Animal Planet 1 | Introduction

ABBREVIATIONS COURSE AND LESSON PLANNING

• Ss = students
The Teacher’s Guide is organised into the following sections:
• S = student Introduction, Cross Reference, Lesson Plans, Tests, and
Transcripts. Before every lesson, look at the Cross Reference
• SB = Student’s Book
section to get a general overview of the main features of each
• LP = lesson plan lesson.
• Lg. Box = Language Box
There are a total of 68 lesson plans which are divided into
• TG = Teacher Guide four parts (called missions):
• TR# = track number
• Mission 1: The Explorer’s Life - 8 lesson plans
• p. = page / pp. = pages
• Mission 2: Australia’s Hidden Depths - 20 lesson
• ex. = exercise plans
• Mission 3: Pacific Islands Expedition - 20 lesson
ABOUT ANIMAL PLANET 1 plans
• Mission 4: Trekking Through Asia - 20 lesson plans
Animal Planet 1 is an A2.1 English course aimed at children
ages 9-11. As in any other Kids&Us course, the focus is on spoken At the beginning of the school year, you will use My Classroom
English, although all the language skills (speaking, listening, to plan the course. Different scenarios may arise depending on
reading and writing) are developed. Together with Alex, our main which country you are in and taking into account special days
character, and her family and friends, the students will connect such as public holidays.
with the world by discovering various continents and countries,
in addition to very special animal species. This experience will If you have 68 sessions, you should complete one lesson
give us the opportunity to communicate with simple and direct plan every day. If you have more sessions than lesson plans,
exchanges about basic personal information, familiar topics (e.g., follow these suggestions:
routines), places of interest (e.g., shops), animals, etc. • Use the four bonus lessons available. Please refer to
the following section for more information.
These are the main learning objectives for this course:
• Use the last day before summer and Christmas as
• Participate in conversations about everyday topics: a special “games” day. Go to the Games section for
routines, free time, introductions, etc. additional information on games.
• Describe people, animals, and surroundings. • If you still have extra days, space them out across the
• Make comparisons – compare animals, people, objects, three terms. Use those days to catch up on unfinished
places, etc. activities from earlier lesson plans.

• Recount past events and experiences: past simple If you have more lesson plans than days, speak to your
and present perfect. academic coordinator or school director and they will advise
• Express preferences and justify simple opinions. you on how to proceed.

• Communicate obligation, prohibition, and permission.

BONUS LESSONS
• Give and ask for simple advice.
• Give and follow directions and instructions.
The Animal Planet 1 course includes four bonus lessons which
• Provide and get everyday goods and services. can be used in the following scenarios:
• Provide a solution to a simple problem. • You have more course days than Lesson Plans (68).
• Write short simple texts, descriptions, and stories. • Special days such as around Christmas, Easter, or the
• Evaluate their own understanding of a concept or task. end of term where there are fewer students.

The bonus lessons each have a theme related to one of the

four missions of the course. However, they are based on the
primary learning objectives of the course, so they can be used
at any point during the course and in no particular order.

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 Animal Planet 1 | Introduction

