Kenya and its wildlife

Objective & content

This sheet on Kenya teaches the animals of its national parks, such as rhino, hippo, cheetah, buffalo, wildebeest and zebra, and the things of a safari, such as jeep, binoculars, camera, ranger and tent. Pupils name pictures, read Baraka's text about Nairobi National Park and the Maasai Mara, then use the words. By the end, they can name the animals of a Kenyan national park and the things you need on safari, and describe an animal in a few words ("I'm very tall. I eat leaves.").

Pedagogical guide

Page 1 names six animals and six safari things; each word box holds two extra words, so pupils must choose. Pupils then match five words, such as a safari, a ranger and the Big Five, with their meaning. Page 2 is Baraka's text: he lives in Nairobi, the capital, and his dad is a ranger in Nairobi National Park, where you can see the animals with the tall buildings of the city behind them. In the holidays, the family goes on safari in the Maasai Mara, where more than a million wildebeest cross a river full of crocodiles and hippos every year. Eight multiple-choice questions follow. Page 3 has nine sentences to complete from a word box with two extra words, then "Who's who?": six animals describe themselves ("I'm a big cat with black spots") and pupils write the right number under six pictures. Every task tests words only. The text uses the present simple, can and there is / there are: there is no past tense on the sheet.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Ask pupils which wild animals of Africa they know; write the English words on the board.
2. (8 min) Page 1: pupils write the words under the pictures alone, then compare in pairs.
3. (5 min) Pupils match the words and their meanings.
4. (10 min) Read Baraka's text aloud; pupils answer the questions.
5. (7 min) Page 3: pupils complete the sentences with the words in the box.
6. (7 min) Pupils read what the six animals say and number the pictures.
7. (5 min) Check with the answer key on page 4.

Adaptations

[S] Show Kenya, Nairobi and the Maasai Mara on a map, with Tanzania next to it, before reading the text.

[A] Each pupil chooses an animal and says two sentences about it; the class guesses ("I'm grey and very big. I live in the river.").

Materials & prerequisites

One copy of pages 1 to 3 per pupil; a map of Kenya helps. Page 4 is the answer key and teacher notes: keep it. Pupils need the present simple, can and there is / there are. To take it further, pupils plan a day on safari in four sentences: where they go, what they take and what they see.