A lady named Isabella Day has a small shop where she sells pretty jewelry. Some people have taken things from her shop without paying. She doesn’t want to lock her door because she likes to be friendly. So, she got an alarm, cameras, and a special camera for the counter. These things helped catch someone who took something.

Many shops in the UK are having things taken too. It costs a lot of money when this happens. Small shops have a hard time paying for things to stop thieves. A group that helps small shops wants the police to do more. A big shop called the Co-op spent a lot of money on cameras and guards. They are trying to use smart computers to help, but they still think guards are the best. They want the police to help more so everyone in the shops can be safe.

Original news source: Shop owners hope that tech can deter thieves (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down different items related to a shop, like “jewelry,” “alarm,” “camera,” “counter,” “thief,” and “police,” on slips of paper. Students take turns acting out these items without speaking while the rest of the class guesses what they are. This helps with vocabulary recognition and non-verbal communication skills.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student is the shop owner (Isabella Day) and the other is a news reporter. The reporter interviews the shop owner about the recent thefts and the measures taken to prevent them. This encourages speaking practice and the use of past tense verbs.

– Word Association
Instructions: Say a word related to the article, such as “shop” or “safety,” and students must quickly say another word that they associate with it. This can be done in a circle, with each student adding a word. This activity promotes quick thinking and vocabulary expansion.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Create cards with vocabulary words from the article, such as “jewelry,” “alarm,” “camera,” “thief,” and “guard.” Split the class into two teams. Members take turns drawing the word on the card for their team to guess, without speaking or writing any letters. This is a fun way to reinforce new vocabulary.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask students to stand in different areas of the room based on their opinion about a statement related to the article, such as “It is important to always lock your shop,” or “Cameras are better than guards for stopping theft.” Then, ask students to explain their choice to the class or in small groups. This engages students in speaking while they learn to express their opinions and reasons in English.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What does Isabella Day sell in her small shop?
2. What bad thing did some people do in Isabella’s shop?
3. Why doesn’t Isabella want to lock her shop door?
4. What things did Isabella get to help stop people from taking things?
5. Are other shops in the UK having things taken too?
6. What did a big shop called the Co-op buy to keep their shop safe?
7. Who does the group that helps small shops want to help more?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A lady (1)______ Isabella Day has a small shop where she (2)______ pretty jewelry. Some people have taken things from her shop without paying. She doesn’t want to lock her door because she likes to be friendly. So, she got an (3)______, cameras, and a special camera for the counter. These things helped catch someone who took something.

Many shops in the UK are having things (4)______ too. It costs a lot of money when this happens. Small shops have a hard time paying for things to stop thieves. A (5)______ that (6)______ small shops wants the police to do more. A big shop called the Co-op spent a lot of money on cameras and guards. They are (7)______ to use smart computers to help, but they still think guards are the best. They want the (8)______ to help more so everyone in the shops can be safe.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a shop?
2. Do you like to visit small shops? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if someone took something from you without asking?
4. What is a camera?
5. Why do you think shops use cameras?
6. Do you think it is nice to have guards in a shop? Why or why not?
7. What is an alarm?
8. Would you be scared if an alarm made a loud noise? Why or why not?
9. What is a thief?
10. Do you think it is important for police to help shops? Why or why not?
11. How do you think a shop owner feels when people take things without paying?
12. Do you think it’s good to be friendly like the lady with the shop? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. shop
2. jewelry
3. alarm
4. cameras
5. counter
6. thieves
7. police
8. guards

Meanings:
(a) Machines that take pictures to see what’s happening
(b) The place where you pay for things in the shop
(c) Pretty things you wear, like necklaces and rings
(d) People who watch and protect the shop from bad people
(e) People who take things that don’t belong to them
(f) People who help keep everyone safe
(g) A place where you can buy things
(h) Something that makes a loud noise to scare bad people away
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What does Isabella Day sell in her shop?
(a) Pretty jewelry
(b) Clothes
(c) Toys
(d) Food

2. Why doesn’t Isabella want to lock her door?
(a) She likes to be friendly
(b) She doesn’t have a key
(c) She forgets to lock it
(d) She doesn’t trust locks

3. What did Isabella get to help catch the person who took something from her shop?
(a) New clothes for herself
(b) A big dog
(c) A new door lock
(d) Alarm, cameras, and a special camera for the counter

