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British Museum has most successful year (17th January, 2014)

The Reading / Listening - Level 3

The British Museum in London had its most successful year ever in 2013. More than 6.7 million visitors passed through its doors. The previous record of 5.9 million was set in 2008. Over a million more people visited the museum last year than in 2012. The biggest attractions were two big exhibitions. One was Life and Death in Pompeii, the other was Herculaneum. The director of the museum said he was very happy that so many people came. He told reporters that many things happened last year. Many exhibits were loaned to the museum. He also said online access meant more people decided to visit. He added: "This is truly a dynamic collection that belongs to and is used by a global citizenship."

The British Museum has many exhibitions about human history and culture. It has about 13 million exhibits from all over the world. Some countries want the museum to return some of them. Greece wants the Elgin Marbles back. They were originally from the Parthenon in Athens. China wants the museum to return many things the British took from China in the 19th century, and Egypt wants the Rosetta Stone. The museum first opened to the public in 1759. Back then, only about 75 people a day visited it. They could look at 71,000 objects, including 40,000 printed books, 7,000 manuscripts, and many stuffed animals, birds and insects. There were also very old objects from Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East, the Far East, and North and South America.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 0, Level 1 or Level 2

Sources

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/british-museum-enjoys-its-most-successful-year-ever-9059851.html
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/jan/14/british-museum-record-visitor-numbers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The 40 Lesson Activities on the PDF Handout

WARM-UPS

1. MUSEUMS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about museums. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

museum / successful / doors / record / exhibitions / director / online / collection / human history / culture / 19th century / the public / books / stuffed animals / Far East

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. SIGHTS: How could the top sites in cities be better? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	How to make them better	How are they in your town
Museums
Parks
Shopping
Castles
Monuments
Old houses

4. FREE: Students A strongly believe all museums should be free; Students B strongly believe they shouldn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. EXHIBITIONS: Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• the English language

• computer history

• your town's history

• the Moon

• Italian fashion

• robots

• Hollywood

• the colour blue

6. VISITOR: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "visitor". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	67 million people visited the British Museum in 2013.	T / F
b.	The British Museum had 5.9 million visitors in 2008.	T / F
c.	The biggest attractions in 2013 were on Pompeii and Herculaneum.	T / F
d.	The museum's director said the Internet meant fewer visitors.	T / F
e.	The British Museum has around 13 million exhibits.	T / F
f.	Greece wants the Rosetta Stone returned to Greece.	T / F
g.	The British Museum opened to the public in the 17th century.	T / F
h.	The museum contained about 40,000 books when it first opened.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	ever	a.	initially
2.	passed	b.	earlier
3.	previous	c.	things
4.	loaned	d.	went
5.	global	e.	bugs
6.	return	f.	in history
7.	originally	g.	give back
8.	objects	h.	lent
9.	insects	i.	ancient
10.	old	j.	world

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	its most successful	a.	many people came
2.	6.7 million visitors passed	b.	and culture
3.	The biggest attractions were	c.	in the 19th century
4.	happy that so	d.	through its doors
5.	a dynamic	e.	objects from Egypt
6.	exhibitions about human history	f.	year ever
7.	exhibits from all	g.	collection
8.	the British took from China	h.	the public in 1759
9.	The museum first opened to	i.	two big exhibitions
10.	There were also very old	j.	over the world

GAP FILL

The British Museum in London had its most (1) ____________ year ever in 2013. More than 6.7 million visitors (2) ____________ through its doors. The previous record of 5.9 million was (3) ____________ in 2008. Over a million more people visited the museum last year than in 2012. The biggest (4) ____________ were two big exhibitions. One was Life and Death in Pompeii, the other was Herculaneum. The director of the museum said he was very (5) ____________ that so many people came. He told reporters that many things happened last year. Many exhibits were (6) ____________ to the museum. He also said online access meant more people (7) ____________ to visit. He added: "This is truly a dynamic collection that belongs to and is used by a (8) ____________ citizenship."

loaned
attractions
passed
global
successful
happy
decided
set

The British Museum has many (9) ____________ about human history and culture. It has about 13 million exhibits from all over the world. Some countries want the museum to (10) ____________ some of them. Greece wants the Elgin Marbles back. They were (11) ____________ from the Parthenon in Athens. China wants the museum to return many things the British took from China in the 19th (12) ____________, and Egypt wants the Rosetta Stone. The museum first opened to the (13) ____________ in 1759. Back then, only about 75 people a day visited it. They could look at 71,000 (14) ____________, including 40,000 printed books, 7,000 manuscripts, and many stuffed animals, birds and (15) ____________. There were also very old objects from Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East, the (16) ____________ East, and North and South America.

