The ONLY weekly newspaper for young people
Working with
FirstNews
Issue 491
13th - 19th November 2015
ANIMALS
Issue 491 £1.50 13 – 19 November 2015
MORE THAN
2 MILLION*
READERS
OH
WOW!
National newspaper of the year*
EmojiWorks via Facebook
AN EMOJI
KEYBOARD 3
ON YOUR
MARKS
GET SET...
LEARNING
CHEMISTRY
WITH
MINECRAFT!
CHEAT!
WANTED
FIRST NEWS readers quizzed
British astronaut Tim Peake
last week just as NASA made a
very exciting announcement
– it needs astronauts for future
space missions.
3
WHY DO
ATHLETES
TAKE DRUGS?
Because they want
to win
Sometimes they think
their competitors are
taking drugs
Pressure from their
countries to succeed
The chance of
earning a lot of money
for outstanding
performances
WORLD athletics has been shocked by a major new report that shows many competitors have cheated to
win medals.
Now there are calls for cheating athletes to be banned from
international athletics, including the 2016 Olympic Games.
The use of drugs in sports to improve performance is a big
problem in many sports. But it’s not new.
Drugs have been used by athletes since ancient times. The
Greeks and Romans used mushrooms and herbs to improve their
performance.
The more recent use of drugs to improve performance goes
back to World War II. Amphetamines were used by American
soldiers to keep them alert and Germans used steroids to make
them more aggressive.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set up a Medical
Commission in 1967 which banned the use of drugs. This was
8
ASTRONAUTS
by Nicky Cox MBE and Eddie de Oliveira
because there were rumours about cheating and reports that
some athletes had died after taking drugs. Testing for drug use
began at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Since then, more and more
substances have been added to the banned list.
Following a large number of doping offences in the midnineties, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to
fight against drug use in all sports worldwide. But the problem
has never gone away.
Recently, there was a scandal about an American cycling hero,
Lance Armstrong. He won cycling’s biggest race, the Tour de France,
seven times in a row between 1999 and 2005. But his medals
They do have a couple of
requirements, though: a degree in
engineering, biology, physics or maths
and experience flying a jet aircraft.
You’ve also got to be able to pass a
tough NASA physical.
So, sell it to us Tim!
The spaceman says: “I think one
of the best things about being an
astronaut is that you get to meet so
many interesting people! You train all
around the world – Japan, Canada,
America, Russia, and Europe.”
Find out how Tim Peake got on in the
First News Hotseat on p8.
HARRY
POTTER
STAR MEETS
MALALA
HARRY Potter star Emma
Watson met Malala Yousafzai
for a very special interview.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala
sat down with Emma, who is also
the UN Women Global Goodwill
Ambassador, to discuss her life and
campaigning.
The interview was filmed
and beamed live via satellite
from Birmingham into cinemas
nationwide and watched by more
than 10,000 school children.
Read the full interview on page 17.
continued on page 2
* The 2012 Newspaper Awards: Best weekly national newspaper and best niche market newspaper. Also, Plain English Campaign: Best national newspaper. * First News weekly readership is 2,042,199. Source: Opinion Matters 2014. First News supports children’s charities – see page 12.
ANIMALS
PERFECT PANDAS!
IT was back to school for these cute creatures as
they posed for pictures to celebrate the opening
of the Panda Kindergarten at the Chengdu
Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China.
The opening ceremony included 13 of the 15 pandas
born at the centre this year who are ‘graduating’ from the
breeding centre to kindergarten now they’re bigger. The
Chengdu centre breeds and rears giant pandas to help
increase their population and has successfully bred 172 over
the last 20 years.
2015 has been a record-breaking year for the centre with
15 pandas being born, including six sets of twins – the
highest number of panda births in a year. Giant pandas are
an endangered species with fewer than 1,900 left in the wild.
Frog
tunnels
Orangutan rescue
RESCUE teams in Borneo
have risked their lives to save
orangutans from forest fires.
MORE than £46,000 has been
spent by a council in Brittany,
France, on special tunnels so frogs
don’t have to cross a busy road.
Teams from International Animal
Rescue (IAR) have had to step in
to save apes left stranded in the
region. Fires have been burning
out of control and spreading to
protected areas such as national
parks and conservation areas. The
IAR are even putting out flames
themselves which are injuring
organutans and leaving them
without food.
Since the fires began three
months ago, IAR in Ketapan
have rescued 14 orangutans.
Fires happen nearly every year
in Indonesia and are mainly the
result of human activities including
agricultural practices.
Five passageways have been put
in under the D86 road to stop the
amphibians getting squashed on their
way to ponds where thousands of them
go to breed.
Glossary
endangered - seriously at risk of extinction
species - a type of animal or plant (e.g. giant panda, brown bear, polar bear)
kindergarten - a nursery class for very young children which prepares them for school
agricultural - to do with agriculture (farming)
WWW.FIRSTNEWS.CO.UK/FORSCHOOLS
The ONLY weekly newspaper for young people
Working with
FirstNews
Issue 491
13th - 19th November 2015
ANIMALS
Issue 491 £1.50 13 – 19 November 2015
MORE THAN
2 MILLION*
READERS
OH
WOW!