3. Hello and Goodbye Tracks: you should play these tracks

CLASSROOM TIMING
at the beginning and end of each lesson.
i. Caravan Song for entering the class: instrumental.
The total length of a lesson for Animal Planet 1 is 60 minutes.
ii. Creatures Song for exiting the class: instrumental.
The task timings are included in the Lesson Plans. These are
the estimated times that it should take you to do the activities 4. Team Talk questions: audio frequency and My Way
in class. questions are asked at the beginning of each lesson
to promote the use of oral English in class.
Tips for classroom time management 5. Date and time: the students review and practice the
date and time in every lesson. There are different ways
Please keep in mind: through which they obtain this practice:
1. Go through each lesson plan before class. a. Long format (Today is Monday 10th January 2024).
2. Be prepared: organise the material and scripts. b. Short format (10/01/2024)
3. Check the keys and make sure you understand them, c. The time in other places in the world (It’s 10 pm in
as you may have to explain an answer to a student. Bali)
4. Respect the timing assigned to each activity. d. Meaningful questions: It’s 10th January, is it
somebody’s birthday/Has something special
5. Follow the steps the sections have been broken
happened today?)
down into.
6. Provide clear and brief instructions to the students. YOUR ROLE: THE EXPEDITION GUIDE
Sample (basic) structure of an Animal Planet 1 lesson plan:
In the Animal Planet courses, the students go on a journey
1. TEAM TALK (5 MIN.)
with Alex and her family around the world, and you are their
2. STUDENT BOOK ACTIVITY (15 MIN.) expedition guide. In the classroom, you’ll find out about animals,
3. GAME (10 MIN.) their habitats and cultures around the world, and in My Way,
you’ll guide them to discover new imaginary animal species.
4. STUDENT BOOK ACTIVITY (15 MIN.)
5. MY WAY/LET’S SPEAK! (10 MIN.) This means that as well as accompanying them on their
language journey, you should also assume the role of their
6. EXPEDITION COOL DOWN (5 MIN.) “tour guide” during the course. In every lesson plan, there is a
guide for the script you should use to introduce certain activities,
NOTE: this is the basic overview of a lesson, and its distribution indicated in bold.
may change in accordance with the needs of the content.
For example, “Hello, explorers! The next stop on our adventure
As class size and pace can vary, you will notice in the lesson in Australia is a koala sanctuary. Can anyone tell me what they
plans that some activities have an OPTIONAL step to finish think a koala sanctuary is? (elicit Ss’ response) That’s right,
the activity at home in case they are not completed within the well done! Let’s investigate some more together.”
allocated time. Since the students will have already started the
activity, they should follow the same pattern to complete the This is your script, and you should stick to it as much as
remaining parts, and these do not need to be corrected by you possible to fully immerse the students in the Animal Planet
in the next class. world. You also have the liberty to include other phrases and
vocabulary throughout the lesson at your own will as long as
they are connected to the theme of exploration. Such phrases
ROUTINES
might include:

1. Checking the dashboard: in each lesson plan you will • “Let’s embark on our journey!”
find indications of which metrics you need to check. • “Are you ready for an adventure?”
You should check the students’ audio frequency once
• “Let’s discover something new today!”
a week regardless of these indications.
• “Explorers, gather around!”
2. Material preparation: you are provided with a list of the
material needed for the lesson so that you can prepare • “What mysteries will we uncover?”
it in advance. • “Let’s dive into the unknown!”
• “Onward to our next destination!”

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 Animal Planet 1 | Introduction

Badges: at the end of each mission, and only when all its
STUDENT MATERIAL
challenges have been completed, the students will receive a
badge to reward them for their effort in completing the missions.
Animal Planet 1 Book: the students are meant to bring their
books to class and, as in all the Tweens courses, they take them
home with them (the school does not keep them). If a student
forgets to bring their book, they can share it with someone else
Badge M1 (Alex)
or write the exercises on their notebook (travel journal). If this
becomes a problem, you should talk to your academic coordinator
and find a system that works for the student.

My Way App: the students have access to the digital Animal

Planet 1 world on My Way. Just as in their student book, they
have to complete four missions which are meant to connect Badge M2 (New Species 1)
the classroom experience with the digital world at home. The
app also gives them access to the audio tracks they have to
listen to at home.

Notebook: the students receive a notebook in the first lesson,

which is called the “travel journal”. This is a support tool that
Badge M3 (New Species 2)
they can use to take notes, complete exercises and even play
games when needed.

Stickers: at the end of each mission, the students will receive

three My Way themed stickers that they will use to decorate.

Badge M4 (New Species 3)

M1
(all three
stickers are
generic)
TEACHER MATERIAL

M2 M3 M4
(new species (new species new species In Animal Planet 1, there are three types of Teacher Material:
+ two generic + two generic + two generic 1. Generic: used to diversify teaching strategies and
stickers) stickers) stickers) add an element of gamification.
2. Specific: used to reinforce course target language
objectives.
3. My Way: used to connect with the digital element of
the course.

For more details, go to the Detailed List of Materials section

in this Teacher Guide, where you will find a detailed list of the
materials.

MY WAY

1. WHAT IS MY WAY?

My Way is the students’ digital space, within the global

learning experience of Animal Planet, that connects the physical
or classroom environment with the digital world of My Way.

