the journey home comprehension questions

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Journey by aaron becker 7 - 9.

A beautiful wordless picture filled with adventure and wonder.  Our protagonist feels alone in the grey city that surrounds her and traps her.  She wishes to travel and to see the world and for this to happen she will have to do it for herself.  With just a swipe of chalk and a lot of imagination she travels to far away lands filled with wonder and mystery; beauty and danger.

Writing Outcomes

• Setting description
• narrative sequel

Topic Links

• Quest by Aaron Becker
• Return by Aaron Becker
• Little Boat on Literacy Shed
• Loteria De Navidad Literacy Shed

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Journey by Aaron Becker Activities KS1/2 or SEN

Subject: English

Age range: 5-7

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

8 October 2017

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• December 16, 2017

The Journey by Francesca Sanna

Francesca Sanna  Official  Website

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The Journey Resources

• Amnesty International : Using Fiction to Explore Human Rights Lesson Plans
• CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals : Visual Literacy Notes
• Flying Eye Books : Lessons and Activities linked to Common Core
• Teaching with Picture Books : Free lesson plan, writing template and wordsearch
• Share My Lesson : Book Discussion Guide
• Walker Books : The Journey Classroom Ideas

The Journe Book Trailers & Videos

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The Journey – Planning Overview

Written by Dan

Last updated December 14, 2023

Let’s take a virtual journey together, shall we? What if I told you this journey could have transformative effects on all your students? Well, it can – and that’s why our destination today is The Journey by Francesca Sanna.

This captivating picture book does more than tell a gripping story of a young immigrant’s voyage for safety – it is an essential teaching tool for helping students understand the human experience and build empathy.

With the proper guidance from you, teachers, it’s sure to create meaningful learning moments that will stay with your classrooms long after you turn the last page.

In this blog post, we’ll give you an overview of how to plan for using The Journey effectively in your lessons.

Related : For more, check out our article on  Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe.

Table of Contents

Outline of “The Journey” by Francesca Sanna

Introduction.

• Introduce the main character, a mother and her two children.
• Set the scene of their home country, which has become unsafe due to war and conflict.
• The family decides to leave their home and embark on a journey to find safety.

The Journey Begins

• Describe the family’s journey through different landscapes.
• Highlight their challenges, such as hunger, exhaustion, and danger.
• Show how the mother tries to keep her children safe and calm amidst the chaos.

Meeting Other Refugees

• The family meets other refugees who share their stories of fleeing violence and persecution.
• They form bonds with some individuals, while others are too traumatised or scared to connect.

Arrival in a New Country

• After a long and treacherous journey, the family finally arrives in a new country where they hope to find safety and start a new life.
• However, they are met with suspicion and hostility from some locals who view them as outsiders or even criminals.

Settling In

• Despite these challenges, the family begins to settle into their new surroundings.
• They make friends with other refugees who have also found sanctuary in this new place.
• They also encounter kind-hearted locals who offer support and assistance.
• The story ends optimistically as the family begins to rebuild their lives in this new country.
• However, there is an underlying sense of sadness for all that they have lost along the way.
• The story serves as a reminder of the resilience of refugees and the importance of empathy and understanding towards those forced to flee their homes.

Main Themes and Characters in “The Journey” by Francesca Sanna

The refugee experience.

• This is the central theme of the story. “The Journey” explores what it’s like to be a refugee, forced to leave your home due to war or persecution and embark on a dangerous journey in search of safety.
• The story highlights refugees’ challenges, such as hunger, exhaustion, danger, and discrimination.
• The mother is the main character in the story. She is a strong and determined woman who does everything she can to keep her children safe during their journey.
• The story emphasises mothers’ sacrifices for their children, even in the most challenging circumstances.

Empathy and Understanding

• “The Journey” also touches on themes of empathy and understanding towards refugees.
• It reminds us that refugees are people like us who have been forced to flee their homes due to circumstances beyond their control.
• The story encourages readers to put themselves in the shoes of refugees and imagine what it would be like to leave everything behind.

Characters:

• The mother is a strong, brave character who prioritises her children’s safety.
• She is willing to do whatever it takes to protect them from harm, even if it means risking her own life.
• The two children in the story represent innocence and vulnerability.
• They rely on their mother for protection and guidance throughout their journey.

Other Refugees

• Throughout their journey, the family meets other refugees who have also been forced to flee their homes.
• These characters represent resilience and solidarity among refugees.
• Finally, there are also locals in the story who represent both kindness and hostility towards refugees.
• Some locals offer support and assistance, while others view refugees with suspicion or fear.

“The Journey” by Francesca Sanna encourages empathy and understanding towards refugees in several ways:

• Humanising Refugees: The story portrays refugees as people forced to leave their homes due to war, persecution, and violence. It shows they have the same hopes, dreams, and fears as anyone else.
• Depicting the Refugee Experience: The story shows the many challenges refugees face during their journey, such as hunger, exhaustion, danger, and discrimination. This helps readers understand why refugees need our support and compassion.
• Encouraging Perspective-Taking: “The Journey” encourages readers to put themselves in the shoes of refugees and imagine what it would be like to leave everything behind. This perspective-taking can help build empathy and understanding towards refugees.
• Highlighting Resilience: Despite all the challenges they face, the refugees in “The Journey” show remarkable resilience and strength of character. They band together to support and create a sense of community despite their difficult circumstances.