century
Far
return
objects
exhibitions
insects
originally
public

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	The British Museum in London had its most ______
	a. successful years ever b. successful year even c. successful year ever d. successful years even
2)	More than 6.7 million visitors passed ______
	a. though its doors b. through it's doors c. though it's doors d. through its doors
3)	He told reporters that many ______
	a. thing happened b. things happened c. things happens d. things happening
4)	He also said online access meant more people ______
	a. decided two visit b. decided to visit c. decide it to visit d. decided to visits
5)	This is truly a ______
	a. dynamic collection b. dynamic collection c. dynamic collection d. dynamic collection
6)	many exhibitions about human ______
	a. histories and culture b. history and cultures c. histories and cultures d. history and culture
7)	It has about 13 ______
	a. million eggs in bits b. million exit bits c. million egg zip bits d. million exhibits
8)	return many things the British took from China in ______
	a. the 18th century b. the 19th century c. the 19th centuries d. the 19th centre
9)	The museum first opened to the ______
	a. public in 1795 b. public in 1759 c. public in 1975 d. public in 1597
10)	7,000 manuscripts, and many stuffed animals, ______
	a. birds and in sacks b. birds and in sects c. birds and inspects d. birds and insects

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

The British Museum in London had its most (1) ___________________ in 2013. More than 6.7 million visitors (2) ___________________ doors. The previous record of 5.9 million was set in 2008. Over a million more people visited the museum last year than in 2012. (3) ___________________ were two big exhibitions. One was Life and Death in Pompeii, the other was Herculaneum. The director of the museum said (4) ___________________ that so many people came. He told reporters that many things happened last year. Many exhibits (5) ___________________ museum. He also said online access meant more people decided to visit. He added: "This is truly a dynamic collection (6) ___________________ is used by a global citizenship."

The British Museum has many exhibitions about human history and culture. It has about (7) ___________________ from all over the world. Some countries want the museum to return some of them. Greece wants the Elgin Marbles back. They (8) ___________________ the Parthenon in Athens. China wants the museum (9) ___________________ the British took from China in the 19th century, and Egypt wants the Rosetta Stone. The museum first opened (10) ___________________ 1759. Back then, only about 75 people a day visited it. They could look at 71,000 objects, including 40,000 printed books, 7,000 manuscripts, and (11) ___________________, birds and insects. There were also very old objects from Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East, (12) ___________________, and North and South America.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	How many people visited the British Museum in 2013?
2.	When was the previous record set?
3.	How did the museum's director feel?
4.	Who did the director speak to about many things happening last year?
5.	How many exhibits does the British Museum have?
6.	When did Britain take many things from China?
7.	When did the British Museum first open to the public?
8.	How many visitors did the British Museum have when it first opened?
9.	How many manuscripts did the museum originally have?
10.	What two countries are mentioned in the last sentence?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	How many people visited the British Museum in 2013?	6.	When did Britain take many things from China?
	a) 6,700,000 b) 7.6 million c) 76,000,000 d) 670,000		a) at the beginning of the last century b) last week c) 1849 d) in the 19th century
2.	When was the previous record set?	7.	When did the British Museum first open to the public?
	a) 2006 b) 2007 c) 2008 d) 2009		a) 1579 b) 1759 c) 1597 d) 1795
3.	How did the museum's director feel?	8.	How many visitors did the British Museum have when it first opened?
	a) wonderful b) happy c) surprised d) bored		a) about 75 a week b) about 750 a week c) about 750 a day d) about 75 a day
4.	Who did the director speak to about many things happening last year?	9.	How many manuscripts did the museum originally have?
	a) other museum directors b) visitors c) his wife d) reporters		a) 5,000 b) 6,000 c) 7,000 d) 8,000
5.	How many exhibits does the British Museum have?	10.	What two countries are mentioned in the last sentence?
	a) about 13 million b) about 30,000,000 c) around 1.3 million d) around 130,000		a) Egypt and South America b) Greece and Egypt c) the Far East and Rome d) Rome and Greece

ROLE PLAY

Role A – The English language

You think an exhibition on the English language would be the most interesting. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their ideas. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): your town's history, the colour blue or Hollywood.

Role B – Your town's history

You think an exhibition on your town's history would be the most interesting. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their ideas. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): the English language, the colour blue or Hollywood.

