News by Levels · Level 3 · For teachers
Teacher guide & answers
In this lesson: Separate dental measurements, an inferred body mass and an evolutionary interpretation.
Thai Fossils Broaden the History of Giant Rodents
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 worksheetA 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.
What supports the estimated body mass?
Correct answer: C — Dental measurements
Why: The first paragraph links dental measurements to the approximate mass.
Clue in the story: McGill’s November 10 report describes Yakamys sirindhornae teeth from Thailand. Dental measurements suggest a body mass of approximately 30 kilograms, but substantial uncertainty remains.
What would more fossils help explain?
Correct answer: B — The animal’s biology and history
Why: The final sentence names biology and history as questions requiring more fossils.
Clue in the story: The discovery suggests Southeast Asia also mattered in the early evolution of large rodents. More fossils are needed to explain the animal’s biology and history.
The open question: accept different answers
Ask learners: State the discovery’s evolutionary implication and its limit.
One possible answer: The discovery suggests Southeast Asia mattered in the early evolution of large rodents. However, substantial uncertainty remains in the body-mass estimate, and more fossils are needed to explain the animal’s biology and history.
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 cautious inference
suggest a body mass
Suggest marks an inference from the measurements, with substantial uncertainty explicitly retained.