Some bad people stole two big trucks full of expensive drinks in France. The drinks were champagne, and they were worth a lot of money. The police found the trucks because they had special trackers. The bad people got away, but the police are trying to find them.

The police chased the trucks really fast. The bad people drove in a way to try to get away. One driver got out of his truck and another car picked him up. The other truck was found later, but the driver was gone. All the drinks were okay and nothing was broken.

This stealing happened in a place where they make very good champagne. The drinks were very valuable. The trackers helped the police find the trucks. The police want to catch the bad people and make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Original news source: French police thwart €600,000 champagne heist (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students are divided into pairs. One student plays the role of a news reporter, and the other is a police officer involved in the case. The reporter asks questions about the incident, and the officer provides information based on the article. Encourage students to use their own words to explain what happened and to practice past tense verbs.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article (e.g., trucks, champagne, trackers, stole, chased, valuable) on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team comes up to the front and picks a word. They have to draw it on the board without speaking or writing any words, while their team tries to guess what it is. Set a time limit for each round.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article, such as “Stealing is always wrong,” “High-value items should always have trackers,” or “The police will catch the thieves.” Students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates whether they agree or disagree with each statement. Afterward, discuss the results as a class and encourage students to explain their reasons.

– Sketch It
Instructions: In small groups, students are given a scene or concept from the article (e.g., the police chase, the champagne trucks, the thieves escaping). They must work together to draw a sketch that represents this part of the story. Afterward, each group presents their drawing to the class, explaining the scene in English.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to imagine they are detectives on the case. Have them write down their predictions about what will happen next. Will the police catch the bad people? What will happen to the stolen champagne? Students can share their predictions with a partner or the class, and discuss the likelihood of each event. This activity encourages the use of future tense and speculative language.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the bad people steal in France?
2. What kind of drinks were stolen?
3. How did the police find the stolen trucks?
4. Did the police catch the bad people who stole the trucks?
5. What happened to the driver of one of the trucks during the chase?
6. Were the drinks damaged when the police found the trucks?
7. Why were the drinks considered very valuable?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some bad people stole two big trucks full of expensive drinks in France. The drinks were champagne, and they were (1)______ a lot of (2)______. The police found the trucks because they had (3)______ trackers. The bad people got away, but the police are trying to (4)______ them.

The police chased the (5)______ really fast. The bad people drove in a way to try to get away. One (6)______ got out of his (7)______ and another car picked him up. The other truck was (8)______ later, but the driver was gone. All the drinks were okay and nothing was broken.

This stealing (9)______ in a place where they (10)______ very good champagne. The drinks were very valuable. The trackers helped the police find the trucks. The police want to (11)______ the bad people and make (12)______ this doesn’t happen again.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is champagne and do you like it? Why or why not?
2. Have you ever had something stolen from you? How did you feel?
3. Why do you think people steal things?
4. What would you do if you saw someone stealing something?
5. How do you think the police can catch bad people?
6. Do you think stealing is a big problem in your city? Why or why not?
7. What is a tracker and why do you think it is useful?
8. If you were a police officer, how would you feel if you found the stolen trucks?
9. Do you think it’s important for trucks to have trackers? Why or why not?
10. How would you feel if something very valuable to you was stolen but then returned?
11. Do you think the bad people will be caught? Why do you think that?
12. What can we do to help stop people from stealing?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. stole
2. trucks
3. champagne
4. worth
5. police
6. found
7. valuable
8. catch

Meanings:
(a) Big vehicles used for transporting things
(b) How much something is worth in money
(c) Something that is worth a lot of money
(d) Discovered or located something
(e) To capture or get a hold of someone
(f) People who enforce the law and keep us safe
(g) A fancy type of drink that is bubbly
(h) Took something that didn’t belong to them
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the bad people steal in France?
(a) Cars
(b) Money
(c) Expensive drinks
(d) Clothes

2. How did the police find the stolen trucks?
(a) They had special trackers
(b) They followed tire marks
(c) They received a tip from a witness
(d) They used a helicopter