Role C – The colour blue

You think an exhibition on the colour blue would be the most interesting. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their ideas. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): your town's history, the English language or Hollywood.

Role D – Hollywood

You think an exhibition on Hollywood would be the most interesting. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their ideas. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): your town's history, the colour blue or the English language.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'British' and 'museum'.

British

museum

Share your findings with your partners.

Make questions using the words you found.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

successful
2008
big
happy
loaned
global

culture
countries
19
first
71,000
Far

MUSEUMS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about museums in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

MUSEUMS DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word 'museum'?
c)	What's the best museum you've ever been to?
d)	What are the best museums in your town / city?
e)	What do you know about the British Museum?
f)	Do you think museums should be free to enter?
g)	Would a museum about your life be interesting?
h)	Are all museums important?
i)	Do you think museums in other countries are more or less interesting than those in your own country?
j)	Would you like to work in a museum?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	What do you think about the British Museum having 13 million exhibits?
c)	Should the British Museum return things to other countries?
d)	What's the best thing to have an exhibition on?
e)	Do you prefer going to museums alone or with others?
f)	Would you become intelligent if you spent a year visiting museums?
g)	What's the strangest museum you've heard of?
h)	Do you prefer museums with interactive exhibits?
i)	Are all museums good for children?
j)	What questions would you like to ask the British Museum's director?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE

The British Museum in London had its most (1) ____ year ever in 2013. More than 6.7 million visitors passed through its (2) ____. The previous record of 5.9 million was set in 2008. Over a million more people visited the museum last year than in 2012. The biggest (3) ____ were two big exhibitions. One was Life and Death in Pompeii, the other was Herculaneum. The director of the museum said he was very happy that so many people came. He (4) ____ reporters that many things happened last year. Many exhibits were (5) ____ to the museum. He also said online access meant more people decided to visit. He added: "This is (6) ____ a dynamic collection that belongs to and is used by a global citizenship."

The British Museum has many exhibitions about human (7) ____ and culture. It has about 13 million exhibits from all over the world. Some countries want the museum to return some of them. Greece wants the Elgin Marbles (8) ____. They were originally from the Parthenon in Athens. China wants the museum to return many things the British (9) ____ from China in the 19th century, and Egypt wants the Rosetta Stone. The museum first opened (10) ____ the public in 1759. Back then, only about 75 people a day visited it. They could look at 71,000 objects, including 40,000 printed books, 7,000 manuscripts, and many (11) ____ animals, birds and insects. There were also very old objects from Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East, the (12) ____ East, and North and South America.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	successful	(b)	success	(c)	successfully	(d)	succeed
2.	(a)	windows	(b)	walls	(c)	doors	(d)	stairs
3.	(a)	attracts	(b)	attractive	(c)	attractions	(d)	attracted
4.	(a)	talked	(b)	spoke	(c)	said	(d)	told
5.	(a)	loaned	(b)	deposited	(c)	borrowed	(d)	owned
6.	(a)	real	(b)	truly	(c)	so	(d)	honest
7.	(a)	historian	(b)	historical	(c)	hysterical	(d)	history
8.	(a)	round	(b)	back	(c)	forward	(d)	front
9.	(a)	taken	(b)	taking	(c)	took	(d)	takes
10.	(a)	on	(b)	at	(c)	of	(d)	to
11.	(a)	stuffing	(b)	filling	(c)	full	(d)	stuffed
12.	(a)	Farthest	(b)	Far	(c)	Fur	(d)	Furthest

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	its most suscufsecl year ever
2.	6.7 million oritvsis
3.	The biggest iatattnscro
4.	two big hibioextnis
5.	Many exhibits were daolen to the museum
6.	a dynamic otcielnclo
Paragraph 2
7.	human history and tecrluu
8.	ogilyarinl from the Parthenon in Athens
9.	opened to the ulpcbi
10.	71,000 jbcstoe
11.	lidcgiunn 40,000 printed books
12.	animals, birds and tnscsie

