The Reading / Listening - Reindeer - Level 3

Reindeer in the region of Lapland, Finland, are famous worldwide. They are also very busy at this time of year. That's because they are helping Santa Claus to deliver presents to children all over the world. However, the animals are facing a great danger. Reindeer herders report that an increasing number of reindeer are being killed by wolves. The Reindeer Herders' Association in Finland says wolves have killed around 1,950 reindeer this year. That is a 70 per cent increase from last year. Juha Kujala, a Lapland herder, is worried about the future of his animals. He said there has been a sudden increase in the number of wolves in Finland. This has upset the natural balance between reindeer and wolves.

Mr Kujala joked to reporters about his animals, even though he is worried about them. He said: "These are Santa's reindeer. But we are really lucky because Santa needs them for only one day of the year, so we can fly them for the other 364 days." Many herders believe the Ukraine War is the reason why there are suddenly more wolves in Finland. They say that men who used to hunt wolves in Russia have gone to fight in Ukraine. This means many wolves are crossing the 1,340-km border between Russia and Finland. Kujala said: "It's worse since the Ukraine War started. The wolves are coming from the Russian side. There's nobody left hunting the wolves."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Reindeer - Level 0,  Reindeer - Level 1   or  Reindeer - Level 2

Sources
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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. REINDEER: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about reindeer. 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?
       reindeer / famous / worldwide / presents / animals / wolves / natural balance /
       joked / reporters / worried / lucky / fly / fight / Ukraine War / hunting / Russia
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. HUNTING: Students A strongly believe all hunting of animals should be banned; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. WOLF: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "wolf". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

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. PRESENTS: Rank these with your partner. Put the best presents at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • A book
  • Chocolate
  • Socks
  • A game
  • A watch
  • A nice pen
  • Flowers
  • A restaurant meal

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. region a. A person who looks after animals.
      2. deliver b. A large area of land.
      3. facing c. Having to deal with a problem or danger.
      4. herder d. Happening very quickly, unexpectedly (without any warning).
      5. increasing e. Make something not calm or not right.
      6. sudden f. Take something to a person or place.
      7. upset g. Becoming more or bigger.

    Paragraph 2

      8. reporters h. Look for and kill animals.
      9. lucky i. Started suddenly (especially a war).
      10. reason j. The line between two countries.
      11. hunt k. Why something happens.
      12. crossing l. Going from one side to another.
      13. border m. People who write or talk about news.
      14. broke out n. Having good things happen.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. The region of Lapland is in the north of Norway.     T / F
  2. Reindeer herders said wolves are killing more and more reindeer.     T / F
  3. There was a 70% rise in the number of reindeer wolves killed this year.   T / F
  4. More wolves in Finland have disrupted the reindeer-wolf balance.     T / F
  5. A herder is happy that he can fly his reindeers 365 days a year.     T / F
  6. Russia is sending its soldiers to Finland to hunt the wolves.     T / F
  7. The border between Finland and Russia is over 1,300 km long.     T / F
  8. A reindeer herder said no one was hunting the wolves.     T / F

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

  1. region
  2. deliver
  3. helping
  4. increase
  5. upset
  6. worried
  7. lucky
  8. believe
  9. started
  10. left
  1. rise
  2. think
  3. disturbed
  4. fortunate
  5. take
  6. remaining
  7. area
  8. concerned
  9. assisting
  10. began

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

  1. They are also very busy
  2. they are helping Santa Claus to deliver
  3. a Lapland herder is worried about the future
  4. there has been a sudden increase
  5. upset the natural balance between
  6. Santa needs them for only
  7. men who used to
  8. many wolves are crossing
  9. It's worse since
  10. There's nobody left
  1. presents to children
  2. reindeer and wolves
  3. the 1,340-km border
  4. the Ukraine War started
  5. at this time of year
  6. hunting the wolves
  7. one day of the year
  8. in the number of wolves
  9. hunt wolves in Russia
  10. of his animals