Teaching Opportunities

“The Journey” by Francesca Sanna is a rich text that offers several opportunities to teach literary devices. Here are some examples:

• Symbolism: The journey itself can be seen as a symbol of the refugee experience. The physical and emotional challenges the characters face on their journey represent the refugees’ struggles in real life.
• Imagery: The story is full of vivid imagery that helps to create a sense of place and emotion. For example, the illustrations of the dark forest, stormy seas, and barbed wire fences all contribute to the mood and tone of the story.
• Foreshadowing: There are several instances of foreshadowing throughout the story, such as when the mother tells her children to keep their eyes closed during a dangerous part of their journey. This creates suspense and tension for readers.
• Characterisation: The characters in “The Journey” are well-developed and complex, offering opportunities for teaching characterisation techniques such as direct and indirect characterisation.
• Theme: As mentioned earlier, “The Journey” explores themes such as motherhood, empathy, understanding, resilience, and survival. These themes can be analysed using literary devices like symbolism or imagery to deepen students’ understanding of how they are conveyed in the story.

Imagery in The Journey

Imagery is an influential tool authors use to create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind and evoke emotions. In “The Journey” by Francesca Sanna, imagery plays an essential role in creating the mood and tone of the story.

For example, the dark forests the family travels through are described as “endless” and “mysterious,” creating a sense of danger and uncertainty.

The stormy seas they cross are depicted as violent and unpredictable, adding to the feeling of peril. The barbed wire fences that they encounter symbolise imprisonment and oppression.

All these images contribute to the story’s overall mood of fear, desperation, and uncertainty. Readers can feel the tension building as they turn each page, wondering what new obstacle will appear next on this treacherous journey.

Additionally, imagery creates moments of hope and beauty amidst all this darkness. For example, when the family reaches a city where people speak their language and offer food and shelter, it is described as a “paradise.”

This momentary relief from their struggles creates a palpable joy for both characters and readers.

Overall, the imagery in “The Journey” contributes significantly to its mood and tone by creating vivid mental pictures for readers while also conveying complex emotions such as fear, hopelessness, relief, or joy.

Lesson Plan

Lesson plan: teaching literary devices in “the journey” by francesca sanna.

Students will be able to identify and analyse literary devices such as symbolism, imagery, foreshadowing, characterisation, and theme in “The Journey” by Francesca Sanna.

• Copies of “The Journey” by Francesca Sanna
• Chart paper and markers
• Graphic organizers for literary analysis (optional)

Introduction (10 minutes):

• Begin the lesson by asking students if they have ever heard of or experienced a challenging journey.
• Introduce the book “The Journey” by Francesca Sanna and explain that it is a story about a family’s journey to escape their war-torn country.
• Preview the literary devices discussed in the lesson: symbolism, imagery, foreshadowing, characterization, and theme.

Reading & Analysis (30 minutes):

• Distribute copies of the book to students and ask them to read silently.
• As students read, ask them to annotate any examples of literary devices they find in the text.
• After reading, lead a class discussion where students share their observations and evidence of literary devices used in the story.
• Use chart paper or graphic organisers to record student responses.

Extension Activities (20 minutes):

• Ask students to work in small groups to analyse one literary device in the story (e.g., symbolism).
• Provide each group with a different page or section of the book where that device is used and ask them to identify how it contributes to the mood and tone of the story.
• Have each group present their findings to the class.

Conclusion (10 minutes):

• Summarise what was learned during this lesson about how authors use literary devices to create mood, tone, and meaning.
• Please encourage students to look for examples of these devices when independently reading other texts.
• Remind students that understanding these devices can help us become better readers and writers.

Assessment:

Assess student understanding through observation during class discussions and extension activities. Alternatively, provide a written assignment where students analyse one specific literary device used in “The Journey” using evidence from the text.

Website Resources

• The Teaching Couple – This web page on TES provides a 5-week writing unit for teaching “The Journey” by Francesca Sanna to students in Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11). The lesson plans include learning objectives, a starter activity, a main activity that involves reading and discussing the book, and a complete task. It also suggests additional activities for follow-up work. The unit of work is designed to help students develop empathy, critical thinking, and creative writing skills. Link:  https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12671231
• Amnesty International UK provides a free downloadable book and activities pack for teaching “The Journey” by Francesca Sanna to children aged 4-11. The pack includes lesson plans, discussion questions, creative writing prompts, and art activities that explore themes of migration, displacement, and refuge. Link:  https://www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/book-and-activities-journey
• Walker Books Australia offers a range of classroom ideas and resources for using “The Journey” in literacy lessons with students aged 8-12. These include comprehension questions, character analysis worksheets, visual literacy tasks, and creative writing prompts. Link:  https://classroom.walkerbooks.com.au/home/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Journey-Classroom-Ideas.pdf
• Children’s Library Lady is a website that provides book reviews and teaching resources for children’s literature. Their page on “The Journey” summarises the book’s plot, discussion questions, vocabulary exercises, and links to related resources such as videos and refugee articles. Link:  https://childrenslibrarylady.com/the-journey/

In conclusion, The Journey by Francesca Sanna is more than just a captivating picture book. It’s a transformative teaching tool that can deeply impact your students’ understanding of the human experience and their ability to empathize with others.

