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The King’s Funny Video: A Special Look

Archbishop of Canterbury forgets words during rehearsal for King's Coronation, King Charles finds it amusing.

Try this article at a different level?

 

A man who is very important in the church, named Justin Welby, forgot some words while practicing a special prayer for a big event for the new King. The King, named Charles, saw this and laughed, not worried about the mistake. This happened while they were getting ready for a big, important day when Charles becomes the official King. The BBC filmed this and will show it on TV so people can see what happens behind the scenes.

The man from the church felt a little embarrassed, like when a dog forgets what it’s doing. But the King thought it was funny and didn’t mind. On TV, people will see the King and his wife, the Queen, laughing and making jokes during this special year. This is the year they have their big ceremony to become King and Queen.

The TV show will let people see what it’s like to get ready for the King’s big day. It shows that even very important people can forget things and have fun. The King was nice about the mistake, and it made a serious time a little bit funny. The show will tell us more about the King and Queen and how they are when they’re not in front of everyone.

Original news source: King Charles laughs as Archbishop of Canterbury forgets words in Coronation rehearsal (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

1importantSomething that is very special or has a lot of value
2practicingDoing something again and again to get better at it
3eventA special happening, often where people gather to celebrate or do something
4officialWhen something is done by the rules or is the real deal
5behind the scenesWhat happens out of sight, where you can’t see it
6embarrassedFeeling shy or awkward because something didn’t go right
7ceremonyA formal event, often with a lot of tradition and fancy clothes
8filmedRecorded with a camera
9jokesFunny things people say to make others laugh
10seriousWhen something is not joking around, but is important and needs attention
11mistakeWhen something goes wrong or isn’t correct
12in front ofBeing where everyone can see you

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a slip of paper with a word or phrase related to the article. One person from each group will act out the word or phrase without speaking, while the others guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words or phrases.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, have students take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner. Encourage them to use their own words and keep it brief. After each summary, the partner can provide feedback or ask questions for clarification.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article, such as “Forgetting words during a prayer is embarrassing.” Have students individually rate each statement on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree. After they have rated each statement, have them discuss their ratings in small groups and try to reach a consensus.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of words from the article on individual slips of paper. Divide the class into teams. One person from each team will choose a slip of paper and draw a representation of the word without speaking, while the rest of the team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have students individually think about and write down three questions they have about the article. Then, have them pair up with a partner and take turns sharing their questions and discussing possible answers. Finally, as a class, have a few pairs share their most interesting questions and discuss them together.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the man that forgot some words while practicing a prayer for the new King?
2. What is the name of the new King?
3. How did the King react when the man forgot the words?
4. What will the BBC do with the video they filmed?
5. How did the man from the church feel after forgetting the words?
6. Who else was laughing and making jokes during this special year?
7. What will the TV show let people see about the King and Queen?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man who is very important in the church, named Justin (1)______, forgot some (2)______ while practicing a (3)______ prayer for a big event for the new King. The King, named Charles, saw this and laughed, not worried about the mistake. This happened while they were getting ready for a big, important day when (4)______ becomes the official King. The BBC (5)______ this and will (6)______ it on TV so people can see what happens behind the scenes.

The man from the church felt a little embarrassed, like when a dog forgets what it’s doing. But the King thought it was funny and didn’t mind. On TV, people will see the King and his wife, the Queen, laughing and making jokes during this special (7)______. This is the year they have their big (8)______ to (9)______ King and Queen.

The TV show will let people see what it’s like to get ready for the King’s big day. It shows that even very (10)______ people can forget (11)______ and have fun. The King was nice about the mistake, and it made a serious time a (12)______ bit funny. The show will tell us more about the King and Queen and how they are when they’re not in front of everyone.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a church?
2. How would you feel if you forgot something important in front of a lot of people?
3. Do you think it’s important for important people to have a sense of humor? Why or why not?
4. What is a ceremony?
5. How do you think the King and Queen felt when they were laughing and making jokes?
6. Do you think it’s important for people to see what happens behind the scenes? Why or why not?
7. What do you think the TV show will be about?
8. How do you think the man from the church felt when he made the mistake?
9. Do you think it’s important for serious times to have a little bit of fun? Why or why not?
10. What do you think the King and Queen are like when they’re not in front of everyone?
11. Do you like watching TV shows about important people? Why or why not?
12. How would you feel if you were on TV and made a mistake?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. important
2. practicing
3. event
4. official
5. behind the scenes
6. embarrassed
7. ceremony
8. filmed
9. jokes
10. serious
11. mistake
12. in front of

Meanings:
(A) Something that is very special or has a lot of value
(B) Funny things people say to make others laugh
(C) What happens out of sight, where you can’t see it
(D) When something is done by the rules or is the real deal
(E) Recorded with a camera
(F) Being where everyone can see you
(G) Doing something again and again to get better at it
(H) A special happening, often where people gather to celebrate or do something
(I) When something goes wrong or isn’t correct
(J) When something is not joking around, but is important and needs attention
(K) Feeling shy or awkward because something didn’t go right
(L) A formal event, often with a lot of tradition and fancy clothes
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who is the man from the church?
(a) Justin Welby
(b) Charles
(c) The Queen
(d) The BBC