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	at 71,000 objects, including 40,000 printed books, 7,000 manuscripts, and many stuffed animals, birds
( )	and insects. There were also very old objects from Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East, the Far East, and North and South America.
( )	The British Museum has many exhibitions about human history and culture. It has about 13 million
( )	through its doors. The previous record of 5.9 million was set in 2008. Over a million more
( )	of the museum said he was very happy that so many people came. He told reporters that many things happened last
( )	people visited the museum last year than in 2012. The biggest attractions were two big
( )	exhibits from all over the world. Some countries want the museum to return some of them. Greece wants
( )	the Elgin Marbles back. They were originally from the Parthenon in Athens. China wants the museum to return
( )	opened to the public in 1759. Back then, only about 75 people a day visited it. They could look
( )	year. Many exhibits were loaned to the museum. He also said online access meant more people decided
( )	to visit. He added: "This is truly a dynamic collection that belongs to and is used by a global citizenship."
( 1 )	The British Museum in London had its most successful year ever in 2013. More than 6.7 million visitors passed
( )	many things the British took from China in the 19th century, and Egypt wants the Rosetta Stone. The museum first
( )	exhibitions. One was Life and Death in Pompeii, the other was Herculaneum. The director

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	7.6 than More doors its through passed visitors million.
2.	the million museum more people Over visited a.
3.	happened reporters things year told many last He that.
4.	to meant visit more people Online decided access.
5.	is a collection This truly dynamic.
6.	Many culture and history human about exhibitions.
7.	some the return them want to of Countries museum.
8.	century Things the British took from China in the 19th.
9.	in public 1759 to opened the museum The first .
10.	objects were from also Egypt very old There.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

The British Museum in London had its most success / successful year ever in 2013. More than 6.7 million visitors past / passed through its doors. The previous / previously record of 5.9 million was set in 2008. Over a million more / most people visited the museum last year than in 2012. The biggest attractions were two big exhibition / exhibitions. One was Life and Death in Pompeii, the other was Herculaneum. The director of the museum said he was very happy / unhappy that so many people came. He told / said reporters that many things happened last / lastly year. Many exhibits were loaned to the museum. He also said online excess / access meant more people decided to visit. He added: "This is truly a dynamic collection that belongs to and is used by a globally / global citizenship."

The British Museum has many exhibitions / exhibition about human history and culture. It has about 13 million exhibitions / exhibits from all over the world. Some countries want the museum to return / returns some of them. Greece wants the Elgin Marbles return / back. They were originally / original from the Parthenon in Athens. China wants the museum to return many things the British taken / took from China in the 19th century, and Egypt wants the Rosetta Stone. The museum first / firstly opened to the public in 1759. Back then, only about 75 people a day visiting / visited it. They could look at 71,000 objects, including 40,000 printed books, 7,000 manuscripts, and many stuffed / stuffing animals, birds and insects. There were also very old object / objects from Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East, the Far East, and North and South America.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

Th_ Br_t_sh M_s__m _n L_nd_n h_d _ts m_st s_cc_ssf_l y__r _v_r _n 2013. M_r_ th_n 6.7 m_ll__n v_s_t_rs p_ss_d thr__gh _ts d__rs. Th_ pr_v___s r_c_rd _f 5.9 m_ll__n w_s s_t _n 2008. _v_r _ m_ll__n m_r_ p__pl_ v_s_t_d th_ m_s__m l_st y__r th_n _n 2012. Th_ b_gg_st _ttr_ct__ns w_r_ tw_ b_g _xh_b_t__ns. _n_ w_s L_f_ _nd D__th _n P_mp___, th_ _th_r w_s H_rc_l_n__m. Th_ d_r_ct_r _f th_ m_s__m s__d h_ w_s v_ry h_ppy th_t s_ m_ny p__pl_ c_m_. H_ t_ld r_p_rt_rs th_t m_ny th_ngs h_pp_n_d l_st y__r. M_ny _xh_b_ts w_r_ l__n_d t_ th_ m_s__m. H_ _ls_ s__d _nl_n_ _cc_ss m__nt m_r_ p__pl_ d_c_d_d t_ v_s_t. H_ _dd_d: "Th_s _s tr_ly _ dyn_m_c c_ll_ct__n th_t b_l_ngs t_ _nd _s _s_d by _ gl_b_l c_t_z_nsh_p."

Th_ Br_t_sh M_s__m h_s m_ny _xh_b_t__ns _b__t h_m_n h_st_ry _nd c_lt_r_. _t h_s _b__t 13 m_ll__n _xh_b_ts fr_m _ll _v_r th_ w_rld. S_m_ c__ntr__s w_nt th_ m_s__m t_ r_t_rn s_m_ _f th_m. Gr__c_ w_nts th_ _lg_n M_rbl_s b_ck. Th_y w_r_ _r_g_n_lly fr_m th_ P_rth_n_n _n _th_ns. Ch_n_ w_nts th_ m_s__m t_ r_t_rn m_ny th_ngs th_ Br_t_sh t__k fr_m Ch_n_ _n th_ 19th c_nt_ry, _nd _gypt w_nts th_ R_s_tt_ St_n_. Th_ m_s__m f_rst _p_n_d t_ th_ p_bl_c _n 1759. B_ck th_n, _nly _b__t 75 p__pl_ _ d_y v_s_t_d _t. Th_y c__ld l__k _t 71,000 _bj_cts, _ncl_d_ng 40,000 pr_nt_d b__ks, 7,000 m_n_scr_pts, _nd m_ny st_ff_d _n_m_ls, b_rds _nd _ns_cts. Th_r_ w_r_ _ls_ v_ry _ld _bj_cts fr_m _gypt, Gr__c_, R_m_, th_ N__r __st, th_ F_r __st, _nd N_rth _nd S__th _m_r_c_.

