A week of talks opened on Monday in Kinshasa, Congo, to help save the world’s great apes. Governments are meeting to create a global agreement aimed at protecting endangered apes across the world. The focus of the meetings is to save these precious primates from extinction. Urgent action is needed to ensure their survival. Teams from 23 nations from Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia are taking part in the discussions. These countries are home to the world’s gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.

Many zoologists think most of the great apes will be extinct within a generation. Numbers have reduced from millions in the 19^th century to just 400,000 today. This number is sharply declining year by year. Logging, poaching and wars are putting the apes in great danger. Over half of the apes’ natural habitat is in war-torn regions. Ian Redmond of the U.N.’s Great Apes Survival Project says there is a “shared determination to address the problems”.

WARM-UPS

1. APE DANGER: You are now an ape. Decide if you are a gorilla, chimpanzee or orangutan. You have heard that all apes might disappear within 25 years because of the actions of humans. Talk to the other “apes” in the class about your daily life in the jungle and the possibility of extinction.

2. EXTINCTION: What would think if the following animals became extinct? What can we do to stop them from becoming extinct? Rank them in order or which animals you want to save most.

Chimpanzees Tigers Red-necked Amazonian frogs Ostriches

Cockroaches Ants Elephants Golden Eagles

3. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.

Great apes / talks / extinction / Congo / endangered species / survival / gorillas / chimpanzees / orangutans / zoologists / logging / poaching / optimism

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

4. CHIMPANZEE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with chimpanzees. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

5. SENTENCE STARTERS: In pairs / groups, agree on the endings to the following sentence starters. Talk about your finished sentences. Change partners and share and compare your sentences.

1. Chimpanzees are __________________________________________________.
2. The Congo meeting will _____________________________________________.
3. Extinction of the great apes _________________________________________.
4. Poachers should ___________________________________________________.
5. The U.N. ________________________________________________________.
6. Western governments ______________________________________________.
7. African governments _______________________________________________.
8. We _____________________________________________________________.

6. QUICK DEBATE: Students A think the great apes will survive. Students B think the great apes have no chance of surviving. Change partners often.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	There will be a “great ape Olympics” for apes to race each other.	T / F
b.	A meeting in Africa has been set up to save apes from extinction.	T / F
c.	There is little chance the great apes will become extinct.	T / F
d.	Brazil, India and China are home to the world’s great apes.	T / F
e.	Zoologists think the great apes will be extinct within a generation.	T / F
f.	Ape numbers have fallen dramatically since the 19th century.	T / F
g.	Most of the world’s apes live in war zones.	T / F
h.	A U.N. spokesman determined to address the problems.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.	opened	guarantee
b.	global	threatened
c.	endangered	will
d.	primates	declined
e.	ensure	started
f.	within	environment
g.	reduced	inside
h.	danger	worldwide
i.	habitat	apes
j.	determination	peril

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	A week of	to ensure their survival
b.	a global agreement aimed	the apes in great danger
c.	save these precious	a generation
d.	Urgent action is needed	primates from extinction
e.	These countries are home	to address the problems
f.	extinct within	to the world’s gorillas
g.	This number is	talks opened on Monday
h.	wars are putting	in war-torn regions
i.	the apes’ natural habitat is	at protecting endangered apes
j.	a shared determination	sharply declining

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the gaps in the text.

Congo conference to save great apes

A week of talks _______ on Monday in Kinshasa, Congo, to help _______ the world’s great apes. Governments are meeting to create a global agreement _______ at protecting endangered apes across the world. The _______ of the meetings is to save these precious primates from _______. Urgent action is needed to _______ their survival. Teams from 23 nations from Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia are taking _______ in the discussions. These countries are _______ to the world’s gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.		extinction part aimed ensure save home focus opened
Many _______ think most of the great apes will be extinct within a _______. Numbers have reduced from _______ in the 19th century to just 400,000 today. This number is _______ declining year by year. Logging, _______ and wars are putting the apes in great _______. Over half of the apes’ natural _______ is in war-torn regions. Ian Redmond of the U.N.’s Great Apes Survival Project says there is a “shared determination to _______ the problems”.		millions danger address zoologists poaching generation habitat sharply

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘great’ and ‘ape’.