National newspaper of the year*
EmojiWorks via Facebook
AN EMOJI
KEYBOARD 3
LEARNING
CHEMISTRY
WITH
MINECRAFT!
ON YOUR
MARKS
GET SET...
CHEAT!
WANTED
FIRST NEWS readers quizzed
British astronaut Tim Peake
last week just as NASA made a
very exciting announcement
– it needs astronauts for future
space missions.
3
WHY DO
ATHLETES
TAKE DRUGS?
Because they want
to win
Sometimes they think
their competitors are
taking drugs
Pressure from their
countries to succeed
The chance of
earning a lot of money
for outstanding
performances
WORLD athletics has been shocked by a major new report that shows many competitors have cheated to
win medals.
Now there are calls for cheating athletes to be banned from
international athletics, including the 2016 Olympic Games.
The use of drugs in sports to improve performance is a big
problem in many sports. But it’s not new.
Drugs have been used by athletes since ancient times. The
Greeks and Romans used mushrooms and herbs to improve their
performance.
The more recent use of drugs to improve performance goes
back to World War II. Amphetamines were used by American
soldiers to keep them alert and Germans used steroids to make
them more aggressive.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set up a Medical
Commission in 1967 which banned the use of drugs. This was
8
ASTRONAUTS
by Nicky Cox MBE and Eddie de Oliveira
because there were rumours about cheating and reports that
some athletes had died after taking drugs. Testing for drug use
began at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Since then, more and more
substances have been added to the banned list.
Following a large number of doping offences in the midnineties, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to
fight against drug use in all sports worldwide. But the problem
has never gone away.
Recently, there was a scandal about an American cycling hero,
Lance Armstrong. He won cycling’s biggest race, the Tour de France,
seven times in a row between 1999 and 2005. But his medals
They do have a couple of
requirements, though: a degree in
engineering, biology, physics or maths
and experience flying a jet aircraft.
You’ve also got to be able to pass a
tough NASA physical.
So, sell it to us Tim!
The spaceman says: “I think one
of the best things about being an
astronaut is that you get to meet so
many interesting people! You train all
around the world – Japan, Canada,
America, Russia, and Europe.”
Find out how Tim Peake got on in the
First News Hotseat on p8.
HARRY
POTTER
STAR MEETS
MALALA
HARRY Potter star Emma
Watson met Malala Yousafzai
for a very special interview.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala
sat down with Emma, who is also
the UN Women Global Goodwill
Ambassador, to discuss her life and
campaigning.
The interview was filmed
and beamed live via satellite
from Birmingham into cinemas
nationwide and watched by more
than 10,000 school children.
Read the full interview on page 17.
continued on page 2
* The 2012 Newspaper Awards: Best weekly national newspaper and best niche market newspaper. Also, Plain English Campaign: Best national newspaper. * First News weekly readership is 2,042,199. Source: Opinion Matters 2014. First News supports children’s charities – see page 12.
Carefully read this week’s “ANIMAL” stories then consider the following questions:
1) This week, the Animals page doesn’t just cover animal news, it covers world news! Find the key facts from the
articles.
Headline
Country
Animal
2) Quick quiz
l What does IAR stand for?
l Which type of animal are frogs?
l How many sets of panda twins have been born at the Chengdu centre this year?
l What does ‘endangered’ mean?
Look at the animal news from China.
3) How does the Chengdu centre help pandas and why do they need help?
4) Why has the Chengdu centre laid the baby animals out like this?
Look at the animal news from France.
5) How has a council in Brittany chosen to spend £46,000?
6) Why did the frog cross the road? (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Rather, why do these frogs want to cross this busy
road?
Look at the animal news from Borneo.
7) Why are orangutans in need of help in Borneo at the moment?
8) The article says the apes were “left stranded in the region”. What does the word stranded mean?
singed and slightly burnt
stuck and unable to move elsewhere
l alone
9) What is the probable cause of the fire?
Consider all the articles.
10) All three articles are written in the same way, with the same structure. What are the common features of
these articles?
All three articles have…
11) Why do you think most news articles are written with the same structure and organisation? What are the
benefits for the reader?
12) The news is often filled with stories about the bad effects that humans have on animals, but these stories
show the opposite. How do they show that humans will go to great lengths to help animals?
WWW.FIRSTNEWS.CO.UK/FORSCHOOLS
The ONLY weekly newspaper for young people
Working with
FirstNews
Issue 491
13th - 19th November 2015
ANIMALS
Issue 491 £1.50 13 – 19 November 2015
MORE THAN
2 MILLION*
READERS
OH
WOW!
National newspaper of the year*
EmojiWorks via Facebook
AN EMOJI
KEYBOARD 3
ON YOUR
MARKS
GET SET...
LEARNING
CHEMISTRY
WITH
MINECRAFT!
CHEAT!
WANTED
FIRST NEWS readers quizzed
British astronaut Tim Peake
last week just as NASA made a
very exciting announcement
– it needs astronauts for future
space missions.
3
WHY DO
ATHLETES
TAKE DRUGS?
Because they want
to win
Sometimes they think
their competitors are
taking drugs
Pressure from their
countries to succeed
The chance of
earning a lot of money
for outstanding
performances
WORLD athletics has been shocked by a major new report that shows many competitors have cheated to
win medals.
Now there are calls for cheating athletes to be banned from
international athletics, including the 2016 Olympic Games.
