Kanzi

1. Kanzi Lesson: Objective 1 (5.10) (G) paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, or organize ideas Grade: 5 (TX)

2. Introduction • Today’s lesson is about bonobos, their habits, and how they can be trained. An example in case is Kanzi. • The lesson will teach you to paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, or organize ideas. • Kanzi enjoys learning – I’m sure you will too. • Today’s lesson 2

3. Kanzi • Kanzi is an amazing ape who can “speak” with humans and can understand 450 words. The 29-year-old bonobo, is able to understand and communicate with humans and out of 450 words he uses 30 to 40 on a daily basis. He has had countless articles written about him and has even been the subject of a book. • But now Kanzi the “talking” ape has reached the pinnacle of his packed showbiz career – he has been the subject of a feature on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show. • He lives at the Great Ape Trust in Iowa where expert Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh has been teaching him to “speak” by pointing at symbols on a computer. Great Ape Trustis a scientific research facility in Des Moines, Iowa. • Kanzi’s fame has increased day by day. Appearing on the Oprah Winfrey talk show has made him quite famous. 3

4. Kanzi • OprahWinfrey correspondent Lisa Ling travelled all the way to the • Trust to meet Kanzi. On the show she told Oprah that the symbol • for the word ‘flood’ was not on Kanzi's keyboard. • She said: “So when Iowa was hit by the storm and was flooding, he • would point out big water.” • Clever Kanzi – never at a loss for words! 4

5. Check Your Understanding • Which is the main idea for this passage? • a. Oprah Winfrey talk shows • b. Great Ape Trust • c. Kanzi, the talking ape • d. Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh 5

6. Feature # 2 - Bonobos • The bonobo is a great ape closely related to the chimpanzee. It is the least known of the great apes because it lives in a remote rain-forest region of central Africa. If you look closely, you’ll see that bonobos are a little smaller, with pink lips, black faces, and a very attractive hairstyle with long black hair neatly parted in the middle. The first two toes of bonobos have a little bit of webbing. While chimpanzees have low, loud voices, bonobos are very high pitched. • When chimpanzees have war, the males take charge. They can sometimes get very violent. Sometimes they even kill each other. Unlike chimps, bonobos do not kill each other. They are not fighters. • Bonobos are peaceful, compared with chimpanzees and other great • apes. A bonobo will seldom kill another bonobo. • Bonobos are smaller than chimps. A male bonobo weighs about 85 to 95 pounds and a female, 65 to 85 pounds; a male chimpanzee can weigh as much as 135 pounds. 6

7. Feature # 2 - Bonobos • The bonobos I saw in a German zoo, strode about the enclosure • picking up fruit and mingling with their friends. They looked • strangely human with their upright form walking on two legs. Their • long, slim arms and legs, slender neck and body looked more • like ours than that of a chimp, I thought. • Bonobos are quite similar to humans in other ways also. A baby • bonobo weighs about three or four pounds at birth and is carried • around by its mother for the first few years, almost like a human • mom. She protects the youngster and shares her nest with it for the • first five or six years. A bonobo can live up to about 60 years. They • have a playful gentle manner that is quite similar to human beings. • To observe bonobos in the wild, I flew to Congo. They spend much of • the day feeding or dozing. At night, they settle in a clump of trees • and build their springy nests with leafy branches, weaving them • into resting places. Chimps build night nests too, but theirs are not • as elaborate as bonobo cradles, which resemble giant bird nests. 7

8. Feature # 2 - Bonobos • Bonobo males take care of their babies; chimpanzee males at times • kill the little ones of rival males. • 8. Like other wild animals, the number of bonobos today are getting • fewer. Sadly many bonobo infants are sold as pets and their survival is in doubt. • 9. The biggest threats to bonobos are poaching and hunting: they are • are killed for bushmeat as well as trapped in snares. The local • conditions of war and poverty in Congo also make it difficult for • bonobos to survive. 8

9. Check Your Understanding • Which is the main idea for this passage? • a. comparison between human beings and bonobos • b. comparison between chimpanzees and bonobos • c. physical features of bonobos • d. threats to bonobos 9

10. Check Your Understanding • Which sentence tells us that bonobos resemble human beings closely? • a. to observe bonobos in the wild, I flew to Congo • b. their long, slim arms and legs, slender neck and body looked more • like ours than that of a chimp • c. sadly many bonobo infants are sold as pets, and may not • survive • d. the local conditions of war and poverty in Congo also make it • difficult for bonobos to survive 10

11. Check Your Understanding 4. Which sentence informs us that bonobos are peace loving creatures? a. they spend much of the day feeding or dozing b. they have a gentle playful manner c. at night, they settle in a clump of trees and build their springy nests with leafy branches d. they are not fighters 11

12. Check Your Understanding • Which sentence informs us that chimpanzees are aggressive creatures? • a. chimps build night nests too, but theirs are not as elaborate as • bonobo cradles • b. chimpanzee males at times kill the little ones of rival males • c. chimpanzees have low, loud voices • d. chimps are much bigger in size than bonobos 12

13. Check Your Understanding • Recall the correct information. • a. the first two toes have a little bit of webbing (chimps / bonobos) • b. sometimes they even kill each other (bonobos / chimps) • c. when there is war, the males take charge (bonobos / chimps) • d. they have pink lips, black faces, and attractive long black hair • neatly parted in the middle (chimps / bonobos) 13

