King Charles III had a big party at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire to celebrate his 75th birthday. He invited some important people from the community who are also turning 75 this year, as well as representatives from organizations that are also hitting the same milestone. Some famous people like chef Raymond Blanc, TV host Jay Blades, and singer Leee John from the band Imagination were there too.

During the party, King Charles cut a big cake with three layers. He made a funny joke and said, “We’ll have to give you doggy bags!” Everyone had a great time and there was lots of laughter and happiness.

Highgrove House is a beautiful place in Gloucestershire and it was the perfect spot for the birthday celebration. The lovely surroundings made the event even more special and fancy. It was a great way to honor King Charles III and celebrate his 75th birthday in a cool way.

Having community stalwarts and representatives from different organizations at the party showed that King Charles III really cares about connecting with people and recognizing their contributions. It was a way for him to show that he wants to serve the community and bring everyone together.

Original news source: King Charles cuts 75th birthday cake: ‘We’ll have to give you doggy bags!’ (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Ask students to work in pairs to summarize the article in their own words, focusing on the who, what, where, when, and why. They should aim to do this in under 2 minutes. Afterward, each pair can present their summary to the class.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word ‘celebration’ on the board. Ask students to call out words that they associate with this word, which could be related to the article (e.g., birthday, cake, community, laughter). Write their associations around the central word, creating a web of related vocabulary.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements about monarchy, community, and celebrations (e.g., “It is important for leaders to celebrate milestones with their community”). Students must walk around the room and poll their classmates to find out if they agree or disagree with each statement. At the end, discuss the results as a class.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: In groups, students create their own catchy headline for the article. Encourage them to use puns, alliteration, or other wordplay to grab attention. Each group presents their headline and the class votes on the most creative one.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have students write down their predictions about future events for King Charles III or Highgrove House in the next five years. They can work individually or in pairs. After writing, they should share their predictions with the class and discuss the likelihood of these events.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Where did King Charles III celebrate his 75th birthday?
2. What was unique about some of the guests King Charles III invited to his birthday party?
3. Can you name three famous guests who attended the birthday celebration?
4. What did King Charles do with the birthday cake during the party?
5. What did King Charles joke about at his birthday party?
6. Describe the atmosphere at the party based on the article.
7. Why is Highgrove House described as the perfect spot for the celebration?
8. What does the presence of community members and organization representatives at the party suggest about King Charles III’s intentions?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

King Charles III had a big (1)______ at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire to celebrate his 75th (2)______. He invited some important (3)______ from the community who are also turning 75 this year, as well as representatives from organizations that are also hitting the same (4)______. Some famous people like chef Raymond (5)______, TV host Jay Blades, and singer Leee John from the band Imagination were there too.

During the party, King Charles cut a big cake with three (6)______. He made a funny joke and said, “We’ll have to give you (7)______ bags!” Everyone had a (8)______ time and there was lots of laughter and happiness.

Highgrove House is a beautiful (9)______ in Gloucestershire and it was the perfect spot for the birthday celebration. The lovely (10)______ made the event even more (11)______ and fancy. It was a great way to honor King (12)______ III and celebrate his 75th birthday in a cool way.

(13)______ community (14)______ and (15)______ from (16)______ organizations at the party showed that King Charles III really cares about connecting with people and recognizing their contributions. It was a way for him to show that he wants to serve the community and bring everyone together.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a milestone birthday, and do you think it’s important to celebrate them? Why or why not?
2. How would you feel if you got invited to a big party with a king or queen? Excited, nervous, or something else?
3. Do you like the idea of inviting people from the community to a birthday party? Why do you think that could be a good idea?
4. Have you ever attended a party where someone made a funny joke? What was it and did it make the party more fun?
5. Can you think of a special place where you would like to have a big celebration? What makes that place special to you?
6. What do you think about having representatives from different organizations at a personal celebration? Do you think it mixes work with pleasure too much, or is it a good thing?
7. Do you think having a beautiful setting, like Highgrove House, makes a celebration better? Why or why not?
8. How important do you think laughter and happiness are at a party? Can you have a good time without them?
9. Have you ever been to a themed party or one where guests had something in common, like a birthday? What was it like?
10. Do you think it’s cool or strange to have famous people at a private birthday party? Would you invite any celebrities to your birthday?
11. What kind of cake would you want for your 75th birthday? Would it be big, small, or something unusual?
12. How do you usually celebrate your birthday? Do you have any traditions that you always follow?
13. Do you think it’s more important to have a big celebration for older people’s birthdays? Why or why not?
14. How do you feel about the idea of giving guests “doggy bags” to take home food from a party? Is it a good idea or not really necessary?
15. Do you think a king or queen has the responsibility to connect with their community? How should they do that?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. celebrate
2. milestone
3. representatives
4. chef
5. host
6. singer
7. surroundings
8. honor

Meanings:
(a) The things that are around a place
(b) People who speak or act for others
(c) A person who presents a TV show
(d) An important event or achievement
(e) To have a special event or party
(f) A person who sings songs
(g) To show respect and admiration for someone
(h) A person who cooks food professionally
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did King Charles III celebrate his 75th birthday?
(a) Buckingham Palace
(b) Windsor Castle
(c) Kensington Palace
(d) Highgrove House