With careful planning and thoughtful guidance, you can create unforgettable learning moments that will resonate with your students long after they’ve closed the book.

Remember, as educators, we have the power to take our students on incredible journeys, both literal and figurative. So, let’s embark on this journey together and watch as our classrooms become spaces of empathy, understanding, and growth.

FAQs: The Journey as a Teaching Tool

1. how can i use the journey in my classroom.

You can use The Journey as a springboard for discussions about immigration, empathy, and the human experience. It’s also an excellent resource for teaching narrative structure and visual literacy.

2. What age group is The Journey appropriate for?

While The Journey is a picture book, its themes are universal. It can be used effectively with a wide range of age groups, from primary school students to teenagers.

3. How does The Journey help build empathy?

The Journey tells the story of a young immigrant’s voyage for safety. By sharing this story with your students, you’re providing them with a window into someone else’s experiences, which can help foster empathy and understanding.

4. Can The Journey be integrated into other subjects?

Absolutely. The Journey can be incorporated into a variety of subjects, including social studies, language arts, and even art classes for discussions on illustration and storytelling.

5. What kind of activities can I plan around The Journey?

The possibilities are endless. You might ask students to write their own stories of a journey, create artwork inspired by the book’s illustrations, or research and present on current immigration issues.

Remember, the goal is not just to read the book but to use it as a tool to spark meaningful conversations and learning opportunities.

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About The Author

I'm Dan Higgins, one of the faces behind The Teaching Couple. With 15 years in the education sector and a decade as a teacher, I've witnessed the highs and lows of school life. Over the years, my passion for supporting fellow teachers and making school more bearable has grown. The Teaching Couple is my platform to share strategies, tips, and insights from my journey. Together, we can shape a better school experience for all.

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Worksheets for THE JOURNEY HOME by Alison Lester - Comprehension & Vocab Focus

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The Birchbark House - Journey's Lesson 2...

The Birchbark House - Journey's Lesson 22 Comprehension

10 questions

Introducing new   Paper mode

No student devices needed.   Know more

What will the bear cubs mostly likely do the next time they see a person.

Go home with a person

Stay away from a person

Lead their mother to the person

Eat berries from a stranger's hand

How do you think Angeline will feel when she hears the story about Omakayas's day?

Omakayas will most likely --

be more careful when she is dealing with nature.

realize that Angeline is always wrong.

try to find the bear cubs she wants as brothers.

start talking to other animals.

What is the theme of the selection?

It is okay to try to impress your older siblings.

If you wait long enough, good things will happen to you.

Life is an adventure.

It is important to respect the rules of the wild.

Omakayas decides to eat the whole lump of maple candy because she ---

knows the bear cubs will want it.

knows that Angeline will try to steal it from her.

does not think it can be divided into pieces to share.

knows that Angeline doesn't like sweets.

How does Omakayas think she will impress Angeline?

She will make Angeline beg to get some of the berries she finds.

She will help Angeline tan the moose hide.

She will tell Angeline that her feelings were hurt.

She will share the lump of maple candy.

Why do the bear cubs suddenly back away from Omakayas?

Their mother shows up.

they were afraid of her size.

They are not hungry.

Their mother pins Omakayas to the ground.

The reason the bear attacks Omakayas is --

to keep her cubs safe from humans.

she smells bear grease on omakayas's skin

she wants to eat her berries.

to show the cubs how to harm humans.

What does Omakayas learn from her moment with the mother bear?

How to knit a hat

You can tell that the bear cubs respect their mother because they --

leave Omakayas when their mother guides them away.

bite onto the stick that Omakayas wiggles.

attack Omakayas when she cuts their mother's fur.

give berries back to Omakayas.

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The Way Back Home

Home » Book Resources » Key Stage 1 » The Way Back Home

The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers

When a boy discovers a single-propeller airplane in his closet, he does what any young adventurer would do: He flies it into outer space! Millions of miles from Earth, the plane begins to sputter and quake, its fuel tank on empty. The boy executes a daring landing on the moon . . . but there’s no telling what kind of slimy, slithering, tentacled, fangtoothed monsters lurk in the darkness! (Plus, it’s dark and lonely out there.) Coincidentally, engine trouble has stranded a young Martian on the other side of the moon, and he’s just as frightened and alone. Martian, Earthling–it’s all the same when you’re in need of a friend.

Main Focus: Alphabetical Order

Your Year 1 / Year 2 class will use the extract taken from the book and place the chosen words into alphabetical order.

There are four resources and the level of difficulty progresses in each alphabetical order resource. We’ve also included a reading resource that doesn’t have any words chosen so your class can complete it with 100% choice and choose their own difficulty.

Main Focus: Capital Letters and Full Stops

This whole class reading resource focuses on adding in capital letters and full stops to the sentences.

Your class must identify where the capital letters and full stops must go in the sentences/passages.

There are different levels of difficulty so children can use prompts to help them. E.g. extra spacing and underlined capitals.

Main Focus: Comprehension

This comprehension resource for Ks1 can be used to check your children’s understanding of the story The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers.