4. What do many shops in the UK have problems with?
(a) Too many customers
(b) High prices
(c) Broken windows
(d) Things being taken without paying

5. Why do small shops have a hard time paying for things to stop thieves?
(a) They don’t want to spend money on security
(b) They don’t have any customers
(c) It costs a lot of money
(d) They don’t care about thieves

6. What did the Co-op spend a lot of money on?
(a) Food and drinks
(b) Cameras and guards
(c) Clothes and shoes
(d) Toys and games

7. What does the Co-op think is the best way to stop thieves?
(a) Smart computers
(b) Guards
(c) Locking the doors
(d) Asking customers to pay

8. What does the group that helps small shops want the police to do?
(a) Stay away
(b) Close the shops
(c) Help more
(d) Take things without paying

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Isabella got an alarm, cameras, and a special camera for the counter to catch the person who took something.
2. Isabella doesn’t want to lock her door because she likes being friendly.
3. The police do not need to do more to help small shops and make everyone in the shops safe.
4. Isabella Day has a little store where she sells pretty jewelry.
5. Small shops have a hard time paying for things to stop thieves.
6. Many shops in the UK are not having things taken without paying.
7. It does not cost a lot of money when things are taken without paying.
8. Some people did not take things from her store without paying.
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 does Isabella Day sell in her shop?
2. Why did Isabella Day put cameras in her shop?
3. What happens to many shops in the UK?
4. Why is it hard for small shops to stop thieves?
5. What does the big shop called the Co-op use to keep safe?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What does Isabella Day sell in her small shop?
Isabella Day sells pretty jewelry in her shop.

2. What bad thing did some people do in Isabella’s shop?
Some people took things without paying.

3. Why doesn’t Isabella want to lock her shop door?
She likes to be friendly and doesn’t want to lock her door.

4. What things did Isabella get to help stop people from taking things?
She got an alarm, cameras, and a special camera for the counter.

5. Are other shops in the UK having things taken too?
Yes, many shops in the UK are having things taken too.

6. What did a big shop called the Co-op buy to keep their shop safe?
The Co-op bought cameras and guards to keep their shop safe.

7. Who does the group that helps small shops want to help more?
The group wants the police to help more.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) named
(2) sells
(3) alarm
(4) taken
(5) group
(6) helps
(7) trying
(8) police
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. shop
Answer: (g) A place where you can buy things

2. jewelry
Answer: (c) Pretty things you wear, like necklaces and rings

3. alarm
Answer: (h) Something that makes a loud noise to scare bad people away

4. cameras
Answer: (a) Machines that take pictures to see what’s happening

5. counter
Answer: (b) The place where you pay for things in the shop

6. thieves
Answer: (e) People who take things that don’t belong to them

7. police
Answer: (f) People who help keep everyone safe

8. guards
Answer: (d) People who watch and protect the shop from bad people
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What does Isabella Day sell in her shop?
Answer: (a) Pretty jewelry

2. Why doesn’t Isabella want to lock her door?
Answer: (a) She likes to be friendly

3. What did Isabella get to help catch the person who took something from her shop?
Answer: (d) Alarm, cameras, and a special camera for the counter

4. What do many shops in the UK have problems with?
Answer: (d) Things being taken without paying

5. Why do small shops have a hard time paying for things to stop thieves?
Answer: (c) It costs a lot of money

6. What did the Co-op spend a lot of money on?
Answer: (b) Cameras and guards

7. What does the Co-op think is the best way to stop thieves?
Answer: (b) Guards

8. What does the group that helps small shops want the police to do?
Answer: (c) Help more
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Isabella got an alarm, cameras, and a special camera for the counter to catch the person who took something. (Answer: True)
2. Isabella doesn’t want to lock her door because she likes being friendly. (Answer: True)
3. The police do not need to do more to help small shops and make everyone in the shops safe. (Answer: False)
4. Isabella Day has a little store where she sells pretty jewelry. (Answer: True)
5. Small shops have a hard time paying for things to stop thieves. (Answer: True)
6. Many shops in the UK are not having things taken without paying. (Answer: False)
7. It does not cost a lot of money when things are taken without paying. (Answer: False)
8. Some people did not take things from her store without paying. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