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Bright Lives English · Teacher sheet

Jane Goodall: She Had No Degree… Then Changed What We Know About Chimpanzees

Level A2 (Elementary) · Video 3:56 · 45-minute lesson

brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/jane-goodall-chimpanzees/

45-minute lesson plan

TimeStageWhat to do
0–3′Warm-upAsk the class: “What animals would you like to watch for a whole day? Why?” Let a few students answer.
3–13′WordsPre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: chimpanzee, forest, patient, notebook, grass. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example.
13–20′VideoPlay the video (3:56). Students follow the transcript. Play it a second time if needed.
20–28′ComprehensionWorksheet C (or the online Story Challenge): check answers together. Ask “How do you know?”
28–35′Grammardream of + verb-ing: to talk about a big wish or hope. Show “She dreamed of living with animals in Africa.”, then do worksheet E together.
35–43′WorksheetStudents do worksheet A, B and D alone or in pairs. Check with the answer key.
43–45′SpeakingIn pairs: “Jane Goodall waited for months before the chimpanzees came close. When were you very patient? What happened?”

Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.

Words and grammar

  • chimpanzee (noun): a clever animal from the forests of Africa, very close to humans. “The chimpanzees ran away from her.”
  • forest (noun): a big area of land with many trees. “Every morning, she walked into the forest.”
  • patient (adjective): able to wait for a long time and stay calm. “She was very patient.”
  • notebook (noun): a small book for writing notes. “She wrote everything in her notebook.”
  • grass (noun): the green plant that covers the ground (a piece of grass). “The chimpanzee pushed a piece of grass into the hole.”

Grammar: dream of + verb-ing — to talk about a big wish or hope. “She dreamed of living with animals in Africa.”

Discussion questions

  1. Jane Goodall waited for months before the chimpanzees came close. When were you very patient? What happened?
  2. What was the hardest moment in Jane Goodall's story? What did Jane Goodall do?
  3. Make two sentences about your own life with “dream of + verb-ing”. (From the story: “She dreamed of living with animals in Africa.”)

Student worksheet

Name: Date:

A Match the words to their meanings

  1. chimpanzee (noun)
  2. forest (noun)
  3. patient (adjective)
  4. notebook (noun)
  5. grass (noun)
  6. termite (noun)
  7. degree (noun)
  8. protect (verb)
  1. a big area of land with many trees
  2. to keep someone or something safe
  3. able to wait for a long time and stay calm
  4. a clever animal from the forests of Africa, very close to humans
  5. the green plant that covers the ground (a piece of grass)
  6. a small book for writing notes
  7. a small insect that lives in a big hill of earth
  8. what you get when you finish a university course

B Complete the sentences from the story

degree · notebook · protecting · chimpanzees · forest · grass · termites · patient

  1. The chimpanzee pushed a piece of into the hole.
  2. She dreamed of chimpanzees and their forests.
  3. Every morning, she walked into the .
  4. The chimpanzee ate the from the grass.
  5. She wrote everything in her .
  6. She was very .
  7. She studied at Cambridge University, without a first .
  8. The ran away from her.

C Did you understand?

  1. Where was Jane Goodall born?
    1. Nairobi
    2. London
    3. Paris
    4. Cambridge
  2. Jane went to university before she went to Africa.True / False
  3. Why did she hide in a henhouse as a little girl?
    1. To play a game
    2. To find her dog
    3. To see a hen lay an egg
    4. To sleep
  4. Who came with her to Gombe in 1960?
    1. Louis Leakey
    2. Her mother
    3. Her sister
    4. A teacher
  5. At first, the chimpanzees ran away from her.True / False
  6. What did the old chimpanzee use as a tool?
    1. A stone
    2. A notebook
    3. A leaf
    4. A piece of grass

D Put the words in order

  1. She / living / animals / of / with / Africa / in / dreamed

E Grammar: dream of + verb-ing

We use it for to talk about a big wish or hope. She wanted to live in Africa. → She dreamed of living in Africa. · dream of + verb-ing, not dream of to live

Example from the story: She dreamed of living with animals in Africa.

  1. As a girl, she dreamed of in Africa. (living / live / to live)
  2. Many children dream of animals. (helping / help / helps)
  3. Later, she dreamed protecting the forests. (of / to / for)

F Your turn

Retell Jane Goodall's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.

Answer key

A. 1d 2a 3c 4f 5e 6g 7h 8b

B. 1 grass · 2 protecting · 3 forest · 4 termites · 5 notebook · 6 patient · 7 degree · 8 chimpanzees

C. 1 b · 2 False · 3 c · 4 b · 5 True · 6 d

D. 1 She dreamed of living with animals in Africa.

E. 1 living · 2 helping · 3 of

Transcript

She had no university degree.

She went into an African forest with only a notebook.

For months, the chimpanzees ran away from her.

Then one day, she saw something amazing.

What did she see?

This is the story of Jane Goodall.

Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.

Chimpanzee. A chimpanzee is a clever animal from the forests of Africa.

It is very close to humans.

The chimpanzees ran away from her.

Forest. A forest is a big area of land with many trees.

Every morning, she walked into the forest.

Patient. When you are patient, you can wait for a long time and stay calm.

She was very patient.

Notebook. A notebook is a small book for writing notes.

She wrote everything in her notebook.

Grass. Grass is the green plant that covers the ground.

The chimpanzee pushed a piece of grass into the hole.

Now, one pattern: dream of doing something.

We use it for a big wish.

She wanted to live in Africa.

She dreamed of living in Africa.

She dreamed of living with animals in Africa.

Ready? Let's begin.

Jane Goodall was born in London in 1934.

As a little girl, she loved animals.

Once, she hid in a henhouse for hours to see a hen lay an egg.

Her family looked for her everywhere.

She read books about Africa, and she dreamed of living with animals there.

But there was no money for university.

So she worked as a waitress and saved every penny.

In 1957, she sailed to Kenya.

There, she met a famous scientist, Louis Leakey.

Later, he gave her a big job: watch wild chimpanzees in the forest.

In 1960, she arrived at Gombe, in Tanzania.

Her mother came with her.

Every morning, she walked into the forest with her notebook.

But the chimpanzees ran away from her.

Weeks passed. Months passed.

She was very patient.

Then one day, she saw an old chimpanzee at an insect hill.

The chimpanzee pushed a piece of grass into the hole.

He pulled it out, full of insects, and ate them.

He was using a tool!

Before, people believed that only humans made tools.

Her discovery changed science.

She wrote everything in her notebook.

As a little girl, she dreamed of living with animals.

Now, she really did.

Later, she studied at Cambridge University, without a first degree.

Then she dreamed of protecting chimpanzees and their forests.

For many years, she travelled almost three hundred days a year to speak for them.

Let's review. The chimpanzees ran away from her.

Every morning, she walked into the forest.

She was very patient.

She wrote everything in her notebook.

The chimpanzee pushed a piece of grass into the hole.

And remember: she dreamed of living with animals in Africa.

Jane Goodall's story teaches us: be patient, and follow your dream.

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