A range of questions have been asked linked to retrieval and basic inference. The resource has been differentiated 4 ways to cater for Year 1 to Year 2 children.

Main Focus: Phonics

This is a phonics resource linked to the story. We’ve taken a few extracts that compliment the different phases in phonics to help your class depending on the phonics phase they are currently at.

We have also included a blank resource so that your Year 1 / Year 2 children can choose their own words using the sounds they are familiar with.

Main Focus: Questioning

Your class will work on their questioning skills by reading the answers and writing a suitable question.

The kids will then ask a few of their own questions to the martian and the boy.

Main Focus: Sequencing

This is a sequencing activity that encourages your class to think back to the events within the story and place them into chronological order.

Your KS1 class can even cut out the sentences and arrange and rearrange accordingly. If you have numerous copies of the book they can cross reference using the book as and determine their accuracy for self assessment and reflection.

Main Focus: Word Class

This is a resource that focuses on word class. Your children must read the passage from the story and identify the nouns, verbs and adjectives.

Journey to the Center of the Earth Unit Study

Hi everyone! I have another fun Literature Unit Study and Lapbook for you today. This one is on the classic Journey to the Center of the Earth . Hope you enjoy!

Story Summary:

The Journey to the Center of the Earth is a fictional story about a young man and his uncle who are launched on an action-packed adventure deep into the center of the Earth. What will they they discover in the unknown depths and will they make it back? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

This accompanying unit study is meant to be used with the Journey to the Center of the Earth Classic Starts version as retold from the Jules Verne original. The Classic Start versions are find them a little easier for younger readers, but you could certainly use this unit study with the original version if you have an older student. The lapbook chapters will correlate with the Classic Starts edition, but the concepts are the same, so you should be able to complete the units using any version you choose.

What ages are these units for?

I normally recommend my literature units for elementary level readers grades 1-5. You can assign them out individually to your student so they read on their own, then complete the mini-book assignment for each chapter. There are writing assignments for each chapter as your students answer comprehension questions from the reading. So you’ll just want to make sure they’re comfortable writing.

Or you can read it together as a group if you have younger readers, then have them complete the mini-book assignments when you’re done with each chapter.

How long does the literature unit take?

That really depends on your child’s reading speed, and how many chapters there are in the book! And how fast your child reads through the chapters as well.

Each one varies in length, and you can easily modify these units to fit your schedule. So for example, you can assign one chapter per day plus the associated mini-book assignments, or you can have them do 2-3/week. It’s totally up to you, your schedule, and your student.

What’s included in the Unit Study?

Each unit includes everything you need to complete the literature unit and lapbook with the exception of the book itself and a couple of regular file folders .

The download includes a teacher’s manual with the daily reading assignments, along with the comprehension questions and answers for each chapter. This makes it much easier for you to help your students even if you haven’t read the book yourself!

There is also one mini-book for each chapter in the book. Inside your student will answer a comprehension question that relates directly to the chapter they’ve just read. Some assignments include vocabulary words, comprehension questions, and completing the various reports included in the curriculum.

For older students:

This unit includes 5 reports that your students can complete. If you have older readers, have them do these reports to make the unit a bit more challenging. If you have younger readers, you might prefer to ask the questions verbally so they aren’t having to write a report.

The reports include:

• Story Facts (Setting, Main Plot, Main Characters)
• Protagonist vs. Antagonist
• Prediction Sheet
• My Book Report
• Book vs. Movie
• Storyboard timeline

As you read through the book, each chapter has a mini-book with comprehension questions for your student to complete.

This unit has 20 mini-books plus a vocabulary mini-book full of terms to learn throughout the reading.

Then on the backside of the lapbook, I added a pocket  where you can store the reports and story timelines just to keep everything together.

Get your copy today and start learning with classic literature! 

Looking for more unit studies? Check out these links!

• My Literature Lapbooks
• My Science & Inventor Lapbooks
• Famous Artists Lapbook & Unit Study
• Famous Composers Lapbook & Unit Study

How did I make this lapbook? Check out the video tutorials below!

• Tri-Fold Lapbook Tutorial
• How To Lapbook Tutorials

Of course you know I love to give back to my readers, so I’m offering 1 of these units free for one of you! Enter below!

**If you don’t want to wait, purchase it now, AND enter the giveaway. If you win, I’ll refund your purchase!

Hi Erica, I bought this lap book recently and we are just finishing it today. I thought I’d mention that my kids pointed out that you have the same title for chapters 19 and 20 and they think chapter 19 should read Eruption. Cheers, Lisa

Hello, I purchased your Lapbook and used it last year but couldn’t find my questions. This year I purchased another and the questions are different. Can you help? Coreen

Hi Coreen, I’ll send you an email so we can clarify 🙂

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09 November 2020

The journey 33 important comprehension questions and answers for class 10 english.

  Here is a bunch of 33 comprehension questions and answers other than text questions. These are the possible and important questions and answers for the topic - The Journey - for class 10 English. Do make use of it and get comprehended the text better.

THE JOURNEY

1.        How would you feel to attend school after spending a week holiday?

I would feel unhappy and not interested to go to school after spending a week holiday.

2.        Why was the son not ready to go to his place of work?

The narrator was not ready to go to his place of work after spending a leisurely six months of leave and getting married.