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
increase
deliver
natural
great
region
worried
time
around

Reindeer in the (1) ______________________________________________ of Lapland, Finland, are famous worldwide. They are also very busy at this (2) ______________________________________________ of year. That's because they are helping Santa Claus to (3) ______________________________________________ presents to children all over the world. However, the animals are facing a (4) ______________________________________________ danger. Reindeer herders report that an increasing number of reindeer are being killed by wolves. The Reindeer Herders' Association in Finland says wolves have killed (5) ______________________________________________ 1,950 reindeer this year. That is a 70 per cent increase from last year. Juha Kujala, a Lapland herder, is (6) ______________________________________________ about the future of his animals. He said there has been a sudden (7) ______________________________________________ in the number of wolves in Finland. This has upset the (8) ______________________________________________ balance between reindeer and wolves.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
lucky
border
though
nobody
reason
worse
other
fight

Mr Kujala joked to reporters about his animals, even (9) ______________________________________________ he is worried about them. He said: "These are Santa's reindeer. But we are really (10) ______________________________________________ because Santa needs them for only one day of the year, so we can fly them for the (11) ______________________________________________ 364 days." Many herders believe the Ukraine War is the (12) ______________________________________________ why there are suddenly more wolves in Finland. They say that men who used to hunt wolves in Russia have gone to (13) ______________________________________________ in Ukraine. This means many wolves are crossing the 1,340-km (14) ______________________________________________ between Russia and Finland. Kujala said: "It's (15) ______________________________________________ since the Ukraine War started. The wolves are coming from the Russian side. There's (16) ______________________________________________ left hunting the wolves."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) Reindeer in the region of Lapland, Finland, ______
     a.  are famously worldwide
     b.  are infamous worldwide
     c.  are famous worldwide
     d.  are fame us worldwide
2)  They are also very busy at this ______
     a.  time of year
     b.  time off year
     c.  time of years
     d.  times of year
3)  That is a 70 per cent increase ______
     a.  from passed year
     b.  from past year
     c.  from last year
     d.  from early year
4)  He said there has been a sudden increase in the ______
     a.  number of wolf
     b.  numbered of wolves
     c.  number of wolves
     d.  number of wolves
5)  This has upset ______
     a.  the naturally balance
     b.  the natural balanced
     c.  the natural balance
     d.  the nature all balance

6)  even though he is ______
     a.  worried about him
     b.  worried above them
     c.  worried about them
     d.  worry about them
7)  Santa needs them for only one day of the year, so we can fly them for the ______
     a.  another 364 days
     b.  others 364 days
     c.  othered 364 days
     d.  other 364 days
8)  They say that men who used ______
     a.  too hunt wolves
     b.  to hunt wolves
     c.  to hunts wolves
     d.  to hunter wolves
9)  This means many wolves are crossing the ______
     a.  1,340-km girder
     b.  1,340-km order
     c.  1,340-km border
     d.  1,340-km hoarder
10)  There's nobody left ______
     a.  hunter the wolves
     b.  hunted the wolves
     c.  hunts the wolves
     d.  hunting the wolves

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Reindeer in (1) __________________________________________________ Lapland, Finland, are famous worldwide. They are also very busy at this time of year. That's because they are helping Santa Claus (2) __________________________________________________ to children all over the world. However, the animals are facing a great danger. Reindeer herders (3) __________________________________________________ increasing number of reindeer are being killed by wolves. The Reindeer Herders' Association in Finland says wolves have killed around 1,950 reindeer this year. That is a 70 per cent (4) __________________________________________________ year. Juha Kujala, a Lapland herder, is worried about the future of his animals. He said there has been a (5) __________________________________________________ the number of wolves in Finland. This has upset the (6) __________________________________________________ reindeer and wolves.

