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Big Cats Copyright Burt Books Ltd. 2011 Church Cottage Albemarle Crescent Scarborough North Yorkshire YO11 1XX info@burtbooks.com First published in the United Kingdom in 2011 By Burt Books Ltd. All rights reserved worldwide: No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without the written consent of the copyright holder and the publisher, application for which should be made to Burt Books ltd. The right of Coreen Burt to be identified as the author of Big Cats has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. THE DOWNLOAD OF THIS BIG CATS THEME ALLOWS FOR THE PRINTING OF COPIES FOR INDIVIDUAL PUPILS ONLY AND NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OR SALE TO OTHERS Learning Objectives My learning objectives for this theme are to: 1. Revise and remember high frequency spellings 2. Learn complex words that do not conform to regular patterns. 3. Apply spelling rules and recognise exceptions. 4. Appreciate the impact of figurative language in texts. 5. Improve my vocabulary by working out the meaning of unknown words in the text. 2
All about Big Cats. Lions, tigers and leopards are all members of the big cat family. They are all carnivores. They have strong claws and very strong teeth to help them to hunt other animals. All the big cats have excellent hearing and sight. They have sleek, muscular bodies and beautiful fur coats. Many big cats are endangered because people hunt them for their fur. The most endangered big cat is the tiger. Read the story about big cats at least twice and then answer the questions below. 1. Three animals which belong to the big cat family are the, and 2. A carnivore is an animal which: a) belongs to the cat family b)only eats meat c)eats cats 3. Why do big cats need to have big teeth and sharp claws? 4. Why are many of the big cats endangered? 5. Which big cat is the most endangered? 6. Match the word from the story with its meaning sleek endangered Having strong, well developed muscles Smooth to the touch muscular Could die out and become extinct 3
Read the story about a big cat s body then answer true or false to the statements below. Big cats have a very muscular body. They have long legs that allow them to leap, pounce or climb. It has a long, flexible tail that helps it to keep its balance. A big cat has pads on the underside of each foot. These pads are like cushions when the cat lands on a hard surface. A big cat s large eyes can see very well in the dark. They also have funnel-shaped ears that can turn and catch even the smallest sound. Big cats have long whiskers which are very sensitive and help the cat to find its way around. 1. Big cats have a very strong body. 2. Their long legs balance them so that they can leap and pounce. 3. Big 1. cats Big have cats good have balance a very strong because body. of their long tail. 4. Big 2. cats Their have long pads legs on balance the top them of each so that foot. they can leap and pounce. 3. Big cats have good balance because of their long tail. 5. Big 4. cats Big can cats see have very pads well on in the the top dark. of each foot. 6. Big 5. cats Big can cats hear can very see very well. well in the dark. 6. Big cats can hear very well. 7. Whiskers 7. Whiskers are sensitive are sensitive and hurt and big hurt cats. big cats. One word that means to have very strong muscles is. Another word that means, to jump is _. A word that means that something can bend and twist easily is. A word that means that you can feel things very easily is. 4
Here are some of the words that you should learn to spell. Write each one in the box and then find them in the word search, CARNIVORES MUSCULAR FLEXIBLE ENDANGERED SLEEK SENSITIVE BALANCE LEOPARD TIGER EXTINCT WHISKERS MUSCLES Write out your spellings here. C L E O P A R D F E W A A M U S C L E S U P R R W O E U E W E W P N H X W Y N T X S R O I E T D D R T S E B S V F U A A I L L A K U O P N L N E S L E D F R G U C E O A R R W G E C T K R N S E R Y R S A E W C G G D E E U T S A E Y I S F D M S E N S I T I V E R 5