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 Animal Planet 1 | Introduction

2. MISSIONS AND CHALLENGES Although everyone will explore the same elements on the
screen (for example, the objects inside the caravan), the games
The students individually solve missions and challenges on that will appear for each student may be different.
My Way. The expedition consists of four missions with three
• The learning itineraries are made up of six fixed
challenges to overcome (except for Mission 1, which only has one
activities, the same for everyone, which serve as a
challenge), with a total of 18 activities per challenge. The digital
diagnosis for the subsequent ones.
activities are educational games that work on the contents and
learning objectives of the course. In Missions 2, 3 and 4, once • From here, there will be a series of variable activities
the students have finished each challenge, they will obtain a (approximately 12) which will enable the linguistic
“clue”, which is a picture of a part of the body of a mysterious objectives of each challenge to be achieved.
new species. When they obtain three clues, that is, when they
• Each student will have to complete a total of 18 activities
finish the three challenges of a mission, the new species will be
per challenge.
discovered. More information about each mission (storytelling,
activities, key sessions, etc.) can be found in the missions’ The students will end up doing around 180 activities over the
introduction at the beginning of each mission. year. From this variety of games, the My Way internal system
will propose the best game at any given moment, taking into
In addition to these individual challenges, the students also account the results obtained by the student in previous activities
work as a group by collaborating to fill up a water bottle. The and adjusting the difficulty to their needs at that moment.
water bottle is filled up by playing games and listening to songs
in a special area called My Place.
3. TEACHER’S DASHBOARD

MISSIONS CHALLENGES CLUES DISCOVERY You will also have access to quality information and data that
Mission 1: will allow you to monitor each student in a personalised way. The
Challenge 1: The Lost
The Explorer’s
Journal
- Travel Journal combination of both subjective impressions in the classroom and
Life objective, real-time information from the application will help
Challenge 1: The First clue: you get to know each student’s profile in detail and to be able
Glowing Creek Tentacles
to make decisions so that they learn more and better.
Mission 2: Challenge 2: The Second clue:
Australia’s Living Reef Horn New species 1
In this dashboard, teachers and schools will have access to:
Hidden Depths
Challenge 3: The
Third clue:
Mysteries of the 1. The status of the missions (active/inactive).
Fin
Nobbies
2. The status of the Water Bottle and the button to reset
Challenge 1: Hot First clue:
Spring Hop Beak
it and reactivate it once the group reward has been
given to the classroom. More information on the Water
Mission 3: Challenge 2: Habitat Second clue:
Pacific Islands Havoc Footprint New species 2
Bottle can be found in section 5.3.
Expedition 3. Information on the evolution in the missions and the
Challenge 3: The
Third clue:
Guardians of the Turtle
Feathers % of progress achieved for each learning objective and
Eggs also on the different skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading,
Challenge 1: The First clue: Writing) that are worked on through the activities.
Bangkok Food Market Footprint
Mission 4: 4. Visualisation and testing of the activities. You can see and
Challenge 2: Kyoto Second clue:
Trekking New species 3 try the activities and therefore if a student is stuck on an
Craze Horn
Through Asia
activity you can give them the support they may need.
Challenge 3: The Flags Third clue:
of Nepal Teeth
The dashboard information will also help you to assess
whether the students are performing well in accordance with
My Way is the individual space of the students, where learning
what they are working on My Way. This assessment will be made
English is a personal and different process for each one; therefore,
by you - the teachers - and, therefore, should also be reflected
each student will be free to explore the challenges of the mission
in the term report with an overall qualitative assessment.
at their own pace within the same mission. However, in class,
the teacher will guide the students on the optimal number of
items to explore each week; the recommendation is five or six 4. OPTIMAL FREQUENCY AND ASSIGNING ACTIVITIES
games from the challenges section each week. Both teachers
and families will be able to track progress in the challenges and The optimal frequency to complete the missions and
missions, as well as in learning, from the My Way dashboard. challenges on My Way is to do five or six activities per week.
You – the teacher – are, in fact, in charge of assigning the My Way