3.        Why did the son come home this time?

The narrator came home this time to get married.

4.        How long does the son take leave?

The narrator took six months of leave.

5.        The fact that …. What was the fact?

The fact was that he was married and not interested to leave his newly-wed wife leave behind.

6.        The narrator says “Obviously I did not want to go. However, I finally did decide to go.” What might be the reasons behind the change of opinion?

The narrator changed his opinion on joining the duty. Because his marriage had increased his responsibilities and he had got into debt.

7.        Write two sentences of you own about the village his father lived in?

The narrator’s father lived in a village on a hilly terrain. It was really non pollution and healthy relationship maintaining area. There was no roads and bus facility to his village.

8.        Why did the son decide to go to work finally?

The son decided to go to work finally because his marriage had increased his responsibilities and he had got into debt.

9.        Did he take any unpaid leave? Why?

He initially wanted to take even unpaid leave but didn’t take any more leave as he had got into debt.

10.    Who arranged the marriage?

The parents of the narrator arrange the marriage according to their customs.

11.    What was the special purpose of the narrator coming home?

The special purpose of the narrator’s coming home this time was that he was getting married.

12.    ….. came up with a solution. – What was the problem? What was the solution?

The problem was that the narrator didn’t find anyone to carry his luggage. But his father came up to carry the luggage as a solution.

13.    Nobody had time to spare for the narrator. Why?

Nobody had time to spare for the narrator. Because most of the villagers were busy in their field works.

14.    Who carried the luggage when the son came home?

When the narrator came home a porter carried his luggage.

15.    Who carried the luggage this time? Why?

Father of the narrator carried the luggage this time because they couldn’t find anyone to carry it. And the narrator felt guilty and ashamed of carrying his own luggage.

16.    Why did the son not carry his own luggage?

The narrator felt false prestige and false pride of his education and white-collar job. So, he didn’t carry his own luggage.

17.    What was the weight of the luggage?

The weight of the luggage was a 20-kilo.

18.    Do you think that the son really protested his father to carry the luggage?

No, I don’t think that the narrator protested whole heartedly his father to carry the luggage.

19.    If you were the son, what would you do? Do you let your father carry the luggage? Why?

If I were the narrator, I would carry my own luggage. I never get any inhibitions to do our own work.

20.    They hardly talked during their journey to Dirang. Why?

His father was carrying the luggage and walked fast. For the guilty the narrator didn’t talk to his father much.

21.    Who do you think strong? The father or the son? How do you say?

Mentally and physically his father was strong. He carried the luggage and came up with a solution when the narrator was hesitating to carry his own luggage and never blamed his son.

22.    Why was the crowd gathered? Have you ever seen such gathering? When?

The crowd gathered there to wish the narrator good-luck and say good-bye. Yes, I have seen such gatherings here in my village when people getting to go longer places. For instance, here people go to Gulf countries for work.

23.    Who do you think was physically strong? Why?

Absolutely his father was physically strong. When they went to Dirang the narrator was unable to carry his own luggage and was far behind of his father in his walk.

24.    What was the road compared to?

The road was compared to a giant motionless rope.

25.    Do you think parents feel proud of their children? If yes when? If not why?

Yes, of course, parents feel proud of their children when they do something good or succeed in their life.

26.    Why did they rest on the way?

As it was a long journey on the pebble strewn road, they were tired. Hence, they took rest on the way.

27.    Why didn’t the son observe the road uneven?

The narrator didn’t observe the road uneven as he had worn the hunting boots and didn’t carry anything.

28.    Do you think his father was happy with the old pair of hunting boots? Why?

Yes, his father was happy with the old pair of hunting boots. Most of the parents will be happy with their children even they provide little things.

29.    Do you let your father go with old pair of shoes if you were the narrator? What would you do?

No, I don’t let my father go with old pair of shoes. I would persuade him to get a new pair.

30.    How did the father’s feet resemble?

The narrator’s father’s feet resembled of an elephant’s feet.

31.    Why did the father ask for old pair of shoes?

His father didn’t want to waste money on buying new shoes for him. Hence, he asked for the old pair of shoes.

32.    If you were the father how would you feel for carrying the luggage?

If I were the father, I would feel happy for carrying the luggage to Dirang. I never belittle my children.

33.    Prepare an invitation card for the son for his marriage. Use the name and other details at your will.

         (This questions is left for your response)

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The Evolving Danger of the New Bird Flu

An unusual outbreak of the disease has spread to dairy herds in multiple u.s. states..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Sabrina Tavernise, and this is “The Daily.”

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The outbreak of bird flu that is tearing through the nation’s poultry farms is the worst in US history. But scientists say it’s now starting to spread into places and species it’s never been before.

Today, my colleague, Emily Anthes, explains.

It’s Monday, April 22.

Emily, welcome back to the show.

Thanks for having me. Happy to be here.

So, Emily, we’ve been talking here on “The Daily” about prices of things and how they’ve gotten so high, mostly in the context of inflation episodes. And one of the items that keeps coming up is eggs. Egg prices were through the roof last year, and we learned it was related to this. Avian flu has been surging in the United States. You’ve been covering this. Tell us what’s happening.

