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Lyrebird

Episode of the series Animals & Creatures of Australia

CEFR: A1, A2, B1
In this episode
  • Illustrated slideshow
  • Glossary
  • Comprehension quiz (45 questions)
  • Cultural notes
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Extract: the first 30 seconds of the episode. The full episode lasts 3 min 57 s.
Level

The episode

The bird that copies every sound. The male lyrebird opens a tail shaped like an old musical instrument, and he can sing the song of other birds, or the sound of a camera or a car.

Episode worksheets (2)

  • Student sheet In your teacher account
  • Teacher sheet In your teacher account

Teaching guide

Objective & content

This documentary episode presents the lyrebird, a large bird of the forests of south and east Australia. The narrator explains where its name comes from (the tail has the shape of a lyre), what it looks like, and why it is famous: it can copy the sounds it hears. The episode also covers the male's dance on a small mound, the single egg and the chick, its food, and the loss of forest that threatens it. The language focus is the present simple for facts, can for ability and prepositions of place, with vocabulary on wild animals and the forest. Learners work on listening comprehension.

Materials & prerequisites

The episode folder holds a student sheet and a teacher sheet (PDF and HTML) and the printable text in markdown. Learners should already know be and have in the affirmative, simple adjectives, and in, on and at for place.

Curriculum alignment

Tagged c3-child-and-living-world (cycle 3, 6e): the child and the living world. The episode targets CEFR level A1-.

Possible adaptations

  • Lower levels: Offer segmented listening and additional visual aids.
  • Advanced levels: Encourage an oral summary and a debate in English on the theme.
  • Large groups: Organise group work with differentiated roles.