Mr Kujala joked to reporters about his animals, (7) __________________________________________________ is worried about them. He said: "These are Santa's reindeer. But we are really lucky because Santa needs them for only one day of the year, (8) __________________________________________________ fly them for the other 364 days." Many herders believe the Ukraine War is the reason why there (9) __________________________________________________ wolves in Finland. They say that men who used to hunt wolves in Russia have (10) __________________________________________________ in Ukraine. This means many wolves are crossing the 1,340-km border between Russia and Finland. Kujala said: "It's (11) __________________________________________________ Ukraine War started. The wolves are coming from the Russian side. There's (12) __________________________________________________ the wolves."

Comprehension questions

  1. In which area of Finland do reindeers live?
  2. What do reindeer help Santa Claus do?
  3. Who reported on the number of reindeer killed this year?
  4. By how much did reindeer deaths rise compared to last year?
  5. What natural balance has the increase in wolves upset?
  6. Who did a reindeer herder joke to?
  7. For how long did the reindeer herder say Santa needed reindeer?
  8. What do many herders say is the reason for the increase in wolves?
  9. How long is the border between Finland and Russia?
  10. Who did the reindeer herder say was hunting wolves?

Multiple choice quiz

1) In which area of Finland do reindeers live?
a) North Karelia
b) Uusimaa
c) Lapland
d) Pirkanmaa
2) What do reindeer help Santa Claus do?
a) deliver presents
b) cook lunch
c) make a snowman
d) relax
3) Who reported on the number of reindeer killed this year?
a) Wolf-watch Finland
b) the Reindeer Herders' Association
c) the WWF
d) a farmer
4) By how much did reindeer deaths rise compared to last year?
a) 40%
b) 50%
c) 60%
d) 70%
5) What natural balance has the increase in wolves upset?
a) countryside and town
b) the balance of nature
c) the balance between reindeer and wolves
d) the balance between humans and nature

6) Who did a reindeer herder joke to?
a) a reindeer
b) reporters
c) other herders
d) Santa Claus
7) For how long did the reindeer herder say Santa needed reindeer?
a) two days
b) 23 hours
c) 12 hours
d) just one day
8) What do many herders say is the reason for the increase in wolves?
a) climate change
b) the Ukraine War
c) melting snow
d) depopulation
9) How long is the border between Finland and Russia?
a) 1,430 km
b) 1,340 km
c) 1,304 km
d) 1,403 km
10) Who did the reindeer herder say was hunting wolves?
a) nobody
b) reindeer herders
c) wolf hunters
d) soldiers

Role play

Role  A – A Book
You think the best present is a book. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their presents. Also, tell the others which is the least desirable present of these (and why): chocolate, flowers or a restaurant meal.

Role  B – Chocolate
You think the best present is chocolate. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their presents. Also, tell the others which is the least desirable present of these (and why): a book, flowers or a restaurant meal.

Role  C – Flowers
You think flowers are the best present. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their presents. Also, tell the others which is the least desirable present of these (and why): chocolate, a book or a restaurant meal.

Role  D – A Restaurant Meal
You think the best present is a restaurant meal. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their presents. Also, tell the others which is the least desirable present of these (and why): chocolate, flowers or a book.

After reading / listening

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

'Santa'

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

    • and 'reindeer'.

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

    • • 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:

    • region
    • helping
    • facing
    • increasing
    • increase
    • future
    • joked
    • lucky
    • believe
    • hunt
    • border
    • nobody

    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 - Reindeer

    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 'reindeer'?
    3. What do you know about reindeer?
    4. What do you know about Finland?
    5. Why are reindeer used in the Santa Claus story?
    6. What do you know about the Santa Claus story?
    7. What animals in your country are facing great danger?
    8. How worried are you about the future?
    9. What do you know about wolves?
    10. What advice do you have for the reindeer herders?

    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 'hunt'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you think of reindeer?
    5. Would you like a job that involves animals?
    6. What do you think of hunting?
    7. Should all hunting be banned?
    8. What can Finland do to protect its reindeer?
    9. What questions would you like to ask a reindeer herder?
    10. What questions would you like to ask Santa Claus?