Yes, so I have been covering this virus for the last few years. And the bird flu is absolutely tearing through poultry flocks, and that is affecting egg prices. That’s a concern for everyone, for me and for my family. But when it comes to scientists, egg prices are pretty low on their list of concerns. Because they see this bird flu virus behaving differently than previous versions have. And they’re getting nervous, in particular, about the fact that this virus is reaching places and species where it’s never been before.

OK, so bird flu, though, isn’t new. I mean I remember hearing about cases in Asia in the ‘90s. Remind us how it began.

Bird flu refers to a bunch of different viruses that are adapted to spread best in birds. Wild water birds, in particular, are known for carrying these viruses. And flu viruses are famous for also being shapeshifters. So they’re constantly swapping genes around and evolving into new strains. And as you mentioned back in the ‘90s, a new version of bird flu, a virus known as H5N1, emerged in Asia. And it has been spreading on and off around the world since then, causing periodic outbreaks.

And how are these outbreaks caused?

So wild birds are the reservoir for the virus, which means they carry it in their bodies with them around the world as they fly and travel and migrate. And most of the time, these wild birds, like ducks and geese, don’t even get very sick from this virus. But they shed it. So as they’re traveling over a poultry farm maybe, if they happen to go to the bathroom in a pond that the chickens on the farm are using or eat some of the feed that chickens on the farm are eating, they can leave the virus behind.

And the virus can get into chickens. In some cases, it causes mild illness. It’s what’s known as low pathogenic avian influenza. But sometimes the virus mutates and evolves, and it can become extremely contagious and extremely fatal in poultry.

OK, so the virus comes through wild birds, but gets into farms like this, as you’re describing. How have farms traditionally handled outbreaks, when they do happen?

Well, because this threat isn’t new, there is a pretty well-established playbook for containing outbreaks. It’s sometimes known as stamping out. And brutally, what it means is killing the birds. So the virus is so deadly in this highly pathogenic form that it’s sort of destined to kill all the birds on a farm anyway once it gets in. So the response has traditionally been to proactively depopulate or cull all the birds, so it doesn’t have a chance to spread.

So that’s pretty costly for farmers.

It is. Although the US has a program where it will reimburse farmers for their losses. And the way these reimbursements work is they will reimburse farmers only for the birds that are proactively culled, and not for those who die naturally from the virus. And the thinking behind that is it’s a way to incentivize farmers to report outbreaks early.

So, OK, lots of chickens are killed in a way to manage these outbreaks. So we know how to deal with them. But what about now? Tell me about this new strain.

So this new version of the virus, it emerged in 2020.

After the deadly outbreak of the novel coronavirus, authorities have now confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of influenza, a kind of bird flu.

And pretty quickly it became clear that a couple things set it apart.

A bald eagle found dead at Carvins Cove has tested positive for the highly contagious bird flu.

This virus, for whatever reason, seemed very good at infecting all sorts of wild birds that we don’t normally associate with bird flu.

[BIRD CRYING]

He was kind of stepping, and then falling over, and using its wing to right itself.

Things like eagles and condors and pelicans.

We just lost a parliament of owls in Minneapolis.

Yeah, a couple of high profile nests.

And also in the past, wild birds have not traditionally gotten very sick from this virus. And this version of the virus not only spread widely through the wild bird population, but it proved to be devastating.

The washing up along the East Coast of the country from Scotland down to Suffolk.

We were hearing about mass die-offs of seabirds in Europe by the hundreds and the thousands.

And the bodies of the dead dot the island wherever you look.

Wow. OK. So then as we know, this strain, like previous ones, makes its way from wild animals to farmed animals, namely to chickens. But it’s even more deadly.

Absolutely. And in fact, it has already caused the worst bird flu outbreak in US history. So more than 90 million birds in the US have died as a result of this virus.

90 million birds.

Yes, and I should be clear that represents two things. So some of those birds are birds who naturally got infected and died from the virus. But the vast majority of them are birds that were proactively culled. What it adds up to is, is 90 million farmed birds in the US have died since this virus emerged. And it’s not just a chicken problem. Another thing that has been weird about this virus is it has jumped into other kinds of farms. It is the first time we’ve seen a bird flu virus jump into US livestock.

And it’s now been reported on a number of dairy farms across eight US states. And that’s just something that’s totally unprecedented.

So it’s showing up at Dairy farms now. You’re saying that bird flu has now spread to cows. How did that happen?

So we don’t know exactly how cows were first infected, but most scientists’ best guess is that maybe an infected wild bird that was migrating shed the virus into some cattle feed or a pasture or a pond, and cattle picked it up. The good news is they don’t seem to get nearly as sick as chickens do. They are generally making full recoveries on their own in a couple of weeks.

OK, so no mass culling of cows?

No, that doesn’t seem to be necessary at this point. But the bad news is that it’s starting to look like we’re seeing this virus spread from cow to cow. We don’t know exactly how that’s happening yet. But anytime you see cow-to-cow or mammal-to-mammal transmission, that’s a big concern.

And why is that exactly?

Well, there are a bunch of reasons. First, it could allow the outbreak to get much bigger, much faster, which might increase the risk to the food supply. And we might also expect it to increase the risk to farm workers, people who might be in contact with these sick cows.

