In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a 12-year-old boy caused quite a commotion when he drove a stolen forklift and led the police on a chase. The police said that during the chase, the forklift hit about 10 parked cars. They also found out that the forklift was unlocked, and the key was hidden inside when it was taken. The boy has been caught by the police, but they are still investigating the incident.

The chase went on for about an hour, and during that time, the stolen forklift caused damage to many parked cars. The police in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said that their first look into the situation suggests that the forklift was unlocked, and the key was hidden inside when it was taken. The 12-year-old boy who was responsible for this has been caught by the police, and they are still looking into what happened.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a 12-year-old boy took the police on a chase while driving a stolen forklift. The chase lasted for an hour, and during that time, the forklift hit around 10 parked cars. The police said that their initial investigation shows that the forklift was unlocked, and the key was hidden inside when it was taken. The boy has been caught, and the police are still investigating the incident.

A 12-year-old boy in Ann Arbor, Michigan, caused quite a stir when he drove a stolen forklift and led the police on a chase. The chase lasted for an hour, and during that time, the forklift crashed into approximately 10 parked cars. The police have said that their first investigation suggests that the forklift was unlocked, and the key was hidden inside when it was taken. The boy has been caught, and the police are still looking into what happened.

Original news source: Forklift chase: Ann Arbor Police chase 12-year-old boy (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will read the article and write a summary of the key points in their own words. They should include information about the 12-year-old boy, the stolen forklift, the police chase, and the damage caused to parked cars. After writing their summaries, students can compare with a partner and discuss any differences.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of statements related to the article. For example, “The boy should be punished for his actions” or “The police should have locked the forklift.” Each group should discuss the statements and come to a consensus about whether they agree or disagree. Then, each group can share their opinions with the class and explain their reasoning.

– Sketch It
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns describing a scene from the article while their partner tries to sketch it. The describer should use as much detail as possible to help their partner create an accurate sketch. After both partners have had a turn, they can compare their sketches and discuss any differences or similarities.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the class into teams and give each team a chance to choose a word. One member from the team will come to the front of the class and try to draw a picture that represents the word, while the rest of the team tries to guess the word. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue until all the words have been guessed or time runs out.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: In small groups, students will discuss the pros and cons of the actions taken by the police in this situation. For example, they may discuss the pros of the police catching the boy and the cons of the forklift being unlocked. After the discussion, each group can present their ideas to the class and have a class debate about the different perspectives.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened in Ann Arbor, Michigan that caused a commotion?
2. How old was the boy who drove the stolen forklift?
3. How long did the chase with the police last?
4. How many parked cars did the forklift hit during the chase?
5. What did the police find out about the forklift?
6. How did the boy manage to take the forklift?
7. Has the boy been caught by the police?
8. What are the police still doing regarding the incident?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In Ann (1)______, (2)______, a 12-year-old boy caused quite a commotion when he drove a stolen forklift and led the (3)______ on a chase. The police said that during the chase, the forklift hit about 10 (4)______ cars. They also found out that the forklift was unlocked, and the key was hidden inside when it was taken. The boy has been caught by the police, but they are still investigating the incident.

The chase went on for about an hour, and during that time, the stolen (5)______ caused (6)______ to many parked cars. The police in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said that their first look into the situation (7)______ that the forklift was unlocked, and the key was hidden inside when it was taken. The 12-year-old boy who was responsible for this has been (8)______ by the police, and they are still looking into what happened.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a 12-year-old boy took the police on a (9)______ while driving a (10)______ forklift. The chase lasted for an hour, and during that time, the forklift hit around 10 parked cars. The police said that their (11)______ investigation shows that the forklift was unlocked, and the key was hidden inside when it was (12)______. The boy has been caught, and the police are still investigating the incident.

A 12-year-old boy in Ann Arbor, Michigan, (13)______ quite a stir when he (14)______ a stolen forklift and led the police on a chase. The chase lasted for an hour, and during that time, the forklift (15)______ into approximately 10 parked cars. The police have said that their first investigation suggests that the forklift was (16)______, and the key was hidden inside when it was taken. The boy has been caught, and the police are still looking into what happened.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. Have you ever heard of someone driving a stolen vehicle before? What do you think about it?
2. How would you feel if you saw a 12-year-old driving a forklift? Why?
3. Do you think the boy should be punished for what he did? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever driven a vehicle before? How did it feel?
5. What do you think the consequences should be for damaging the parked cars? Why?
6. How do you think the boy felt during the police chase? Why?
7. Do you think the boy knew how to drive a forklift before stealing it? Why or why not?
8. Have you ever witnessed a car accident? How did it make you feel?
9. What do you think the boy’s parents should do to discipline him? Why?
10. How would you react if you saw a forklift driving down the street? Why?
11. Do you think the boy understood the consequences of his actions? Why or why not?
12. Have you ever done something mischievous like the boy in the story? What happened?
13. How do you think the police felt during the chase? Why?
14. What would you do if you found a key to a vehicle that didn’t belong to you? Why?
15. Do you think the boy should be given a second chance? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. commotion
2. forklift
3. chase
4. parked
5. unlocked
6. hidden
7. investigating
8. incident

