In September 2019, a gold toilet was stolen from Blenheim Palace in England. The toilet was made by an Italian artist and was very valuable, worth $6 million. Thieves took it in just five minutes, using sledgehammers to break in. The toilet was a working one and was on display for people to see.

The thieves planned the theft carefully. They came in two stolen cars early in the morning. They broke through gates and a window to get inside. They knew where the toilet was and quickly took it, leaving water spilling everywhere.

Now, three men are on trial for the theft. One man says he is not guilty, while the others are accused of trying to sell the gold. Another person has already admitted to being part of the crime. People are very interested in the case as it unfolds in court.

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 take turns acting out key phrases or words from the article without speaking, while the rest of the class guesses what they are. Phrases can include “gold toilet,” “stolen cars,” “sledgehammers,” and “trial.”

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Create a list of statements based on the article (e.g., “Stealing is never okay,” “Art should be displayed in public”). Students move to one side of the room for “agree” and the other side for “disagree,” then discuss their opinions with a partner.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: Students work in pairs to come up with a catchy headline for the article. After they create their headlines, they share them with the class, and the teacher can select a few to write on the board.

– VOCABULARY PICTIONARY
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group takes a key vocabulary word from the article (e.g., “thief,” “valuable,” “trial”) and draws it on the board. The other groups guess the word based on the drawing.

– THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Instructions: Pose a question related to the article, such as “Why do you think people steal valuable items?” Students think individually, then pair up to discuss their thoughts before sharing with the larger group.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What was stolen from Blenheim Palace in England?
2. How much was the gold toilet worth?
3. How long did it take the thieves to steal the toilet?
4. What tools did the thieves use to break in?
5. Where did the thieves come from when they stole the toilet?
6. What happened to the water when the thieves took the toilet?
7. How many men are on trial for the theft of the toilet?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In September 2019, a gold toilet was (1)______ from Blenheim Palace in England. The toilet was made by an Italian (2)______ and was very valuable, worth $6 million. Thieves (3)______ it in just five minutes, using sledgehammers to break in. The toilet was a working one and was on display for people to see.

The thieves (4)______ the theft carefully. They came in two stolen (5)______ early in the (6)______. They broke through gates and a (7)______ to get inside. They (8)______ where the toilet was and quickly took it, leaving water spilling everywhere.

Now, three men are on (9)______ for the theft. One man says he is not guilty, while the others are accused of (10)______ to sell the (11)______. Another person has already admitted to being part of the (12)______. People are very interested in the case as it unfolds in court.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your favorite type of art?

2. How would you feel if someone stole something valuable from you?

3. Do you think it is okay to take something that does not belong to you? Why or why not?

4. Have you ever seen a famous piece of art? What was it?

5. What is a valuable item you would like to own?

6. How do you think the thieves felt after stealing the gold toilet?

7. Do you like going to museums or art galleries? Why?

8. What would you do if you saw someone stealing something?

9. Do you think it is important to protect valuable things? Why?

10. How would you feel if you were in a court watching a trial?

11. What is a funny or strange thing you have seen in a museum?

12. Do you think people should be allowed to make art from unusual materials? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. stolen
2. valuable
3. thieves
4. sledgehammers
5. display
6. planned
7. trial
8. guilty
9. accused
10. admitted
11. crime
12. unfolds

Meanings:
(A) Worth a lot of money
(B) A meeting in court to decide if someone did something wrong
(C) Taken without permission
(D) Heavy tools used to break things
(E) People who take things that aren’t theirs
(F) Thought about and decided in advance
(G) Doing something against the law
(H) Happens slowly over time
(I) A place where something is shown for people to see
(J) Said to have done something wrong
(K) Said you did something
(L) Having done something wrong
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. When was the gold toilet stolen?
(a) September 2019
(b) August 2018
(c) October 2020
(d) July 2021

2. How much was the gold toilet worth?
(a) $1 million
(b) $10 million
(c) $500,000
(d) $6 million

3. Who made the gold toilet?
(a) A French artist
(b) An Italian artist
(c) A British artist
(d) An American artist

4. How did the thieves break in?
(a) Using sledgehammers
(b) Using keys
(c) Climbing through a window
(d) Digging a hole

5. What did the thieves use to get away?
(a) Bicycles
(b) A bus
(c) A boat
(d) Stolen cars

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

7. What happened to the water when the toilet was taken?
(a) It was collected in a bucket
(b) It was turned off
(c) It spilled everywhere
(d) It froze

8. How many men are on trial for the theft?
(a) Two men
(b) Four men
(c) Three men
(d) Five men

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The toilet was a working one and was on display.
2. No one is interested in the trial as it happens in court.
3. Thieves took the toilet in just five minutes.
4. The toilet was worth $6 million.
5. One man says he is not guilty of the theft.
6. The thieves used crowbars to break in.
7. Three men are on trial for stealing the bathtub.
8. A silver tub was stolen from Blenheim Palace in England.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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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 Blenheim Palace in England?
2. How much was the gold toilet worth?
3. How did the thieves break into the palace?
4. What happened to the water when the thieves took the toilet?
5. What are the three men on trial accused of doing?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What was stolen from Blenheim Palace in England?
A gold toilet was stolen.

2. How much was the gold toilet worth?
It was worth $6 million.

3. How long did it take the thieves to steal the toilet?
It took the thieves five minutes to steal it.

4. What tools did the thieves use to break in?
The thieves used sledgehammers to break in.

5. Where did the thieves come from when they stole the toilet?
The thieves came in two stolen cars.

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

7. How many men are on trial for the theft of the toilet?
Three men are on trial for the theft.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) stolen
(2) artist
(3) took
(4) planned
(5) cars
(6) morning
(7) window
(8) knew
(9) trial
(10) trying
(11) gold
(12) crime
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. stolen
Answer: (C) Taken without permission

2. valuable
Answer: (A) Worth a lot of money

3. thieves
Answer: (E) People who take things that aren’t theirs

4. sledgehammers
Answer: (D) Heavy tools used to break things

5. display
Answer: (I) A place where something is shown for people to see

6. planned
Answer: (F) Thought about and decided in advance

7. trial
Answer: (B) A meeting in court to decide if someone did something wrong

8. guilty
Answer: (L) Having done something wrong

9. accused
Answer: (J) Said to have done something wrong

10. admitted
Answer: (K) Said you did something

11. crime
Answer: (G) Doing something against the law

12. unfolds
Answer: (H) Happens slowly over time
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. When was the gold toilet stolen?
Answer: (a) September 2019

2. How much was the gold toilet worth?
Answer: (d) $6 million

3. Who made the gold toilet?
Answer: (b) An Italian artist

4. How did the thieves break in?
Answer: (a) Using sledgehammers

5. What did the thieves use to get away?
Answer: (d) Stolen cars

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

7. What happened to the water when the toilet was taken?
Answer: (c) It spilled everywhere

8. How many men are on trial for the theft?
Answer: (c) Three men
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The toilet was a working one and was on display. (Answer: True)
2. No one is interested in the trial as it happens in court. (Answer: False)
3. Thieves took the toilet in just five minutes. (Answer: True)
4. The toilet was worth $6 million. (Answer: True)
5. One man says he is not guilty of the theft. (Answer: True)
6. The thieves used crowbars to break in. (Answer: False)
7. Three men are on trial for stealing the bathtub. (Answer: False)
8. A silver tub was stolen from Blenheim Palace in England. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