The use of drugs in sports to improve performance is a big
problem in many sports. But it’s not new.
Drugs have been used by athletes since ancient times. The
Greeks and Romans used mushrooms and herbs to improve their
performance.
The more recent use of drugs to improve performance goes
back to World War II. Amphetamines were used by American
soldiers to keep them alert and Germans used steroids to make
them more aggressive.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set up a Medical
Commission in 1967 which banned the use of drugs. This was
8
ASTRONAUTS
by Nicky Cox MBE and Eddie de Oliveira
because there were rumours about cheating and reports that
some athletes had died after taking drugs. Testing for drug use
began at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Since then, more and more
substances have been added to the banned list.
Following a large number of doping offences in the midnineties, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to
fight against drug use in all sports worldwide. But the problem
has never gone away.
Recently, there was a scandal about an American cycling hero,
Lance Armstrong. He won cycling’s biggest race, the Tour de France,
seven times in a row between 1999 and 2005. But his medals
They do have a couple of
requirements, though: a degree in
engineering, biology, physics or maths
and experience flying a jet aircraft.
You’ve also got to be able to pass a
tough NASA physical.
So, sell it to us Tim!
The spaceman says: “I think one
of the best things about being an
astronaut is that you get to meet so
many interesting people! You train all
around the world – Japan, Canada,
America, Russia, and Europe.”
Find out how Tim Peake got on in the
First News Hotseat on p8.
HARRY
POTTER
STAR MEETS
MALALA
HARRY Potter star Emma
Watson met Malala Yousafzai
for a very special interview.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala
sat down with Emma, who is also
the UN Women Global Goodwill
Ambassador, to discuss her life and
campaigning.
The interview was filmed
and beamed live via satellite
from Birmingham into cinemas
nationwide and watched by more
than 10,000 school children.
Read the full interview on page 17.
continued on page 2
* The 2012 Newspaper Awards: Best weekly national newspaper and best niche market newspaper. Also, Plain English Campaign: Best national newspaper. * First News weekly readership is 2,042,199. Source: Opinion Matters 2014. First News supports children’s charities – see page 12.
Carefully read this week’s “ANIMAL” stories then consider the following questions:
1) This week, the Animals page doesn’t just cover animal news, it covers world news! Find the key facts from the
articles.
Headline
Country
Animal
2) Quick quiz
l What does IAR stand for?
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
l Which type of animal are frogs?
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
l How many sets of panda twins have been born at the Chengdu centre this year?
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
l What does ‘endangered’ mean?
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Look at the animal news from China.
3) How does the Chengdu centre help pandas and why do they need help?
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
4) Why has the Chengdu centre laid the baby animals out like this?
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
WWW.FIRSTNEWS.CO.UK/FORSCHOOLS
The ONLY weekly newspaper for young people
Working with
FirstNews
Issue 491
13th - 19th November 2015
ANIMALS
Issue 491 £1.50 13 – 19 November 2015
MORE THAN
2 MILLION*
READERS
OH
WOW!
National newspaper of the year*
EmojiWorks via Facebook
AN EMOJI
KEYBOARD 3
LEARNING
CHEMISTRY
WITH
MINECRAFT!
ON YOUR
MARKS
GET SET...
CHEAT!
WANTED
FIRST NEWS readers quizzed
British astronaut Tim Peake
last week just as NASA made a
very exciting announcement
– it needs astronauts for future
space missions.
3
WHY DO
ATHLETES
TAKE DRUGS?
Because they want
to win
Sometimes they think
their competitors are
taking drugs
Pressure from their
countries to succeed
The chance of
earning a lot of money
for outstanding
performances
WORLD athletics has been shocked by a major new report that shows many competitors have cheated to
win medals.
Now there are calls for cheating athletes to be banned from
international athletics, including the 2016 Olympic Games.
The use of drugs in sports to improve performance is a big
problem in many sports. But it’s not new.
Drugs have been used by athletes since ancient times. The
Greeks and Romans used mushrooms and herbs to improve their
performance.
The more recent use of drugs to improve performance goes
back to World War II. Amphetamines were used by American
soldiers to keep them alert and Germans used steroids to make
them more aggressive.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set up a Medical
Commission in 1967 which banned the use of drugs. This was
8
ASTRONAUTS
by Nicky Cox MBE and Eddie de Oliveira
because there were rumours about cheating and reports that
some athletes had died after taking drugs. Testing for drug use
began at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Since then, more and more
substances have been added to the banned list.
Following a large number of doping offences in the midnineties, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to
fight against drug use in all sports worldwide. But the problem
has never gone away.
Recently, there was a scandal about an American cycling hero,
Lance Armstrong. He won cycling’s biggest race, the Tour de France,
seven times in a row between 1999 and 2005. But his medals
They do have a couple of
requirements, though: a degree in
engineering, biology, physics or maths
and experience flying a jet aircraft.
You’ve also got to be able to pass a
tough NASA physical.
So, sell it to us Tim!
The spaceman says: “I think one
of the best things about being an
astronaut is that you get to meet so
many interesting people! You train all
around the world – Japan, Canada,
America, Russia, and Europe.”
Find out how Tim Peake got on in the
First News Hotseat on p8.
