A young boy, only 12 years old, took a big machine called a forklift without asking. He drove it around and the police had to chase him for a whole hour. The big machine bumped into about 10 cars that were not moving. The police think someone left the big machine open with the key inside. Now, the boy is with the police and they are trying to understand why this happened.

The chase with the boy and the big machine happened in a place called Ann Arbor. The boy made the big machine hit many cars that were parked. The police say the big machine was not locked and the key was not hidden very well. The boy is now in a place where the police can watch him. People are still trying to learn more about why the boy did this.

Original news source: Forklift chase: Ann Arbor Police chase 12-year-old boy (BBC)

Listen

Slow

Normal

Fast

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Choose vocabulary words from the article and write them on individual pieces of paper. One person from each team takes turns coming to the front of the class and acting out the word without speaking. The team that guesses the word correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students and words.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Pair up the students and give each pair a piece of paper and a pen. Choose a scene from the article and describe it to the students. They must take turns sketching what they think the scene looks like based on your description. After a few minutes, have the pairs share their sketches with the class and explain their drawings.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of vocabulary words from the article written on individual pieces of paper. One person from each pair chooses a word and must draw a picture to represent the word, while the other person tries to guess the word. After a few minutes, have the pairs switch roles. Repeat with different pairs and words.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a sentence or two from the article and a time limit (e.g. 30 seconds). The groups must work together to summarize the information in the given sentences as quickly as possible. After the time limit, have each group share their summary with the class.

– Keyword Taboo
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on individual pieces of paper. Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team takes turns picking a word and trying to describe it to their team without using any of the “taboo” words listed on the paper. The team that guesses the word correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students and words.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the young boy take without asking?
2. What is the big machine called?
3. Who had to chase the boy for a whole hour?
4. What did the big machine bump into?
5. Why do the police think the big machine was open with the key inside?
6. Where did the chase with the boy and the big machine happen?
7. Where is the boy now?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A (1)______ boy, only 12 years old, took a big machine called a forklift without asking. He drove it around and the police had to (2)______ him for a whole hour. The big machine bumped into about 10 cars that were not moving. The police think someone left the big machine open with the key (3)______. Now, the boy is with the police and they are (4)______ to understand why this happened.

The chase with the boy and the big machine happened in a place called Ann Arbor. The boy made the big machine hit (5)______ cars that were parked. The (6)______ say the big machine was not locked and the key was not hidden very well. The boy is now in a place where the police can watch him. (7)______ are still trying to (8)______ more about why the boy did this.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a forklift?
2. How would you feel if someone took your toy without asking?
3. Do you like driving big machines? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s okay to take something without asking? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever seen a forklift before? What did it look like?
6. How do you think the police felt when they had to chase the boy for a whole hour?
7. What do you think the boy was thinking when he drove the forklift into the parked cars?
8. Have you ever been in trouble with the police? What happened?
9. Do you think the boy should get in trouble for what he did? Why or why not?
10. How do you think the people whose cars got hit felt?
11. Have you ever driven a car or a big machine before? What was it like?
12. What would you do if you saw someone taking a big machine without asking?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. young
2. machine
3. police
4. chase
5. cars
6. locked
7. parked
8. watch

Meanings:
(a) Not old, like a baby or a kid
(b) When a car is not moving and stays in one place
(c) A big thing that can move or do work
(d) To keep an eye on someone or something
(e) Things that people drive on the road
(f) Running after someone or something
(g) People who make sure everyone follows the rules
(h) When something is closed and you need a key to open it
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How old is the boy who took the forklift without asking?
(a) 10 years old
(b) 15 years old
(c) 12 years old
(d) 8 years old

2. What is the name of the place where the chase with the boy and the big machine happened?
(a) Ann Arbor
(b) New York City
(c) Los Angeles
(d) Chicago

3. How long did the police chase the boy for?
(a) Ten minutes
(b) One hour
(c) Five hours
(d) Thirty minutes

4. How many cars did the big machine bump into?
(a) About 10 cars
(b) About 5 cars
(c) About 20 cars
(d) About 15 cars

5. Why do the police think the boy was able to take the big machine?
(a) The boy knew how to drive a forklift
(b) Someone left the big machine open with the key inside
(c) The police gave the boy permission to drive the big machine
(d) The boy stole the key to the big machine

6. Where is the boy now?
(a) At home
(b) At school
(c) In a park
(d) With the police

7. What are people trying to learn more about?
(a) How to drive a forklift
(b) Where the big machine came from
(c) Why the boy took the big machine
(d) What the boy’s favorite color is

8. What kind of machine did the boy take?
(a) A car
(b) A bicycle
(c) A skateboard
(d) A forklift

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The cars that got bumped were not moving.
2. The place where this happened is called Detroit.
3. The boy drove the forklift around and bumped into 10 cars.
4. The small machine is called a forklift.
5. The police had to chase the boy for a whole hour.
6. The boy is now with the police and they are trying to understand why he did this.
7. A 12-year-old girl took a big machine without asking.
8. The police think someone closed the forklift with the key inside.
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 did the young boy take without asking?
2. What did the young boy do with the big machine?
3. How long did the police chase the boy for?
4. What did the big machine bump into?
5. Why are the police trying to understand why this happened?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the young boy take without asking?
The young boy took a big machine called a forklift without asking.

2. What is the big machine called?
The big machine is called a forklift.

3. Who had to chase the boy for a whole hour?
The police had to chase the boy for a whole hour.

4. What did the big machine bump into?
The big machine bumped into about 10 cars that were not moving.

5. Why do the police think the big machine was open with the key inside?
The police think the big machine was open with the key inside because someone left it that way.

6. Where did the chase with the boy and the big machine happen?
The chase with the boy and the big machine happened in Ann Arbor.

7. Where is the boy now?
The boy is now with the police.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) young
(2) chase
(3) inside
(4) trying
(5) many
(6) police
(7) People
(8) learn
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. young
Answer: (a) Not old, like a baby or a kid

2. machine
Answer: (c) A big thing that can move or do work

3. police
Answer: (g) People who make sure everyone follows the rules

4. chase
Answer: (f) Running after someone or something

5. cars
Answer: (e) Things that people drive on the road

6. locked
Answer: (h) When something is closed and you need a key to open it

7. parked
Answer: (b) When a car is not moving and stays in one place

8. watch
Answer: (d) To keep an eye on someone or something
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How old is the boy who took the forklift without asking?
Answer: (c) 12 years old

2. What is the name of the place where the chase with the boy and the big machine happened?
Answer: (a) Ann Arbor

3. How long did the police chase the boy for?
Answer: (b) One hour

4. How many cars did the big machine bump into?
Answer: (a) About 10 cars

5. Why do the police think the boy was able to take the big machine?
Answer: (b) Someone left the big machine open with the key inside

6. Where is the boy now?
Answer: (d) With the police

7. What are people trying to learn more about?
Answer: (c) Why the boy took the big machine

8. What kind of machine did the boy take?
Answer: (d) A forklift
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The cars that got bumped were not moving. (Answer: True)
2. The place where this happened is called Detroit. (Answer: False)
3. The boy drove the forklift around and bumped into 10 cars. (Answer: True)
4. The small machine is called a forklift. (Answer: False)
5. The police had to chase the boy for a whole hour. (Answer: True)
6. The boy is now with the police and they are trying to understand why he did this. (Answer: True)
7. A 12-year-old girl took a big machine without asking. (Answer: False)
8. The police think someone closed the forklift with the key inside. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