Meanings:
(a) Not locked or secured
(b) An event or occurrence, often negative or unexpected
(c) A vehicle used for lifting heavy objects
(d) A pursuit or race
(e) Examining or looking into something
(f) A lot of noise and confusion
(g) Not in motion or moving
(h) Concealed or not easily seen
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did the incident with the stolen forklift take place?
(a) New York City, New York
(b) Los Angeles, California
(c) Ann Arbor, Michigan
(d) Chicago, Illinois

2. How old was the boy who drove the stolen forklift?
(a) 16 years old
(b) 20 years old
(c) 12 years old
(d) 25 years old

3. How long did the police chase with the stolen forklift last?
(a) About an hour
(b) About 30 minutes
(c) About 2 hours
(d) About 15 minutes

4. How many parked cars did the forklift hit during the chase?
(a) About 5 parked cars
(b) About 10 parked cars
(c) About 15 parked cars
(d) About 20 parked cars

5. How was the forklift taken?
(a) It was locked and the key was hidden inside
(b) It was unlocked and the key was hidden inside
(c) It was unlocked and the key was left in the ignition
(d) It was locked and the key was left in the ignition

6. What are the police currently doing?
(a) Investigating the incident
(b) Pursuing the boy
(c) Repairing the damaged cars
(d) Arresting other suspects

7. How did the police describe their initial investigation?
(a) Suggesting that the forklift was locked and the key was hidden inside
(b) Suggesting that the forklift was unlocked and the key was left in the ignition
(c) Suggesting that the forklift was locked and the key was left in the ignition
(d) Suggesting that the forklift was unlocked and the key was hidden inside

8. What is the current status of the boy responsible for the incident?
(a) He is still at large
(b) He turned himself in to the police
(c) He was released without charges
(d) He has been caught by the police

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The police are still trying to determine the full extent of what happened during the incident.
2. The boy responsible for the incident has been apprehended by the police.
3. The police have concluded their investigation and consider the incident closed.
4. The chase lasted for only a few minutes and resulted in the forklift lightly grazing a couple of parked cars.
5. The forklift caused significant damage to the parked cars during the chase.
6. The initial investigation suggests that the forklift was difficult to access for the boy.
7. The police discovered that the forklift was locked and the key was securely stored inside when it was stolen.
8. A 12-year-old boy in Ann Arbor, Michigan, stole a forklift and led the police on a chase.
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 12-year-old boy do in Ann Arbor, Michigan that caused a lot of excitement?
2. How long did the police chase with the stolen forklift last?
3. What did the forklift hit during the chase?
4. What did the police find out about the forklift after investigating?
5. Has the boy been caught by the police?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened in Ann Arbor, Michigan that caused a commotion?
A 12-year-old boy drove a stolen forklift and led the police on a chase, causing quite a commotion.

2. How old was the boy who drove the stolen forklift?
The boy who drove the stolen forklift was 12 years old.

3. How long did the chase with the police last?
The chase with the police lasted for about an hour.

4. How many parked cars did the forklift hit during the chase?
The forklift hit approximately 10 parked cars during the chase.

5. What did the police find out about the forklift?
The police found out that the forklift was unlocked, and the key was hidden inside when it was taken.

6. How did the boy manage to take the forklift?
The boy managed to take the forklift because it was unlocked, and the key was hidden inside.

7. Has the boy been caught by the police?
Yes, the boy has been caught by the police.

8. What are the police still doing regarding the incident?
The police are still investigating the incident.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Arbor
(2) Michigan
(3) police
(4) parked
(5) forklift
(6) damage
(7) suggests
(8) caught
(9) chase
(10) stolen
(11) initial
(12) taken
(13) caused
(14) drove
(15) crashed
(16) unlocked
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. commotion
Answer: (f) A lot of noise and confusion

2. forklift
Answer: (c) A vehicle used for lifting heavy objects

3. chase
Answer: (d) A pursuit or race

4. parked
Answer: (g) Not in motion or moving

5. unlocked
Answer: (a) Not locked or secured

6. hidden
Answer: (h) Concealed or not easily seen

7. investigating
Answer: (e) Examining or looking into something

8. incident
Answer: (b) An event or occurrence, often negative or unexpected
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did the incident with the stolen forklift take place?
Answer: (c) Ann Arbor, Michigan

2. How old was the boy who drove the stolen forklift?
Answer: (c) 12 years old

3. How long did the police chase with the stolen forklift last?
Answer: (a) About an hour

4. How many parked cars did the forklift hit during the chase?
Answer: (b) About 10 parked cars

5. How was the forklift taken?
Answer: (b) It was unlocked and the key was hidden inside

6. What are the police currently doing?
Answer: (a) Investigating the incident

7. How did the police describe their initial investigation?
Answer: (d) Suggesting that the forklift was unlocked and the key was hidden inside

8. What is the current status of the boy responsible for the incident?
Answer: (d) He has been caught by the police
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The police are still trying to determine the full extent of what happened during the incident. (Answer: True)
2. The boy responsible for the incident has been apprehended by the police. (Answer: True)
3. The police have concluded their investigation and consider the incident closed. (Answer: False)
4. The chase lasted for only a few minutes and resulted in the forklift lightly grazing a couple of parked cars. (Answer: False)
5. The forklift caused significant damage to the parked cars during the chase. (Answer: True)
6. The initial investigation suggests that the forklift was difficult to access for the boy. (Answer: False)
7. The police discovered that the forklift was locked and the key was securely stored inside when it was stolen. (Answer: False)
8. A 12-year-old boy in Ann Arbor, Michigan, stole a forklift and led the police on a chase. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