Learning through news -
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FirstNews Four News Stories 26th April - 2nd May 2013
Issue 358
Resource Explanation
These four news stories are from this week’s issue of First News but told in a simpler form with additional images to support children’s understanding of each
story and with further explanations where necessary. They are written for pupils working from Level 1a to 2a.
This week’s four stories
This week’s simplified stories are:
l Home news
FirstNews
Issue 358
26th April - 2nd May 2013
HOME NEWS
Home news
scotland
Pine martens recover
l The island that disappeared
FirstNews
26th April - 2nd May 2013
The island that disappeared
Ireland
Rhino heads stolen
FloaTing rock may be the explanation why an island
in the South Pacific mysteriously vanished.
Police in Ireland are
hunting for thieves
who stole rhino heads
from a museum. Four
heads were stolen and
each had two large
horns. Rhino horns
are worth a lot of money. The robbers were seen
driving away in a white van.
Sandy Island was first discovered by a whaling ship over 130
years ago. The tiny island has appeared on maps of the South
Pacific ever since.
Wales
england
Dog poo
battle
Too cold for
tulips
Maria Seton, the chief scientist on the expedition, now says the
most likely explanation is that the ‘island’ wasn’t a real island at all.
It was probably a floating raft made of a rock called pumice.
People in
Swansea are
asking for help
to keep their
park clean from dog waste.
People who love the park are being trained to
clear up the mess. They have been given new
poop scoops and bins.
The last ever
flower festival in
Spalding is having problems because there are
not enough flowers. Tulips haven’t flowered
yet because the weather has been so cold. The
festival uses thousands of tulips to make huge
decorations which are paraded in the town. The
organisers may have to buy flowers from France.
A new report has found that
the number of pine martens in
Scotland is going up.
Pine martens are shy hunting
animals which live in trees. They
used to live all over the UK, but
they are now very rare and can
only be found in a few places.
Issue 358
SCIENCE
Learning through news
Home News, Page 7
www.FirstNews.co.uk
Pumice is a volcanic rock
In November, a team of Australian scientists set sail on a mission
to learn about the sea bed, and sailed right through the place
where Sandy Island was shown on maps! The island had vanished.
Pumice is an incredibly light stone that you might have seen at
the beach. It has so many air bubbles in it that it actually floats
on water. Pumice is made from lava. When lava from a volcano
cools very quickly, air bubbles get trapped inside and this makes
pumice.
Science, Page 6
FirstNews
l Slug invasion!
FirstNews
26th April - 2nd May 2013
Wild animal circus ban
CirCuses in the uK are to be banned from using wild
animals in their shows.
Spring has finally sprung and many people
are heading out into the garden. But if you love
gardening, you won’t love the latest news about
slugs.
Now, many people believe it is not right to have wild animals
in circus shows. There are still a few of these animals performing
in circuses in the UK, but a new law will soon stop this. In future,
only domestic animals like dogs, horses and rabbits will be
allowed to perform.
Last year’s wet summer was perfect weather for
slugs. The wet start to this year has also helped the
slimy garden pests. This means there are a lot more
slugs about than normal. As the sunshine finally
comes out, all these slugs will be coming out too!
At the moment the law is just a proposal. Once it has been
agreed, the ban will start in 2015.
Most people think
slugs are a huge
problem. They eat our
plants, flowers and
crops. If the perfect slug
weather continues we
may have even more
slugs about by the
summer. Uh oh!
Learning through news
www.FirstNews.co.uk
Animal News, Page 24
26th April - 2nd May 2013
Slug invasion!
ExpErtS think there may be an invasion of
slugs this summer.
Wild animals like these
will no longer perform in
UK circus shows
Issue 358
ANIMAL NEWS
In the past it was quite common to see wild animals such as
lions, elephants and zebras performing in circus shows. People
thought it was exciting to see these wild animals up-close
performing tricks.
Wild animal circuses are banned in 20 other countries
around the world.
www.FirstNews.co.uk
Issue 358
ANIMAL NEWS
Animal charities have been asking for this ban for
many years and have said they are “delighted” with the
proposed new law. They say wild animals are not suited
to a life on the road in a travelling circus.
These ‘pumice rafts’ can break up and float away, which might be
what happened to this mystery island.
