A very small bag was sold for a lot of money. It is so small, even smaller than a tiny piece of salt. You need a special tool, a microscope, to see it. It was sold for $63,750. The group that made the bag is called MSCHF. They are from Brooklyn and they like to make things that are different. They have made shoes with real blood inside, shoes with holy water, a smell like WD-40, and very big red boots.
This time, they made a super small bag. They wanted to make the smallest bag ever. The bag has the name of a famous bag maker, Louis Vuitton, but they did not make it. The bag is made from a special kind of material using a 3D printer. This is a machine that makes small things. Some bags were so small, they were lost. But the person who bought the bag does not have to worry. They also got a microscope to see the bag. The group did not ask Louis Vuitton if they could use their name on the bag. They believe it’s better to say sorry later than to ask first. The group has been in trouble before for doing things like this.
Original news source: MSCHF microscopic bag ‘smaller than grain of salt’ sells for $63,750 (BBC)
Listen
Slow
Normal
Fast
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Microscopic Bag Drawing
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to draw a very small bag. They should then label the parts of their bag in English such as “handle”, “opening”, “base”.
– 3D Printer Explanation
Instructions: Show students a picture of a 3D printer. Have them discuss in pairs what they think it is and how it works. Then, explain the concept in simple English and ask each pair to explain it back to you.
– Apology Role-Play
Instructions: In pairs, students should act out a scenario where they need to apologize for something they’ve done, similar to the MSCHF group having to potentially apologize to Louis Vuitton. This will help them practice the language of apology.
Comprehension Questions:
1. How big is the very small bag that was sold?
2. What tool do you need to see the small bag?
3. How much money was the small bag sold for?
4. Who made the small bag?
5. What is the name on the small bag?
6. What was the small bag made from?
7. What else did the person who bought the bag get?
8. Has the group that made the bag been in trouble before?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A very small bag was sold for a lot of money. It is so small, even smaller than a tiny piece of (1)______. You need a special tool, a (2)______, to see it. It was sold for $63,750. The group that made the bag is called (3)______. They are from Brooklyn and they like to make things that are different. They have made shoes with real blood inside, shoes with holy water, a smell like WD-40, and very big red boots.
This time, they made a super small bag. They wanted to make the smallest bag ever. The bag has the name of a famous bag maker, (4)______, but they did not make it. The bag is made from a special kind of material using a 3D printer. This is a machine that makes small things. Some bags were so small, they were (5)______. But the person who bought the bag does not have to worry. They also got a microscope to see the bag. The group did not ask Louis Vuitton if they could use their name on the bag. They believe it’s better to say sorry later than to ask first. The group has been in trouble before for doing things like this.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. Would you like to have a very small bag?
2. Do you think a small bag is worth a lot of money? Why?
3. Would you buy something you can’t see without a special tool? Why?
4. What would you do with a very small bag?
5. Do you know who Louis Vuitton is?
6. Would you like to have shoes with real blood inside?
7. What do you think about making things that are different?
8. If you could make something with a 3D printer, what would you make?
9. Have you ever lost something because it was so small?
10. Do you think it’s okay to use someone else’s name without asking? Why?
11. How would you feel if someone used your name without asking?
12. Do you think the group should have asked Louis Vuitton first?
13. If you could make a smell, what would it be?
14. Would you like to have shoes with holy water?
15. What do you think about very big red boots? Would you wear them? Why?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. microscope
2. material
3. printer
4. lost
5. worry
6. sorry
7. trouble
8. different
Shuffled Meanings:
A) A special tool that makes things look bigger so you can see them
B) A feeling you get when you think something bad might happen
C) When you can’t find something because it’s not where it should be
D) Not the same as other things
E) What something is made from
F) A machine that makes things
G) When you do something wrong and might get punished
H) What you say when you did something wrong and you feel bad about it
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. How big is the bag that was sold?