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 Animal Planet 1 | Introduction

activities for the following week. The assignment of activities will • Water Bottle Checkpoint: the Water Bottle Checkpoint
always take place in the class before the weekend, during the is an activity that will appear every six lessons,
Expedition Cool Down, that is, in the last five minutes of class. approximately. More about this in section 5.3.
You will use visual references (AP1.MW.3 Challenge maps: check
the Teacher’s Material section for further information about NOTE: the My Way activities (among others) are a great
these visuals) to show the students the six activities they need opportunity to move to a corner in the classroom and sit on
to complete in the following days. Following your instructions, the floor, in a circle.
the students will use their travel journals (notebooks) to draw
six checkboxes, which they should tick off every time they finish 5.1. Dashboard Metrics
one of the assigned activities.
In order to strengthen the connection between the students’
Apart from the My Way activities reminder, at the end of each online progress and the classroom experience, they will be
lesson, you will also remind the students that they have to listen rewarded based on different metrics. At the beginning of the
to the corresponding audio track at home. lesson plan, under the materials section, you will find a note that
asks you to check the My Way dashboard and look at specific
NOTE: some students may finish the My Way activities before metrics (audio frequency, steps completed, etc.).
their due date or even before you assign them. If this happens,
do not discourage them from proceeding further. Instead, invite DASHBOARD METRICS
them to spend more time on My Place, which will help them
NAME OF REWARD METRICS REWARDS
have fun while they learn. For the students who don’t finish the
activities on time, use encouraging words to motivate them to Optimal audio First term: chosen
frequency: students students will have the
continue with the My Way adventure and to earn the rewards with an optimal power to decide the
their classmates are receiving. Audio Adventurer
listening average order of turns in an
(40 minutes or activity (who goes first,
more). etc.)
5. MY WAY CONNECTION
Progress point: Second term: chosen
students who students will help the
In the Animal Planet 1 lesson plans, you will find activities and/ have completed teacher in preparing or
or sections that connect the in-class experience with My Way. Challenge Conqueror the activities that tidying away the student
had been set as material.
• Team Talk: in this section, you will ask questions about a weekly goal in
Third term: chosen
the students’ performance on My Way. previous LPs.
students will take turns
Average time writing on the board
• My Way - Briefing: in this section, you will present the
spent on My Way: and erasing it when
new missions. The students will be shown the Mission the most active necessary.
map and will get a general overview of what they are students (those NOTE: as you will be
Engaged Explorer
about to explore. who are closest rewarding more than
to the 50 minute one student in each
• My Way – Discovering Clues and New Species: in this weekly average lesson, and to avoid
section, after completing certain challenges/missions, goal). conflicts, ensure you
you will present the clues and new species obtained on Time spent plan in advance when
My Way as rewards. The clues, which represent parts on My Place: each rewarded student
students who have will choose the turns,
of the body of the new species (strange and unknown Thrill Seeker
help you with the
contributed the
animals), are obtained in missions 2, 3 and 4, after each most to the Water materials, or write on
challenge, respectively. The new species are discovered Bottle. and erase the board.
once the three challenges in each mission have been
completed. Find below when the clues and new species 5.2. Accessory rewards
activities might appear in the mission:
In their My Way adventure, the students obtain accessories
Day 7 first clue as rewards (check the table below). To further enhance the My
Way connection, there will be a classroom market every two
Day 13 second clue
lesson plans: at the beginning of the corresponding lesson plan,
Day 20 third clue + new species the teacher will be asked to check the My Way dashboard to
see who has a certain accessory.
• Expedition Cool Down: as described in previous sections,
the different steps will be assigned in this part of the During the class, students will be given the opportunity to
class. exchange some of their My Way accessories for a perk. If no
student has obtained the accessory on My Way, the class can

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 Animal Planet 1 | Introduction