HARRY
POTTER
STAR MEETS
MALALA
HARRY Potter star Emma
Watson met Malala Yousafzai
for a very special interview.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala
sat down with Emma, who is also
the UN Women Global Goodwill
Ambassador, to discuss her life and
campaigning.
The interview was filmed
and beamed live via satellite
from Birmingham into cinemas
nationwide and watched by more
than 10,000 school children.
Read the full interview on page 17.
continued on page 2
* The 2012 Newspaper Awards: Best weekly national newspaper and best niche market newspaper. Also, Plain English Campaign: Best national newspaper. * First News weekly readership is 2,042,199. Source: Opinion Matters 2014. First News supports children’s charities – see page 12.
Look at the animal news from France.
5) How has a council in Brittany chosen to spend £46,000?
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
6) Why did the frog cross the road? (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Rather, why do these frogs want to cross this busy
road?
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Look at the animal news from Borneo.
7) Why are orangutans in need of help in Borneo at the moment?
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
8) The article says the apes were “left stranded in the region”. What does the word stranded mean?
singed and slightly burnt
stuck and unable to move elsewhere
alone
9) What is the probable cause of the fire?
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
WWW.FIRSTNEWS.CO.UK/FORSCHOOLS
The ONLY weekly newspaper for young people
Working with
FirstNews
ANIMALS
Issue 491
13th - 19th November 2015
Issue 491 £1.50 13 – 19 November 2015
MORE THAN
2 MILLION*
READERS
OH
WOW!
National newspaper of the year*
EmojiWorks via Facebook
AN EMOJI
KEYBOARD 3
LEARNING
CHEMISTRY
WITH
MINECRAFT!
ON YOUR
MARKS
GET SET...
CHEAT!
WANTED
FIRST NEWS readers quizzed
British astronaut Tim Peake
last week just as NASA made a
very exciting announcement
– it needs astronauts for future
space missions.
3
WHY DO
ATHLETES
TAKE DRUGS?
Because they want
to win
Sometimes they think
their competitors are
taking drugs
Pressure from their
countries to succeed
The chance of
earning a lot of money
for outstanding
performances
WORLD athletics has been shocked by a major new report that shows many competitors have cheated to
win medals.
Now there are calls for cheating athletes to be banned from
international athletics, including the 2016 Olympic Games.
The use of drugs in sports to improve performance is a big
problem in many sports. But it’s not new.
Drugs have been used by athletes since ancient times. The
Greeks and Romans used mushrooms and herbs to improve their
performance.
The more recent use of drugs to improve performance goes
back to World War II. Amphetamines were used by American
soldiers to keep them alert and Germans used steroids to make
them more aggressive.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set up a Medical
Commission in 1967 which banned the use of drugs. This was
8
ASTRONAUTS
by Nicky Cox MBE and Eddie de Oliveira
because there were rumours about cheating and reports that
some athletes had died after taking drugs. Testing for drug use
began at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Since then, more and more
substances have been added to the banned list.
Following a large number of doping offences in the midnineties, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to
fight against drug use in all sports worldwide. But the problem
has never gone away.
Recently, there was a scandal about an American cycling hero,
Lance Armstrong. He won cycling’s biggest race, the Tour de France,
seven times in a row between 1999 and 2005. But his medals
They do have a couple of
requirements, though: a degree in
engineering, biology, physics or maths
and experience flying a jet aircraft.
You’ve also got to be able to pass a
tough NASA physical.
So, sell it to us Tim!
The spaceman says: “I think one
of the best things about being an
astronaut is that you get to meet so
many interesting people! You train all
around the world – Japan, Canada,
America, Russia, and Europe.”
Find out how Tim Peake got on in the
First News Hotseat on p8.
HARRY
POTTER
STAR MEETS
MALALA
HARRY Potter star Emma
Watson met Malala Yousafzai
for a very special interview.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala
sat down with Emma, who is also
the UN Women Global Goodwill
Ambassador, to discuss her life and
campaigning.
The interview was filmed
and beamed live via satellite
from Birmingham into cinemas
nationwide and watched by more
than 10,000 school children.
Read the full interview on page 17.
continued on page 2
* The 2012 Newspaper Awards: Best weekly national newspaper and best niche market newspaper. Also, Plain English Campaign: Best national newspaper. * First News weekly readership is 2,042,199. Source: Opinion Matters 2014. First News supports children’s charities – see page 12.
Consider all the articles.
10) All three articles are written in the same way, with the same structure. What are the common features of
these articles?
All three articles have…
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
11) Why do you think most news articles are written with the same structure and organisation? What are the
benefits for the reader?
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
12) The news is often filled with stories about the bad effects that humans have on animals, but these stories
show the opposite. How do they show that humans will go to great lengths to help animals?
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
WWW.FIRSTNEWS.CO.UK/FORSCHOOLS
The ONLY weekly newspaper for young people
Working with
FirstNews
Issue 491
13th - 19th November 2015
ANIMALS
Issue 491 £1.50 13 – 19 November 2015
MORE THAN
2 MILLION*
READERS
National newspaper of the year*
OH
WOW!
EmojiWorks via Facebook
AN EMOJI
KEYBOARD 3
ON YOUR
MARKS
GET SET...
LEARNING
CHEMISTRY
WITH
MINECRAFT!
