Dee Boersma: Pay attention to penguins 

Speaking Discussion:

1. sentinel

2. diligent

3. census

4. bray

5. plaintive

6. plight

7. composite

8. fledgling

9. ballast

10. distil

11. cutting edge

12. speckled

13. cattle

14. smack

15. rifle

16. bush

17. enzyme

Practice these words with quizzes: http://quizlet.com/4916918/study

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Questions:

1. Are penguins endangered? (Their number fluctuate with …)

2. Does global warming affect penguins? (drawback of being in the middle of the food chain)

3. Why do penguins have a white belly and black back?

4. Are there any albino penguins? (albinism is a hindrance for penguins)

5. What do penguins eat? (stay submerged for 5 minutes…)

6. How do penguins drink? (A special gland near the beak can remove …)

7. How are penguins able to regurgitate food for their young long after having eaten? (There are 3 different ways …)

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Read more about the penguins: http://www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica/PenguinFAQ.html

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Discussing pros and cons

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Using animals in circus acts

 

Pain and suffering - mental anguish, self-mutilating, swaying, pacing, bar-biting, lash out

Animal abuse - harsh treatment has spawned protests

 

Useful phrases:

 

On the whole, I’m in favor of/not in favor of …

One benefit/ drawback is that …

What’s more, …

On the other hand, …

Another argument in favor of/against … is …

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Homework: Poaching threatened species (see page 19) and Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover's Soul