proceed as normal. If more than one student has the accessory 2. If before reaching any Water Bottle Checkpoint the
and is interested in acquiring that perk, they will have to roll students spontaneously request a reward because
the dice, and the student with the highest number will be the they have noticed their water bottle level is full, they
accessory owner and thus enjoy the perk. Using the dashboard, can ask the teacher for a reward. The teacher can offer
you should remove the corresponding accessory from the them all or some of the following perks (depending on
student’s profile. the time, the size of the group, etc.) to choose from:
• They can have five minutes of free conversation
NAME OF THE ACCESSORY REWARD time (in English, of course!).
Put on your belt and help out your • They get a “group pass” to complete a book activity
Belt Expedition Guide in anything they might
need! of their choice as a group.
Your camera allows you to capture all • They get an “oral pass” to complete a book activity
Camera the relevant information, so you can orally.
erase the board!
• They can listen to course songs while they work.
It’s freezing today! If you’re wearing a
coat, you can have the first turn in a • They can listen and dance to their favourite course
Coat
game: the others are still trying to warm
up!
song as a group. This activity can be carried out
like a “Freeze” game.
Waddle up to the board and write the
Flippers
answers!
IMPORTANT: in any case, be it the Water Bottle Checkpoint
This special magnifying glass improves or spontaneous reward, if the students have been rewarded,
Magnifying Glass your vision and only you can see the
Expedition Guide’s clues. the water bottle has to be emptied in the dashboard.
The pick gives you the opportunity to
Pick
pick your team for the activity! PRAISING AND MOTIVATING
You’ve done some digging and have
found all the answers! You get to correct
Spade
some activities with the help of your As a teacher, you are probably used to thanking your
Expedition Guide. students when they volunteer, and praising them when they
give particularly good answers, collaborate or help your class
5.3. Water Bottle Checkpoint progress. In order to widen their vocabulary, we suggest that
you use a variety of expressions when you praise them. Some
When the students play in the My Place section of My Way, phrases of praise suitable for their age are:
they contribute to a collaborative water bottle that has to be filled
by all the students in the classroom. The more time they spend
in this section, the higher the water level will be. The My Way • You’re #1. • You’re sensational.
dashboard will provide you with the necessary information to • Marvellous! • You made the difference.
know whether the water bottle level (i.e., the number of activities • You should be proud. • What a great idea!
completed by the group, as well as the number of songs listened
to on My Place) has reached the desired level of 50 points or • Thumbs up! • Right on!
over. When that number has been reached the students can • Bravo! • Very brave.
be rewarded. • Fantastic work • Thanks for helping

In order to reward the students after reaching level 50 or over, • Wonderful! • You’re a champ!
there are two possibilities: • You’ve got it! • You deserve a hug

1. Water Bottle Checkpoint (also mentioned in section • It couldn’t be better. • Congratulations!

5): every 6 lesson plans, approximately, teachers will
be asked at the beginning of the lesson plan to check Sometimes, some students need a little bit more support and
the water bottle level on the My Way dashboard. Then, you can always motivate them by providing some encouraging
in the corresponding activity, there will be two options: words. Here are some ideas:
(1) the students have reached the water bottle level
and so they can choose a game from a list or (2) the • I believe you can do it!
students have not reached the level and so it is the • I love how much effort you’re putting into this.
teacher who chooses the game to be played.
• I know you can do this!
• You are capable.

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 Animal Planet 1 | Introduction

• Your ideas are valuable.

TESTS
• You can learn from your mistakes.
• I believe in you. The schedule for the Tests in Animal Planet 1 is the following:
• Nobody’s perfect, and that’s okay.
• If you need help, remember I am here for you. WRITTEN TESTS (6) ORAL TESTS (3)
Mission 1 Mission 2
• You’re not alone in this! The Explorer’s Life Test Oral Test 1
Day 7 Day 10
Australia’s Hidden Depths Mission 2 Mission 3
LISTENING TO THE AUDIO TRACKS Oral Test 2
Test Day 16 Day 12
Pacific Islands Expedition Mission 3 Mission 4
Oral Test 3
There are eight tracks in total which each last approximately Test One Day 6 Day 12
eight minutes long. These tracks are available to the students Pacific Islands Expedition Mission 3
only in digital form on My Way, in the audio section. Test Two Day 19
Trekking Through Asia Mission 4
Test One Day 10
ACTIVATED FROM…
Trekking Through Asia Mission 4
Track 1 Mission 1 Day 1 Test Two Day 18
Track 2 Mission 1 Day 7
In the Tests section of this Teacher Guide, you will find:
Track 3 Mission 2 Day 10
• The Written Tests to be printed and the Teacher’s Keys.
Track 4 Mission 2 Day 16
• The Oral Tests together with a printable grid where you
Track 5 Mission 3 Day 6
can note down the students’ marks for each question
Track 6 Mission 3 Day 12 and the final mark they obtain, as well as a Marking
Track 7 Mission 3 Day 19 Scheme for the Open Expression activities.