In the story below all the capital letters and full stops have been left out. Use a coloured pencil or felt tip pen to fill them in. The Lion and the Mouse once when a lion was asleep a little mouse began running up and down upon him this soon wakened the lion who placed his huge paw upon him and opened his big jaws to swallow him "pardon, o king," cried the little Mouse "forgive me this time I shall never forget it who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?" the lion was so tickled at the idea of the mouse being able to help him that he lifted up his paw and let him go some time after the lion was caught in a trap and the hunters who desired to carry him alive to the king tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on just then the little mouse happened to pass by and seeing the sad plight in which the lion was went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the king of the beasts "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse so the saying is so very true that: little friends may prove great friends 6
Choose to be either the mouse or the lion. Write a report for a newspaper telling your story. How did you feel? What happened? What did you tell your friends afterwards? 7
The Siberian Tiger The Siberian tiger is the largest, most powerful cat in the whole world. Sadly, there are only about 200 of these tigers left in the wild. The Siberian tiger lives in China, Siberia and Korea. It s long, thick fur keeps it warm in the very cold winters of these lands. The Siberian tiger lives deep in the forests. In winter their fur coats becomes much paler so that deer, pigs and other prey cannot see them so easily. Read the story at least twice and answer these questions in full sentences. Don t forget the capital letters at the beginning of a sentence and the full stops at the end. 1. Which big cat is the most powerful? 2. How many Siberian tigers are left in the wild? 3. Where do you think there are other Siberian tigers? 4. How does the Siberian tiger keep warm in the winter? 5. In which habitat is the Siberian tiger found in the wild? 6. Why can the tiger s prey not see it very easily in the winter? 7. Which animals does the Siberian tiger prey on? 8
Plurals more than one! Here are some words from the stories that you have already read that need to be changed from one to many. teeth body foot forest deer A big cat s body.... (One cat or many?) In the sentences below say if there are many cats or only one cat in that sentence. Write one or many in the box at the end of the sentence Look at these 2 sentences: 1. The cats played in the garden. (MANY CATS) 2. The cat s paw was sore. (ONE CAT) 1. The cat s muscular body and long legs allow it to leap easily. 2. Big cats 1. are The powerful cat s muscular carnivores. body and long legs allow it to leap easily. 2. Big cats are powerful carnivores. 3. Today, many big cats are endangered. 4. The Siberian 3. Today, tiger s many long, big thick cats are fur keeps endangered. it warm in the icy winters. 4. The Siberian tiger s long, thick fur keeps it warm in the icy 5. The lions winters. slept under the Baobab tree. 6. The cheetah s 5. The paws lions slept and claws under are the blunt. Baobab tree. 7. The spots 6. The on cheetah s a jaguar s paws coat and help claws to camouflage are blunt. it in the jungle. 9
Read the story about the Siberian Tiger on Page 8. Make a list of all the NOUNS. See if you can find 15 NOUNS Thereare PROPER nouns and COMMOMN nouns PROPERnouns are the names of cities, countries, rivers etc. They alwaysstart with a capital letter. Readthe story again and write down some proper nouns on the lines below. 10
Now follow my example on the right and write out the apostrophes in a different way. The lion s roar - The roar _ The leopard s coat The coat The tiger s The big cat s muscular body The muscular _ sharp teeth The sharp The jaguar s spotted coat The spotted teeth of the _ tiger. The tiger s sharp teeth The sharp APOSTROPHE - S Write this little story out again but fill in the apostrophe s where I have left it out! The lion s claws- The claws of the lion. All big cats can roar. The lions roar is the loudest. Big cats are famous for their magnificent coats. The lions coat is sand-coloured but the tigers coat is striped. The lions claws are very sharp. All cheetahs have narrow paws and blunt claws. Leopard lion tiger jaguar cheetah Find all these big cats in this mini word search. I have hidden some of the words more than once. Use different colours for each animal and count how many of each are hidden. L I O N J L I D R A P O E L J I I O N J A H E C L I O N A C R I O N O A G N H H T I G O H L A G N T I O U E E E U O N E T I U E T I L I A E A E O I E I I E G L E O P A R D I T L T G H G U A R E G I T L I O A A C L I E T J A G U A R L I O H T I G E R J A G U A R E G I T 11