    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)

    Reindeer in the (1) ____ of Lapland, Finland, are famous worldwide. They are also very busy (2) ____ this time of year. That's because they are helping Santa Claus to deliver presents to children all over the world. However, the animals are (3) ____ a great danger. Reindeer herders report that an increasing (4) ____ of reindeer are being killed by wolves. The Reindeer Herders' Association in Finland says wolves have killed around 1,950 reindeer this year. That is a 70 per cent increase from (5) ____ year. Juha Kujala, a Lapland herder, is worried about the future of his animals. He said there has been a sudden increase in the number of wolves in Finland. This has (6) ____ the natural balance between reindeer and wolves.

    Mr Kujala joked to reporters about his animals, even (7) ____ he is worried about them. He said: "These are Santa's reindeer. But we are really lucky because Santa needs them for only one day of the year, so we can fly them for the (8) ____ 364 days." Many herders believe the Ukraine War is the reason why there are suddenly more wolves in Finland. They say that men who (9) ____ to hunt wolves in Russia have gone to fight in Ukraine. This means many wolves are crossing the 1,340-km (10) ____ between Russia and Finland. Kujala said: "It's worse (11) ____ the Ukraine War started. The wolves are coming from the Russian side. There's nobody (12) ____ hunting the wolves."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     legion     (b)     region     (c)     regionally     (d)     lesion    
    2. (a)     on     (b)     at     (c)     as     (d)     to    
    3. (a)     faced     (b)     faces     (c)     face     (d)     facing    
    4. (a)     numeral     (b)     number     (c)     digit     (d)     figure    
    5. (a)     early     (b)     last     (c)     passed     (d)     past    
    6. (a)     onset     (b)     cross     (c)     upset     (d)     angry    
    7. (a)     thought     (b)     through     (c)     though     (d)     thorough    
    8. (a)     others     (b)     another     (c)     other     (d)     othered    
    9. (a)     using     (b)     useful     (c)     uses     (d)     used    
    10. (a)     border     (b)     boom     (c)     broad     (d)     boost    
    11. (a)     since     (b)     for     (c)     at     (d)     then    
    12. (a)     stay     (b)     remain     (c)     left     (d)     right

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. reindeer in the inoegr of Lapland
    2. smaofu worldwide
    3. helping Santa Claus to ilredev presents
    4. the reindeer herders' saoocasniit
    5. there has been a desndu increase
    6. upset the natural bnclaae

    Paragraph 2

    1. even ghouht he is worried
    2. we are really lykcu
    3. the nsroea why
    4. crossing the 1,340-km ebrdor
    5. It's wsoer since the Ukraine War
    6. There's nobody left utihngn the wolves.

    Put the text back together

    (    )   border between Russia and Finland. Kujala said: "It's worse since the Ukraine War started. The wolves are
    (    )   coming from the Russian side. There's nobody left hunting the wolves."
    (    )   day of the year, so we can fly them for the other 364 days." Many herders believe the Ukraine War is the reason
    (    )   killed around 1,950 reindeer this year. That is a 70 per cent increase from last year. Juha Kujala, a Lapland herder, is
    (    )   Mr Kujala joked to reporters about his animals, even though he is worried about
    (    )   number of reindeer are being killed by wolves. The Reindeer Herders' Association in Finland says wolves have
    (    )   of wolves in Finland. This has upset the natural balance between reindeer and wolves.
    (  1  )   Reindeer in the region of Lapland, Finland, are famous worldwide. They are also very busy at
    (    )   them. He said: "These are Santa's reindeer. But we are really lucky because Santa needs them for only one
    (    )   this time of year. That's because they are helping Santa Claus to deliver presents to children all over the
    (    )   why there are suddenly more wolves in Finland. They say that men who used to hunt
    (    )   wolves in Russia have gone to fight in Ukraine. This means many wolves are crossing the 1,340-km
    (    )   world. However, the animals are facing a great danger. Reindeer herders report that an increasing
    (    )   worried about the future of his animals. He said there has been a sudden increase in the number

