     (c)     reserves     (d)     lenders    
    4. (a)     net     (b)     swam     (c)     caught     (d)     fishing    
    5. (a)     definitive     (b)     definition     (c)     define     (d)     definer    
    6. (a)     Saps     (b)     Saplings     (c)     Sapiens     (d)     Sapwood    
    7. (a)     denture     (b)     acrylic     (c)     vinyl     (d)     enamel    
    8. (a)     millennia     (b)     millings     (c)     mills     (d)     millennium    
    9. (a)     revolting     (b)     evolution     (c)     elocution     (d)     evocation    
    10. (a)     law     (b)     caw     (c)     raw     (d)     paw    
    11. (a)     hid     (b)     lid     (c)     rid     (d)     bid    
    12. (a)     succinct     (b)     succulent     (c)     succor     (d)     suckling

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. 600,000 years before yplvuerosi thought
    2. our early otsrnceas
    3. The ooacsalrthigse claim that
    4. iorpterhics humans
    5. the first ivtineifed evidence
    6. early Homo apssnie

    Paragraph 2

    1. analyzing ncneait fish bones
    2. the enaeml found on fish teeth
    3. eaten 770 mnilnaiel ago
    4. csneraait whether or not the fish had been eaten
    5. xeuorspe to fire
    6. particularly lcutucsen when cooked

    Put the text back together

    (...)  raw and then their bones thrown into the fire, or whether it had been cooked first. She said: "The whole
    (  1  ) New research suggests that using fire to cook food started 600,000 years before previously
    (...)  that our early ancestors cooked fish with fire 770,000 years ago. The archaeologists claim that these prehistoric
    (...)  humans, who lived alongside the banks of the Jordan River in what is present-day northern Israel, used
    (...)  of cooking was by Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens, around 170,000 years ago.
    (...)  teeth. Her analysis showed that the grilled or baked fish had been eaten 770 millennia ago. She told the AFP news
    (...)  were two-metre-long carp, that would have been particularly succulent when cooked.
    (...)  cooked. Until this new discovery, scientists believed the first "definitive evidence"
    (...)  fire to cook the "huge fish" they caught in a nearby lake. They say their finding is the earliest recorded evidence of food being
    (...)  Lead researcher Irit Zohar spent 16 years analyzing ancient fish bones and the enamel found on fish
    (...)  thought. Archeologists from the Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Israel assert
    (...)  question about exposure to fire is whether it is about getting rid of remains or a desire to cook." She said the fish
    (...)  agency that: "It was like facing a puzzle, with more and more information until we could make a story about human
    (...)  evolution." She added that her biggest conundrum was to ascertain whether or not the fish had been eaten

    Put the words in the right order

    1. previously   started   years   600,000   It   before   thought   .
    2. early   cooked   assert   fish   .   our   ancestors   They   that
    3. humans   alongside   the   lived   banks   .   who   Prehistoric
    4. Their   of   food   .   the   evidence   earliest   finding   is
    5. Neanderthals   .   by   cooking   The   was   first   of   evidence
    6. ancient   spent   years   bones   analyzing   fish   16   She
    7. human   a   could   about   story   make   We   evolution   .
    8. fish   eaten   raw   .   or   the   was   Whether   not
    9. Whether   remains   .   getting   is   rid   of   about   it
    10. been   succulent   have   when   That   particularly   would   cooked   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    New research suggests that usage / using fire to cook food started 600,000 years before previously thinking / thought. Archeologists from the Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Israel assert / covert that our early ancestors / ancestry cooked fish with fire 770,000 years ago. The archaeologists claim / clam that these prehistoric humans, who lived longingly / alongside the banks of the Jordan River in what is present-day northern Israel, used fire to cook the "huge fish" they net / caught in a nearby lake. They say their finding / founding is the earliest recorded evidence of food being cooked. Until this new discovery, scientists believed the first "definitive / definitely evidence" of cooking was by Neanderthals and early Homo / Human sapiens, around 170,000 years ago.

    Lead researcher Irit Zohar spent 16 years analyzing ancient fish bones and the enamel / fluoride found on fish teeth. Her analysis showed that the grilled or braked / baked fish had been eaten 770 millennia ago. She told the AFP news agency that: "It was like facing a puzzlement / puzzle, with more and more information until we could make a story about human evolution / elocution." She added that her biggest conundrum was to concertina / ascertain whether or not the fish had been eaten gnaw / raw and then their bones thrown into the fire, or wherewithal / whether it had been cooked first. She said: "The whole question about exposition / exposure to fire is whether it is about getting riddance / rid of remains or a desire to cook." She said the fish were two-metre-long carp, that would have been particularly succinct / succulent when cooked.

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    N_w  r_s__rch  s_gg_sts  th_t  _s_ng  f_r_  t_  c__k  f__d  st_rt_d  600,000  y__rs  b_f_r_  pr_v___sly  th__ght.  _rch__l_g_sts  fr_m  th_  T_l  _v_v  _n_v_rs_ty's  St__nh_rdt  M_s__m  _f  N_t_r_l  H_st_ry  _n  _sr__l  _ss_rt  th_t  __r  __rly  _nc_st_rs  c__k_d  f_sh  w_th  f_r_  770,000  y__rs  _g_.  Th_  _rch___l_g_sts  cl__m  th_t  th_s_  pr_h_st_r_c  h_m_ns,  wh_  l_v_d  _l_ngs_d_  th_  b_nks  _f  th_  J_rd_n  R_v_r  _n  wh_t  _s  pr_s_nt-d_y  n_rth_rn  _sr__l,  _s_d  f_r_  t_  c__k  th_  "h_g_  f_sh"  th_y  c__ght  _n  _  n__rby  l_k_.  Th_y  s_y  th__r  f_nd_ng  _s  th_  __rl__st  r_c_rd_d  _v_d_nc_  _f  f__d  b__ng  c__k_d.  _nt_l  th_s  n_w  d_sc_v_ry,  sc__nt_sts  b_l__v_d  th_  f_rst  "d_f_n_t_v_  _v_d_nc_"  _f  c__k_ng  w_s  by  N__nd_rth_ls  _nd  __rly  H_m_  s_p__ns,  _r__nd  170,000  y__rs  _g_.

