A man named King Charles III had a birthday party because he turned 75 years old. The party was at his house in a place called Highgrove House. People who were also 75 and groups that were 75 years old came to the party. The King cut a big cake and made a funny joke about giving people pieces to take home.

The party was very happy and fun. King Charles III was with his friends and some famous people. Everyone liked the big cake. The King made people laugh when he talked about the cake.

The King’s house in Gloucestershire was a beautiful place for the party. People who were the same age as the King felt special together. The King’s party showed that many people like him a lot. He is an important person to many different people.

Original news source: King Charles cuts 75th birthday cake: ‘We’ll have to give you doggy bags!’ (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Choose key vocabulary from the article such as “King Charles III,” “birthday party,” “75 years old,” “Highgrove House,” and “cake.” Play a game of hangman with the class, using these words. Each time a word is guessed, use it in a sentence related to the article to reinforce understanding.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. One student is a reporter, and the other is a guest at King Charles III’s birthday party. The reporter interviews the guest about the event, asking questions about the atmosphere, the location, the guests, and the highlight of the party. Encourage the use of past tense and descriptive vocabulary.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Conduct a classroom opinion poll. Ask questions related to the article, such as “Do you think celebrating with people the same age is a good idea?” or “How important is it to have a big cake at a birthday party?” Tally the responses and discuss the results as a class, encouraging students to use full sentences and practice their speaking skills.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Hand out blank pieces of paper and ask students to sketch a scene from King Charles III’s birthday party based on the article’s description. After they’ve completed their drawings, have them label parts of their picture with vocabulary words from the article. Students can then present their sketches to the class and describe what’s happening in their scene.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have students make predictions about future events for King Charles III using the future tense. For example, “Next year, King Charles III will have another big party,” or “In the future, he might invite people from different age groups.” This activity encourages the use of future tense structures and imagination, as well as consolidating information from the article.

Comprehension Questions:

1. How old did King Charles III turn on his birthday?
2. Where was King Charles III’s birthday party held?
3. Who was invited to the King’s birthday party?
4. What did King Charles III do with the cake at the party?
5. What kind of joke did the King make at the party?
6. Who did King Charles III spend time with at his birthday party?
7. Why did the people who were the same age as the King feel special at the party?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man (1)______ King Charles III had a birthday party because he (2)______ 75 years old. The party was at his house in a place called Highgrove House. (3)______ who were also 75 and groups that were 75 years old came to the party. The King cut a big (4)______ and made a (5)______ joke about giving people pieces to take home.

The party was very happy and fun. King (6)______ III was with his friends and some famous people. Everyone liked the big cake. The King (7)______ people (8)______ when he talked about the cake.

The King’s house in Gloucestershire was a beautiful (9)______ for the party. People who were the (10)______ age as the (11)______ felt special together. The King’s party showed that many people like him a lot. He is an important (12)______ to many different people.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a birthday party?
2. How would you feel if you were invited to a king’s birthday party?
3. Do you like big cakes? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s a good idea to invite people who are the same age as you to your birthday? Why?
5. What kind of joke would you make about a birthday cake?
6. Have you ever been to a really happy and fun party? What made it fun?
7. Who would you invite to your birthday party if you could invite anyone?
8. Do you think it’s important to have friends and famous people at your party? Why or why not?
9. What makes a place beautiful for a party?
10. Would you feel special if you went to a party with people the same age as you? Why?
11. Do you think being 75 years old is very old for a birthday? Why or why not?
12. If you could give a piece of your birthday cake to anyone, who would you give it to?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. birthday
2. party
3. cake
4. friends
5. laugh
6. house
7. special
8. important

Meanings:
(a) People you enjoy spending time with
(b) The sound you make when something is funny
(c) A gathering of people to celebrate something
(d) A sweet dessert made with flour, sugar, and eggs
(e) Someone who is valued and respected by many people
(f) The day you were born and celebrate each year
(g) Something that is unique or different from others
(h) A building where someone lives
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who had a birthday party?
(a) Queen Elizabeth II
(b) King Charles III
(c) Prince William
(d) Prince Harry