(a) As big as a house
(b) Smaller than a piece of salt
(c) As big as a car
(d) As big as a shoe
2. How much was the bag sold for?
(a) $63,750
(b) $6,375
(c) $637,500
(d) $63.75
3. Where is the group that made the bag from?
(a) London
(b) Paris
(c) Tokyo
(d) Brooklyn
4. What did the group also make before?
(a) A giant teddy bear
(b) A rainbow umbrella
(c) Shoes with real blood inside
(d) A golden necklace
5. What is the name on the bag?
(a) MSCHF
(b) Gucci
(c) Prada
(d) Louis Vuitton
6. Who actually made the bag?
(a) Louis Vuitton
(b) Gucci
(c) Prada
(d) MSCHF
7. How was the bag made?
(a) By hand
(b) With a sewing machine
(c) Using a 3D printer
(d) With a knitting needle
8. What did the person who bought the bag also get?
(a) A pair of shoes
(b) A necklace
(c) A teddy bear
(d) A microscope
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. The small bag was sold for $63,750.
2. The group that made the bag is called MSCHF and they are from New York.
3. The bag is bigger than a piece of salt.
4. The bag was made by a famous bag maker, Louis Vuitton.
5. The bag is made from a special material using a machine called a 3D printer.
6. The person who bought the bag also got a big telescope to see it.
7. The group asked Louis Vuitton if they could use their name on the bag.
8. The group has been in trouble before for making things that are different.
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 group from Brooklyn make that was very small?
2. How much money did the small bag sell for?
3. What is the name of the famous bag maker that is on the small bag?
4. What kind of machine did they use to make the small bag?
5. Why did the group get in trouble before?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. How big is the very small bag that was sold?
The bag is smaller than a tiny piece of salt.
2. What tool do you need to see the small bag?
You need a microscope to see the bag.
3. How much money was the small bag sold for?
The bag was sold for $63,750.
4. Who made the small bag?
The group called MSCHF made the bag.
5. What is the name on the small bag?
The name on the bag is Louis Vuitton.
6. What was the small bag made from?
The bag is made from a special kind of material using a 3D printer.
7. What else did the person who bought the bag get?
The person also got a microscope to see the bag.
8. Has the group that made the bag been in trouble before?
Yes, the group has been in trouble before for doing things like this.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
1. salt
2. microscope
3. MSCHF
4. Louis Vuitton
5. lost
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. microscope
Answer: A) A special tool that makes things look bigger so you can see them
2. material
Answer: E) What something is made from
3. printer
Answer: F) A machine that makes things
4. lost
Answer: C) When you can’t find something because it’s not where it should be
5. worry
Answer: B) A feeling you get when you think something bad might happen
6. sorry
Answer: H) What you say when you did something wrong and you feel bad about it
7. trouble
Answer: G) When you do something wrong and might get punished
8. different
Answer: D) Not the same as other things
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. How big is the bag that was sold?
Answer: (b) Smaller than a piece of salt
2. How much was the bag sold for?
Answer: (a) $63,750
3. Where is the group that made the bag from?
Answer: (d) Brooklyn
4. What did the group also make before?
Answer: (c) Shoes with real blood inside
5. What is the name on the bag?
Answer: (d) Louis Vuitton
6. Who actually made the bag?
Answer: (d) MSCHF
7. How was the bag made?
Answer: (c) Using a 3D printer
8. What did the person who bought the bag also get?
Answer: (d) A microscope
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. The small bag was sold for $63,750.
Answer: True
2. The group that made the bag is called MSCHF and they are from New York.
Answer: True
3. The bag is bigger than a piece of salt.
Answer: False
4. The bag was made by a famous bag maker, Louis Vuitton.
Answer: False
5. The bag is made from a special material using a machine called a 3D printer.
Answer: True
6. The person who bought the bag also got a big telescope to see it.
Answer: False
7. The group asked Louis Vuitton if they could use their name on the bag.
Answer: False
8. The group has been in trouble before for making things that are different.
Answer: False
Go back to questions ⇧
