A store called Boohoo was caught putting “Made in the UK” tags on clothes that were really made in South Asia. A show on TV found out that shirts and hoodies had their old tags taken off and new ones put on in a big factory in a place called Leicester. This wrong tagging happened to a lot of clothes from January to October 2023. Boohoo says it was a mistake by a person and they are trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

People are worried because Boohoo’s factory in Leicester did something wrong with the tags. A man who used to check that clothes are made the right way said this is a big problem and usually, they would stop selling those clothes. Another expert said changing the tags to “Made in the UK” can trick people who buy the clothes. Boohoo might close this factory, which they used to say was really good, later this year.

Boohoo has been told before that they don’t treat the people who make their clothes very well. In 2020, they said they would do better, like paying the right amount of money for the clothes they buy. But the TV show found out that Boohoo was still trying to pay less money than they agreed to. They also found that clothes were being made in other places, not just Leicester. Boohoo says they might close the Leicester factory, but not because of what the TV show said.

Original news source: Boohoo put ‘Made in UK’ labels on clothes made overseas (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of words related to the article (e.g. Boohoo, clothes, factory, tags, Leicester, etc.). One student from each group will act out a word without speaking, while the other members of the group try to guess the word. The group that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students work in pairs. Each pair will read the article and then write a short summary of the main points. Afterward, they will take turns summarizing the article to each other using their written summaries.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article (e.g. “Boohoo should be held accountable for their mistreatment of workers”). Have the students individually rate each statement on a scale of 1 to 5 (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree). Once they have rated all the statements, have them discuss their ratings in small groups and try to reach a consensus.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Prepare a list of vocabulary words from the article, such as “tags,” “factory,” “Leicester,” etc. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come to the board and draw a picture to represent a word while their team tries to guess the word. The team that correctly guesses the most words wins.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have the students individually think about the following question: “What ethical issues are raised by Boohoo’s actions?” After a few minutes, have them pair up with a partner and discuss their thoughts. Then, open up the discussion to the whole class and have students share their ideas.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the store Boohoo do wrong with the tags on their clothes?
2. Where did the clothes that were wrongly tagged actually come from?
3. Why are people worried about what Boohoo did with the tags?
4. What might happen to Boohoo’s factory in Leicester?
5. What did Boohoo promise to do better in 2020?
6. What did the TV show find out about Boohoo’s treatment of the people who make their clothes?
7. Why might Boohoo close the Leicester factory?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A store called Boohoo was caught putting “Made in the UK” tags on clothes that were really made in South (1)______. A show on TV found out that shirts and hoodies had their old tags (2)______ off and new (3)______ put on in a big factory in a place called Leicester. This wrong tagging happened to a lot of clothes from January to October 2023. (4)______ says it was a mistake by a person and they are trying to (5)______ sure it doesn’t happen again.

People are worried because Boohoo’s factory in Leicester did something wrong with the tags. A man who used to check that clothes are (6)______ the right way said this is a big problem and usually, they would stop selling those clothes. Another expert said changing the tags to “Made in the UK” can (7)______ people who buy the clothes. Boohoo might close this factory, which they used to say was really good, later this year.

Boohoo has been (8)______ before that they don’t (9)______ the people who make their clothes very well. In 2020, they said they would do better, like paying the right amount of (10)______ for the clothes they buy. But the TV (11)______ found out that Boohoo was still trying to pay (12)______ money than they agreed to. They also found that clothes were being made in other places, not just Leicester. Boohoo says they might close the Leicester factory, but not because of what the TV show said.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a factory?
2. How would you feel if you bought clothes that were made in a different place than what the tag said?
3. Do you like it when companies trick people with false information?
4. What do you think about Boohoo’s mistake with the tags?
5. Do you think it’s fair for Boohoo to close the factory because of this mistake? Why or why not?
6. How do you think the workers who make the clothes feel about Boohoo not treating them well?
7. What would you do if you found out a company was not paying workers the right amount of money?
8. Do you think it’s important for companies to be honest about where their products are made? Why or why not?
9. How do you think the workers in the Leicester factory feel about the possibility of it closing down?
10. What do you think about companies that make clothes in different places but still say they are made in one specific place?
11. How would you feel if you were a worker in the Leicester factory and heard that it might close down?
12. Do you think Boohoo should be punished for their actions? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Boohoo
2. tags
3. hoodies
4. factory
5. Leicester
6. tagging
7. expert
8. trick
9. treat
10. agreed
11. discovered
12. purchasing

Meanings:
(A) The name of a store that sells clothes
(B) To find out something that was not known before
(C) To fool someone into believing something that is not true
(D) A city in the United Kingdom
(E) The act of buying something
(F) When people have the same idea about something and say “yes” to it
(G) Warm clothing that you can wear on your upper body, usually with a hood
(H) To behave towards someone in a certain way
(I) Small pieces of cloth or paper attached to something that give information about it
(J) Putting labels on items to show where they come from or other information
(K) A person who knows a lot about a certain topic
(L) A building where things are made or put together
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the TV show find out about Boohoo’s clothes?
(a) The tags were changed to say “Made in South Asia” even though they were made in the UK.
(b) The tags were taken off and not replaced.
(c) The tags were changed to say “Made in the UK” even though they were made in South Asia.
(d) The tags were correct and said “Made in the UK.”

2. Why are people worried about Boohoo’s factory in Leicester?
(a) The factory didn’t pay the right amount of money for the clothes.
(b) The factory closed down.
(c) The factory changed the tags on the clothes.
(d) The factory treated the workers well.

3. What did Boohoo say about the wrong tagging?
(a) It was done on purpose to trick people.
(b) It was a mistake by a person and they are trying to prevent it from happening again.
(c) It was the fault of the TV show.
(d) It was a mistake by the factory in Leicester.

