A candy company called Nestlé has stopped making a sweet bar called Caramac after selling it for 64 years. They said they are not selling enough of them anymore. The Caramac bar was special because it tasted like caramel and had a red and yellow wrapper. It was very popular when it first came out, but now there are other sweets that taste like caramel, and they are harder to sell against.
When people heard that Caramac bars were going away, they were very sad and talked about it a lot on the internet. Some people love the Caramac bar so much that they want to ask Nestlé to make it again. A bakery in Scotland that uses Caramac in their cakes and cookies is also sad. They bought a lot of Caramac bars because soon they won’t be able to buy them anymore.
Nestlé knows that people will miss the Caramac bar, but they say stopping it will help them make new things and focus on other sweets that more people buy. The Caramac bar was first made by a different company in 1959, and people could buy it in the UK for a long time. Even though it was different and yummy, there are too many other sweets, and that’s why they can’t keep making it.
Original news source: Fans lament as Nestlé axes Caramac bar after 64 years (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students pair up and take turns being a news reporter and a spokesperson for Nestlé. The reporter asks questions about the decision to stop making Caramac bars, and the spokesperson explains using information from the article. Encourage the use of direct quotes and paraphrasing.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements about the discontinuation of the Caramac bar, such as “The decision to stop making Caramac bars was a good one” or “Nestlé should bring back the Caramac bar due to customer demand.” Students walk around the room and poll their classmates, tallying agree or disagree responses. Discuss the results as a class afterward.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article on individual slips of paper (e.g., “caramel,” “wrapper,” “popular,” “bakery,” “discontinue”). Split the class into two teams. Students take turns drawing the word on the board without speaking, while their team guesses the vocabulary word within a time limit.
– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Write a list of words from the article on the board (e.g., “stopped,” “special,” “popular,” “talked,” “miss”). Students work in pairs or small groups to come up with synonyms for each word. They can use dictionaries or thesauruses. Then, they share their synonyms with the class and discuss the nuances in meaning.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Students discuss in small groups what they think will happen after the Caramac bars are no longer available. Will another company make a similar candy? Will Nestlé introduce a new product? Encourage students to use future tense structures and share their predictions with the class.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the name of the candy company that stopped making Caramac bars?
2. How long was the Caramac bar sold before they stopped making it?
3. What did the Caramac bar taste like?
4. Why is the candy company not making Caramac bars anymore?
5. What did people do on the internet when they found out Caramac bars were going away?
6. Why is the bakery in Scotland sad about the Caramac bars?
7. What reason did Nestlé give for stopping the production of the Caramac bar?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A candy company called Nestlé has (1)______ making a sweet bar called Caramac after selling it for 64 years. They said they are not selling enough of them anymore. The Caramac bar was special because it (2)______ like caramel and had a red and (3)______ wrapper. It was very popular when it first came out, but now there are other sweets that taste like caramel, and they are harder to sell against.
When people heard that (4)______ bars were going away, they were very sad and talked about it a lot on the internet. Some people (5)______ the Caramac bar so much that they (6)______ to ask Nestlé to (7)______ it again. A bakery in Scotland that uses Caramac in their cakes and cookies is also sad. They bought a lot of Caramac bars because soon they won’t be able to buy them anymore.
(8)______ knows that people will miss the Caramac bar, but they say stopping it will (9)______ them make new things and focus on (10)______ sweets that more people buy. The Caramac bar was first (11)______ by a different company in 1959, and people could buy it in the UK for a long time. Even though it was different and yummy, there are too many other sweets, and that’s why they can’t keep (12)______ it.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is your favorite candy bar?
2. How would you feel if your favorite candy was not made anymore?
3. Do you like the taste of caramel? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s good to try new things or to keep the old ones? Why?
5. Have you ever tried a Caramac bar? If yes, did you like it?
6. What would you do if something you really liked was not sold in stores anymore?
7. Can you think of a food that is special to you because of its color or wrapper?
8. If you had a bakery, what candy would you want to put in your cakes and cookies?
9. Do you think it’s important for companies to make new things? Why or why not?
10. How do you think people should tell companies about things they want to buy?
11. What is something you remember from a long time ago that you cannot find now?
12. Do you think it’s okay to stop making something if not many people buy it? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. Nestlé
2. Caramac
3. caramel
4. wrapper
5. Scotland
6. bakery
7. internet
8. sweets
Meanings:
(a) A place where people buy and sell things online
(b) A country in the UK
(c) A type of candy that tastes sweet
(d) A company that makes candy
(e) A thin paper covering on candy
(f) A place where bread and cakes are made
(g) A type of food that tastes sweet
(h) A company that makes chocolate and cookies
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Why did Nestlé stop making the Caramac bar?
(a) They ran out of ingredients.
(b) The wrapper was the wrong color.
(c) They were not selling enough of them.
(d) People didn’t like the taste.
