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Rare stamp sells for $9.5 million (30th June, 2014)

The Reading / Listening - Level 6

A new world record has been set for the sale of a postage stamp. Not just any old stamp, but a one-of-a-kind. The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta was sold at an auction in New York for $9.48 million. The auction house, Sotheby's, said it was the fourth time the stamp has broken the record. Sotheby's vice chairman David Redden said the record would never be broken again, unless the same stamp came up for auction again. He told reporters: "That price will be hard to beat, and likely won't be exceeded unless the British Guiana itself comes up for sale again in the future." David Beech, a former curator of stamps at the British Library, compared the sale to buying the artwork the 'Mona Lisa'.

The stamp was bought by an anonymous buyer. It was previously owned by John E. du Pont, an heir to the du Pont chemical fortune. He is currently in prison for fatally shooting an Olympic champion wrestler. It was first discovered in 1873 by a 12-year-old stamp collector. He sold it a few years later for six shillings - about $50 in today's money and a tidy sum back then. It has since had a dozen owners, including the French government. Mr Redden marvelled at how sought after the stamp has become. He said: "This is the most valuable item in the world by weight. It's just a tiny piece of paper." He added he was happy that the stamp had been bought by a collector who would cherish it, and not by an investor.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 4 or Level 5

Sources

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/rare-stamp-set-record-nyc-auction-24169833
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/06/18/one-cent-magenta-stamp-sold-millions/10729109/
http://money.cnn.com/2014/06/18/luxury/stamp-auction/

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. STAMPS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about stamps. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

world record / one-of-a-kind / auction / stamps / hard to beat / in the future / artwork / anonymous / heir / in prison / collector / tidy / sought after / tiny / cherish / investor

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

3. COLLECTIONS: What are the pros and cons of collecting these things? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	Pros	Cons
Stamps
Cars
Wine
Art
Sports cards
Autographs

4. COLLECTING: Students A strongly believe stamps are a great thing to collect; Students B strongly believe not. 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. INVEST: Rank these with your partner. Put the best investments at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• stamps

• art

• stocks and shares

• gold

• Internet start-ups

• education

• property

• antique cars

6. AUCTION: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "auction". 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.	One of a pair of rare stamps sold for a world record.	T / F
b.	The rare stamp was sold on the auction site eBay.	T / F
c.	It was the fourth time the stamp had broken the world record.	T / F
d.	A British Library worker said the stamp was better than the Mona Lisa.	T / F
e.	No one knows the name of the person who bought the stamp.	T / F
f.	The previous owner of the stamp is in jail for killing someone.	T / F
g.	The stamp has had more than 12 owners.	T / F
h.	The stamp was bought by an investor, not a collector.	T / F

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

1.	set	a.	surpassed
2.	sold	b.	emerged
3.	came up	c.	appreciated
4.	exceeded	d.	nameless
5.	buying	e.	established
6.	anonymous	f.	wealth
7.	fortune	g.	care for
8.	marvelled	h.	traded
9.	tiny	i.	purchasing
10.	cherish	j.	minute

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

1.	Not just	a.	at the British Library
2.	a one-of-	b.	after the stamp has become
3.	auction	c.	an anonymous buyer
4.	That price will	d.	any old stamp
5.	a former curator of stamps	e.	would cherish it
6.	The stamp was bought by	f.	by weight
7.	$50 in today's money and	g.	be hard to beat
8.	marvelled at how sought	h.	a-kind
9.	the most valuable item in the world	i.	house
10.	a collector who	j.	a tidy sum back then

GAP FILL

A new world record has been (1) ____________ for the sale of a postage stamp. Not just any old stamp, but a one-of-a-(2) ____________. The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta was sold at an auction in New York for $9.48 million. The auction (3) ____________, Sotheby's, said it was the fourth time the stamp has broken the record. Sotheby's (4) ____________ chairman David Redden said the record would never be broken again, (5) ____________ the same stamp came up for auction again. He told reporters: "That price will be hard to (6) ____________, and likely won't be exceeded unless the British Guiana itself comes up for sale again in the future." David Beech, a former (7) ____________ of stamps at the British Library, (8) ____________ the sale to buying the artwork the 'Mona Lisa'.