Add an S or IES to these words that end in Y. If tere is a vowel before th Y then just add an S. If there is a consonane before the Y then remove the Y and add IES. Lady trolley Baby Family monkey City Boy Tray Lady Valley Lorry Display History Birthday Memory Emergency Memory Story Journey Vacancy Donkey Body Chimney Boy galaxy ladies trolleys Add either an S or ES to the end of these words to make more than one. Lion Leopard Fox Cub Church Tiger Box Winter Patch Tomato Animal Bus Horse Whisker Dress Jaguar Potato Torch 12
Match the words with their meanings. Here are the words: tiger cubs courtship flexible sleek endangered camouflage tigress prey continent muscular sensitive Siberian Read the story again to answer these questions. Someone or something that comes from Siberia. The babies of big cats are called. Something that can bend and move very easily is. Something that has a lot of feeling is. A large male big cat is a. A large female big cat is a. Something that is very smooth is. An animal that is in danger of dying out so that there are no more of them is. An animal that is cleverly coloured so that it cannot be seen by its prey has very good. An animal or person with very good, strong muscles is. An animal that is hunted to be eaten by a big cat is called its. The behaviour between a male and female animal in order to find a mate is called. How many cubs does a tigress usually have? She has How long do they feed on her milk? They feed What do they eat after this time? They eat 13
All big cats belong to the same family. The big cat family have been on Earth for more than 34 million years. The big cast family are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Members of the big cat family include lions, leopards, tigers and jaguars. The cheetah is related to the big cats but it is quite different in some ways. A cheetah has narrow paws and blunt claws very similar to those of a dog. All big cats can roar except for the cheetah, the jaguar and the clouded leopard. The lion s roar is the loudest of all. Answer true or false to these statements. Read the story again before you start. Some big cats are 34 million years old. There are no lions or tigers in Australia The cheetah is related to the dog family. Leopards belong to the cat family. The lion has blunt claws like a dog. All big cats can roar. The lion can roar louder than all other big cats. There are lions in Africa. The story tells us that big cats are found on nearly every continent. Below are list of countries and continents. Underline the names that are continents. India Australia Africa Britain South America Asia Greece Germany Europe Antarctica North America Japan How many continents are there? Put these animals into alphabetical order: Lion _ Tiger _ Leopard _ Cheetah _ Jaguar _ Lynx _ Caracal _ 14
BIG CAT HUNTERS Big cats such as lions and tigers are expert hunters. They have powerful, muscular legs to help them to chase their prey. Their teeth and their jaws are very strong and this helps them to bite their prey and kill it. Big cats hunt a variety of animals such as gazelles (a type of deer), wild pigs, rabbits and fish. Big cats usually hunt at dawn or dusk. They creep up to their prey silently. Then they pounce quickly. They grab their prey by the neck or throat. Lions are the only big cats that hunt animals larger than themselves. Lionesses usually hunt in groups. They prey on animals such as antelopes, zebras or wildebeest. Although the lionesses do the hunting, it is always the lion that eats first! Underline the correct meaning for each of these words: Expert means: a) to enjoy doing something b) To have trained to do something. c) to very good at doing something MEANINGS OF WORDS Prey means : a) an animal that is killed for food by another animal b) to kneel down and talk to God c) To find something to eat Variety means: a) a show that people go to b) many different types of things c) a type of vegetable dusk means: a) early in the morning b) late at night c) when the sun sets dawn means a) when the sun rises b) when the sun sets c) the morning 15
Read the story again at least twice and then answer the questions that follow. Please answer in full sentences. Remember capital letters and full stops. 1. In what ways is a big cat s body well designed for hunting prey? 2. Why do you think big cats eat a variety of things? 3. How do big cats go about catching their prey? 4. Why do you think they have to hunt in this manner? 5. Why do you think big cats grab their prey by the throat or the neck? 6. Discuss the reasons why big cats hunt at dawn or dusk rather than at some other time of the day? 7. Why do you think lions are brave enough to prey on animals larger than themselves? 8. What do we call a whole family of lions that live together in a group? 16