    Put the words in the right order

    1. very   They're   at   busy   time   this   year   of   .
    2. They   helping   are   to   Santa   presents   deliver   .
    3. The   are   animals   a   facing   danger   great   .
    4. An   number   increasing   reindeer   of   being   are   killed   .
    5. has   There   an   been   in   increase   number   the   .
    6. He   to   joked   about   reporters   animals   his   .
    7. He   them   needs   only   for   day   one   .
    8. The   why   reason   are   there   more   suddenly   wolves   .
    9. wolves   The   coming   are   the   from   side   Russian   .
    10. There   nobody   is   hunting   left   wolves   the   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Reindeer in the region / regional of Lapland, Finland, are famous worldwide. They are also very busy at this / that time of year. That's because they are helping Santa Claus for / to deliver presents to children all over the world. However, the animals are faced / facing a great danger. Reindeer herders report that an increase / increasing number of reindeer are being / been killed by wolves. The Reindeer Herders' Association in Finland say / says wolves have killed around 1,950 reindeer this year. That is a 70 per cent increase from / in last year. Juha Kujala, a Lapland herder, is worried about the future of his animals. He said there has been a suddenly / sudden increase in the number of wolves in Finland. This has upset the natural balance between / just reindeer and wolves.

    Mr Kujala joked to / at reporters about his animals, even though / thought he is worried about them. He said: "These are Santa's reindeer. But we are really lucky / luckily because Santa needs them for only one day of the year, so we can fly / flying them for the other / another 364 days." Many herders believe the Ukraine War is the reason why these / there are suddenly more wolves in Finland. They say that men who used to hunt wolves in Russia have gone for / to fight in Ukraine. This means many wolves are crossing the 1,340-km border between / on Russia and Finland. Kujala said: "It's worse since / for the Ukraine War started. The wolves are coming from the Russian side. There's nobody left hunting / hunter the wolves."

    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)

    R__nd__r  _n  th_  r_g__n  _f  L_pl_nd,  F_nl_nd,  _r_  f_m__s  w_rldw_d_.  Th_y  _r_  _ls_  v_ry  b_sy  _t  th_s  t_m_  _f  y__r.  Th_t's  b_c__s_  th_y  _r_  h_lp_ng  S_nt_  Cl__s  t_  d_l_v_r  pr_s_nts  t_  ch_ldr_n  _ll  _v_r  th_  w_rld.  H_w_v_r,  th_  _n_m_ls  _r_  f_c_ng  _  gr__t  d_ng_r.  R__nd__r  h_rd_rs  r_p_rt  th_t  _n  _ncr__s_ng  n_mb_r  _f  r__nd__r  _r_  b__ng  k_ll_d  by  w_lv_s.  Th_  R__nd__r  H_rd_rs'  _ss_c__t__n  _n  F_nl_nd  s_ys  w_lv_s  h_v_  k_ll_d  _r__nd  1,950  r__nd__r  th_s  y__r.  Th_t  _s  _  70  p_r  c_nt  _ncr__s_  fr_m  l_st  y__r.  J_h_  K_j_l_,  _  L_pl_nd  h_rd_r,  _s  w_rr__d  _b__t  th_  f_t_r_  _f  h_s  _n_m_ls.  H_  s__d  th_r_  h_s  b__n  _  s_dd_n  _ncr__s_  _n  th_  n_mb_r  _f  w_lv_s  _n  F_nl_nd.  Th_s  h_s  _ps_t  th_  n_t_r_l  b_l_nc_  b_tw__n  r__nd__r  _nd  w_lv_s.