CHEAT!
WANTED
FIRST NEWS readers quizzed
British astronaut Tim Peake
last week just as NASA made a
very exciting announcement
– it needs astronauts for future
space missions.
3
WHY DO
ATHLETES
TAKE DRUGS?
Because they want
to win
Sometimes they think
their competitors are
taking drugs
Pressure from their
countries to succeed
The chance of
earning a lot of money
for outstanding
performances
WORLD athletics has been shocked by a major new report that shows many competitors have cheated to
win medals.
Now there are calls for cheating athletes to be banned from
international athletics, including the 2016 Olympic Games.
The use of drugs in sports to improve performance is a big
problem in many sports. But it’s not new.
Drugs have been used by athletes since ancient times. The
Greeks and Romans used mushrooms and herbs to improve their
performance.
The more recent use of drugs to improve performance goes
back to World War II. Amphetamines were used by American
soldiers to keep them alert and Germans used steroids to make
them more aggressive.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set up a Medical
Commission in 1967 which banned the use of drugs. This was
8
ASTRONAUTS
by Nicky Cox MBE and Eddie de Oliveira
because there were rumours about cheating and reports that
some athletes had died after taking drugs. Testing for drug use
began at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Since then, more and more
substances have been added to the banned list.
Following a large number of doping offences in the midnineties, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to
fight against drug use in all sports worldwide. But the problem
has never gone away.
Recently, there was a scandal about an American cycling hero,
Lance Armstrong. He won cycling’s biggest race, the Tour de France,
seven times in a row between 1999 and 2005. But his medals
They do have a couple of
requirements, though: a degree in
engineering, biology, physics or maths
and experience flying a jet aircraft.
You’ve also got to be able to pass a
tough NASA physical.
So, sell it to us Tim!
The spaceman says: “I think one
of the best things about being an
astronaut is that you get to meet so
many interesting people! You train all
around the world – Japan, Canada,
America, Russia, and Europe.”
Find out how Tim Peake got on in the
First News Hotseat on p8.
HARRY
POTTER
STAR MEETS
MALALA
HARRY Potter star Emma
Watson met Malala Yousafzai
for a very special interview.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala
sat down with Emma, who is also
the UN Women Global Goodwill
Ambassador, to discuss her life and
campaigning.
The interview was filmed
and beamed live via satellite
from Birmingham into cinemas
nationwide and watched by more
than 10,000 school children.
Read the full interview on page 17.
continued on page 2
* The 2012 Newspaper Awards: Best weekly national newspaper and best niche market newspaper. Also, Plain English Campaign: Best national newspaper. * First News weekly readership is 2,042,199. Source: Opinion Matters 2014. First News supports children’s charities – see page 12.
Extension Activities
11. ANIMALS
FirstNews
ISSUE 491
13 – 19 NOVEMBER 2015
MORE ANIMAL NEWS
Flick through a copy of First News. Can you find three other animal news stories in
the paper this week? For each one write down the kind of animal, the place and a
summary of the news story.
• Challenge: there are actually six other animal stories in the paper this week – can you
find them all?
Animal
Place
Dogs help asthma
HAVING a dog can reduce the risk of children getting asthma by
15%, says a new study.
Scientists at Uppsala University in
Sweden looked at data on more than
one million children born between 2001
and 2010 and discovered that living in
conditions that are too-clean early in life
can increase the likelihood of developing
allergy conditions such as asthma.
They also discovered that having
contact with farm animals can reduce
asthma by 50%.
PERFECT
PANDAS!
IT was back to school for these cute creatures as they posed for
pictures to celebrate the opening of the Panda Kindergarten at
the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China.
The opening ceremony included 13 of the 15 pandas born at the centre this
year who are ‘graduating’ from the breeding centre to kindergarten now they’re
bigger. The Chengdu centre breeds and rears giant pandas to help increase their
population and has successfully bred 172 over the last 20 years.
2015 has been a record-breaking year for the centre with 15 pandas being born,
including six sets of twins – the highest number of panda births in a year. Giant
pandas are an endangered species with fewer than 1,900 left in the wild.
Orangutan rescue
RESCUE teams in Borneo
have risked their lives to save
orangutans from forest fires.
Frog tunnels
MORE than £46,000 has been
spent by a council in Brittany,
France, on special tunnels so frogs
don’t have to cross a busy road.
Five passageways have been put
in under the D86 road to stop the
amphibians getting squashed on their
way to ponds where thousands of them
go to breed.
Teams from International Animal
Rescue (IAR) have had to step in
to save apes left stranded in the
region. Fires have been burning
out of control and spreading to
protected areas such as national
parks and conservation areas. The
IAR are even putting out flames
themselves which are injuring
organutans and leaving them
without food.
Since the fires began three
months ago, IAR in Ketapan
have rescued 14 orangutans.
Fires happen nearly every year
in Indonesia and are mainly the
result of human activities including
agricultural practices.
News story summary
WWW.FIRSTNEWS.CO.UK/FORSCHOOLS
The ONLY weekly newspaper for young people
Working with
FirstNews
Issue 491
13th - 19th November 2015
ANIMALS
Issue 491 £1.50 13 – 19 November 2015
MORE THAN
2 MILLION*
READERS
OH
WOW!