    L__d  r_s__rch_r  _r_t  Z_h_r  sp_nt  16  y__rs  _n_lyz_ng  _nc__nt  f_sh  b_n_s  _nd  th_  _n_m_l  f__nd  _n  f_sh  t__th.  H_r  _n_lys_s  sh_w_d  th_t  th_  gr_ll_d  _r  b_k_d  f_sh  h_d  b__n  __t_n  770  m_ll_nn__  _g_.  Sh_  t_ld  th_  _FP  n_ws  _g_ncy  th_t:  "_t  w_s  l_k_  f_c_ng  _  p_zzl_,  w_th  m_r_  _nd  m_r_  _nf_rm_t__n  _nt_l  w_  c__ld  m_k_  _  st_ry  _b__t  h_m_n  _v_l_t__n."  Sh_  _dd_d  th_t  h_r  b_gg_st  c_n_ndr_m  w_s  t_  _sc_rt__n  wh_th_r  _r  n_t  th_  f_sh  h_d  b__n  __t_n  r_w  _nd  th_n  th__r  b_n_s  thr_wn  _nt_  th_  f_r_,  _r  wh_th_r  _t  h_d  b__n  c__k_d  f_rst.  Sh_  s__d:  "Th_  wh_l_  q__st__n  _b__t  _xp_s_r_  t_  f_r_  _s  wh_th_r  _t  _s  _b__t  g_tt_ng  r_d  _f  r_m__ns  _r  _  d_s_r_  t_  c__k."  Sh_  s__d  th_  f_sh  w_r_  tw_-m_tr_-l_ng  c_rp,  th_t  w__ld  h_v_  b__n  p_rt_c_l_rly  s_cc_l_nt  wh_n  c__k_d.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    new research suggests that using fire to cook food started 600000 years before previously thought archeologists from the tel aviv universitys steinhardt museum of natural history in israel assert that our early ancestors cooked fish with fire 770000 years ago the archaeologists claim that these prehistoric humans who lived alongside the banks of the jordan river in what is presentday northern israel used fire to cook the huge fish they caught in a nearby lake they say their finding is the earliest recorded evidence of food being cooked until this new discovery scientists believed the first definitive evidence of cooking was by neanderthals and early homo sapiens around 170000 years ago

    lead researcher irit zohar spent 16 years analyzing ancient fish bones and the enamel found on fish teeth her analysis showed that the grilled or baked fish had been eaten 770 millennia ago she told the afp news agency that it was like facing a puzzle with more and more information until we could make a story about human evolution she added that her biggest conundrum was to ascertain whether or not the fish had been eaten raw and then their bones thrown into the fire or whether it had been cooked first she said the whole question about exposure to fire is whether it is about getting rid of remains or a desire to cook she said the fish were twometrelong carp that would have been particularly succulent when cooked

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Newresearchsuggeststhatusingfiretocookfoodstarted600,000years
    beforepreviouslythought.ArcheologistsfromtheTelAvivUniversity'sS
    teinhardtMuseumofNaturalHistoryinIsraelassertthatourearlyancest
    orscookedfishwithfire770,000yearsago.Thearchaeologistsclaimtha
    ttheseprehistorichumans,wholivedalongsidethebanksoftheJordanR
    iverinwhatispresent-daynorthernIsrael,usedfiretocookthe"hugefis
    h"theycaughtinanearbylake.Theysaytheirfindingistheearliestrecord
    edevidenceoffoodbeingcooked.Untilthisnewdiscovery,scientistsbeli
    evedthefirst"definitiveevidence"ofcookingwasbyNeanderthalsande
    arlyHomosapiens,around170,000yearsago.LeadresearcherIritZoha
    rspent16yearsanalyzingancientfishbonesandtheenamelfoundonfish
    teeth.Heranalysisshowedthatthegrilledorbakedfishhadbeeneaten7
    70millenniaago.ShetoldtheAFPnewsagencythat:"Itwaslikefacingap
    uzzle,withmoreandmoreinformationuntilwecouldmakeastoryabout
    humanevolution."Sheaddedthatherbiggestconundrumwastoascert
    ainwhetherornotthefishhadbeeneatenrawandthentheirbonesthrow
    nintothefire,orwhetherithadbeencookedfirst.Shesaid:"Thewholequ
    estionaboutexposuretofireiswhetheritisaboutgettingridofremainsor
    adesiretocook."Shesaidthefishweretwo-metre-longcarp,thatwoul
    dhavebeenparticularlysucculentwhencooked.

    Free writing

    Write about cooking for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    We should all learn to cook healthy meals only. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. COOKING: Make a poster about cooking. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. RAW: Write a magazine article about turning to eating raw food to save on energy and help the planet. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on cooking. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how we can encourage people to cook healthy meals. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

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    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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