Track 8 Mission 4 Day 10 What to bear in mind in the Written Tests:

• These tests are concise and should be treated like any

The students are expected to listen to the corresponding audio
other activity in the Lesson Plan: when you finish them,
track daily, at least five times per week. They will be rewarded
carry on with the lesson. They should take around 20
for their perseverance in listening to the audio tracks: the more
minutes.
consecutive days they listen to the audio tracks, the higher the
probability of obtaining an accessory. • While the students are taking the test, monitor them.
Sometimes they don’t understand what they are
The track is connected to the school calendar of each group supposed to do, and they can make the same mistake
(in My Classroom) and will change automatically when required. in all the exercise(s).
The previous tracks also remain available to them but move to • Feel free to clarify the instructions: we are measuring the
the My Place section of the application. You’ll find this note in the students’ level of English, not their test-taking abilities!
corresponding lesson plans to remind you when the students In fact, it is always a good idea to have them read and
have a new track available to them on My Way: explain the activities to the group, much like they do
in class, to check their understanding.
NOTE: as of today, Ss will hear the new audio track on • From the Kids&Us experience, students of this age
My Way, say, “Explorers, you have an exciting new track to tend to do written tests worse than they do classroom
listen to in the audio area!”. exercises. Keep this in mind if parents are worried about
poor test results.
• Always give a warning when there are 10 and 5 minutes
left.
• Collect the tests when the time is over or when all the
students have finished.
• There may be some fast finishers. Contemplate the
following:

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 Animal Planet 1 | Introduction

Start marking their tests and ask them to correct When koalas are born, they are smaller than a baked bean.
their own mistakes. Their score, however, will be based Like kangaroos, once a joey is born, it crawls into its mummy’s
on their original answers. pouch and attaches itself to one of the two teats in the pouch.
The joey stays there for about six months and after that it will
What to bear in mind in the Oral Tests: ride on its mummy’s back for another six months. Even when
they are too big to be in the pouch, if it’s rainy or cold, they’ll
• Before each oral test there is an advice section on how
go back into it. Koalas are called “pinkies” because they are
to help the students.
furless when they are born.
• Make sure there is a friendly and relaxed atmosphere
when you test your students. Koalas are in danger because human beings cut down trees
• The lesson plan already includes some activities for the and destroy forests to make roads. Cars and dogs sometimes
students waiting inside the classroom. If, however, this kill koalas too.
is not enough then choose appropriate games for the
students to play from the Games Section of this guide. Adapted from Koala. (n.d.). Australian Geographic. https://www.
australiangeographic.com.au/fact-file/fact-file-koala-phascolarctos-
Giving feedback cinereus/

• You should always highlight what the students did

KANGAROOS
well, such as their use of vocabulary or correctly used
structures you have been working on. Where possible, Kangaroos are marsupials and live in Australia. They are the
use silent correction to point out errors without directly only big mammals that can jump. They are nocturnal and very
correcting them, allowing the students to self-correct. good swimmers. They live in groups of 8 to 10 individuals called
• For the Oral Tests, there is a specific marking grid which a mob. Their legs are very strong, and their hind feet have four
you can use to assess the students and award their toes each.
final mark.
Female kangaroos are pregnant for 31 to 36 days. Only females
ANIMAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION have a pouch. When kangaroos are born, they are tiny (2 cm
long) and weigh less than 1 g. Baby kangaroos are called joeys.
When they are born, they look like a baked bean. Joeys are born
PLATYPUSES furless, with no eyes and ears. Once they are born, they crawl
into their mother’s pouch and stay there for months. When
Platypuses are the only mammals that lay eggs. Their body they are born, they are still embryos, and their development
is covered in waterproof fur because they spend a lot of time in continues in the pouch.
the water. These animals can stay underwater for 1 or 2 minutes.
Platypuses have got a soft bill that looks like a duck’s. They’ve A male kangaroo is called a “boomer” and a female is called
also got a flat tail that helps them to move in the water, webbed a “flyer”. Kangaroos can go without water for a long time. There
fore feet and closable nostrils. Their hind feet have got claws, are 47 different kinds of kangaroos; the red kangaroo is the
which they use to dig burrows along rivers. Male platypuses are biggest and the rat kangaroo is the smallest.
venomous. In fact, they have a spike on their hind legs that can
be used to inject venom into their enemy. Adapted from Kangaroos. (n.d.). Bush Heritage Australia. https://
www.bushheritage.org.au/species/kangaroos
Adapted from Platypus. (n.d.). Britannica Kids. https://kids.britannica.
com/students/article/platypus/276463 EMUS /ímjus/

