Animals & Environment
Select a Level
NEW
26 Oct 2026
Credit: DamianKuzdak
Why Hibernating Animals Don't Dream
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 hedgehog sleeping in the snow
b) A hedgehog in a pile of leaves
c) A hedgehog swimming in a pond
Ask:
(1) Which animals sleep all winter?
(2) What do you dream about at night?
VOCABULARY
winter (/ˈwɪntə/, noun)
Meaning: The coldest time of the year.
Example: In winter, I wear a big warm hat.
hedgehog (/ˈhedʒhɒɡ/, noun)
Meaning: A small brown animal with lots of sharp spikes on its back.
Example: A little hedgehog is hiding in my garden.
leaves (/liːvz/, noun)
Meaning: The flat green, red or brown parts of a tree. One is a leaf.
Example: I love jumping in a big pile of leaves.
cold (/kəʊld/, adjective)
Meaning: Not warm at all.
Example: My hands are cold, so I put on my gloves.
dream (/driːm/, verb)
Meaning: To see pictures and stories in your head when you sleep.
Example: I sometimes dream about flying like a bird.
breathe (/briːð/, verb)
Meaning: To take air in and out through your nose or mouth.
Example: I breathe slowly when I feel calm.
slow (/sləʊ/, adjective)
Meaning: Not fast.
Example: My old tortoise is very slow.
It is winter, and it is very cold. Look! A little hedgehog is lying in a big pile of leaves. Is it sleeping? No, it is hibernating.
Hibernating is not the same as sleeping. When you sleep, your brain is busy, and you often dream about fun things. But a hibernating hedgehog is very, very still. Its body is cold, and it breathes very slowly. The tiny heart beats slowly too.
So the hedgehog is saving energy for the long, cold winter. Its brain is resting, and there are no dreams at all. Shh! It is having a big, quiet rest.
But one special animal is different. It is the fat-tailed lemur, and it lives on an island called Madagascar. This lemur hibernates too, but sometimes its eyes move very fast under its eyelids. Scientists think it can dream!
Now spring is coming. The hedgehog is waking up, and it is hungry, so it looks for food. Do you dream at night? What do you dream about?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Section 8: Discussion Questions
1. Where is the hedgehog lying?
2. Is hibernating the same as sleeping?
3. Why do you think the hedgehog breathes slowly?
4. Which animal can dream in winter?
5. What do you like to dream about?
FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Word Bank: dream, leaves, breathes, winter
It is _______(1), and it is very cold. Look! A little hedgehog is lying in a big pile of _______(2). Is it sleeping? No, it is hibernating.
Hibernating is not the same as sleeping. When you sleep, your brain is busy, and you often _______(3) about fun things. But a hibernating hedgehog is very, very still. Its body is cold, and it _______(4) very slowly. The tiny heart beats slowly too.
So the hedgehog is saving energy for the long, cold winter. Its brain is resting, and there are no dreams at all. Shh! It is having a big, quiet rest.
But one special animal is different. It is the fat-tailed lemur, and it lives on an island called Madagascar. This lemur hibernates too, but sometimes its eyes move very fast under its eyelids. Scientists think it can dream!
Now spring is coming. The hedgehog is waking up, and it is hungry, so it looks for food. Do you dream at night? What do you dream about?
Section 2: Main Idea
Which sentence best describes the main idea of the story?
a) Hedgehogs eat lots of food in winter.
b) Lemurs live on an island called Madagascar.
c) Hibernating animals do not dream, but one lemur is different.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
1. The hedgehog is lying in a pile of leaves. T/F
2. A hibernating hedgehog breathes very fast. T/F
3. The fat-tailed lemur lives on an island. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Put the events in order. Write 1, 2 or 3.
____ a) The hedgehog wakes up and looks for food.
____ b) A hedgehog lies down in a pile of leaves.
____ c) The hedgehog breathes slowly and does not dream.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
1. hedgehog
2. leaves
3. dream
4. breathe
5. slow
a) not fast
b) to take air in and out
c) a small animal with sharp spikes
d) to see pictures in your head when you sleep
e) the flat parts of a tree
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
Choose the best answer to complete each sentence.
1. I think hedgehogs hibernate because ________.
a) it is very hot
b) they need to save energy
c) they want to dream
2. A hibernating hedgehog does not dream because its brain is ________.
a) resting
b) singing
c) running
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
Put the parts in the correct order to make a sentence.
1. A. is lying / B. of leaves. / C. Today / D. the hedgehog / E. in a pile
________________________________________________
2. A. can / B. Scientists / C. dream. / D. the lemur / E. think
________________________________________________
ANSWER KEY
Warm Up
b) A hedgehog in a pile of leaves
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
(1) winter
(2) leaves
(3) dream
(4) breathes
Section 2: Main Idea
c) Hibernating animals do not dream, but one lemur is different.
Section 3: True or False
1. True
2. False
3. True
Section 4: Put Events in Order
a) 3
b) 1
c) 2
Correct order: b, c, a
Section 5: Vocab Match
1. hedgehog – c) a small animal with sharp spikes
2. leaves – e) the flat parts of a tree
3. dream – d) to see pictures in your head when you sleep
4. breathe – b) to take air in and out
5. slow – a) not fast
Section 6: Discussion Builder
1. b) they need to save energy
2. a) resting
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
1. C, D, A, E, B: Today the hedgehog is lying in a pile of leaves.
2. B, E, D, A, C: Scientists think the lemur can dream.
Section 8: Discussion Questions (model answers)
1. It is lying in a big pile of leaves.
2. No, it is not. The hedgehog is very still and its brain is resting.
3. Because it is saving energy for the long, cold winter.
4. The fat-tailed lemur.
5. Answers will vary, e.g. I like to dream about flying.
Thank you for your feedback!