A woman from Ohio named Rosemary Hayne was found guilty of assault for throwing a burrito bowl at a Chipotle worker. The incident was caught on video and went viral. In court, the judge decided to give her a unique punishment. Instead of going to jail for 180 days, with 90 days suspended, she was given the option to work at a fast-food job for two months to reduce her time in jail.

The judge, Timothy Gilligan, was not happy with Hayne’s behavior. He told her that throwing a burrito bowl because it wasn’t made the way she wanted was not acceptable. He offered her a chance to work at least 20 hours per week at a fast-food restaurant for two months. If she agreed, she would have 60 days taken off her jail time. Hayne accepted the offer.

The incident happened on September 5 and was recorded by someone who posted the video on Reddit. In court, Hayne apologized and said that the food she got from the restaurant was not good. But the judge didn’t buy it and told her that she wouldn’t be happy with the food she would get in jail. The Chipotle worker, Emily Russell, testified that she was traumatized by the incident and had quit her job. A GoFundMe campaign has been started to support her.

Original news source: Woman who assaulted Chipotle worker sentenced to fast food job for two months (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the groups to read the article and write a summary of the main points.
4. Set a time limit for completion (e.g. 10 minutes).
5. After the time limit, ask each group to share their summary with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Write the following question on the board: “Do you think the judge’s punishment was fair?”
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Instruct each group to discuss the question and come up with their own opinion.
4. Once the groups have had enough time to discuss, ask for volunteers to share their opinions with the class.
5. Encourage a respectful and open discussion, allowing students to respond to each other’s opinions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. assault, viral, suspended, traumatized).
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Instruct each group to choose one word from the list and draw a picture representing the word.
4. Each group will take turns showing their picture to the class, while the rest of the class guesses the word.
5. Repeat the process until all the words have been guessed.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into two groups.
2. Assign one group to argue the pros of the judge’s punishment and the other group to argue the cons.
3. Give the groups time to discuss and gather their arguments.
4. Ask each group to present their arguments to the class, taking turns presenting each point.
5. Encourage a respectful and balanced debate, allowing students to respond to each other’s arguments.

– Future Predictions
Instructions:
1. Ask the class to imagine what might happen next in the story.
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Instruct each group to discuss and come up with their own predictions for the future of the characters involved (e.g. What will happen to Rosemary Hayne? Will Emily Russell find another job?).
4. Give the groups time to discuss and write down their predictions.
5. Ask for volunteers to share their predictions with the class, allowing for discussion and speculation.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who was found guilty of assault for throwing a burrito bowl at a Chipotle worker?
2. What punishment did the judge give to Rosemary Hayne instead of sending her to jail?
3. Why was the judge not happy with Hayne’s behavior?
4. How many days of jail time would Hayne have if she chose not to work at a fast-food job?
5. When did the incident happen and how was it recorded?
6. What did Hayne say about the food she received from the restaurant?
7. How did the judge respond to Hayne’s apology?
8. What happened to the Chipotle worker and how are people supporting her?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A woman from Ohio named Rosemary Hayne was (1)______ guilty of assault for throwing a burrito bowl at a Chipotle (2)______. The incident was caught on video and went (3)______. In court, the (4)______ decided to give her a unique punishment. Instead of going to jail for 180 days, with 90 days suspended, she was given the (5)______ to work at a fast-food job for two months to reduce her time in jail.

The judge, Timothy Gilligan, was not (6)______ with Hayne’s behavior. He told her that throwing a (7)______ bowl because it wasn’t made the way she wanted was not acceptable. He (8)______ her a chance to work at least 20 hours per week at a fast-food (9)______ for two months. If she agreed, she would have 60 days (10)______ off her jail time. Hayne accepted the offer.