KOALAS Emus are Australia’s biggest bird. They look very much like
ostriches, but they are a little smaller. Emus can run up to 50 km/h.
Koalas are marsupials that can only be found in Australia. They can’t fly because their wings are too small. The females
They usually live in trees and feed on eucalyptus and gum tree are bigger than the males. They can be brown or grey. They can
leaves. Koalas very rarely go down to the ground. These mammals grow up to 2 m tall and weigh up to 45 kg. Their beaks are wide
live alone and are nocturnal. They can’t see very well, but their and soft, and their legs are long and strong and have 3-toed feet
sense of smell is very good. Koalas have claws on their hands with claws. They are omnivorous; they eat fruit, grass, seeds,
and feet. The word “koala” means “no drink” because they drink flowers and insects. They sometimes eat stones, which help
very little. In fact, they get most of the moisture they need from them to digest their food.
the leaves they eat.

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Emus lay a clutch of 6 to 11 eggs, which are big and dark KOMODO DRAGONS
green. Males incubate the eggs for 60 days, and during this
time they eat, drink, wee and poo very little. Once the eggs Komodo dragons can only be found in Indonesia. They are
hatch, the male is the sole parent for about two years. After the world’s heaviest lizards. They can grow up to 3 m long. Their
laying the egg, the female goes to find another group of emus body is covered in scales. They’ve got four short legs with 5-toed
and another male. Emu chicks are cream coloured with dark feet. Their tail is long (longer than their body) and strong. They
stripes running from head to tail. crawl and can swim too.

Adapted from Emu. (n.d.). BirdLife Australia. https://birdlife.org.au/ They are cannibals because they sometimes feed on other
bird-profiles/emu/ Komodo dragons. When a baby Komodo dragon hatches, it
quickly climbs up a tree and stays there till it’s big enough to
WEEDY SEA DRAGON avoid being eaten. Their diet consists of feeding on dead animals.
A Komodo dragon’s bite is very dangerous because their mouth is
Weedy sea dragons are related to sea horses. What full of venomous bacteria, so if you ever get bitten, you could die.
differentiates them is the fact that they do not have a pouch
to carry their young, but rather male sea dragons carry their Komodo dragons can live up to 40 years. They are solitary
eggs on the underside of their tails. Weedy sea dragons have animals. They live in burrows. When it’s very hot, they stay inside
a long pipe-like snout, and they have leaf-like appendages. This the burrow to regulate their body temperature. Komodo dragons
Australian species lives in rocky reefs and they are very good have a flexible skull in order to be able to swallow large pieces
at camouflaging. They feed on small crustaceans and breed in of food. They’ve got such a good sense of smell that they can
early summer. Weedy sea dragons are very poor swimmers and, smell a dead animal from 4 km away. They use their forked
unfortunately, they are an endangered and protected species. tongue to pick up smells in the air.

Adapted from Weedy Sea dragon (n.d.). Australian Museum. Female Komodo dragons lay between 20 and 40 eggs, which
https://australian.museum/learn/animals/fishes/weedy-seadragon- they bury underground. After eight months, the baby dragons
phyllopteryx-taeniolatus/ hatch and find shelter in trees. Komodo dragon’s eggs are not hard
like those of a chicken, they are soft like a balloon full of water.
KIWI BIRDS
Komodo dragons are in danger of extinction. There are very
few left because they are hunted for their skin.
Kiwi birds are strange birds that can only be found in New
Zealand. Kiwi birds are as big as chickens and lay eggs as big
Adapted from Caring for Komodo Dragons, the World’s Largest
as those of an ostrich. They have got tiny wings, which in fact Lizards. (n.d.). Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.
serve no purpose because they can’t fly. Kiwi birds didn’t need com/blogs/national-zoo-conservation-biology-institute/2021/01/26/
to fly in the past because there weren’t any predators for them in caring-komodo-dragons-worlds-largest-lizards/
New Zealand. Nowadays, however, they are critically endangered
because settlers introduced predators such as dogs. Many kiwis
ORANGUTANS
are also run over by cars.
Orangutans are apes (because they haven’t got a tail), the
Kiwi birds are strange birds not only because of the size of
biggest arboreal apes as a matter of fact, which means they
their wings, but also because their body is covered in hair-like
are the biggest apes that live in trees. They sleep in nests that
feathers. They have got a long beak with two nostrils at the
they make in the treetops. They sleep in a different nest every
end of it. Their sense of smell is very good. Their face is paler in
day. Orangutans are solitary animals, if you see two orangutans
colour than their body. They’ve got 3-toed feet with sharp claws.
together it’s because they are mother and child. Nowadays,
Their body is round. Kiwi birds are called this name because
orangutans only live in Borneo and Sumatra (two islands in
the noise they make sounds like “kiwi, kiwi”.
Indonesia). In Malay, the word orangutan means “person of the
forest”. Orangutans have long red hair. Their arms are longer
The females are bigger than the males. It is the females that
than their legs. They don’t walk upright; they walk on their
lay the eggs and the males who incubate them. A kiwi bird
knuckles. Males and females look very different. Males are
can live to the age of 30. Kiwi birds are nocturnal and feed on
bigger and especially their faces. Males have got cheek pads
insects and fallen fruit. Kiwis live in burrows, and mate for life.
and a throat sac. Orangutans are critically endangered because
humans are destroying their habitat in order to plant oil palm
Adapted from Korero: Kiwi. (n.d.). Te Ara. https://teara.govt.nz/mi/kiwi
trees. As a result, many are starving to death. Illegal hunters
also kill orangutans, especially mummies with babies because
they want to sell the babies as pets. Lots of baby orangutans
are left orphaned. Orangutans feed on fruit, leaves and insects.

