A king had a birthday party at his big house. He turned 75 years old. People who were also 75 came to his party. They had a big cake with three parts. The king made a funny joke about taking cake home.

The king’s party was very happy. He had friends and special people there. They liked the big cake. The king’s joke made people laugh. It was a special day for the king.

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:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down words from the article (e.g., king, birthday, party, house, cake, joke) on slips of paper and place them in a bowl. Divide the class into two teams. A student from one team picks a slip and acts out the word without speaking or making any noise. Their team has to guess the word within a set time limit. If they guess correctly, they earn a point. Then it’s the other team’s turn.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. Give each pair a blank piece of paper and some colored pencils or markers. Read out sentences from the article one by one, and have the students draw what they hear. This will help them understand and remember the key points from the article. Afterward, discuss the drawings with the whole class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Similar to charades, but with drawing. Write keywords from the article (e.g., birthday, cake, friends) on cards. Students take turns picking a card and drawing the word for their team to guess. No letters or numbers can be used in the drawings. Set a time limit for each turn.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Ask the students to create a catchy headline for the article they read. Explain what a headline is and show them some examples. Encourage them to use adjectives and strong nouns to grab attention. Once everyone has created a headline, have students share them with the class and discuss which ones are most effective and why.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Read statements related to the article, such as “Birthday parties are important celebrations” or “The king was right to make a joke at his party.” Ask students to stand in a line according to how much they agree or disagree with the statement, with one end representing ‘strongly agree’ and the other ‘strongly disagree.’ Select individuals from different points in the spectrum to explain their position. This activity encourages students to practice expressing their opinions in English.

Comprehension Questions:

1. How old did the king turn on his birthday?
2. Where did the king have his birthday party?
3. Who came to the king’s birthday party?
4. How many parts did the big cake have?
5. What did the king do that made people laugh?
6. How did people feel at the king’s party?
7. Why was the day special for the king?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A (1)______ had a birthday (2)______ at his big house. He turned 75 years old. People who were also 75 came to his party. They had a big cake with three parts. The king (3)______ a funny (4)______ about taking cake (5)______.

The king’s party was very (6)______. He had friends and special people there. They (7)______ the big cake. The king’s joke made (8)______ laugh. It was a special day for the king.
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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. Do you like big cakes? Why or why not?
3. Have you ever been to a birthday party? What did you do there?
4. How would you feel if you were invited to a king’s birthday party?
5. What makes you happy on your birthday?
6. Do you think jokes are funny at parties? Why?
7. What is your favorite part of a birthday party?
8. Do you like to make people laugh? How do you do it?
9. What special food do you eat on your birthday?
10. How do you feel when you are with friends?
11. Do you think turning 75 years old is special? Why or why not?
12. Would you like to have a big house for your birthday party? Why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

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

Meanings:
(a) The sound you make when something is funny
(b) Something that is different and important
(c) A celebration with friends and family
(d) A person who is in charge of a country
(e) A sweet dessert made with flour, sugar, and eggs
(f) Something funny that makes people smile
(g) The day you were born
(h) A place where people live

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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How old was the king?
(a) 75
(b) 50
(c) 100
(d) 25

2. Who came to the king’s party?
(a) People who were 50
(b) People who were 100
(c) People who were also 75
(d) People who were 25

3. How many parts did the cake have?
(a) One
(b) Three
(c) Five
(d) Ten

4. What did the king joke about?
(a) Going to bed early
(b) Taking cake home
(c) Eating too much cake
(d) Singing a song

5. How did people feel at the king’s party?
(a) Sad
(b) Angry
(c) Tired
(d) Happy

6. Who did the king invite to his party?
(a) Friends and special people
(b) Strangers
(c) Animals
(d) Teachers

7. What did people like at the party?
(a) The small cake
(b) The balloons
(c) The presents
(d) The big cake

8. What kind of day was it for the king?
(a) A normal day
(b) A sad day
(c) A special day
(d) A boring day

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The king’s joke did not make people laugh and it was an ordinary day for him.
2. People who were also 75 years old came to the party.
3. The king had no friends and special people at his party.
4. The king made a serious joke about taking cake home.
5. A king had a big party at his house for his birthday.
6. The cake at the party had three parts.
7. The people at the party disliked the big cake.
8. The king turned 75 years old.
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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. How old did the king turn on his birthday?
2. Who came to the king’s birthday party?
3. How many parts did the big cake have?
4. What did the king do to make people laugh?
5. Was the king’s birthday party a happy day?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. How old did the king turn on his birthday?
The king turned 75 years old.

2. Where did the king have his birthday party?
The king had his birthday party at his big house.

3. Who came to the king’s birthday party?
People who were also 75 years old came to his party.

4. How many parts did the big cake have?
The big cake had three parts.

5. What did the king do that made people laugh?
The king made a funny joke about taking cake home.

6. How did people feel at the king’s party?
People felt very happy at the king’s party.

7. Why was the day special for the king?
It was a special day because it was the king’s birthday.
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) king
(2) party
(3) made
(4) joke
(5) home
(6) happy
(7) liked
(8) people
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. king
Answer: (d) A person who is in charge of a country

2. birthday
Answer: (g) The day you were born

3. party
Answer: (c) A celebration with friends and family

4. house
Answer: (h) A place where people live

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

6. joke
Answer: (f) Something funny that makes people smile

7. laugh
Answer: (a) The sound you make when something is funny

8. special
Answer: (b) Something that is different and important
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Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How old was the king?
Answer: (a) 75

2. Who came to the king’s party?
Answer: (c) People who were also 75

3. How many parts did the cake have?
Answer: (b) Three

4. What did the king joke about?
Answer: (b) Taking cake home

5. How did people feel at the king’s party?
Answer: (d) Happy

6. Who did the king invite to his party?
Answer: (a) Friends and special people

7. What did people like at the party?
Answer: (d) The big cake

8. What kind of day was it for the king?
Answer: (c) A special day
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True or False Answers:

1. The king’s joke did not make people laugh and it was an ordinary day for him. (Answer: False)
2. People who were also 75 years old came to the party. (Answer: True)
3. The king had no friends and special people at his party. (Answer: False)
4. The king made a serious joke about taking cake home. (Answer: False)
5. A king had a big party at his house for his birthday. (Answer: True)
6. The cake at the party had three parts. (Answer: True)
7. The people at the party disliked the big cake. (Answer: False)
8. The king turned 75 years old. (Answer: True)
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