2. Where was the party held?
(a) Buckingham Palace
(b) Windsor Castle
(c) Kensington Palace
(d) Highgrove House

3. How old did King Charles III turn?
(a) 50 years old
(b) 100 years old
(c) 75 years old
(d) 25 years old

4. Who came to the party?
(a) People who were also 75 and groups that were 75 years old
(b) People from all over the world
(c) Only the King’s family
(d) No one, it was a small party

5. What did the King do with the cake?
(a) He threw it away
(b) He gave it to his friends
(c) He ate it all by himself
(d) He cut it

6. Where is the King’s house located?
(a) London
(b) Manchester
(c) Gloucestershire
(d) Edinburgh

7. How did people feel at the party?
(a) Special
(b) Bored
(c) Sad
(d) Angry

8. What did the King’s party show?
(a) No one likes him
(b) Many people like him a lot
(c) He doesn’t have any friends
(d) He is not an important person

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. People who were also 75 years old and groups that were 75 years old came to the party.
2. The King’s party showed that many people dislike him a lot and he is an unimportant person to many different people.
3. The King made a serious joke about withholding cake from people to take home.
4. King Charles III had a birthday party because he turned 25 years old.
5. The King’s house in Gloucestershire was an ugly place for the party.
6. The party was held at his house called Highgrove House.
7. The King cut a big cake at the party.
8. The party was happy and fun, and the King was with his friends and some famous people.
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. Who had a birthday party because they turned 75 years old?
2. Where did King Charles III have his birthday party?
3. What did the King do with the big cake?
4. What did the King’s joke make people do?
5. Who felt special at the King’s party?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. How old did King Charles III turn on his birthday?
King Charles III turned 75 years old on his birthday.

2. Where was King Charles III’s birthday party held?
The birthday party was held at his house, Highgrove House.

3. Who was invited to the King’s birthday party?
People who were also 75 and groups that were 75 years old were invited to the party.

4. What did King Charles III do with the cake at the party?
King Charles III cut a big cake at the party.

5. What kind of joke did the King make at the party?
The King made a funny joke about giving people pieces of the cake to take home.

6. Who did King Charles III spend time with at his birthday party?
King Charles III spent time with his friends and some famous people at his birthday party.

7. Why did the people who were the same age as the King feel special at the party?
The people who were the same age as the King felt special because they were together at the party.
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) named
(2) turned
(3) People
(4) cake
(5) funny
(6) Charles
(7) made
(8) laugh
(9) place
(10) same
(11) King
(12) person
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. birthday
Answer: (f) The day you were born and celebrate each year

2. party
Answer: (c) A gathering of people to celebrate something

3. cake
Answer: (d) A sweet dessert made with flour, sugar, and eggs

4. friends
Answer: (a) People you enjoy spending time with

5. laugh
Answer: (b) The sound you make when something is funny

6. house
Answer: (h) A building where someone lives

7. special
Answer: (g) Something that is unique or different from others

8. important
Answer: (e) Someone who is valued and respected by many people
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who had a birthday party?
Answer: (b) King Charles III

2. Where was the party held?
Answer: (d) Highgrove House

3. How old did King Charles III turn?
Answer: (c) 75 years old

4. Who came to the party?
Answer: (a) People who were also 75 and groups that were 75 years old

5. What did the King do with the cake?
Answer: (d) He cut it

6. Where is the King’s house located?
Answer: (c) Gloucestershire

7. How did people feel at the party?
Answer: (a) Special

8. What did the King’s party show?
Answer: (b) Many people like him a lot
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. People who were also 75 years old and groups that were 75 years old came to the party. (Answer: True)
2. The King’s party showed that many people dislike him a lot and he is an unimportant person to many different people. (Answer: False)
3. The King made a serious joke about withholding cake from people to take home. (Answer: False)
4. King Charles III had a birthday party because he turned 25 years old. (Answer: False)
5. The King’s house in Gloucestershire was an ugly place for the party. (Answer: False)
6. The party was held at his house called Highgrove House. (Answer: True)
7. The King cut a big cake at the party. (Answer: True)
8. The party was happy and fun, and the King was with his friends and some famous people. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