News by Levels · Level 3 · For teachers

Teacher guide & answers

In this lesson: Evaluate whether animal evidence establishes a clinical treatment.

Heart Repair Research Shows Promise in Mice

How to use these two pages

Give learners the student worksheet. It contains the story and questions, without the answers. Keep this guide for yourself. Use it to lead the activity and explain the answers afterwards.

Student worksheet

A simple 15–20-minute lesson

Before reading · 2 minutes
Show the title. Ask: “What do you think this story is about?”
Read and answer · 8–10 minutes
Give out the student worksheet. Learners read for the main idea, then reread to answer the 2 questions. They can compare answers with a partner.
Discuss and write · 5–8 minutes
Check the answers below together. Ask learners to point to the clue in the story, then finish with the open question.

Adjust the support: Let learners use word help or Level 1 if needed. For a challenge, compare the wording in another level. This activity is not a proficiency test.

Answers to the 2 questions

The question numbers match the student worksheet. Each answer includes a reason and the clue learners can find in the story.

Which headline would overstate the evidence?
Correct answer: C — Heart treatment proved safe for patients
Why: The final sentence says safety and effectiveness in patients still require testing.
Clue in the story: Compared with mock treatment, blood pumped per beat increased by around 10%. Larger-animal studies and human trials remain necessary before safety and effectiveness in patients can be established.
Why is the mock treatment important to the result?
Correct answer: B — It provides the comparison for the reported increase
Why: The reported increase is explicitly compared with mock treatment.
Clue in the story: Compared with mock treatment, blood pumped per beat increased by around 10%. Larger-animal studies and human trials remain necessary before safety and effectiveness in patients can be established.

The open question: accept different answers

Ask learners: Summarise the promise without describing an established human cure.

One possible answer: Temporary activation of Myc and Cyclin T1 encouraged mouse heart muscle to regenerate, with blood pumped per beat around 10% higher than after mock treatment. Larger-animal and human studies are still needed to establish clinical safety and effectiveness.

This is an example, not the only correct answer. Look for a relevant idea, a reason and the learner’s own words. Learners can answer aloud or write one or two sentences.

Grammar to discuss

A condition before a conclusion

before safety and effectiveness in patients can be established

Before makes further testing a prerequisite for the clinical conclusion, not an optional step after approval.