Wild Animals
Primary 4 · English
Wild Animals
Lesson 4 of 5
45 min
Last term, Umutoni's class went on a trip to Akagera. On Monday, everyone wanted to hear about it. “We saw giraffes! A hippo opened its huge mouth! We heard a lion!”
When we tell people about something we saw, we tell it in the past. Today you will read about a safari and learn to talk about your own experiences with animals.
This story is adapted from Big 5 Safari by Benard Kilaghai, on the African Storybook. It happens in Kenya, next to Tanzania. The “Big Five” are the lion, the leopard, the elephant, the rhino and the buffalo.
Our safari started in the afternoon with a train ride to the town of Voi. The train station was big and beautiful, with restaurants where we could have a snack.
The train went through Tsavo National Park. From the window we saw warthogs, gazelles, baboons, zebras and a pack of wild dogs. It was very exciting! That night we slept in a hotel.
We woke up early. A tour van picked us up and off we went. We could even see Mount Kilimanjaro far away.
Our first stop was an open field. There we saw a rhino standing alone. When we moved closer, he looked at us carefully. Then, slowly, he walked to a mud pit and sank into the mud.
Our guide explained that rhinos like to cover themselves in mud. The mud gets rid of pests on their skin, and it keeps them cool under the hot sun.
Next, we saw a huge herd of buffaloes eating the brown grass. The calves stood under their mothers. Our guide told us that this protects them from the sun and hides them from lions.
Suddenly, we heard a loud roar! Dust flew up and animals ran in all directions. A big lion was chasing a wildebeest. Later, we saw a leopard resting quietly on the branch of an acacia tree.
In the late afternoon, many animals came to the waterholes to drink. Big elephants drank and sprayed water on themselves to cool down. We watched them for over an hour!
As the sun went down behind the hills, we drove to the park gate. Visitors are not allowed in the park after dark. What a beautiful day it was!
How did the visitors travel to Voi?
By train.
Why do buffalo calves stand under their mothers?
To keep out of the hot sun and to hide from lions.
Which of the Big Five did the visitors see?
All five: a rhino, buffaloes, a lion, a leopard and elephants.
Why must visitors leave the park before dark, do you think?
Example: Because it is hard to see the animals, and it is not safe for people or animals.
Many verbs in the story are irregular. Learn them:
| Now | In the past |
|---|---|
| see | saw |
| go | went |
| hear | heard |
| sink | sank |
| stand | stood |
| fly | flew |
| drink | drank |
| drive | drove |
Other verbs are regular and add -ed: start → started, watch → watched, spray → sprayed.
Keza: Have you ever seen an elephant?
Byiringiro: Yes, I have! I saw one in Akagera last year.
Keza: What did it do?
Byiringiro: It sprayed water on its back. It was huge!
Keza: Have you ever seen a gorilla?
Byiringiro: No, I haven't. But I want to go to Volcanoes National Park one day.
Speak: Ask three friends, “Have you ever seen a …?” If they say yes, ask “Where did you see it? What did it do?”
Write a short recount of a time you saw an animal: in a park, in a forest, near a lake, on the farm or even on TV. Use First, Next, Then, Later and In the end, and at least five past simple verbs.
Tip
“Ever” asks, “last year” tells. Have you ever seen a lion? (at any time) → Yes, I saw one last year. (a finished time needs the past simple).
Write your answers in your exercise book, then check.
Write the past simple of see.
Answer: saw
Complete: We ___ (hear) a loud roar.
Answer: heard
Complete: The elephants ___ (spray) water on themselves.
Answer: sprayed
Answer: Have you ever seen a hippo? (No)
Answer: No, I haven't.
Put in order: (a) The visitors saw a rhino. (b) They rode a train to Voi. (c) They drove to the park gate.
Answer: b, a, c
What you learned today
Sources and credits
Quick check
Match each verb to its past simple.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