2. Who did King Charles III invite to his birthday party?
(a) People turning 75 this year
(b) Famous chefs
(c) Representatives from organizations
(d) All of the above

3. How many layers did King Charles III’s birthday cake have?
(a) Five
(b) Seven
(c) Ten
(d) Three

4. What did King Charles III joke about when cutting the cake?
(a) Doggy bags
(b) Presents
(c) Balloons
(d) Candles

5. Where is Highgrove House located?
(a) London
(b) Gloucestershire
(c) Manchester
(d) Edinburgh

6. What made the birthday celebration at Highgrove House special?
(a) The delicious food
(b) The live music
(c) The beautiful surroundings
(d) The fancy decorations

7. What did having community stalwarts and representatives at the party show about King Charles III?
(a) He only cares about famous people
(b) He cares about connecting with people
(c) He doesn’t care about the community
(d) He wants to be the center of attention

8. What was the main purpose of King Charles III’s birthday celebration?
(a) To bring everyone together
(b) To show off his wealth
(c) To honor him
(d) To eat cake

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. King Charles III did not celebrate his 75th birthday with a big party at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.
2. The party did not take place at the beautiful Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.
3. Famous people like chef Raymond Blanc, TV host Jay Blades, and singer Leee John from the band Imagination attended the party.
4. He made a funny joke about giving out doggy bags.
5. King Charles III cut a three-layered cake during the celebration.
6. Representatives from organizations that are not celebrating their 75th milestone were invited to the party.
7. The event was not a way for King Charles III to connect with the community and honor their contributions.
8. The party included important people from the community who are also turning 75 this year.
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 celebrated their 75th birthday with a big party at Highgrove House?
2. Can you name some of the guests who were invited to King Charles III’s birthday party?
3. What did King Charles III joke about when he cut his birthday cake?
4. Describe Highgrove House and why it was chosen for the birthday celebration.
5. Why do you think King Charles III invited community members and organization representatives to his party?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Where did King Charles III celebrate his 75th birthday?
King Charles III celebrated his 75th birthday at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.

2. What was unique about some of the guests King Charles III invited to his birthday party?
Some of the guests invited by King Charles III were also turning 75 this year, and there were representatives from organizations celebrating their 75th anniversary too.

3. Can you name three famous guests who attended the birthday celebration?
Three famous guests at the celebration were chef Raymond Blanc, TV host Jay Blades, and singer Leee John from the band Imagination.

4. What did King Charles do with the birthday cake during the party?
King Charles cut a big three-layered cake during the party.

5. What did King Charles joke about at his birthday party?
King Charles joked about having to give out “doggy bags” because of the big cake.

6. Describe the atmosphere at the party based on the article.
The atmosphere at the party was full of laughter and happiness.

7. Why is Highgrove House described as the perfect spot for the celebration?
Highgrove House is described as the perfect spot for the celebration because of its beautiful surroundings, which made the event even more special and fancy.

8. What does the presence of community members and organization representatives at the party suggest about King Charles III’s intentions?
The presence of community members and organization representatives suggests that King Charles III aims to connect with people, recognize their contributions, and bring the community together.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) party
(2) birthday
(3) people
(4) milestone
(5) Blanc
(6) layers
(7) doggy
(8) great
(9) place
(10) surroundings
(11) special
(12) Charles
(13) Having
(14) stalwarts
(15) representatives
(16) different
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. celebrate
Answer: (e) To have a special event or party

2. milestone
Answer: (d) An important event or achievement

3. representatives
Answer: (b) People who speak or act for others

4. chef
Answer: (h) A person who cooks food professionally

5. host
Answer: (c) A person who presents a TV show

6. singer
Answer: (f) A person who sings songs

7. surroundings
Answer: (a) The things that are around a place

8. honor
Answer: (g) To show respect and admiration for someone
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did King Charles III celebrate his 75th birthday?
Answer: (d) Highgrove House

2. Who did King Charles III invite to his birthday party?
Answer: (a) People turning 75 this year

3. How many layers did King Charles III’s birthday cake have?
Answer: (d) Three

4. What did King Charles III joke about when cutting the cake?
Answer: (a) Doggy bags

5. Where is Highgrove House located?
Answer: (b) Gloucestershire

6. What made the birthday celebration at Highgrove House special?
Answer: (c) The beautiful surroundings

7. What did having community stalwarts and representatives at the party show about King Charles III?
Answer: (b) He cares about connecting with people

8. What was the main purpose of King Charles III’s birthday celebration?
Answer: (c) To honor him
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. King Charles III did not celebrate his 75th birthday with a big party at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire. (Answer: False)
2. The party did not take place at the beautiful Highgrove House in Gloucestershire. (Answer: False)
3. Famous people like chef Raymond Blanc, TV host Jay Blades, and singer Leee John from the band Imagination attended the party. (Answer: True)
4. He made a funny joke about giving out doggy bags. (Answer: True)
5. King Charles III cut a three-layered cake during the celebration. (Answer: True)
6. Representatives from organizations that are not celebrating their 75th milestone were invited to the party. (Answer: False)
7. The event was not a way for King Charles III to connect with the community and honor their contributions. (Answer: False)
8. The party included important people from the community who are also turning 75 this year. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