3. What kind of drinks were stolen?
(a) Champagne
(b) Water
(c) Soda
(d) Coffee

4. What happened to one of the truck drivers?
(a) He crashed his truck
(b) He was caught by the police
(c) He got out of his truck and was picked up by another car
(d) He disappeared

5. What happened to the drinks in the stolen trucks?
(a) They were spilled on the road
(b) They were stolen again
(c) They were returned to the original owners
(d) They were not damaged

6. Where did this stealing happen?
(a) In a big city
(b) In a small village
(c) In a different country
(d) In a place known for making good champagne

7. What did the police do after finding the stolen trucks?
(a) They celebrated with champagne
(b) They tried to catch the bad people
(c) They returned the trucks to the owners
(d) They gave up and went home

8. What is the main goal of the police?
(a) To sell the stolen drinks and make money
(b) To catch the bad people and prevent future thefts
(c) To find new trucks to replace the stolen ones
(d) To drink all the champagne themselves

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. All the drinks were okay and nothing was broken.
2. The bad people got away, but the police are trying to find them.
3. The police have no interest in catching the bad people or preventing this from happening again.
4. The police found the trucks by sheer luck, as they had no special trackers.
5. The police chased the trucks really fast.
6. Some bad people stole two big trucks full of expensive champagne in France.
7. One pedestrian got out of his truck and another car picked him up.
8. The other truck was never found, but the driver was present.
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 the bad people steal in France?
2. How did the police find the stolen trucks?
3. Did the police catch the bad people who stole the trucks?
4. What happened to the champagne after the police found the trucks?
5. Why was the champagne so important?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the bad people steal in France?
The bad people stole two big trucks.

2. What kind of drinks were stolen?
The drinks that were stolen were champagne.

3. How did the police find the stolen trucks?
The police found the stolen trucks because they had special trackers.

4. Did the police catch the bad people who stole the trucks?
No, the police did not catch the bad people. They got away.

5. What happened to the driver of one of the trucks during the chase?
One driver got out of his truck and another car picked him up.

6. Were the drinks damaged when the police found the trucks?
No, the drinks were not damaged. They were all okay.

7. Why were the drinks considered very valuable?
The drinks were considered very valuable because they were very good champagne.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) worth
(2) money
(3) special
(4) find
(5) trucks
(6) driver
(7) truck
(8) found
(9) happened
(10) make
(11) catch
(12) sure
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. stole
Answer: (h) Took something that didn’t belong to them

2. trucks
Answer: (a) Big vehicles used for transporting things

3. champagne
Answer: (g) A fancy type of drink that is bubbly

4. worth
Answer: (b) How much something is worth in money

5. police
Answer: (f) People who enforce the law and keep us safe

6. found
Answer: (d) Discovered or located something

7. valuable
Answer: (c) Something that is worth a lot of money

8. catch
Answer: (e) To capture or get a hold of someone
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the bad people steal in France?
Answer: (c) Expensive drinks

2. How did the police find the stolen trucks?
Answer: (a) They had special trackers

3. What kind of drinks were stolen?
Answer: (a) Champagne

4. What happened to one of the truck drivers?
Answer: (c) He got out of his truck and was picked up by another car

5. What happened to the drinks in the stolen trucks?
Answer: (d) They were not damaged

6. Where did this stealing happen?
Answer: (d) In a place known for making good champagne

7. What did the police do after finding the stolen trucks?
Answer: (b) They tried to catch the bad people

8. What is the main goal of the police?
Answer: (b) To catch the bad people and prevent future thefts
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. All the drinks were okay and nothing was broken. (Answer: True)
2. The bad people got away, but the police are trying to find them. (Answer: True)
3. The police have no interest in catching the bad people or preventing this from happening again. (Answer: False)
4. The police found the trucks by sheer luck, as they had no special trackers. (Answer: False)
5. The police chased the trucks really fast. (Answer: True)
6. Some bad people stole two big trucks full of expensive champagne in France. (Answer: True)
7. One pedestrian got out of his truck and another car picked him up. (Answer: False)
8. The other truck was never found, but the driver was present. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