unless
house
curator
beat
set
compared
kind
vice

The stamp was bought by an (9) ____________ buyer. It was previously owned by John E. du Pont, an (10) ____________ to the du Pont chemical fortune. He is currently in prison for (11) ____________ shooting an Olympic champion wrestler. It was first discovered in 1873 by a 12-year-old stamp (12) ____________. He sold it a few years later for six shillings - about $50 in today's money and a (13) ____________ sum back then. It has since had a dozen owners, including the French government. Mr Redden marvelled at how (14) ____________ after the stamp has become. He said: "This is the most valuable item in the world by weight. It's just a (15) ____________ piece of paper." He added he was happy that the stamp had been bought by a collector who would (16) ____________ it, and not by an investor.

sought
fatally
cherish
anonymous
tidy
heir
tiny
collector

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	A new world record has been set for the sale of ______
	a. a postal age stamp b. a pro stage stamp c. a post-age stamp d. a postage stamp
2)	The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta was sold ______
	a. at an auctions b. at an action c. at an all shun d. at an auction
3)	Sotheby's vice chairman David Redden said the record would never ______
	a. be broken again b. be broken in again c. be broken up again d. be broken down again
4)	That price will be hard to beat, and likely ______
	a. won't be exceed it b. won't be ex-ceded c. won't be exceeded d. won't be ex-seeded
5)	a former curator of stamps at the British Library, compared the sale to ______
	a. buy in the artwork b. buying the arty work c. buying the artwork d. buying in the artwork
6)	The stamp was bought by an ______
	a. anonymously buyer b. anonymity buyer c. a non-mousy buyer d. anonymous buyer
7)	He is currently in prison for fatally shooting an Olympic ______
	a. champion wrestler b. championed wrestler c. champions wrestler d. champ in wrestler
8)	Mr Redden marvelled at _______ the stamp has become
	a. how thought after b. how sought after c. how sort after d. how thawed after
9)	He said: "This is the most valuable item in the ______
	a. worlds by weight b. world by weights c. world by weight d. worlds by weights
10)	he was happy that the stamp had been bought by a collector who _______
	a. would churlish it b. would childish it c. would cherish it d. would cherry wish it

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

A new world record has been (1) ___________________ a postage stamp. Not just any old stamp, but (2) ___________________. The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta was sold at an auction in New York for $9.48 million. The auction house, Sotheby's, said it was the (3) ___________________ has broken the record. Sotheby's vice chairman David Redden said the record would never be broken again, unless the same stamp (4) ___________________ again. He told reporters: "That price will be hard to beat, and likely won't (5) ___________________ the British Guiana itself comes up for sale again in the future." David Beech, a former curator of stamps at the British Library, (6) ___________________ buying the artwork the 'Mona Lisa'.

