In 2019, a special gold toilet was stolen from a big, old house in England. The toilet was made by an artist and was very expensive. Thieves took it in just five minutes using big hammers. They left behind the tools they used. The toilet was very heavy and worth a lot of money.

The thieves planned the theft very carefully. They came early in the morning in stolen cars. They broke into the house and took the toilet quickly. Water was left spilling everywhere when they took it. The police are trying to find out what happened and who helped them.

Original news source: Thieves stole £2.8m gold toilet at Blenheim Palace in just five minutes, court hears (Sky News)

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Students will take turns acting out different words or phrases from the article without speaking. The other students will guess what they are acting out. Words can include “toilet,” “thief,” “car,” “police,” and “house.”

– SKETCH IT
Instructions: Students will work in pairs. One student will describe a scene from the article, such as the theft of the toilet, while the other student draws it. After a few minutes, they will share their drawings and discuss the details.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: In small groups, students will create a catchy headline for the article. They will present their headlines to the class, and everyone can vote on which one they think is the best.

– TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
Instructions: Each student will write down two true statements and one false statement about the article. They will then take turns reading their statements to the class, and the other students will guess which statement is the lie.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Students will discuss their opinions on the theft of the gold toilet. They will be asked questions like, “Is stealing wrong?” and “What would you do if you saw a crime?” After discussing in pairs, they can share their thoughts with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What was stolen from the big, old house in England?
2. Who made the special gold toilet?
3. How did the thieves take the toilet?
4. What did the thieves leave behind after taking the toilet?
5. How did the thieves get to the house?
6. What happened to the water when the thieves took the toilet?
7. Who is trying to find out what happened with the stolen toilet?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In 2019, a (1)______ gold (2)______ was stolen from a big, old house in England. The toilet was made by an artist and was very expensive. Thieves took it in just five minutes (3)______ big hammers. They left behind the tools they (4)______. The toilet was very heavy and worth a lot of money.

The thieves planned the (5)______ very carefully. They came early in the morning in stolen cars. They (6)______ into the house and took the toilet quickly. (7)______ was (8)______ spilling everywhere when they took it. The police are trying to find out what happened and who helped them.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a toilet?
2. Do you think a gold toilet is nice? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if someone stole your toys?
4. Do you like to play with big toys or small toys?
5. What would you do if you saw a thief?
6. Do you think it is okay to take things that are not yours? Why?
7. How would you feel if you lost something special?
8. What is your favorite thing in your house?
9. Do you think it is fun to play pretend games? Why?
10. How would you feel if you saw a police officer?
11. What would you do if you found money on the ground?
12. Do you think it is important to keep your things safe? Why?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. stolen
2. artist
3. thieves
4. hammers
5. heavy
6. worth
7. planned
8. carefully
9. spilling
10. police

Meanings:
(A) Taken without permission
(B) Doing something with a lot of attention
(C) People who catch bad guys and keep us safe
(D) Liquid falling out of a container
(E) A person who makes art
(F) Hard to lift because it weighs a lot
(G) Tools used to hit things
(H) Thought about and decided before doing
(I) People who take things that are not theirs
(J) How much money something can be sold for
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What was stolen in England?
(a) A gold toilet
(b) A gold chair
(c) A gold table
(d) A gold lamp

2. Who made the special gold toilet?
(a) A teacher
(b) A doctor
(c) An artist
(d) A chef

3. How long did it take the thieves to steal the toilet?
(a) Ten minutes
(b) Five minutes
(c) One hour
(d) Two hours

4. What did the thieves use to take the toilet?
(a) Small spoons
(b) Plastic forks
(c) Wooden sticks
(d) Big hammers

5. What did the thieves leave behind?
(a) Tools
(b) Money
(c) Food
(d) Clothes

6. When did the thieves come to steal the toilet?
(a) Late at night
(b) In the afternoon
(c) At lunchtime
(d) Early in the morning

7. What was left on the floor after the toilet was taken?
(a) Food
(b) Water
(c) Toys
(d) Paper

8. Who is trying to find out what happened?
(a) The teachers
(b) The doctors
(c) The police
(d) The cooks

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The toilet was light and not worth a lot of money.
2. Water was contained after they took the toilet.
3. The police are trying to find the thieves.
4. The thieves came in rented cars.
5. The thieves used big hammers to take the toilet.
6. The toilet was made by an artist.
7. A gold toilet was stolen in England in 2019.
8. It took the thieves only ten minutes to steal the toilet.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
Check your answers with our free English writing assistant!

1. What was stolen from the big house in England?
2. Who made the special gold toilet?
3. How did the thieves take the toilet so fast?
4. What did the thieves leave behind when they took the toilet?
5. What are the police trying to do now?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What was stolen from the big, old house in England?
A special gold toilet was stolen.

2. Who made the special gold toilet?
An artist made the special gold toilet.

3. How did the thieves take the toilet?
The thieves took the toilet using big hammers.

4. What did the thieves leave behind after taking the toilet?
The thieves left behind their tools.

5. How did the thieves get to the house?
The thieves came in stolen cars.

6. What happened to the water when the thieves took the toilet?
Water was spilling everywhere when they took the toilet.

7. Who is trying to find out what happened with the stolen toilet?
The police are trying to find out what happened.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) special
(2) toilet
(3) using
(4) used
(5) theft
(6) broke
(7) Water
(8) left
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. stolen
Answer: (A) Taken without permission

2. artist
Answer: (E) A person who makes art

3. thieves
Answer: (I) People who take things that are not theirs

4. hammers
Answer: (G) Tools used to hit things

5. heavy
Answer: (F) Hard to lift because it weighs a lot

6. worth
Answer: (J) How much money something can be sold for

7. planned
Answer: (H) Thought about and decided before doing

8. carefully
Answer: (B) Doing something with a lot of attention

9. spilling
Answer: (D) Liquid falling out of a container

10. police
Answer: (C) People who catch bad guys and keep us safe
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What was stolen in England?
Answer: (a) A gold toilet

2. Who made the special gold toilet?
Answer: (c) An artist

3. How long did it take the thieves to steal the toilet?
Answer: (b) Five minutes

4. What did the thieves use to take the toilet?
Answer: (d) Big hammers

5. What did the thieves leave behind?
Answer: (a) Tools

6. When did the thieves come to steal the toilet?
Answer: (d) Early in the morning

7. What was left on the floor after the toilet was taken?
Answer: (b) Water

8. Who is trying to find out what happened?
Answer: (c) The police
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The toilet was light and not worth a lot of money. (Answer: False)
2. Water was contained after they took the toilet. (Answer: False)
3. The police are trying to find the thieves. (Answer: True)
4. The thieves came in rented cars. (Answer: False)
5. The thieves used big hammers to take the toilet. (Answer: True)
6. The toilet was made by an artist. (Answer: True)
7. A gold toilet was stolen in England in 2019. (Answer: True)
8. It took the thieves only ten minutes to steal the toilet. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