fable

The Jersey Devil: The Secret of the Swamps

Explore the chilling 250-year-old legend of the Jersey Devil in the New Jersey Pine Barrens with this B1 English activity.

Title

Seo_intro

Explore the chilling 250-year-old legend of the Jersey Devil in the New Jersey Pine Barrens with this B1 English activity.

Reading Text

New Jersey is a busy state known for its crowded cities, but hidden within its borders lies a dark, quiet area called the Pine Barrens. This massive forest spans over one million acres of thick pine trees and sandy soil. For over 250 years, locals have shared terrifying stories about a mysterious creature living deep within the woods known as the Jersey Devil. According to the local legend, the creature was born in 1735 as the thirteenth child of a woman named Mother Leeds. The story says that Mother Leeds was frustrated by her many children and cursed her unborn baby. When the child was born, it transformed into a terrifying beast with the head of a horse, the leathery wings of a bat, and a long, thin tail. It let out a blood-curdling scream and flew up the chimney, escaping into the forest. In 1909, the legend reached a fever pitch. Hundreds of people claimed to see the Jersey Devil in one single week across various towns. The panic was so intense that schools and factories closed because people were too afraid to leave their homes. Police officers even shot at the creature as it flew over the marshes, but it escaped unharmed. Today, many people still report hearing strange screams at night. While skeptics think it is just a large bird or perhaps a stray lemur, others are certain the Jersey Devil is still guarding its territory in the shadows of the pines.

Activities

Vocabulary

Definitions:

Text: A heavily forested area of New Jersey with sandy soil.
Text: An old story from the past that may or may not be true.
Text: Changed completely in form or appearance.
Text: A large and dangerous animal.
Text: A vertical pipe that allows smoke to escape from a fireplace.
Text: Stated that something is the case, typically without proof.
Text: Buildings where goods are manufactured or assembled.
Text: Areas of low-lying land that is flooded in wet seasons.
Text: An area of land under the jurisdiction of a creature or ruler.
Text: Difficult or impossible to understand or explain.

Items:

Label: Pine Barrens
Answer: A
Label: legend
Answer: B
Label: transformed
Answer: C
Label: beast
Answer: D
Label: chimney
Answer: E
Label: claimed
Answer: F
Label: factories
Answer: G
Label: marshes
Answer: H
Label: territory
Answer: I
Label: mysterious
Answer: J

Fill In The Blanks:

Before: The hiker got lost in the thick woods of the
After: last summer.
Answer: Pine Barrens
Before: The old
After: says that gold is buried under the old oak tree.
Answer: legend
Before: In the movie, the prince
After: into a frog.
Answer: transformed
Before: The hunter saw a giant
After: hiding in the cave.
Answer: beast
Before: The smoke from the fire went up the
After: and into the sky.
Answer: chimney
Before: The witness
After: to have seen a UFO last night.
Answer: claimed
Before: Many local
After: shut down during the blizzard.
Answer: factories
Before: The frogs love to live in the wet
After: near the river.
Answer: marshes
Before: The wolf will howl to protect its
After: from others.
Answer: territory
Before: There was a
After: noise coming from the attic.
Answer: mysterious

Scrambled:

Text: to be generated
Answer: The creature has the wings of a bat.
Text: to be generated
Answer: Mother Leeds cursed her thirteenth child.
Text: to be generated
Answer: Schools and factories closed in nineteen-oh-nine.
Text: to be generated
Answer: The Jersey Devil escaped into the forest.
Text: to be generated
Answer: Locals still hear strange screams at night.

Comprehension

Questions:

Text: The Jersey Devil legend is over 250 years old.
Answer: true
Text: The creature was born in a busy city in New Jersey.
Answer: false
Text: The Jersey Devil is said to have the head of a horse.
Answer: true
Text: What happened during the 1909 sightings?
Options:
- People caught the creature in a net.
- Schools and factories closed due to fear.
- The Jersey Devil moved to New York.
- Scientists proved the creature was a bird.
Answer: Schools and factories closed due to fear.
Text: Where does the creature supposedly live?
Options:
- In the busy cities.
- In the sandy soil of the desert.
- In the Pine Barrens forest.
- Inside an old factory.
Answer: In the Pine Barrens forest.

Written Expression

Questions:

Text: Do you believe in legends like the Jersey Devil? Why or why not?
Text: Describe a famous legend or scary story from your own country.

Examples:

I don't believe in the Jersey Devil because there is no scientific evidence, but I think the story is very exciting.
In my country, we have a legend about a lady who haunts the mountains looking for her lost ring.