– 12 – my English
Kids&Us 24-25
 Animal Planet 1 | Introduction

Adapted from Bornean Orangutan. (n.d.). World Wildlife Fund. https:// in the UK because they were introduced to the deer parks, these
www.worldwildlife.org/species/bornean-orangutan animals are native to eastern Asia. They are not currently under
threat of extinction. Additionally, they can be quite dangerous
SEA TURTLES the mating season.

Sea turtles are large reptiles that can be found around the Adapted from Sika Deer. (n.d.). Woodland Trust. https://www.
world in tropical and subtropical seas. The size, shapes and woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/mammals/
colours of sea turtles vary. They have a shell and hard scales. The sika-deer/
arrangement of these scales over their body helps to determine
the species. Sea turtles have a beak and large flippers, which RED PANDA
make them great swimmers. When they are between 15 and
50 years old, female sea turtles lay their eggs on the shore, and Red pandas are small, slightly bigger than a domestic cat.
they hatch on land. Some sea turtle species are endangered, Red pandas have thick red fur, although their belly and limbs are
and some others are threatened. black, and they have white markings on the side of their head
and above their eyes. Red pandas live in trees and almost all
Adapted from Information About Sea Turtles: An Introduction. (n.d.). of them live in the eastern Himalayas. They are herbivores and
Sea Turtle Conservancy. https://conserveturtles.org/information- their name means bamboo or plant eating animal. The climate
about-sea-turtles-an-introduction/ crisis and the consequent loss of nesting trees and bamboo is
a threat to red pandas. They are also victims of poachers who
DUGONGS want to catch them and sell their pelts, which currently makes
them an endangered species.
Dugongs are marine mammals. They are also known as sea
cows because they feed on sea grass in the Indian and western Adapted from Red Panda. (n.d.). World Wildlife Fund. https://www.
Pacific oceans. Dugongs are very popular because people can worldwildlife.org/species/red-panda
swim with them or observe them from boats. Unfortunately, these
animals are threatened because there is a loss or degradation
of their grass habitat due to industrial works and pollution.

Adapted from Dugong. (n.d). World Wildlife Fund. https://www.

worldwildlife.org/species/dugong

GREAT HORNBILL

The great hornbill is a very big bird which has a very large
bill that looks like a big casque. They are generally black, but
their neck is white, and their beak and feathers can have some
yellow. Great hornbills can live for up to 35 years and they are
native to Asia, with the majority living in India. They love living
in wet forest areas where they can find fruit trees. However, they
also feed on small insects and small animals. Unfortunately,
they are a near threatened species due to deforestation and
because they may be hunted for food or as pets.

Adapted from Great Hornbill. (n.d.). Sea World Parks & Entertainment.
https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/birds/great-hornbill/

SIKA DEER

Sika deer are medium-sized animals who can measure up to

a metre tall to the shoulder when standing. They have yellow-
brown fur with white spots that change into greyish brown in
winter. Something very characteristic about them is that male
sika deer have antlers which look very big because they have
a small head in comparison to their body. Sika deer eat grass,
heather, sedges, tree bark and shoots. Although you can find them

– 13 – my English
Kids&Us 24-25