14. Check Your Understanding • Which is the best summary for this passage? • a. Bonobos are smaller versions of chimpanzees, but with • distinctive facial features and coloring. Their limbs are smaller • and slimmer. They mother their young ones well and are • generally more peaceful in nature than chimps. • b. Bonobos live in Congo. The number of bonobos are dwindling • because of poaching and hunting. Many bonobos are also sold as • pets. Local conditions and war in Congo make it tough for them • to survive. • (contd. on next slide / screen) 14

15. Check Your Understanding • (contd. from previous slide / screen) • c. A bonobo is closely related to the chimpanzee. But they resemble • humans more, because they walk on two legs, and have long slim • limbs and slender necks. They eat fruits and leaves and do not • fight or kill. • d. Bonobos are smaller than chimps. They are peaceful animals. • Bonobos are quite similar to humans in many ways. Bonobos • resemble humans because of their size and two legged walk. 15

16. Check Your Understanding • Discuss or recall the points of similarity the author has made between bonobos and humans. • (Compare physical features and habits). 16

17. Feature # 3 – Kanzi’s Ways • Science is showing how smart animals can be. Kanzi is the world’s first, talking ape superstar. The name Kanzi means "treasure" in Swahili. Kanzi is the first ape to be able to show that he truly understands spoken English. Kanzi is also adept at stone tool making. • Kanzi has been a celebrity ape since the late 1980s when his amazing ability to communicate was first discovered. Kanzi lives in The Great Ape Trust in Iowa with Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh. Sue says she taught Kanzi to communicate the same way she taught her son to speak. “I just talk to Kanzi like you see me talking now,” she said. “He just was around me and learned it like a child.” • He speaks by pressing a symbol on the computer which then repeats the word out loud. Dr Savage-Rumbaugh says that he is even able to put together two-word sentences and shows remarkable invention when creating new phrases. 17

18. Feature # 3 – Kanzi’s Ways • For the word “pizza,” he pointed at “cheese,” “tomato” and “bread.” • Kanzi is also able to blow up a balloon, proving that he has control over his own breath. It was previously believed that only humans were able to do so. • Kanzi has been the subject of a book as well as features in National Geographic and Time magazines. He became famous after becoming the first ape to learn language in a natural way. Kanzi is also adept at stone tool making. • Kanzi loves to eat onions, and cherries with orange soda. His favorite toy is a green ball and his favorite game is “Chase”. Kanzi enjoys working on puzzles that allow him to show off his intelligence, sorting items and grooming. • The Trust also takes care of Teco, Kanzi's 3-month-old son. Says • Sue, “I am for all practical purposes, Teco's mother. He sleeps with • me.” 18

19. Check Your Understanding • 9. Which is the best summary for the passage? • a. Kanzi is an intelligent bonobo. He loves to eat onions, and • cherries with orange soda. His favorite toy is a green ball and his • favorite game is “Chase”. He can also blow up a balloon. • b. Kanzi is a very smart animal. He has been trained by Dr. Sue • Savage-Rumbaugh at The Great Ape Trust. He knows how to • press correct symbols on a computer keyboard. Kanzi who has • been written about widely, is the first ape who understands • English. • (contd. on next slide / screen) 19

20. Check Your Understanding 9. (contd. from previous slide / screen) c. Kanzi’s name means “Treasure” and he is a real gem of an animal. Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh says it was very easy to teach him. He has a three-month-old son, to whom Sue plays mom. Kanzi can also blow up a balloon. This proves bonobos can hold their breath. d. Kanzi is a famous ape, the only one who can understand and respond to English. Authors write about him. His trainer Sue raves about him. Apart from blowing up a balloon, he plays “Chase” and is good at tool making. 20

21. Check Your Understanding 10. Kanzi is also able to blow up a balloon. According to the author, what does the above statement prove? It proves: a. Kanzi loves to have fun b. Kanzi is super intelligent and a copycat c. it is just another simple and succesful routine training given to Kanzi d. that he has control over his own breath 21

22. Check Your Understanding 11. Can you recall what Kanzi pointed to for the word “pizza”? a. a slice of bread b. tomato c. cheese, tomato and bread d. a piece of cheese 22

23. Check Your Understanding 12. Recall the correct information; then mark “T” for true and “F” for false. a. Kanzi means “precious gem” in Swahili b. Kanzi has a three-month-old son, taken care of by Sue c. Kanzi is fond of puzzles and sorting items because he is good at them d. Kanzi is able to type out simple 3 letter words using a keyboard 23

24. Check Your Understanding 13. Recall the information in Feature # 1 and Feature # 3. Do you think Kanzi’s training has been kept private and secret or has he got a lot of publicity? Can you recall portions of the text to prove your answer? 24

25. Check Your Understanding 14. Out of his amazing vocabulary of about 450 words, how many does use daily? a. about 100 words b. between 30 to 40 words c. some days are bad days, when he can barely use 10 words d. a minimum of 50 to 60 words 25

26. Check Your Understanding 15. Kanzi is taught using the: a. Montessori method / playway method b. computer c. phonograph and CDs d. homeschooling method 26

27. Summary • You have just discovered that even bonobos can learn a language. • You have learned to paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, or organize ideas. 27

28. Great job today!