    Mr  K_j_l_  j_k_d  t_  r_p_rt_rs  _b__t  h_s  _n_m_ls,  _v_n  th__gh  h_  _s  w_rr__d  _b__t  th_m.  H_  s__d:  "Th_s_  _r_  S_nt_'s  r__nd__r.  B_t  w_  _r_  r__lly  l_cky  b_c__s_  S_nt_  n__ds  th_m  f_r  _nly  _n_  d_y  _f  th_  y__r,  s_  w_  c_n  fly  th_m  f_r  th_  _th_r  364  d_ys."  M_ny  h_rd_rs  b_l__v_  th_  _kr__n_  W_r  _s  th_  r__s_n  why  th_r_  _r_  s_dd_nly  m_r_  w_lv_s  _n  F_nl_nd.  Th_y  s_y  th_t  m_n  wh_  _s_d  t_  h_nt  w_lv_s  _n  R_ss__  h_v_  g_n_  t_  f_ght  _n  _kr__n_.  Th_s  m__ns  m_ny  w_lv_s  _r_  cr_ss_ng  th_  1,340-km  b_rd_r  b_tw__n  R_ss__  _nd  F_nl_nd.  K_j_l_  s__d:  "_t's  w_rs_  s_nc_  th_  _kr__n_  W_r  st_rt_d.  Th_  w_lv_s  _r_  c_m_ng  fr_m  th_  R_ss__n  s_d_.  Th_r_'s  n_b_dy  l_ft  h_nt_ng  th_  w_lv_s."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    reindeer in the region of lapland finland are famous worldwide they are also very busy at this time of year thats because they are helping santa claus to deliver presents to children all over the world however the animals are facing a great danger reindeer herders report that an increasing number of reindeer are being killed by wolves the reindeer herders association in finland says wolves have killed around 1950 reindeer this year that is a 70 per cent increase from last year juha kujala a lapland herder is worried about the future of his animals he said there has been a sudden increase in the number of wolves in finland this has upset the natural balance between reindeer and wolves

    mr kujala joked to reporters about his animals even though he is worried about them he said these are santas reindeer but we are really lucky because santa needs them for only one day of the year so we can fly them for the other 364 days many herders believe the ukraine war is the reason why there are suddenly more wolves in finland they say that men who used to hunt wolves in russia have gone to fight in ukraine this means many wolves are crossing the 1340km border between russia and finland kujala said its worse since the ukraine war started the wolves are coming from the russian side theres nobody left hunting the wolves

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    ReindeerintheregionofLapland,Finland,arefamousworldwide.Theya
    realsoverybusyatthistimeofyear.That'sbecausetheyarehelpingSant
    aClaustodeliverpresentstochildrenallovertheworld.However,theani
    malsarefacingagreatdanger.Reindeerherdersreportthatanincreasin
    gnumberofreindeerarebeingkilledbywolves.TheReindeerHerders'As
    sociationinFinlandsayswolveshavekilledaround1,950reindeerthisye
    ar.Thatisa70percentincreasefromlastyear.JuhaKujala,aLaplandher
    der,isworriedaboutthefutureofhisanimals.Hesaidtherehasbeenasud
    denincreaseinthenumberofwolvesinFinland.Thishasupsetthenatura
    lbalancebetweenreindeerandwolves.MrKujalajokedtoreportersabo
    uthisanimals,eventhoughheisworriedaboutthem.Hesaid:"Theseare
    Santa'sreindeer.ButwearereallyluckybecauseSantaneedsthemforo
    nlyonedayoftheyear,sowecanflythemfortheother364days."Manyhe
    rdersbelievetheUkraineWaristhereasonwhytherearesuddenlymore
    wolvesinFinland.TheysaythatmenwhousedtohuntwolvesinRussiaha
    vegonetofightinUkraine.Thismeansmanywolvesarecrossingthe1,34
    0-kmborderbetweenRussiaandFinland.Kujalasaid:"It'sworsesincet
    heUkraineWarstarted.ThewolvesarecomingfromtheRussianside.Th
    ere'snobodylefthuntingthewolves."

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    We should stop all hunting of animals. 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. REINDEER: Make a poster about reindeer. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. PROTECTION: Write a magazine article about protecting the reindeer in Lapland. 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 reindeer. Ask him/her three questions about reindeer. Give him/her three of your ideas. 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

    $US 9.99

    Answers

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

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