The stamp (7) ___________________ anonymous buyer. It was previously owned by John E. du Pont, (8) ___________________ du Pont chemical fortune. He is currently in prison for (9) ___________________ Olympic champion wrestler. It was first discovered in 1873 by a 12-year-old stamp collector. He sold it a few years later for six shillings - about $50 in today's money (10) ___________________ then. It has since had a dozen owners, including the French government. Mr Redden marvelled (11) ___________________ the stamp has become. He said: "This is the most valuable item in (12) ___________________. It's just a tiny piece of paper." He added he was happy that the stamp had been bought by a collector who would cherish it, and not by an investor.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	In what year was the stamp produced?
2.	In what auction house was the stamp sold?
3.	How many times has the stamp now broken the world record?
4.	How could the record be broken again, according to David Redden?
5.	What was David Beech's old job?
6.	What is the name of the buyer?
7.	Where is the previous owner right now?
8.	When was the stamp first discovered?
9.	How much did a 12-year-old sell the stamp for?
10.	How will the collector who bought the stamp treat it?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	In what year was the stamp produced?	6.	What is the name of the buyer?
	a) 1865 b) 1856 c) 1837 d) 1873		a) no one knows b) Boris c) Lee d) Ahmed
2.	In what auction house was the stamp sold?	7.	Where is the previous owner right now?
	a) Stamp's b) New York's c) Sotheby's d) Christie's		a) on a cruise b) at home c) Australia d) in prison
3.	How many times has the stamp now broken the world record?	8.	When was the stamp first discovered?
	a) 7 b) 6 c) 5 d) 4		a) 1837 b) 1738 c) 1873 d) 1783
4.	How could the record be broken again, according to David Redden?	9.	How much did a 12-year-old sell the stamp for?
	a) if gold depreciates in value b) if the same stamp is resold c) if a museum asks for it d) if the dollar devalues		a) $500,000 b) $50,000 c) $500 d) $50
5.	What was David Beech's old job?	10.	How will the collector who bought the stamp treat it?
	a) stamp curator b) stamp designer c) stamp valuer d) stamp shop owner		a) as an investment b) he/she will cherish it c) carefully d) he/she will keep it locked away

ROLE PLAY

Role A – Stamps

You think stamps are the best things to collect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with collecting their things. Also, tell the others which is the most useless of these (and why): antique cars, autographs or fine wines.

Role B – Antique cars

You think antique cars are the best things to collect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with collecting their things. Also, tell the others which is the most useless of these (and why): stamps, autographs or fine wines.

Role C – Autographs

You think autographs are the best things to collect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with collecting their things. Also, tell the others which is the most useless of these (and why): antique cars, stamps or fine wines.

Role D – Fine wines

You think fine wines are the best things to collect. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with collecting their things. Also, tell the others which is the most useless of these (and why): antique cars, autographs or stamps.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

auction

house

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:

just
time
never
hard
future
buying

owned
prison
12
tidy
dozen
weight

STAMPS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about stamps 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.

STAMPS 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 'stamp'?
c)	What do you think of collecting stamps as a hobby?
d)	Do you like the stamps your country produces?
e)	What did you collect when you were a kid?
f)	What do you think is the fascination with stamps?
g)	What do you think of the stamp that set the world record?
h)	Should stamps be replaced by something digital?
i)	Do you think stamps are a good investment?
j)	Why do you think that stamp is so famous?

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

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

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	What would you like to bid for at an auction?
c)	What can you learn from collecting stamps?
d)	What kind of people collect stamps?
e)	Should the stamp be on view to the public?
f)	What comparisons can you make between this stamp and the Mona Lisa?
g)	Which are more interesting, stamps or coins?
h)	Why is it better the buyer is a collector and not an investor?
i)	What things do you have that you cherish?
j)	What questions would you like to ask the stamp's buyer?

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

A new world record has been (1) ____ for the sale of a postage stamp. Not just any old stamp, but a one-of-a-(2) ____. The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta was sold at an auction in New York for $9.48 million. The auction (3) ____, Sotheby's, said it was the fourth time the stamp has broken the record. Sotheby's vice chairman David Redden said the record would never be broken again, (4) ____ the same stamp came up for auction again. He told reporters: "That price will be hard to beat, and likely won't be (5) ____ unless the British Guiana itself comes up for sale again in the future." David Beech, a former (6) ____ of stamps at the British Library, compared the sale to buying the artwork the 'Mona Lisa'.

The stamp was bought by an (7) ____ buyer. It was previously owned by John E. du Pont, an heir to the du Pont chemical fortune. He is currently in prison for (8) ____ shooting an Olympic champion wrestler. It was first discovered in 1873 by a 12-year-old stamp collector. He sold it a few years later for six shillings - about $50 in today's money and a (9) ____ sum back then. It has since had a dozen owners, including the French government. Mr Redden marvelled at how (10) ____ after the stamp has become. He said: "This is the most valuable item in the world by (11) ____. It's just a tiny piece of paper." He added he was happy that the stamp had been bought by a collector who would (12) ____ it, and not by an investor.

