Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

English Newsroom

Learn English through news articles - complete lesson plans, including articles, listening, classroom activities, quiz questions and more!

Mum Loses Money to Scammers

Helen's mother unknowingly sent £140,000 to fraudsters.
Try this article at a different level?

Lisa has a lovely cat named Whiskers. Whiskers is soft and fluffy. Every day, Lisa plays with her cat in the garden. They both love sunny days. Sometimes, Whiskers likes to jump and chase butterflies.

Original news source: 'Mum sent them £140,000': How to spot the signs a loved one is being scammed – BBC News (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

📖 Vocabulary:

1. fluffy
2. chase
3. garden
4. sunny
5. lovely
6. cat
7. jump
8. play
9. soft
10. days

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

1. What did you play with today?
2. How do you feel when it's sunny outside?
3. Can you think of something fluffy?
4. Describe your favorite animal.
5. Do you have a favorite toy?

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the story about?

2. How does Lisa feel about Whiskers?

3. What does Whiskers like to do?

4. Where do Lisa and Whiskers play?

5. What kind of days do they enjoy?

6. What is Whiskers like?

7. How often does Lisa play with Whiskers?

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

has a cat named Whiskers. Whiskers is soft and . day, Lisa plays with her cat in the . They sunny days. Sometimes, likes to jump and .

💬 Discussion Questions:

1. Do you have a pet at home?
2. What games do you like to play with your friends?
3. What do you like to do on a sunny day?
4. How do you feel when you see a butterfly?
5. What makes you happy?
6. Have you ever seen a garden? What was it like?
7. What's your favorite thing to do outside?
8. Do you think puppies or kittens are cuter? Why?
9. What is your favorite animal and why?
10. If you could have any pet, what would it be?
11. Have you ever been to a park?
12. How do you take care of animals?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.

Words

1. fluffy
2. chase
3. garden
4. sunny
5. lovely
6. cat
7. jump
8. play
9. soft
10. days

Meanings

(A) very nice
(B) a place with flowers and grass
(C) a small animal that purrs
(D) gentle and smooth
(E) run after something
(F) have fun
(G) nice to touch and light
(H) bright with sun
(I) to go up and down quickly
(J) more than one day

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What does Lisa have?
(a) A cat
(b) A dog
(c) A bird
(d) A fish
2. What is Whiskers like?
(a) Rough
(b) Noisy
(c) Fluffy
(d) Hard
3. Where does Lisa play with Whiskers?
(a) In the house
(b) In the car
(c) In the garden
(d) In the water
4. What kind of days do they love?
(a) Rainy days
(b) Sunny days
(c) Snowy days
(d) Cloudy days
5. What does Whiskers like to chase?
(a) Cars
(b) Shoes
(c) Balls
(d) Butterflies
6. How does Lisa feel about her cat?
(a) She is scared of her cat
(b) She doesn't care about her cat
(c) She is angry with her cat
(d) She loves her cat
7. What color might the garden have?
(a) Blue
(b) Green
(c) Orange
(d) Purple
8. What happens every day?
(a) Lisa plays with Whiskers
(b) Lisa goes to school
(c) Whiskers sleeps all day
(d) Lisa reads a book

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Lisa has a dog named Whiskers.
2. Lisa cares for Whiskers.
3. Whiskers is rough and prickly.
4. Whiskers likes to jump.
5. Lisa and Whiskers love sunny days.
6. Whiskers chases butterflies.
7. They play in the house.
8. Playing is boring for both Lisa and Whiskers.

Writing Questions:

1. Write about your favorite sunny day.
2. Describe an animal you like.
3. What do you do with your family on weekends?
4. Write about a time you helped someone.
5. Describe a fun game you play outside.

How about these other Level 1 articles?

Online
Class
Writing
Coach

Feedback