A bank in Ethiopia had a big problem. They lost $14 million because of a computer mistake. This mistake let people take more money than they had. But, the bank got back $10 million because many people gave the money back. The bank said if people don’t return the money, they could get in trouble.

Many students took money because of this mistake. They learned about it from messages and calls. The bank is now telling the police about people who took money and didn’t give it back. The bank has been around for a long time and has many people using it. They are working to fix the mistake and make sure everyone’s money is safe.

Original news source: Customers return $10m taken during bank glitch (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a slip of paper with a word related to the article (e.g. bank, money, mistake, police, etc.). One person from each group will act out the word without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess what word it is.

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students work in pairs. Each pair will read the article and then summarize it in their own words. They can take turns sharing their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Give each student a slip of paper with a question related to the article (e.g. Do you think the bank should have lost all that money? Should the people who took the money be punished?). Have them walk around the classroom and ask their classmates the question, recording their responses. Afterward, have a class discussion and share the different opinions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of vocabulary words from the article. One person from each group will pick a word and draw a picture representing it, while the rest of the group tries to guess what word it is. This activity helps reinforce vocabulary and comprehension.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have the students think about the article individually for a few minutes. Then, pair them up and have them discuss their thoughts and reactions to the article. Finally, bring the class back together and have a few pairs share their discussions with the rest of the class. This activity encourages critical thinking and speaking skills.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What was the problem the bank in Ethiopia had?
2. How much money did the bank lose because of the computer mistake?
3. How much money did the bank get back?
4. What did the bank say would happen if people didn’t return the money?
5. How did the students find out about the mistake?
6. What is the bank doing now?
7. Why is the bank working to fix the mistake?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A bank in Ethiopia had a big problem. They (1)______ $14 million because of a computer mistake. This mistake let (2)______ take more money than they had. But, the bank got back $10 million because many people gave the money back. The bank said if people don’t return the money, they could get in (3)______.

(4)______ students took money because of this mistake. They learned about it from messages and calls. The bank is now telling the (5)______ about people who (6)______ money and didn’t give it back. The bank has been around for a long time and has many people using it. They are working to fix the (7)______ and make sure everyone’s (8)______ is safe.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a bank?
2. How would you feel if you lost a lot of money because of a mistake?
3. Do you think it’s important to give back money if you took it by mistake? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever made a mistake with money? What happened?
5. Do you think the bank should punish people who didn’t give back the money? Why or why not?
6. How do you think the bank can fix the mistake?
7. Have you ever received a message or a call that gave you important information? What was it about?
8. Do you think it’s easy to keep everyone’s money safe? Why or why not?
9. What would you do if you found a lot of money that wasn’t yours?
10. Do you think the bank should give a reward to the people who returned the money? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the bank can prevent this kind of mistake from happening again?
12. Do you like using banks? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Ethiopia
2. computer
3. mistake
4. police
5. students
6. messages
7. return
8. trouble
9. safe
10. fix

Meanings:
(A) A smart machine that helps us do work and play games
(B) People who help keep us safe and make sure rules are followed
(C) When something goes wrong or is not right
(D) A place far away where people live
(E) To make something that was broken or wrong all better again
(F) When you might have to go to time-out because you didn’t follow the rules
(G) Notes we get on our phones or computers
(H) To give something back to where it came from
(I) Kids who go to school to learn new things
(J) When you are not in danger and everything is okay
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What happened to the bank in Ethiopia?
(a) They gained $14 million because of a computer mistake.
(b) They lost $10 million because of a computer mistake.
(c) They lost $14 million because of a computer mistake.
(d) They gained $10 million because of a computer mistake.

2. How much money did the bank get back?
(a) $10 million
(b) $14 million
(c) $4 million
(d) $0 million

3. What did the bank say would happen to people who didn’t return the money?
(a) They would get a reward.
(b) They would get more money.
(c) They could get in trouble.
(d) Nothing would happen.