Right now, the likelihood that a farmer who gets this virus passes it on is pretty low. But any time you see mammal-to-mammal transmission, it increases the chance that the virus will adapt and possibly, maybe one day get good at spreading between humans. To be clear, that’s not something that there’s any evidence happening in cows right now. But the fact that there’s any cow-to-cow transmission happening at all is enough to have scientists a bit concerned.

And then if we think more expansively beyond what’s happening on farms, there’s another big danger lurking out there. And that’s what happens when this virus gets into wild animals, vast populations that we can’t control.

We’ll be right back.

So, Emily, you said that another threat was the threat of flu in wild animal populations. Clearly, of course, it’s already in wild birds. Where else has it gone?

Well, the reason it’s become such a threat is because of how widespread it’s become in wild birds. So they keep reintroducing it to wild animal populations pretty much anywhere they go. So we’ve seen the virus repeatedly pop up in all sorts of animals that you might figure would eat a wild bird, so foxes, bobcats, bears. We actually saw it in a polar bear, raccoons. So a lot of carnivores and scavengers.

The thinking is that these animals might stumble across a sick or dead bird, eat it, and contract the virus that way. But we’re also seeing it show up in some more surprising places, too. We’ve seen the virus in a bottle-nosed dolphin, of all places.

And most devastatingly, we’ve seen enormous outbreaks in other sorts of marine mammals, especially sea lions and seals.

So elephant seals, in particular in South America, were just devastated by this virus last fall. My colleague Apoorva Mandavilli and I were talking to some scientists in South America who described to us what they called a scene from hell, of walking out onto a beach in Argentina that is normally crowded with chaotic, living, breathing, breeding, elephant seals — and the beach just being covered by carcass, after carcass, after carcass.

Mostly carcasses of young newborn pups. The virus seemed to have a mortality rate of 95 percent in these elephant seal pups, and they estimated that it might have killed more than 17,000 of the pups that were born last year. So almost the entire new generation of this colony. These are scientists that have studied these seals for decades. And they said they’ve never seen anything like it before.

And why is it so far reaching, Emily? I mean, what explains these mass die-offs?

There are probably a few explanations. One is just how much virus is out there in the environment being shed by wild birds into water and onto beaches. These are also places that viruses like this haven’t been before. So it’s reaching elephant seals and sea lions in South America that have no prior immunity.

There’s also the fact that these particular species, these sea lions and seals, tend to breed in these huge colonies all crowded together on beaches. And so what that means is if a virus makes its way into the colony, it’s very conducive conditions for it to spread. And scientists think that that’s actually what’s happening now. That it’s not just that all these seals are picking up the virus from individual birds, but that they’re actually passing it to each other.

So basically, this virus is spreading to places it’s never been before, kind of virgin snow territory, where animals just don’t have the immunity against it. And once it gets into a population packed on a beach, say, of elephant seals, it’s just like a knife through butter.

Absolutely. And an even more extreme example of that is what we’re starting to see happen in Antarctica, where there’s never been a bird flu outbreak before until last fall, for the first time, this virus reached the Antarctic mainland. And we are now seeing the virus move through colonies of not only seabirds and seals, but penguin colonies, which have not been exposed to these viruses before.

And it’s too soon to say what the toll will be. But penguins also, of course, are known for breeding in these large colonies.

Probably. don’t have many immune defenses against this virus, and of course, are facing all these other environmental threats. And so there’s a lot of fear that you add on the stress of a bird flu virus, and it could just be a tipping point for penguins.

Emily, at this point, I’m kind of wondering why more people aren’t talking about this. I mean, I didn’t know any of this before having this conversation with you, and it feels pretty worrying.

Well, a lot of experts and scientists are talking about this with rising alarm and in terms that are quite stark. They’re talking about the virus spreading through wild animal populations so quickly and so ferociously that they’re calling it an ecological disaster.

But that’s a disaster that sometimes seems distant from us, both geographically, we’re talking about things that are happening maybe at the tip of Argentina or in Antarctica. And also from our concerns of our everyday lives, what’s happening in Penguins might not seem like it has a lot to do with the price of a carton of eggs at the grocery store. But I think that we should be paying a lot of attention to how this virus is moving through animal populations, how quickly it’s moving through animal populations, and the opportunities that it is giving the virus to evolve into something that poses a much bigger threat to human health.

So the way it’s spreading in wild animals, even in remote places like Antarctica, that’s important to watch, at least in part because there’s a real danger to people here.

So we know that the virus can infect humans, and that generally it’s not very good at spreading between humans. But the concern all along has been that if this virus has more opportunities to spread between mammals, it will get better at spreading between them. And that seems to be what is happening in seals and sea lions. Scientists are already seeing evidence that the virus is adapting as it passes from marine mammal to marine mammal. And that could turn it into a virus that’s also better at spreading between people.

And if somebody walks out onto a beach and touches a dead sea lion, if their dog starts playing with a sea lion carcass, you could imagine that this virus could make its way out of marine mammals and into the human population. And if it’s this mammalian adapted version of the virus that makes its way out, that could be a bigger threat to human health.

So the sheer number of hosts that this disease has, the more opportunity it has to mutate, and the more chance it has to mutate in a way that would actually be dangerous for people.

Yes, and in particular, the more mammalian hosts. So that gives the virus many more opportunities to become a specialist in mammals instead of a specialist in birds, which is what it is right now.