The incident happened on (11)______ 5 and was recorded by someone who posted the video on Reddit. In court, Hayne (12)______ and said that the food she got from the restaurant was not good. But the judge didn’t buy it and told her that she wouldn’t be happy with the food she would get in jail. The (13)______ worker, Emily (14)______, (15)______ that she was traumatized by the incident and had quit her job. A GoFundMe (16)______ has been started to support her.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is assault and why is it considered a crime?
2. How would you feel if someone threw food at you?
3. Do you think it was fair for the judge to give the woman the option to work at a fast-food job instead of going to jail? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever had a bad experience at a restaurant? What happened?
5. Do you think it’s acceptable to throw food at someone if it’s not made the way you wanted? Why or why not?
6. What do you think about the judge’s comment that the woman wouldn’t be happy with the food she would get in jail?
7. Have you ever seen a video go viral? What was it about?
8. How do you think the Chipotle worker felt after the incident? Why?
9. Have you ever quit a job because of a bad experience? What happened?
10. Do you think it’s important to support someone who has been traumatized? Why or why not?
11. Have you ever started or donated to a fundraising campaign? What was it for?
12. How do you think the woman felt after being found guilty of assault?
13. Do you think working at a fast-food job for two months is a fair punishment? Why or why not?
14. What do you think the woman could learn from working at a fast-food job?
15. How would you react if someone threw food at you? Why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. assault
2. guilty
3. incident
4. viral
5. unique
6. punishment
7. jail
8. behavior
9. option
10. reduce
11. acceptable
12. chance
13. apologized
14. traumatized
15. campaign

Meanings:
(A) Physically attacking someone
(B) An opportunity or possibility
(C) One of a kind or different from anything else
(D) To make something smaller or lessen it
(E) Emotionally disturbed or deeply upset
(F) An event or occurrence
(G) A place where criminals are kept as punishment
(H) A consequence or penalty for doing something wrong
(I) Said sorry for something done wrong
(J) Spreading rapidly and widely on the internet
(K) Responsible for a crime or wrongdoing
(L) A choice or alternative
(M) An organized effort to achieve a goal or support a cause
(N) Permitted or allowed
(O) The way someone acts or behaves
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What was Rosemary Hayne found guilty of?
(a) Theft
(b) Vandalism
(c) Assault
(d) Fraud

2. What punishment did the judge give Hayne?
(a) Pay a fine
(b) Attend anger management classes
(c) Serve 180 days in jail
(d) Work at a fast-food job for two months

3. Why did the judge offer Hayne the option to work at a fast-food job?
(a) To reduce her time in jail
(b) To teach her a lesson about respect
(c) To help her find a new job
(d) To make her apologize to the Chipotle worker

4. How many days would Hayne have taken off her jail time if she agreed to work at a fast-food job?
(a) 30 days
(b) 90 days
(c) 60 days
(d) 180 days

5. When did the incident happen?
(a) September 10
(b) September 5
(c) October 5
(d) October 10

6. Why did Hayne throw the burrito bowl at the Chipotle worker?
(a) Because she was angry at the worker
(b) Because she wanted attention
(c) Because she thought it was funny
(d) Because it wasn’t made the way she wanted

7. How did the judge respond to Hayne’s apology?
(a) He accepted her apology
(b) He didn’t believe her
(c) He gave her a harsher punishment
(d) He asked her to apologize to the Chipotle worker

8. What did the Chipotle worker do after the incident?
(a) Quit her job
(b) Filed a lawsuit against Hayne
(c) Started a GoFundMe campaign
(d) Reported the incident to the police

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The Chipotle worker, Emily Russell, testified that she was not traumatized by the incident and had not quit her job.
2. A woman named Rosemary Hayne from Ohio was found not guilty of assault for throwing a burrito bowl at a Chipotle worker.
3. The judge, Timothy Gilligan, was unhappy with Hayne’s behavior and told her that throwing a burrito bowl because it wasn’t made the way she wanted was not acceptable.
4. Instead of going to jail for 180 days, with 90 days suspended, the judge gave Hayne a unique punishment.
5. Hayne was not given the option to work at a fast-food job for two months to reduce her time in jail.
6. The incident was caught on video and became popular online.
7. The incident did not occur on September 5 and was not recorded by someone who posted the video on Reddit.
8. Hayne agreed to work at least 20 hours per week at a fast-food restaurant for two months to have 60 days taken off her jail time.
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 Rosemary Hayne do that got her into trouble?
2. What punishment did the judge give Hayne instead of sending her to jail?
3. Why was the judge unhappy with Hayne’s behavior?
4. How did Hayne try to explain her actions in court?
5. What impact did the incident have on the Chipotle worker, Emily Russell?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who was found guilty of assault for throwing a burrito bowl at a Chipotle worker?
Rosemary Hayne.