2. What did the man from the church forget?
(a) His name
(b) Some words
(c) His hat
(d) His shoes

3. What is the name of the new King?
(a) Charles
(b) Justin Welby
(c) The Queen
(d) The BBC

4. What did the King do when the man from the church made a mistake?
(a) Cried
(b) Got angry
(c) Laughed
(d) Ran away

5. Who will show the footage on TV?
(a) The Queen
(b) The BBC
(c) Charles
(d) Justin Welby

6. How did the King and Queen react to the mistake?
(a) They got angry
(b) They cried
(c) They laughed and made jokes
(d) They ignored it

7. What will the TV show let people see?
(a) What it’s like to be a dog
(b) What it’s like to be the Queen
(c) What it’s like to be the BBC
(d) What it’s like to get ready for the King’s big day

8. What did the mistake do to the serious time?
(a) Made it even more serious
(b) Made it sad
(c) Made it boring
(d) Made it a little bit funny

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The TV show will not let people see what it’s like to prepare for the King’s big day.
2. The King’s wife, the Queen, also laughed and made jokes during this special year.
3. The man’s mistake happened while preparing for a big day when Charles becomes the official King.
4. The man from the church felt a little confident, like when a dog remembers what it’s doing.
5. Justin Welby, an unimportant man in the church, remembered some words while practicing a regular prayer.
6. The show will reveal more about the King and Queen’s personalities when they’re not in front of everyone.
7. The King, named Charles, saw the mistake and thought it was funny, so he laughed.
8. The BBC overlooked the incident and will not show it on TV for people to see what happens behind the scenes.
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. Who forgot some words while practicing a special prayer for the new King?
2. What was the King’s reaction when the man from the church forgot the words?
3. What will the BBC do with the footage they filmed?
4. How did the man from the church feel after forgetting the words?
5. What will the TV show let people see about the King and Queen?

Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is the man that forgot some words while practicing a prayer for the new King?
The man is named Justin Welby.

2. What is the name of the new King?
The new King’s name is Charles.

3. How did the King react when the man forgot the words?
The King laughed and wasn’t worried about the mistake.

4. What will the BBC do with the video they filmed?
The BBC will show the video on TV so people can see what happens behind the scenes.

5. How did the man from the church feel after forgetting the words?
The man felt a little embarrassed, like when a dog forgets what it’s doing.

6. Who else was laughing and making jokes during this special year?
The King and his wife, the Queen, were laughing and making jokes.

7. What will the TV show let people see about the King and Queen?
The TV show will let people see what it’s like to get ready for the King’s big day and show that even important people can forget things and have fun.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Welby
(2) words
(3) special
(4) Charles
(5) filmed
(6) show
(7) year
(8) ceremony
(9) become
(10) important
(11) things
(12) little
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. important
Answer: (A) Something that is very special or has a lot of value

2. practicing
Answer: (G) Doing something again and again to get better at it

3. event
Answer: (H) A special happening, often where people gather to celebrate or do something

4. official
Answer: (D) When something is done by the rules or is the real deal

5. behind the scenes
Answer: (C) What happens out of sight, where you can’t see it

6. embarrassed
Answer: (K) Feeling shy or awkward because something didn’t go right

7. ceremony
Answer: (L) A formal event, often with a lot of tradition and fancy clothes

8. filmed
Answer: (E) Recorded with a camera

9. jokes
Answer: (B) Funny things people say to make others laugh

10. serious
Answer: (J) When something is not joking around, but is important and needs attention

11. mistake
Answer: (I) When something goes wrong or isn’t correct

12. in front of
Answer: (F) Being where everyone can see you
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who is the man from the church?
Answer: (a) Justin Welby

2. What did the man from the church forget?
Answer: (b) Some words

3. What is the name of the new King?
Answer: (a) Charles

4. What did the King do when the man from the church made a mistake?
Answer: (c) Laughed

5. Who will show the footage on TV?
Answer: (b) The BBC

6. How did the King and Queen react to the mistake?
Answer: (c) They laughed and made jokes

7. What will the TV show let people see?
Answer: (d) What it’s like to get ready for the King’s big day

8. What did the mistake do to the serious time?
Answer: (d) Made it a little bit funny
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The TV show will not let people see what it’s like to prepare for the King’s big day. (Answer: False)
2. The King’s wife, the Queen, also laughed and made jokes during this special year. (Answer: True)
3. The man’s mistake happened while preparing for a big day when Charles becomes the official King. (Answer: True)
4. The man from the church felt a little confident, like when a dog remembers what it’s doing. (Answer: False)
5. Justin Welby, an unimportant man in the church, remembered some words while practicing a regular prayer. (Answer: False)
6. The show will reveal more about the King and Queen’s personalities when they’re not in front of everyone. (Answer: True)
7. The King, named Charles, saw the mistake and thought it was funny, so he laughed. (Answer: True)
8. The BBC overlooked the incident and will not show it on TV for people to see what happens behind the scenes. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

How about these other Level 2 articles?

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