1. Why can big cats chase their prey so well? 2. Why do big cats have very strong jaws and teeth? 3. What types of animals might a big cat hunt? 4. What do big cats do when they are out hunting? 5. A what times of the day do big cats usually hunt? 6. Which of the big cat family often prey on animals larger than themselves? 7. What types of large animals might they prey on? 8. Who eats first in a lion s family? _ 9. Who does the hunting in a lion s family? 17
Yesterday I lay in the long grass and waited for the other lionesses. Today I lie in the grass and wait for the other lionesses. Here are some sentences from the story you have just read. They are all in the present or future tense. Write them again in the past tense. Start each sentence with a past tense words eg yesterday, last week, last night, a month ago, when they were young etc. 1. They creep up on their prey silently. 2. They pounce quickly. 3. The lion eats first. 4. Their teeth and their jaws are very strong. 5. They have powerful legs. 6. The lionesses do the hunting. 18
Big cats make all sorts of sounds to communicate with one another. They purr and growl and hiss and roar. Big cats can signal to one another by twitching their tails or ears. When a big cat is angry it will growl and flick its tail. It does this to warn another big cat not to come into its territory. Sometimes two rival big cats will have a quarrel. The weaker of the two cats will usually give in to the dominant cat by lying down. This shows the other cat that it does not want to fight. The stronger cat will hover over it, flatten its ears and look very menacing. The roar of a lion is very low and loud and can be heard from several miles away.you can tell a lot about big cats by looking at their eyes and ears. Read the descriptions in the boxes and draw a line to the picture that matches the description. When a big cat is very angry indeed it will hold its ears close to its head, open its mouth very wide and bare its canine teeth. When a big cat is annoyed or perhaps afraid, its ears Will be flat on its head. C When a big cat is alert and looking for prey or possible danger (maybe it has cubs to protect) its eyes are large and round and the pupils are pin-pricked. Its ears are pricked up so that it can hear even the slightest sound. When a big cat is happy and content it will sit quietly with its eyes half-closed. D B A 19
- 1. How do big cats communicate with each other? 2. What noises can big cats make? 3. How do big cats use their tail or ears to communicate with each other? 4. What does a big cat do when it is very angry? 5. Why does it do this? 6. When big cats quarrel, why does one of the cats often lie down? 7. What does the stronger of the two cats do? 8. What facts can you give about a lion s roar? 9. How would you be able to tell if a big cat is very angry? 10. When does a big cat sit quietly with its eyes half closed? 20
Its this word means that something belongs The lion licked its paw. It s this means it is. It s a lovely day today. It is a lovely day today. Now you try. Fill in its or it s in the spaces in these sentences. 1. The cat drank milk. 2. The lion groomed mate. 3. Do you think going to rain today? 4. The lion pricked up ears. 5. probably going to rain later today. 6. Do you think that our duty help others? 7. A big cat closes eyes when it is content. 8. I don t think fair that my brother is going to Spain! 9. A lion marks territory to keep other lions out. 10. I m so glad that a bank holiday on Monday. 11. If the weaker one, a big cat will lie down. 12. the biggest lion I have ever seen! 13. My teacher says that a good idea to have a study timetable. 14. The leopard chased prey. 15. The lion searched for the rest of pride. Communicate signal twitch Angry territory quarrel content fright annoyed afraid canine menacing How many times can you find the word territory? M T E R R I T O R Y Y C T Y T H Y F T E R I Y L I R O T I O R E R K R Q E O N Y O A T O T E H N O H J I O U O I E A H N Y E R E Y T J T G L T A T H T H C G A N N O Y E D H K E I R R C Y T H I E I H Y E N T J Y L R R Y T E R E S N Y R R I T Y E R T R E D I A R F A Y G L G Y H T Y T Y E L O W R I C O M M U N I C A T E E T H I T Y O Y I T L O A E T H E O R Y T T E R R I T O R Y Y R O T I R R E T 21