4. Who took money because of the computer mistake?
(a) Many teachers
(b) Many students
(c) Many doctors
(d) Many police officers

5. How did people learn about the computer mistake?
(a) From TV and radio
(b) From books and newspapers
(c) From their friends and family
(d) From messages and calls

6. What is the bank doing now?
(a) Giving more money to people who took money
(b) Closing down because of the computer mistake
(c) Fixing the mistake and making sure everyone’s money is safe
(d) Telling the police about people who took money and didn’t give it back

7. How long has the bank been around?
(a) For a long time
(b) For a short time
(c) For a few days
(d) For a few hours

8. How many people use the bank?
(a) No people
(b) Many people
(c) A few people
(d) One person

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The bank warned that people who return the money could get into trouble.
2. The bank is now reporting people who took money and didn’t give it back to the police.
3. The bank is not working to fix the mistake and ensure everyone’s money is safe.
4. The bank was able to recover $10 million because many people returned the money.
5. The mistake prevented people from taking more money than they had.
6. A bank in Ethiopia made a mistake and lost $14 million.
7. The bank has been around for a long time and has many people using it.
8. Many students avoided taking money after learning about the mistake from messages and calls.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What happened to the bank in Ethiopia?
2. How much money did the bank lose because of the computer mistake?
3. Did people give the money back to the bank?
4. What will happen to people who don’t return the money?
5. What is the bank doing to fix the mistake?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What was the problem the bank in Ethiopia had?
The bank had a computer mistake and lost a lot of money.

2. How much money did the bank lose because of the computer mistake?
The bank lost $14 million because of the computer mistake.

3. How much money did the bank get back?
The bank got back $10 million.

4. What did the bank say would happen if people didn’t return the money?
The bank said people could get in trouble if they didn’t return the money.

5. How did the students find out about the mistake?
The students found out about the mistake from messages and calls.

6. What is the bank doing now?
The bank is telling the police about people who took money and didn’t give it back.

7. Why is the bank working to fix the mistake?
The bank wants to fix the mistake and make sure everyone’s money is safe.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) lost
(2) people
(3) trouble
(4) Many
(5) police
(6) took
(7) mistake
(8) money
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Ethiopia
Answer: (D) A place far away where people live

2. computer
Answer: (A) A smart machine that helps us do work and play games

3. mistake
Answer: (C) When something goes wrong or is not right

4. police
Answer: (B) People who help keep us safe and make sure rules are followed

5. students
Answer: (I) Kids who go to school to learn new things

6. messages
Answer: (G) Notes we get on our phones or computers

7. return
Answer: (H) To give something back to where it came from

8. trouble
Answer: (F) When you might have to go to time-out because you didn’t follow the rules

9. safe
Answer: (J) When you are not in danger and everything is okay

10. fix
Answer: (E) To make something that was broken or wrong all better again
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What happened to the bank in Ethiopia?
Answer: (c) They lost $14 million because of a computer mistake.

2. How much money did the bank get back?
Answer: (a) $10 million

3. What did the bank say would happen to people who didn’t return the money?
Answer: (c) They could get in trouble.

4. Who took money because of the computer mistake?
Answer: (b) Many students

5. How did people learn about the computer mistake?
Answer: (d) From messages and calls

6. What is the bank doing now?
Answer: (d) Telling the police about people who took money and didn’t give it back

7. How long has the bank been around?
Answer: (a) For a long time

8. How many people use the bank?
Answer: (b) Many people
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The bank warned that people who return the money could get into trouble. (Answer: False)
2. The bank is now reporting people who took money and didn’t give it back to the police. (Answer: True)
3. The bank is not working to fix the mistake and ensure everyone’s money is safe. (Answer: False)
4. The bank was able to recover $10 million because many people returned the money. (Answer: True)
5. The mistake prevented people from taking more money than they had. (Answer: False)
6. A bank in Ethiopia made a mistake and lost $14 million. (Answer: True)
7. The bank has been around for a long time and has many people using it. (Answer: True)
8. Many students avoided taking money after learning about the mistake from messages and calls. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