National newspaper of the year*
EmojiWorks via Facebook
AN EMOJI
KEYBOARD 3
ON YOUR
MARKS
GET SET...
LEARNING
CHEMISTRY
WITH
MINECRAFT!
CHEAT!
WANTED
FIRST NEWS readers quizzed
British astronaut Tim Peake
last week just as NASA made a
very exciting announcement
– it needs astronauts for future
space missions.
3
WHY DO
ATHLETES
TAKE DRUGS?
Because they want
to win
Sometimes they think
their competitors are
taking drugs
Pressure from their
countries to succeed
The chance of
earning a lot of money
for outstanding
performances
WORLD athletics has been shocked by a major new report that shows many competitors have cheated to
win medals.
Now there are calls for cheating athletes to be banned from
international athletics, including the 2016 Olympic Games.
The use of drugs in sports to improve performance is a big
problem in many sports. But it’s not new.
Drugs have been used by athletes since ancient times. The
Greeks and Romans used mushrooms and herbs to improve their
performance.
The more recent use of drugs to improve performance goes
back to World War II. Amphetamines were used by American
soldiers to keep them alert and Germans used steroids to make
them more aggressive.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set up a Medical
Commission in 1967 which banned the use of drugs. This was
8
ASTRONAUTS
by Nicky Cox MBE and Eddie de Oliveira
because there were rumours about cheating and reports that
some athletes had died after taking drugs. Testing for drug use
began at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Since then, more and more
substances have been added to the banned list.
Following a large number of doping offences in the midnineties, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to
fight against drug use in all sports worldwide. But the problem
has never gone away.
Recently, there was a scandal about an American cycling hero,
Lance Armstrong. He won cycling’s biggest race, the Tour de France,
seven times in a row between 1999 and 2005. But his medals
They do have a couple of
requirements, though: a degree in
engineering, biology, physics or maths
and experience flying a jet aircraft.
You’ve also got to be able to pass a
tough NASA physical.
So, sell it to us Tim!
The spaceman says: “I think one
of the best things about being an
astronaut is that you get to meet so
many interesting people! You train all
around the world – Japan, Canada,
America, Russia, and Europe.”
Find out how Tim Peake got on in the
First News Hotseat on p8.
HARRY
POTTER
STAR MEETS
MALALA
HARRY Potter star Emma
Watson met Malala Yousafzai
for a very special interview.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala
sat down with Emma, who is also
the UN Women Global Goodwill
Ambassador, to discuss her life and
campaigning.
The interview was filmed
and beamed live via satellite
from Birmingham into cinemas
nationwide and watched by more
than 10,000 school children.
Read the full interview on page 17.
continued on page 2
* The 2012 Newspaper Awards: Best weekly national newspaper and best niche market newspaper. Also, Plain English Campaign: Best national newspaper. * First News weekly readership is 2,042,199. Source: Opinion Matters 2014. First News supports children’s charities – see page 12.
AIM OF THE NEWS COMPREHENSIONS
News reports are unique non-fiction texts. Being real, they naturally engage children, and with the range of topics that
are covered, help to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the wider world outside the classroom.
The reports are ideal for short, focused comprehension or discussion activities. Along with the opportunity to find
fascinating facts and appreciate the opinions of those involved, there is plenty to be inferred and deduced to understand
in more depth what is being reported. Like authors, journalists play with language, so news ‘stories’ are rich nuggets of
text to investigate and provide the opportunity for a wide range of reading skills to be practised each week. These skills
should fit within most schools’ reading and literacy programmes.
TEACHER ANSWER GUIDE
The teacher answers are intended to provide a guide to the reading skill each question is practising. Suggestions are
given for a STARTING POINT response that pupils could give. Further suggestions then give a fuller, more DEVELOPED
RESPONSE that students will work towards to reach and exceed the standards required at the end of primary school.
For a list of these reading skills used to reference questions, please email [email protected].
CURRICULUM REFERENCES for ENGLAND
A reference is given for the elements from the national curriculum programme of study for English that will be assessed
in the Y6 reading test in May 2016 (along with the relevant Assessment Focus strand for school continuing to use these).
1) This week, the Animals page doesn’t just cover animal news, it covers world news! Fill in these key facts from the articles.
READING SKILL: Identify information
(NC 2a / SATs CD 2b(i) / AF2)
Headline
Country
Animal
Perfect Pandas!
China
pandas
Frog tunnels
France
frogs
Orangutan rescue
Indonesia
orangutans
2) Quick quiz
READING SKILL: Identify information
(NC 2a / SATs CD 2b(i) / AF2)
What does IAR stand for?
• International Animal Rescue
Which type of animal are frogs?
• amphibians
How many sets of panda twins have been born at the Chengdu centre this year?
• six
What does ‘endangered’ mean?
• seriously at risk of extinction
Look at the animal news from China.
3) How does the Chengdu centre help pandas and why do they need help?
READING SKILL: Explain key information and details
(NC2a / SATs CD 2b(ii) / AF2)
Starting point:
• It breeds pandas because they are endangered/rare.
Developed response:
• It breeds and rears pandas to increase their population.
• Pandas need help because they are at risk of extinction: there are fewer than 1,900 pandas left in the wild.