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

the british museum in london had its most successful year ever in 2013 more than 67 million visitors passed through its doors the previous record of 59 million was set in 2008 over a million more people visited the museum last year than in 2012 the biggest attractions were two big exhibitions one was life and death in pompeii the other was herculaneum the director of the museum said he was very happy that so many people came he told reporters that many things happened last year many exhibits were loaned to the museum he also said online access meant more people decided to visit he added "this is truly a dynamic collection that belongs to and is used by a global citizenship"

the british museum has many exhibitions about human history and culture it has about 13 million exhibits from all over the world some countries want the museum to return some of them greece wants the elgin marbles back they were originally from the parthenon in athens china wants the museum to return many things the british took from china in the 19th century and egypt wants the rosetta stone the museum first opened to the public in 1759 back then only about 75 people a day visited it they could look at 71000 objects including 40000 printed books 7000 manuscripts and many stuffed animals birds and insects there were also very old objects from egypt greece rome the near east the far east and north and south america

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

TheBritishMuseuminLondonhaditsmostsuccessfulyeareverin2013
.Morethan6.7millionvisitorspassedthroughitsdoors.Thepreviousr
ecordof5.9millionwassetin2008.Overamillionmorepeoplevisitedt
hemuseumlastyearthanin2012.Thebiggestattractionsweretwobig
exhibitions.OnewasLifeandDeathinPompeii,theotherwasHerculan
eum.Thedirectorofthemuseumsaidhewasveryhappythatsomanyp
eoplecame.Hetoldreportersthatmanythingshappenedlastyear.Ma
nyexhibitswereloanedtothemuseum.Healsosaidonlineaccessmea
ntmorepeopledecidedtovisit.Headded:"Thisistrulyadynamiccollec
tionthatbelongstoandisusedbyaglobalcitizenship."TheBritishMuse
umhasmanyexhibitionsabouthumanhistoryandculture.Ithasabou
t13millionexhibitsfromallovertheworld.Somecountrieswantthem
useumtoreturnsomeofthem.GreecewantstheElginMarblesback.T
heywereoriginallyfromtheParthenoninAthens.Chinawantsthemus
eumtoreturnmanythingstheBritishtookfromChinainthe19thcentu
ry,andEgyptwantstheRosettaStone.Themuseumfirstopenedtothe
publicin1759.Backthen,onlyabout75peopleadayvisitedit.Theycou
ldlookat71,000objects,including40,000printedbooks,7,000manu
scripts,andmanystuffedanimals,birdsandinsects.Therewerealsov
eryoldobjectsfromEgypt,Greece,Rome,theNearEast,theFarEast,a
ndNorthandSouthAmerica.

FREE WRITING

Write about museums for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

The British Museum should return the things countries want back. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about museums. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MUSEUMS: Make a poster about museums. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. BRITISH MUSEUM: Write a magazine article about the British Museum. Include imaginary interviews with people who work there and some visitors

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to the head of the British Museum. Ask him three questions about the museum. Give him three ideas on how to make it better. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

Buy my book

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ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

F

b

T

c

T

d

F

e

T

f

F

g

F

h

T

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	ever	a.	in history
2.	passed	b.	went
3.	previous	c.	earlier
4.	loaned	d.	lent
5.	global	e.	world
6.	return	f.	give back
7.	originally	g.	initially
8.	objects	h.	things
9.	insects	i.	bugs
10.	old	j.	ancient

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	6.7 million
2.	2008
3.	Happy
4.	Reporters
5.	About 13 million
6.	The 19th century
7.	1759
8.	About 75 a day
9.	7,000
10.	Egypt and Greece

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

a

2.

c

3.

b

4.

d

5.

a

6.

d

7.

b

8.

d

9.

c

10.

b

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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British Museum has most successful year (17th January, 2014)

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