Learning through news
l Wild animal circus ban
Learning through news
You could spot lots more slugs
in parks and gardens this year!
www.FirstNews.co.uk
Animal News, Page 24
Linked activities
l Four stories: questions: A set of discussion questions on each of these four stories to facilate children’s understanding of each article.
l Four stories: key facts: Identify which piece of key information the fact given is about - who, when, where, what or why? A set of facts is provided for each of
these stories.
l News puzzle: a crossword or wordsearch activity with key words from these stories.
l Look Closer: For more able pupils, there is a more in-depth comprehension for children working at reading levels 3 to 5. This week, this activity provides a
set of questions about Home News from this week’s newspaper.
www.FirstNews.co.uk
FirstNews
Issue 35826th April - 2nd May 2013
HOME NEWS
Home news
Scotland
Pine martens recover
A new report has found that
the number of pine martens in
Scotland is going up.
Pine martens are shy hunting
animals which live in trees. They
used to live all over the UK, but
they are now very rare and can
only be found in a few places.
Ireland
Rhino heads stolen
Police in Ireland are
hunting for thieves
who stole rhino heads
from a museum. Four
heads were stolen and
each had two large
horns. Rhino horns
are worth a lot of money. The robbers were seen
driving away in a white van.
Wales
England
Dog poo
battle
Too cold for
tulips
People in
Swansea are
asking for help
to keep their
park clean from dog waste.
People who love the park are being trained to
clear up the mess. They have been given new
poop scoops and bins.
The last ever
flower festival in
Spalding is having problems because there are
not enough flowers. Tulips haven’t flowered
yet because the weather has been so cold. The
festival uses thousands of tulips to make huge
decorations which are paraded in the town. The
organisers may have to buy flowers from France.
Learning through news
www.FirstNews.co.uk
FirstNews
Issue 35826th April - 2nd May 2013
SCIENCE
The island that disappeared
Floating rock may be the explanation why an island in the
South Pacific mysteriously vanished.
Pumice is a volcanic rock
Sandy Island was first discovered by a whaling ship over 130 years ago.
The tiny island has appeared on maps of the South Pacific ever since.
In November, a team of Australian scientists set sail on a mission to learn
about the sea bed, and sailed right through the place where Sandy Island
was shown on maps! The island had vanished.
Maria Seton, the chief scientist on the expedition, now says the most
likely explanation is that the ‘island’ wasn’t a real island at all. It was
probably a floating raft made of a rock called pumice.
Pumice is an incredibly light stone that you might have seen at the
beach. It has so many air bubbles in it that it actually floats on water.
Pumice is made from lava. When lava from a volcano cools very quickly, air
bubbles get trapped inside and this makes pumice.
These ‘pumice rafts’ can break up and float away, which might be what happened to this mystery island.
Although scientists can’t be completely sure this is what happened, the island did sit right above lots of underwater volcanoes. These
volcanoes make so much pumice this area has been called a pumice ‘superhighway’!
Learning through news
www.FirstNews.co.uk
FirstNews
Issue 35826th April - 2nd May 2013
ANIMAL NEWS
Wild animal circus ban
Circuses in the UK are to be banned from using wild
animals in their shows.
In the past it was quite common to see wild animals such as
lions, elephants and zebras performing in circus shows. People
thought it was exciting to see these wild animals up-close
performing tricks.
Now, many people believe it is not right to have wild animals
in circus shows. There are still a few of these animals performing
in circuses in the UK, but a new law will soon stop this. In future,
only domestic animals like dogs, horses and rabbits will be
allowed to perform.
At the moment the law is just a proposal. Once it has been
agreed, the ban will start in 2015.
Animal charities have been asking for this ban for
many years and have said they are “delighted” with the
proposed new law. They say wild animals are not suited
to a life on the road in a travelling circus.
Wild animal circuses are banned in 20 other countries
around the world.
Learning through news
Animals like these are to be
banned from performing in
UK circus shows
www.FirstNews.co.uk
FirstNews
Issue 35826th April - 2nd May 2013
ANIMAL NEWS
Slug invasion!
Experts think there may be an invasion of
slugs this summer.
You could spot lots more slugs
in parks and gardens this year!
Spring has finally sprung and many people
are heading out into the garden. But if you love
gardening, you won’t love the latest news about
slugs.
Last year’s wet summer was perfect weather for
slugs. The wet start to this year has also helped the
slimy garden pests. This means there are a lot more
slugs about than normal. As the sunshine finally
comes out, all these slugs will be coming out too!
Most people think
slugs are a huge
problem. They eat our
plants, flowers and
crops. If the perfect slug
weather continues we
may have even more
slugs about by the
summer. Uh oh!
Learning through news
www.FirstNews.co.uk