WWW.FIRSTNEWS.CO.UK/FORSCHOOLS
The ONLY weekly newspaper for young people
Working with
FirstNews
ANIMALS
Issue 491
13th - 19th November 2015
Issue 491 £1.50 13 – 19 November 2015
MORE THAN
2 MILLION*
READERS
OH
WOW!
National newspaper of the year*
EmojiWorks via Facebook
AN EMOJI
KEYBOARD 3
ON YOUR
MARKS
GET SET...
LEARNING
CHEMISTRY
WITH
MINECRAFT!
CHEAT!
WANTED
FIRST NEWS readers quizzed
British astronaut Tim Peake
last week just as NASA made a
very exciting announcement
– it needs astronauts for future
space missions.
3
WHY DO
ATHLETES
TAKE DRUGS?
Because they want
to win
Sometimes they think
their competitors are
taking drugs
Pressure from their
countries to succeed
The chance of
earning a lot of money
for outstanding
performances
WORLD athletics has been shocked by a major new report that shows many competitors have cheated to
win medals.
Now there are calls for cheating athletes to be banned from
international athletics, including the 2016 Olympic Games.
The use of drugs in sports to improve performance is a big
problem in many sports. But it’s not new.
Drugs have been used by athletes since ancient times. The
Greeks and Romans used mushrooms and herbs to improve their
performance.
The more recent use of drugs to improve performance goes
back to World War II. Amphetamines were used by American
soldiers to keep them alert and Germans used steroids to make
them more aggressive.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set up a Medical
Commission in 1967 which banned the use of drugs. This was
8
ASTRONAUTS
by Nicky Cox MBE and Eddie de Oliveira
because there were rumours about cheating and reports that
some athletes had died after taking drugs. Testing for drug use
began at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Since then, more and more
substances have been added to the banned list.
Following a large number of doping offences in the midnineties, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to
fight against drug use in all sports worldwide. But the problem
has never gone away.
Recently, there was a scandal about an American cycling hero,
Lance Armstrong. He won cycling’s biggest race, the Tour de France,
seven times in a row between 1999 and 2005. But his medals
They do have a couple of
requirements, though: a degree in
engineering, biology, physics or maths
and experience flying a jet aircraft.
You’ve also got to be able to pass a
tough NASA physical.
So, sell it to us Tim!
The spaceman says: “I think one
of the best things about being an
astronaut is that you get to meet so
many interesting people! You train all
around the world – Japan, Canada,
America, Russia, and Europe.”
Find out how Tim Peake got on in the
First News Hotseat on p8.
HARRY
POTTER
STAR MEETS
MALALA
HARRY Potter star Emma
Watson met Malala Yousafzai
for a very special interview.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala
sat down with Emma, who is also
the UN Women Global Goodwill
Ambassador, to discuss her life and
campaigning.
The interview was filmed
and beamed live via satellite
from Birmingham into cinemas
nationwide and watched by more
than 10,000 school children.
Read the full interview on page 17.
continued on page 2
* The 2012 Newspaper Awards: Best weekly national newspaper and best niche market newspaper. Also, Plain English Campaign: Best national newspaper. * First News weekly readership is 2,042,199. Source: Opinion Matters 2014. First News supports children’s charities – see page 12.
4) Why has the Chengdu centre laid the baby animals out like this?
READING SKILL: Infer information and ideas, and explain and justify with evidence
(NC 2c & 8 / SATs CD 2d(ii) / AF3)
Starting point:
• So that people can take a photo of them.
Developed response:
• They have been laid out in a line so that people can take pictures of them.
• This was organised to celebrate the opening of the new Panda Kindergarten.
Look at the animal news from France.
5) How has a council in Brittany chosen to spend £46,000?
READING SKILL: Explain key information and details
(NC2a / SATs CD 2b(ii) / AF2)
Starting point:
• On special tunnels for frogs.
Developed response:
• It has built five passageways under the D86 so that frogs can cross the road safely.
6) Why did the frog cross the road? (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Rather, why do these frogs want to cross this busy road?
READING SKILL: Infer information and ideas
(NC 2c / SATs CD 2d(i) / AF3)
Starting point:
• To get to the ponds where they breed.
Developed response:
• They want to cross the road to reach the ponds where they breed. This suggests they live in a different area, on the other side
of the road to the ponds.
Look at the animal news from Borneo.
7) Why are orangutans in need of help in Borneo at the moment?
READING SKILL: Infer information and ideas
(NC 2c / SATs CD 2d(i) / AF3)
Starting point:
• There are forest fires.
Developed response:
• Forest fires have been burning out of control in areas where the orangutans live. The orangutans are in danger and in need of
food.
8) The article says the apes were “left stranded in the region”. What does the word stranded mean?
READING SKILL: Understand vocabulary in context
(NC 2a / SATs CD 2a)
• singed and slightly burnt
• stuck - unable to move elsewhere
• alone
9) What is the probable cause of the fire?
READING SKILL: Infer information and ideas
(NC 2c / SATs CD 2d(i) / AF3)
Starting point:
• It is a forest fire.
• People
Developed response:
• The forest fires are usually caused by people, possibly from their farming practices. Perhaps people start fires to clear areas of
farmland, or to burn rubbish.