4. What did the man who used to check the clothes say about the wrong tagging?
(a) It is not a big problem and they would still sell those clothes.
(b) It is the fault of the factory in Leicester.
(c) It is the fault of Boohoo.
(d) It is a big problem and they would usually stop selling those clothes.

5. What did the TV show find out about Boohoo’s treatment of the workers?
(a) Boohoo was not paying the right amount of money for the clothes.
(b) Boohoo was treating the workers well.
(c) Boohoo was closing down the factory in Leicester.
(d) Boohoo was only making clothes in Leicester.

6. What did Boohoo say about the Leicester factory?
(a) They are opening more factories in Leicester.
(b) They might close it later this year.
(c) They are moving the factory to South Asia.
(d) They are treating the workers well in the factory.

7. What did Boohoo promise to do in 2020?
(a) Close down the factory in Leicester.
(b) Change the tags on the clothes to say “Made in the UK.”
(c) Treat the workers poorly.
(d) Pay the right amount of money for the clothes they buy.

8. Why might Boohoo close the Leicester factory?
(a) Not because of what the TV show said.
(b) Because the factory treated the workers well.
(c) Because the factory changed the tags on the clothes.
(d) Because the factory was making clothes in South Asia.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The clothes were made in South Asia, but Boohoo put “Made in the UK” tags on them.
2. A store called Boohoo was wrongly accused of putting the wrong tags on clothes.
3. Boohoo might close the Leicester factory later this year.
4. The wrong tagging happened from January to October 2022.
5. Boohoo denies it was a mistake made by a person and they have no intention of preventing it from happening again.
6. Boohoo has never been told before that they don’t treat the people who make their clothes well.
7. People are worried because Boohoo’s factory in Leicester did something wrong with the tags.
8. The TV show found out that Boohoo was still trying to pay less money than they agreed to and making clothes in other places.
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 did a TV show find out about the tags on the clothes at Boohoo?
2. Why are people worried about the wrong tags on the clothes?
3. What might happen to Boohoo’s factory in Leicester?
4. What did Boohoo promise to do in 2020?
5. Why might Boohoo close the Leicester factory?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the store Boohoo do wrong with the tags on their clothes?
Boohoo put “Made in the UK” tags on clothes that were actually made in South Asia.

2. Where did the clothes that were wrongly tagged actually come from?
The clothes that were wrongly tagged actually came from South Asia.

3. Why are people worried about what Boohoo did with the tags?
People are worried because Boohoo changed the tags to “Made in the UK” to trick people who buy the clothes.

4. What might happen to Boohoo’s factory in Leicester?
Boohoo might close their factory in Leicester.

5. What did Boohoo promise to do better in 2020?
Boohoo promised to treat the people who make their clothes better and pay them the right amount of money.

6. What did the TV show find out about Boohoo’s treatment of the people who make their clothes?
The TV show found out that Boohoo was still trying to pay less money than they agreed to and that clothes were being made in other places, not just Leicester.

7. Why might Boohoo close the Leicester factory?
Boohoo might close the Leicester factory, but not because of what the TV show said.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Asia
(2) taken
(3) ones
(4) Boohoo
(5) make
(6) made
(7) trick
(8) told
(9) treat
(10) money
(11) show
(12) less
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Boohoo
Answer: (A) The name of a store that sells clothes

2. tags
Answer: (I) Small pieces of cloth or paper attached to something that give information about it

3. hoodies
Answer: (G) Warm clothing that you can wear on your upper body, usually with a hood

4. factory
Answer: (L) A building where things are made or put together

5. Leicester
Answer: (D) A city in the United Kingdom

6. tagging
Answer: (J) Putting labels on items to show where they come from or other information

7. expert
Answer: (K) A person who knows a lot about a certain topic

8. trick
Answer: (C) To fool someone into believing something that is not true

9. treat
Answer: (H) To behave towards someone in a certain way

10. agreed
Answer: (F) When people have the same idea about something and say “yes” to it

11. discovered
Answer: (B) To find out something that was not known before

12. purchasing
Answer: (E) The act of buying something
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the TV show find out about Boohoo’s clothes?
Answer: (c) The tags were changed to say “Made in the UK” even though they were made in South Asia.

2. Why are people worried about Boohoo’s factory in Leicester?
Answer: (c) The factory changed the tags on the clothes.

3. What did Boohoo say about the wrong tagging?
Answer: (b) It was a mistake by a person and they are trying to prevent it from happening again.

4. What did the man who used to check the clothes say about the wrong tagging?
Answer: (d) It is a big problem and they would usually stop selling those clothes.

5. What did the TV show find out about Boohoo’s treatment of the workers?
Answer: (a) Boohoo was not paying the right amount of money for the clothes.

6. What did Boohoo say about the Leicester factory?
Answer: (b) They might close it later this year.

7. What did Boohoo promise to do in 2020?
Answer: (d) Pay the right amount of money for the clothes they buy.

8. Why might Boohoo close the Leicester factory?
Answer: (a) Not because of what the TV show said.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The clothes were made in South Asia, but Boohoo put “Made in the UK” tags on them. (Answer: True)
2. A store called Boohoo was wrongly accused of putting the wrong tags on clothes. (Answer: False)
3. Boohoo might close the Leicester factory later this year. (Answer: True)
4. The wrong tagging happened from January to October 2022. (Answer: False)
5. Boohoo denies it was a mistake made by a person and they have no intention of preventing it from happening again. (Answer: False)
6. Boohoo has never been told before that they don’t treat the people who make their clothes well. (Answer: False)
7. People are worried because Boohoo’s factory in Leicester did something wrong with the tags. (Answer: True)
8. The TV show found out that Boohoo was still trying to pay less money than they agreed to and making clothes in other places. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