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the gap fill. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. STUDENT “GREAT APES” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about the great apes and their survival.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

week global across focus urgent home

zoologists reduced sharply danger habitat address

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1. What did you think when you first read this headline?
2. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
3. What were your feelings after you read the article?
4. Do you think the great apes will survive?
5. Is it important that the great apes survive?
6. Do you think the global agreement will work?
7. Only African countries and Malaysia and Indonesia are attending the conference. Should there be more countries?
8. Which is your favorite great ape?
9. Would you like to do something to help the great apes?
10. Do you think apes can be bred in zoos and then put into the wild?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. Do you think we come from apes?
4. What do you think of the declining numbers of apes?
5. Who should stop loggers and poachers?
6. What punishment should be given to loggers and poachers?
7. Do you think war-torn regions in Africa will become peaceful enough for apes to survive?
8. What do you think of the idea of making jungles in the USA and filling them with African animals?
9. What endangered species might be next to become extinct?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What question would you like to ask about this topic?
2. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
3. Was there a question you didn’t like?
4. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
5. What did you like talking about?
6. Do you want to know how anyone else answered the questions?
7. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

GORILLA INTERVIEW: In pairs / groups, write down questions you would like to ask gorillas about their lives and opinions. The following ideas may be useful:

• Jungle
• War
• Logging
• Poaching
• Extinction
• Declining numbers
• Lost friends
• The Kinshasa meeting
• Man
• The future

Take turns in role playing the interviewer and gorilla. Change partners and discuss what you heard from previous partners.

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Congo conference to save great apes

A week of talks ________ on Monday in Kinshasa, Congo, to help save the world’s great apes. Governments are meeting to ________ a global agreement aimed at protecting endangered apes ________ the world. The focus of the meetings is to save these ________ primates from extinction. Urgent action is needed to ________ their survival. Teams from 23 nations from Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia are taking ________ in the discussions. These countries are ________ to the world’s gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.

Many zoologists think most of the great apes will be ________ within a generation. Numbers have ________ from millions in the 19^th century to just 400,000 today. This number is ________ declining year by year. Logging, poaching and wars are putting the apes in ________ danger. Over half of the apes’ natural ________ is in war-torn regions. Ian Redmond of the U.N.’s Great Apes Survival Project says there is a “________ determination to ________ the problems”.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on the great apes. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson.

3. POSTER: Make a poster about chimpanzees, gorillas or orangutans. Explain their habitat, society structure and the dangers they face. Show your posters to your classmates in your next lesson. Did you all find out about similar things?

4. DIARY / JOURNAL: You are a gorilla in the Congo jungle. Write the diary / journal entry for one day in your life. Write about the threats you face from man. Read what you wrote to your classmates in your next lesson. Did you all write about similar things?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. F

d. F

e. T

f. T

g. T

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:
 

a.	opened	started
b.	global	worldwide
c.	endangered	threatened
d.	primates	apes
e.	ensure	guarantee
f.	within	inside
g.	reduced	declined
h.	danger	peril
i.	habitat	environment
j.	determination	will

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	A week of	talks opened on Monday
b.	a global agreement aimed	at protecting endangered apes
c.	save these precious	primates from extinction
d.	Urgent action is needed	to address the problems
e.	These countries are home	to the world’s gorillas
f.	extinct within	a generation
g.	This number is	sharply declining
h.	wars are putting	the apes in great danger
i.	the apes’ natural habitat is	in war-torn regions
j.	a shared determination	to ensure their survival

GAP FILL:

Congo conference to save great apes

A week of talks opened on Monday in Kinshasa, Congo, to help save the world’s great apes. Governments are meeting to create a global agreement aimed at protecting endangered apes across the world. The focus of the meetings is to save these precious primates from extinction. Urgent action is needed to ensure their survival. Teams from 23 nations from Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia are taking part in the discussions. These countries are home to the world’s gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.

Many zoologists think most of the great apes will be extinct within a generation. Numbers have reduced from millions in the 19^th century to just 400,000 today. This number is sharply declining year by year. Logging, poaching and wars are putting the apes in great danger. Over half of the apes’ natural habitat is in war-torn regions. Ian Redmond of the U.N.’s Great Apes Survival Project says there is a “shared determination to address the problems”.

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