WWW.FIRSTNEWS.CO.UK/FORSCHOOLS
The ONLY weekly newspaper for young people
Working with
FirstNews
ANIMALS
Issue 491
13th - 19th November 2015
Issue 491 £1.50 13 – 19 November 2015
MORE THAN
2 MILLION*
READERS
OH
WOW!
National newspaper of the year*
EmojiWorks via Facebook
AN EMOJI
KEYBOARD 3
ON YOUR
MARKS
GET SET...
LEARNING
CHEMISTRY
WITH
MINECRAFT!
CHEAT!
WANTED
FIRST NEWS readers quizzed
British astronaut Tim Peake
last week just as NASA made a
very exciting announcement
– it needs astronauts for future
space missions.
3
WHY DO
ATHLETES
TAKE DRUGS?
Because they want
to win
Sometimes they think
their competitors are
taking drugs
Pressure from their
countries to succeed
The chance of
earning a lot of money
for outstanding
performances
WORLD athletics has been shocked by a major new report that shows many competitors have cheated to
win medals.
Now there are calls for cheating athletes to be banned from
international athletics, including the 2016 Olympic Games.
The use of drugs in sports to improve performance is a big
problem in many sports. But it’s not new.
Drugs have been used by athletes since ancient times. The
Greeks and Romans used mushrooms and herbs to improve their
performance.
The more recent use of drugs to improve performance goes
back to World War II. Amphetamines were used by American
soldiers to keep them alert and Germans used steroids to make
them more aggressive.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set up a Medical
Commission in 1967 which banned the use of drugs. This was
8
ASTRONAUTS
by Nicky Cox MBE and Eddie de Oliveira
because there were rumours about cheating and reports that
some athletes had died after taking drugs. Testing for drug use
began at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Since then, more and more
substances have been added to the banned list.
Following a large number of doping offences in the midnineties, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to
fight against drug use in all sports worldwide. But the problem
has never gone away.
Recently, there was a scandal about an American cycling hero,
Lance Armstrong. He won cycling’s biggest race, the Tour de France,
seven times in a row between 1999 and 2005. But his medals
They do have a couple of
requirements, though: a degree in
engineering, biology, physics or maths
and experience flying a jet aircraft.
You’ve also got to be able to pass a
tough NASA physical.
So, sell it to us Tim!
The spaceman says: “I think one
of the best things about being an
astronaut is that you get to meet so
many interesting people! You train all
around the world – Japan, Canada,
America, Russia, and Europe.”
Find out how Tim Peake got on in the
First News Hotseat on p8.
HARRY
POTTER
STAR MEETS
MALALA
HARRY Potter star Emma
Watson met Malala Yousafzai
for a very special interview.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala
sat down with Emma, who is also
the UN Women Global Goodwill
Ambassador, to discuss her life and
campaigning.
The interview was filmed
and beamed live via satellite
from Birmingham into cinemas
nationwide and watched by more
than 10,000 school children.
Read the full interview on page 17.
continued on page 2
* The 2012 Newspaper Awards: Best weekly national newspaper and best niche market newspaper. Also, Plain English Campaign: Best national newspaper. * First News weekly readership is 2,042,199. Source: Opinion Matters 2014. First News supports children’s charities – see page 12.
Consider all the articles.
10) All three articles are written in the same way, with the same structure. What are the common features of these articles?
READING SKILL: Identifying benefits of text organisation and presentation in non-fiction texts
(NC 2f / SATs CD - not specifically tested / AF4)
All three articles have…
Starting point:
• Headlines
• Photos
• Writing
Developed response:
• Headlines
• Photographs
• A first paragraph in bold (dark) text which summarises the story (this is called the lead paragraph).
• The rest of the article text.
11) Why do you think most news articles are written with the same structure and organisation? What are the benefits for the
reader?
READING SKILL: Identifying benefits of text organisation and presentation in non-fiction texts
(NC 2f / SATs CD - not specifically tested / AF4)
Starting point:
• It makes it easier to read.
• It’s useful for each story to have a headline.
Developed response:
• The fact that news articles have the same structure means that the reader knows what to expect. This makes the newspaper
quicker to read and makes it easier for the reader to navigate around lots of news stories and find the articles which they
find most interesting.
• All news articles have headlines: these help the reader get a quick idea as to what the story is about.
• All news articles have lead paragraphs: this summarises the story and provides the key facts. Readers know that they can
read this paragraph and decide whether they want to read on and get more detail.
• Photographs help to tell the story in a visual way and often provide details that are hard to get across in words.
12) The news is often filled with stories about the bad effects that humans have on animals, but these stories show the
opposite. How do they show that humans will go to great lengths to help animals?
READING SKILL: Infer information and ideas, and explain and justify with evidence
(NC 2c & 8 / SATs CD 2d(ii) / AF3)
Starting point:
• They all show how humans have helped different animals.
• The people in the stories have worked hard to help animals, like rescuing orangutans from the fire.
Developed response:
• All the stories give examples of situations where people have worked very hard to help animals:
- In China, people have set up a centre to help pandas and have managed to breed 172 pandas in 20 years.
- In France, people are willing to spend a large amount of money to help frogs cross a road.
- In Borneo, people have even been willing to put their lives at risk to try and save orangutans threatened by fire.
WWW.FIRSTNEWS.CO.UK/FORSCHOOLS