Animals & Environment
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13 Oct 2026
Clever Creatures: The Animals That Solve Puzzles Just for Fun
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Section: Warm Up
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) A raccoon opens a box with a sweet treat inside.
b) A cat finds a toy under a bed.
c) A horse runs in a big race.
Ask:
(1) Do you like puzzles?
(2) Which animal do you think is very clever?
VOCABULARY
puzzle (/ˈpʌz.əl/, noun)
Meaning: A fun problem or game that you think about to solve.
Example: I do a puzzle with my brother after school.
box (/bɒks/, noun)
Meaning: A thing with sides and a lid. You can put things inside it.
Example: My crayons are in a red box.
treat (/triːt/, noun)
Meaning: A special food that you like, often something sweet.
Example: I get a treat on my birthday.
curious (/ˈkjʊə.ri.əs/, adjective)
Meaning: Wanting to know more about something.
Example: My puppy is curious about the new ball.
arm (/ɑːm/, noun)
Meaning: A long part of the body. You have two. An octopus has eight.
Example: I wave my arm to say hello.
clever (/ˈklev.ə/, adjective)
Meaning: Good at thinking and learning things quickly.
Example: My clever friend can count to one hundred.
stick (/stɪk/, noun)
Meaning: A long, thin piece of wood from a tree.
Example: The dog is running with a big stick.
stone (/stəʊn/, noun)
Meaning: A small, hard piece of rock.
Example: I find a smooth grey stone in the park.
Some animals love puzzles. A puzzle is a fun problem. Scientists are watching clever animals. What are the animals doing?
Raccoons are small grey animals. They have black masks on their faces. Scientists give them a clear box. A sweet treat is inside the box. The raccoons open the box and eat the treat. Then they open the box again and again! They are curious. They think puzzles are fun.
Chimpanzees like puzzles too. They push things through long pipes with a stick. Sometimes there is no food. They play anyway!
Octopuses live in the sea. They have eight long arms. An octopus pulls a small box through a hole. Inside the box is a piece of shrimp.
Crows are black birds. They are very clever. A crow takes a small stick. It gets three stones with the stick. It drops the stones into a box. Now it has a long stick. It uses the long stick to get food. Wow!
Elephants open puzzle boxes with their long noses too. Which animal is your favourite puzzle champion?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Section 8: Discussion Questions
1. Do you like puzzles?
2. Which animal in the story do you like best? Why?
3. What is your favourite treat?
4. Do you know another clever animal?
5. Is a puzzle fun or hard for you?
FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Read the text. Use the words in the Word Bank to fill in the gaps.
Word Bank: stones | clever | treat | arms
Some animals love puzzles. A puzzle is a fun problem. Scientists are watching clever animals. What are the animals doing?
Raccoons are small grey animals. They have black masks on their faces. Scientists give them a clear box. A sweet _______(1) is inside the box. The raccoons open the box and eat the treat. Then they open the box again and again! They are curious. They think puzzles are fun.
Chimpanzees like puzzles too. They push things through long pipes with a stick. Sometimes there is no food. They play anyway!
Octopuses live in the sea. They have eight long _______(2). An octopus pulls a small box through a hole. Inside the box is a piece of shrimp.
Crows are black birds. They are very _______(3). A crow takes a small stick. It gets three _______(4) with the stick. It drops the stones into a box. Now it has a long stick. It uses the long stick to get food. Wow!
Elephants open puzzle boxes with their long noses too. Which animal is your favourite puzzle champion?
Section 2: Main Idea
What is the main idea of the story? Choose the best answer.
a) Some animals are clever and like solving puzzles.
b) Raccoons live in the sea with octopuses.
c) Crows do not like food or sticks.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
Read the sentences. Circle T (true) or F (false).
1. Raccoons have black masks on their faces. T/F
2. Octopuses have six arms. T/F
3. The crow uses a long stick to get food. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Write 1, 2 or 3 to put the events in the correct order.
___ The crow drops the stones into a box.
___ The crow gets three stones with a small stick.
___ The crow uses the long stick to get food.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
1. puzzle
2. treat
3. arm
4. stick
5. stone
a) a small, hard piece of rock
b) a long, thin piece of wood
c) a fun problem to solve
d) a long part of the body (an octopus has eight)
e) a sweet food you like
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
Choose the best word or phrase to complete each sentence.
1. I think the crow is clever ______ it uses sticks.
a) because
b) but
c) or
2. Raccoons ______ puzzles. They are fun!
a) like
b) likes
c) liking
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
Put the parts in the correct order to make a sentence.
1. A) a B) treat C) eat D) Raccoons E) sweet
______________________________________________
2. A) have B) arms C) Octopuses D) long E) eight
______________________________________________
ANSWER KEY
Answer Key
Warm Up
a) A raccoon opens a box with a sweet treat inside.
Ask questions: answers will vary.
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
(1) treat
(2) arms
(3) clever
(4) stones
Section 2: Main Idea
a) Some animals are clever and like solving puzzles.
Section 3: True or False
1. True
2. False (they have eight arms)
3. True
Section 4: Put Events in Order
2, 1, 3 (first it gets three stones, then it drops the stones into a box, then it uses the long stick to get food)
Section 5: Vocab Match
1 – c, 2 – e, 3 – d, 4 – b, 5 – a
Section 6: Discussion Builder
1. a) because
2. a) like
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
1. D, C, A, E, B – Raccoons eat a sweet treat.
2. C, A, E, D, B – Octopuses have eight long arms.
Section 8: Discussion Questions
Answers will vary. Encourage students to answer in full sentences and give reasons using ideas from the article.
Thank you for your feedback!