2. What punishment did the judge give to Rosemary Hayne instead of sending her to jail?
The judge gave her the option to work at a fast-food job for two months to reduce her time in jail.

3. Why was the judge not happy with Hayne’s behavior?
The judge was not happy because throwing a burrito bowl at a Chipotle worker because it wasn’t made the way she wanted was not acceptable.

4. How many days of jail time would Hayne have if she chose not to work at a fast-food job?
Hayne would have 180 days of jail time, with 90 days suspended.

5. When did the incident happen and how was it recorded?
The incident happened on September 5 and it was recorded by someone who posted the video on Reddit.

6. What did Hayne say about the food she received from the restaurant?
Hayne said that the food she got from the restaurant was not good.

7. How did the judge respond to Hayne’s apology?
The judge didn’t buy Hayne’s apology and told her that she wouldn’t be happy with the food she would get in jail.

8. What happened to the Chipotle worker and how are people supporting her?
The Chipotle worker, Emily Russell, testified that she was traumatized by the incident and had quit her job. People have started a GoFundMe campaign to support her.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) found
(2) worker
(3) viral
(4) judge
(5) option
(6) happy
(7) burrito
(8) offered
(9) restaurant
(10) taken
(11) September
(12) apologized
(13) Chipotle
(14) Russell
(15) testified
(16) campaign
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. assault
Answer: (A) Physically attacking someone

2. guilty
Answer: (K) Responsible for a crime or wrongdoing

3. incident
Answer: (F) An event or occurrence

4. viral
Answer: (J) Spreading rapidly and widely on the internet

5. unique
Answer: (C) One of a kind or different from anything else

6. punishment
Answer: (H) A consequence or penalty for doing something wrong

7. jail
Answer: (G) A place where criminals are kept as punishment

8. behavior
Answer: (O) The way someone acts or behaves

9. option
Answer: (L) A choice or alternative

10. reduce
Answer: (D) To make something smaller or lessen it

11. acceptable
Answer: (N) Permitted or allowed

12. chance
Answer: (B) An opportunity or possibility

13. apologized
Answer: (I) Said sorry for something done wrong

14. traumatized
Answer: (E) Emotionally disturbed or deeply upset

15. campaign
Answer: (M) An organized effort to achieve a goal or support a cause
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What was Rosemary Hayne found guilty of?
Answer: (c) Assault

2. What punishment did the judge give Hayne?
Answer: (d) Work at a fast-food job for two months

3. Why did the judge offer Hayne the option to work at a fast-food job?
Answer: (a) To reduce her time in jail

4. How many days would Hayne have taken off her jail time if she agreed to work at a fast-food job?
Answer: (c) 60 days

5. When did the incident happen?
Answer: (b) September 5

6. Why did Hayne throw the burrito bowl at the Chipotle worker?
Answer: (d) Because it wasn’t made the way she wanted

7. How did the judge respond to Hayne’s apology?
Answer: (b) He didn’t believe her

8. What did the Chipotle worker do after the incident?
Answer: (a) Quit her job
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The Chipotle worker, Emily Russell, testified that she was not traumatized by the incident and had not quit her job. (Answer: False)
2. A woman named Rosemary Hayne from Ohio was found not guilty of assault for throwing a burrito bowl at a Chipotle worker. (Answer: False)
3. The judge, Timothy Gilligan, was unhappy with Hayne’s behavior and told her that throwing a burrito bowl because it wasn’t made the way she wanted was not acceptable. (Answer: True)
4. Instead of going to jail for 180 days, with 90 days suspended, the judge gave Hayne a unique punishment. (Answer: True)
5. Hayne was not given the option to work at a fast-food job for two months to reduce her time in jail. (Answer: False)
6. The incident was caught on video and became popular online. (Answer: True)
7. The incident did not occur on September 5 and was not recorded by someone who posted the video on Reddit. (Answer: False)
8. Hayne agreed to work at least 20 hours per week at a fast-food restaurant for two months to have 60 days taken off her jail time. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