Chimpanzees love dancing, say researchers

 

Chimpanzees love dancing, say researchers  

Who knew that chimpanzees love to dance? They also like to clap along to music, and nod their head, tap their feet and move in time with the rhythm. A new study shows that chimpanzees could appreciate music. The researchers are from Kyoto University in Japan. They say their study could help us understand how early humans developed an interest in music. Researchers Dr Yuko Hattori and professor Masaki Tomonaga conducted tests on seven chimps. They played the apes six two-minute songs on a piano for six days. The researchers said the chimps had a definite sense of rhythm and it changed their mood. The male chimpanzees seemed to respond to the melodies more than the females.

The researchers wrote that chimpanzees could have passed on a liking for music and dance to early humans millions of years ago. This could have happened via a common ancestor around six million years ago. The researchers said the study suggested that our love of dancing was deep inside the earliest humans. Dr Hattori said: "Chimpanzees dance to some extent in the same way as humans." She added: "In humans, listening to music causes rhythmic movement, suggesting a close connection between the auditory and motor areas in the brain." She believes the research could shed light on the evolution of dancing in humans and why we love melody and rhythm so much.


3. MOOD: Students A strongly believe dancing is the best thing to change your mood; Students B strongly believe it isn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. DANCE: What kinds of dances would be good for these people? Why? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What?

Why?

Six-year-olds

 

 

Teenagers

 

 

Twenty-somethings

 

 

People in their 70s

 

 

Kings and queens

 

 

You

 

 


6. MUSIC: Rank these . Put the best music genre at the top. Choose adjectives to describe each one.

  • Hip-hop
  • Classical
  • Folk
  • Electronic
  • Country
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Rock

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1.

clap

a.

Understand the full value of something.

      2.

nod

b.

Clearly true or real.

      3.

appreciate

c.

Hit the palms of your hands together repeatedly, usually to show you like someone doing or saying something.

      4.

developed

d.

Move one's head up and down repeatedly.

      5.

conducted

e.

Grew or caused to grow and become more mature or advanced.

      6.

definite

f.

Organized and carried out; did.

      7.

mood

g.

How you feel in your mind.

    Paragraph 2

      8.

via

h.

Relating to the sense of hearing.

      9.

common

i.

By way of; through.

      10.

ancestor

j.

Gave an idea to someone to think about.

      11.

suggested

k.

The process by which different kinds of living things developed and changed from earlier forms during the history of the earth.

      12.

auditory

l.

Shared by; coming from.

      13.

evolution

m.

A strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.

      14.

rhythm

n.

A family member, usually one more further back than a grandparent, from whom one comes.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. Chimpanzees like to nod their feed and tap their head to music.     T / F
  2. The study on chimpanzees is from a university in Japan.     T / F
  3. Researchers looked at how chimpanzees played the piano.     T / F
  4. Female chimps responded to the music more than males.     T / F
  5. Humans picked up dancing from chimps a million years ago.     T / F
  6. A love of dancing was inside early humans.     T / F
  7. There is a close link between the hearing and motor areas in the brain.   T / F
  8. The article said chimps like dancing in a shed full of light.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. appreciate
  2. understand
  3. conducted
  4. respond
  5. melodies
  6. happened
  7. extent
  8. causes
  9. connection
  10. evolution
  1. degree
  2. occurred
  3. tunes
  4. development
  5. carried out
  6. value
  7. link
  8. react
  9. brings about
  10. comprehend

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. They also like to clap
  2. tap their feet and
  3. early humans developed
  4. the chimps had a definite
  5. male chimpanzees seemed to
  6. This could have happened via
  7. Chimpanzees dance to some extent
  8. listening to music
  9. the auditory and motor
  10. shed light on the evolution
  1. areas in the brain
  2. respond to the melodies more
  3. a common ancestor
  4. causes rhythmic movement
  5. along to music
  6. an interest in music
  7. of dancing
  8. sense of rhythm
  9. in the same way as humans
  10. move in time with the rhythm

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

rhythm
apes
early
respond
feet
definite
clap
conducted

Who knew that chimpanzees love to dance? They also like to (1) ____________ along to music, and nod their head, tap their (2) ____________ and move in time with the (3) ____________. A new study shows that chimpanzees could appreciate music. The researchers are from Kyoto University in Japan. They say their study could help us understand how (4) ____________ humans developed an interest in music. Researchers Dr Yuko Hattori and professor Masaki Tomonaga (5) ____________ tests on seven chimps. They played the (6) ____________ six two-minute songs on a piano for six days. The researchers said the chimps had a (7) ____________ sense of rhythm and it changed their mood. The male chimpanzees seemed to (8) ____________ to the melodies more than the females.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

deep
motor
extent
much
liking
light
rhythmic
via

The researchers wrote that chimpanzees could have passed on a (9) ____________ for music and dance to early humans millions of years ago. This could have happened (10) ____________ a common ancestor around six million years ago. The researchers said the study suggested that our love of dancing was (11) ____________ inside the earliest humans. Dr Hattori said: "Chimpanzees dance to some (12) ____________ in the same way as humans." She added: "In humans, listening to music causes (13) ____________ movement, suggesting a close connection between the auditory and (14) ____________ areas in the brain." She believes the research could shed (15) ____________ on the evolution of dancing in humans and why we love melody and rhythm so (16) ____________.

Comprehension questions

  1. What do chimpanzees like to do to their head?
  2. What do chimpanzees like to move in time to?
  3. What university are the researchers from?
  4. How long were the songs that the researchers played?
  5. What did the researchers say the chimps had a definite sense of?
  6. How long ago might apes have passed on a liking for dance to humans?
  7. Where was a love of dancing in the earliest humans?
  8. What do chimpanzees dance in the same way as (to some extent)?
  9. Where are the auditory and motor areas?
  10. What might the research shed on the evolution of dancing?

Role play

Role  A – Hip-Hop
You think hip-hop is the best music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their music genres. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): classical, jazz or rock.

Role  B – Classical
You think classical is the best music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their music genres. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): hip-hop, jazz or rock.

Role  C – Jazz
You think jazz is the best music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their music genres. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): classical, hip-hop or rock.

Role  D – Rock
You think rock is the best music. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their music genres. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): classical, jazz or hip-hop.

Discussion - Dancing Chimpanzees

  1. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'dance'?
  2. What do you think of dancing chimpanzees?
  3. What do you think of clapping along to music?
  4. What do you think of nodding your head to music?
  5. What do you think of tapping your feet to music?
  6. What music do you think chimpanzees might appreciate?
  7. Why do we like music so much?
  8. How does music change your mood?
  9. Why might male chimpanzees respond to melodies more?
  1. What do you think of when you hear the word 'chimpanzee'?
  2. What do you think about what you read?
  3. How much do you like dancing?
  4. What kinds of dancing do you like?
  5. Do you have good rhythm?
  6. Would chimpanzees be better at break dancing or ballet?
  7. Is dancing good for us?
  8. What can you say about the evolution of dancing?
  9. What questions would you like to ask the researchers?

Spelling

Paragraph 1

  1. move in time with the hrmthy
  2. chimpanzees could epratecapi music
  3. early nmhusa
  4. ocdtecndu tests on seven chimps
  5. the chimps had a efiitend sense
  6. ospredn to the melodies

Paragraph 2

  1. niomisll of years ago
  2. via a common rcasteon
  3. to some txenet
  4. a close incnctoeno
  5. the rdiayout and motor areas in the brain
  6. on the envootiul of dancing

 

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