Right. I like that, a specialist in mammals. So what can we do to contain this virus?

Well, scientists are exploring new options. There’s been a lot of discussion about whether we should start vaccinating chickens in the US. The government, USDA labs, have been testing some poultry vaccines. It’s probably scientifically feasible. There are challenges there, both in terms of logistics — just how would you go about vaccinating billions of chickens every year. There are also trade questions. Traditionally, a lot of countries have not been willing to accept poultry products from countries that vaccinate their poultry.

And there’s concern about whether the virus might spread undetected in flocks that are vaccinated. So as we saw with COVID, the vaccine can sometimes stop you from getting sick, but it doesn’t necessarily stop infection. And so countries are worried they might unknowingly import products that are harboring the virus.

And what about among wild animals? I mean, how do you even begin to get your head around that?

Yeah, I mean, thinking about vaccinating wild animals maybe makes vaccinating all the chickens in the US look easy. There has been some discussion of limited vaccination campaigns, but that’s not feasible on a global scale. So unfortunately, the bottom line is there isn’t a good way to stop spread in wild animals. We can try to protect some vulnerable populations, but we’re not going to stop the circulation of this virus.

So, Emily, we started this conversation with a kind of curiosity that “The Daily” had about the price of eggs. And then you explained the bird flu to us. And then somehow we ended up learning about an ecological disaster that’s unfolding all around us, and potentially the source of the next human pandemic. That is pretty scary.

It is scary, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by it. And I feel like I should take a step back and say none of this is inevitable. None of this is necessarily happening tomorrow. But this is why scientists are concerned and why they think it’s really important to keep a very close eye on what’s happening both on farms and off farms, as this virus spreads through all sorts of animal populations.

One thing that comes up again and again and again in my interviews with people who have been studying bird flu for decades, is how this virus never stops surprising them. And sometimes those are bad surprises, like these elephant seal die-offs, the incursions into dairy cattle. But there are some encouraging signs that have emerged recently. We’re starting to see some early evidence that some of the bird populations that survived early brushes with this virus might be developing some immunity. So that’s something that maybe could help slow the spread of this virus in animal populations.

We just don’t entirely know how this is going to play out. Flu is a very difficult, wily foe. And so that’s one reason scientists are trying to keep such a close, attentive eye on what’s happening.

Emily, thank you.

Thanks for having me.

Here’s what else you should know today.

On this vote, the yeas are 366 and the nays are 58. The bill is passed.

On Saturday, in four back-to-back votes, the House voted resoundingly to approve a long-stalled package of aid to Ukraine, Israel and other American allies, delivering a major victory to President Biden, who made aid to Ukraine one of his top priorities.

On this vote, the yeas are 385, and the no’s are 34 with one answering present. The bill is passed without objection.

The House passed the component parts of the $95 billion package, which included a bill that could result in a nationwide ban of TikTok.

On this vote, the yeas are 311 and the nays are 112. The bill is passed.

Oh, one voting present. I missed it, but thank you.

In a remarkable breach of custom, Democrats stepped in to supply the crucial votes to push the legislation past hard-line Republican opposition and bring it to the floor.

The House will be in order.

The Senate is expected to pass the legislation as early as Tuesday.

Today’s episode was produced by Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Eric Krupke, and Alex Stern. It was edited by Lisa Chow and Patricia Willens; contains original music by Marion Lozano, Dan Powell, Rowan Niemisto, and Sophia Lanman; and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Andrew Jacobs.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. See you tomorrow.

• April 24, 2024   •   32:18 Is $60 Billion Enough to Save Ukraine?
• April 23, 2024   •   30:30 A Salacious Conspiracy or Just 34 Pieces of Paper?
• April 22, 2024   •   24:30 The Evolving Danger of the New Bird Flu
• April 19, 2024   •   30:42 The Supreme Court Takes Up Homelessness
• April 18, 2024   •   30:07 The Opening Days of Trump’s First Criminal Trial
• April 17, 2024   •   24:52 Are ‘Forever Chemicals’ a Forever Problem?
• April 16, 2024   •   29:29 A.I.’s Original Sin
• April 15, 2024   •   24:07 Iran’s Unprecedented Attack on Israel
• April 14, 2024   •   46:17 The Sunday Read: ‘What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise’
• April 12, 2024   •   34:23 How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam
• April 11, 2024   •   28:39 The Staggering Success of Trump’s Trial Delay Tactics
• April 10, 2024   •   22:49 Trump’s Abortion Dilemma

Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

Produced by Rikki Novetsky ,  Nina Feldman ,  Eric Krupke and Alex Stern

Edited by Lisa Chow and Patricia Willens

Original music by Marion Lozano ,  Dan Powell ,  Rowan Niemisto and Sophia Lanman

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

The outbreak of bird flu currently tearing through the nation’s poultry is the worst in U.S. history. Scientists say it is now spreading beyond farms into places and species it has never been before.

Emily Anthes, a science reporter for The Times, explains.

On today’s episode

Emily Anthes , a science reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading

Scientists have faulted the federal response to bird flu outbreaks on dairy farms .

Here’s what to know about the outbreak.

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

Special thanks to Andrew Jacobs .

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

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