2. What did the Caramac bar taste like?
(a) Caramel
(b) Chocolate
(c) Mint
(d) Strawberry
3. What color was the wrapper of the Caramac bar?
(a) Blue and green
(b) Pink and purple
(c) Orange and brown
(d) Red and yellow
4. What did people do when they heard the Caramac bar was going away?
(a) Bought all the Caramac bars
(b) Talked about it a lot on the internet
(c) Ignored the news
(d) Started making their own Caramac bars
5. Where is the bakery sad about the Caramac bar closing located?
(a) France
(b) Italy
(c) Scotland
(d) Spain
6. What does Nestlé say stopping the Caramac bar will help them do?
(a) Close the company
(b) Make new things and focus on other sweets
(c) Sell more Caramac bars
(d) Move to a different country
7. When was the Caramac bar first made?
(a) 1959
(b) 2005
(c) 1980
(d) 1975
8. Why did Nestlé stop making the Caramac bar even though it was different and yummy?
(a) It was too expensive to make
(b) People didn’t like the taste
(c) The wrapper was the wrong color
(d) There are too many other sweets
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Nestlé is continuing the Caramac bar to focus on making new things and other sweets that fewer people buy.
2. A bakery in Scotland uses Caramac in their cakes and cookies and is also sad about it going away.
3. The Caramac bar was not popular when it first came out.
4. Nestlé has started making a candy bar called Caramac after selling it for 64 years.
5. The Caramac bar was first made by a different company in 1959 and was available in the UK for a long time.
6. The Caramac bar tasted like caramel and had a red and yellow wrapper.
7. Some people don’t want Nestlé to make the Caramac bar again because they don’t love it so much.
8. People are sad about the Caramac bar going away and are talking about it a lot on the internet.
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. Why did Nestlé stop making Caramac bars?
2. What was special about the Caramac bar’s taste?
3. How did people react when they found out Caramac bars were going away?
4. What did a bakery in Scotland do when they heard about Caramac bars being stopped?
5. Why can’t Nestlé keep making Caramac bars even though they are yummy?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What is the name of the candy company that stopped making Caramac bars?
The candy company is called Nestlé.
2. How long was the Caramac bar sold before they stopped making it?
The Caramac bar was sold for 64 years.
3. What did the Caramac bar taste like?
The Caramac bar tasted like caramel.
4. Why is the candy company not making Caramac bars anymore?
They are not making them because not enough people are buying them.
5. What did people do on the internet when they found out Caramac bars were going away?
People talked a lot on the internet and were very sad about it.
6. Why is the bakery in Scotland sad about the Caramac bars?
The bakery is sad because they use Caramac in their cakes and cookies and they won’t be able to buy them anymore.
7. What reason did Nestlé give for stopping the production of the Caramac bar?
Nestlé said stopping it will help them make new things and focus on other sweets that more people buy.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) stopped
(2) tasted
(3) yellow
(4) Caramac
(5) love
(6) want
(7) make
(8) Nestlé
(9) help
(10) other
(11) made
(12) making
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. Nestlé
Answer: (b) A country in the UK
2. Caramac
Answer: (d) A company that makes candy
3. caramel
Answer: (c) A type of candy that tastes sweet
4. wrapper
Answer: (a) A place where people buy and sell things online
5. Scotland
Answer: (f) A place where bread and cakes are made
6. bakery
Answer: (e) A thin paper covering on candy
7. internet
Answer: (g) A type of food that tastes sweet
8. sweets
Answer: (h) A company that makes chocolate and cookies
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. Why did Nestlé stop making the Caramac bar?
Answer: (c) They were not selling enough of them.
2. What did the Caramac bar taste like?
Answer: (a) Caramel
3. What color was the wrapper of the Caramac bar?
Answer: (d) Red and yellow
4. What did people do when they heard the Caramac bar was going away?
Answer: (b) Talked about it a lot on the internet
5. Where is the bakery sad about the Caramac bar closing located?
Answer: (c) Scotland
6. What does Nestlé say stopping the Caramac bar will help them do?
Answer: (b) Make new things and focus on other sweets
7. When was the Caramac bar first made?
Answer: (a) 1959
8. Why did Nestlé stop making the Caramac bar even though it was different and yummy?
Answer: (d) There are too many other sweets
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Nestlé is continuing the Caramac bar to focus on making new things and other sweets that fewer people buy. (Answer: False)
2. A bakery in Scotland uses Caramac in their cakes and cookies and is also sad about it going away. (Answer: True)
3. The Caramac bar was not popular when it first came out. (Answer: False)
4. Nestlé has started making a candy bar called Caramac after selling it for 64 years. (Answer: False)
5. The Caramac bar was first made by a different company in 1959 and was available in the UK for a long time. (Answer: True)
6. The Caramac bar tasted like caramel and had a red and yellow wrapper. (Answer: True)
7. Some people don’t want Nestlé to make the Caramac bar again because they don’t love it so much. (Answer: False)
8. People are sad about the Caramac bar going away and are talking about it a lot on the internet. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧