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

1.	(a)	set	(b)	bet	(c)	let	(d)	get
2.	(a)	sort	(b)	type	(c)	kind	(d)	category
3.	(a)	home	(b)	domicile	(c)	house	(d)	abode
4.	(a)	pending	(b)	whether	(c)	rather	(d)	unless
5.	(a)	receded	(b)	conceded	(c)	exceeded	(d)	ceded
6.	(a)	critter	(b)	curator	(c)	crater	(d)	creator
7.	(a)	anonymity	(b)	anonymous	(c)	anon	(d)	eponymous
8.	(a)	fatality	(b)	fatally	(c)	fatale	(d)	fatalism
9.	(a)	clean	(b)	spotless	(c)	tidy	(d)	washed
10.	(a)	such	(b)	searched	(c)	sought	(d)	thought
11.	(a)	bulk	(b)	tonnage	(c)	heaviness	(d)	weight
12.	(a)	caress	(b)	churlish	(c)	crush	(d)	cherish

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	a otsepga stamp
2.	sold at an otnuiac
3.	won't be eddexeec
4.	a former rtuorac of stamps
5.	oaredpmc the sale to…
6.	buying the rotarkw
Paragraph 2
7.	bought by an oyosnmaun buyer
8.	lipruyvseo owned by John E. du Pont
9.	yllataf shooting an Olympic champion
10.	how usgoht after the stamp has become
11.	the most ulavalbe item in the world
12.	a collector who would eshhcir it

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	of stamps at the British Library, compared the sale to buying the artwork the 'Mona Lisa'.
( )	up for auction again. He told reporters: "That price will be hard to beat, and likely won't be
( )	chairman David Redden said the record would never be broken again, unless the same stamp came
( )	exceeded unless the British Guiana itself comes up for sale again in the future." David Beech, a former curator
( )	The stamp was bought by an anonymous buyer. It was previously owned by John E. du Pont, an heir
( 1 )	A new world record has been set for the sale of a postage stamp. Not just any old stamp, but a one-of-
( )	item in the world by weight. It's just a tiny piece of paper." He added he was
( )	a-kind. The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta was sold at an auction in New York for $9.48 million. The auction
( )	house, Sotheby's, said it was the fourth time the stamp has broken the record. Sotheby's vice
( )	government. Mr Redden marvelled at how sought after the stamp has become. He said: "This is the most valuable
( )	happy that the stamp had been bought by a collector who would cherish it, and not by an investor.
( )	to the du Pont chemical fortune. He is currently in prison for fatally shooting an Olympic champion wrestler. It was first
( )	in today's money and a tidy sum back then. It has since had a dozen owners, including the French
( )	discovered in 1873 by a 12-year-old stamp collector. He sold it a few years later for six shillings - about $50

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	world record has been set for the sale A new.
2.	time has record fourth stamp the The the broken.
3.	broken Redden record be the never again said would.
4.	told reporters that price will be hard to beat He.
5.	of the curator at Library former stamps British A.
6.	was buyer bought by The an stamp anonymous.
7.	back a today's $50 then tidy money sum and in About.
8.	Marvelled sought stamp how the become at after has.
9.	the in item valuable most the is This weight by world.
10.	cherish a it collector who Bought would by.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

A new world record has been settled / set for the sale of a postage stamp. Not just any old stamp, but a once-of-a-kind / one-of-a-kind. The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta was sold at the / an auction in New York for $9.48 million. The auction house / home, Sotheby's, said it was the fourth time the stamp has broken the record. Sotheby's nice / vice chairman David Redden said the record would never be broken again, unless the same stamp came down / up for auction again. He told reporters: "That price will be hard to beat / win, and likely won't be exceeded regardless / unless the British Guiana itself comes up for sale again at / in the future." David Beech, a former curator / creator of stamps at the British Library, compared the sale to buying the artwork the 'Mona Lisa'.

The stamp was bought by an anon / anonymous buyer. It was previously / previous owned by John E. du Pont, an heir / hare to the du Pont chemical fortune. He is currently in prison for fatally / fatality shooting an Olympic champion wrestler. It was first discovered in 1873 by a 12-year-old stamp collector. He sold it a few years back / later for six shillings - about $50 in today's money and a tidysum back then. It has since / then had a dozen owners, including / inclusive the French government. Mr Redden marvelled at how sought / seeking after the stamp has become. He said: "This is the most valuable item in the world by weight. It's just a tiny / tinny piece of paper." He added he was happy that the stamp had been bought by a collector who would churlish / cherish it, and not by an investor.

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)

_ n_w w_rld r_c_rd h_s b__n s_t f_r th_ s_l_ _f _ p_st_g_ st_mp. N_t j_st _ny _ld st_mp, b_t _ _n_-_f-_-k_nd. Th_ 1856 Br_t_sh G___n_ _n_-C_nt M_g_nt_ w_s s_ld _t _n __ct__n _n N_w Y_rk f_r $9.48 m_ll__n. Th_ __ct__n h__s_, S_th_by's, s__d _t w_s th_ f__rth t_m_ th_ st_mp h_s br_k_n th_ r_c_rd. S_th_by's v_c_ ch__rm_n D_v_d R_dd_n s__d th_ r_c_rd w__ld n_v_r b_ br_k_n _g__n, _nl_ss th_ s_m_ st_mp c_m_ _p f_r __ct__n _g__n. H_ t_ld r_p_rt_rs: "Th_t pr_c_ w_ll b_ h_rd t_ b__t, _nd l_k_ly w_n't b_ _xc__d_d _nl_ss th_ Br_t_sh G___n_ _ts_lf c_m_s _p f_r s_l_ _g__n _n th_ f_t_r_." D_v_d B__ch, _ f_rm_r c_r_t_r _f st_mps _t th_ Br_t_sh L_br_ry, c_mp_r_d th_ s_l_ t_ b_y_ng th_ _rtw_rk th_ 'M_n_ L_s_'.

Th_ st_mp w_s b__ght by _n _n_nym__s b_y_r. _t w_s pr_v___sly _wn_d by J_hn _. d_ P_nt, _n h__r t_ th_ d_ P_nt ch_m_c_l f_rt_n_. H_ _s c_rr_ntly _n pr_s_n f_r f_t_lly sh__t_ng _n _lymp_c ch_mp__n wr_stl_r. _t w_s f_rst d_sc_v_r_d _n 1873 by _ 12-y__r-_ld st_mp c_ll_ct_r. H_ s_ld _t _ f_w y__rs l_t_r f_r s_x sh_ll_ngs - _b__t $50 _n t_d_y's m_n_y _nd _ t_dy s_m b_ck th_n. _t h_s s_nc_ h_d _ d_z_n _wn_rs, _ncl_d_ng th_ Fr_nch g_v_rnm_nt. Mr R_dd_n m_rv_ll_d _t h_w s__ght _ft_r th_ st_mp h_s b_c_m_. H_ s__d: "Th_s _s th_ m_st v_l__bl_ _t_m _n th_ w_rld by w__ght. _t's j_st _ t_ny p__c_ _f p_p_r." H_ _dd_d h_ w_s h_ppy th_t th_ st_mp h_d b__n b__ght by _ c_ll_ct_r wh_ w__ld ch_r_sh _t, _nd n_t by _n _nv_st_r.

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

a new world record has been set for the sale of a postage stamp not just any old stamp but a one-of-a-kind the 1856 british guiana one-cent magenta was sold at an auction in new york for $948 million the auction house sotheby's said it was the fourth time the stamp has broken the record sotheby's vice chairman david redden said the record would never be broken again unless the same stamp came up for auction again he told reporters "that price will be hard to beat and likely won't be exceeded unless the british guiana itself comes up for sale again in the future" david beech a former curator of stamps at the british library compared the sale to buying the artwork the 'mona lisa'

the stamp was bought by an anonymous buyer it was previously owned by john e du pont an heir to the du pont chemical fortune he is currently in prison for fatally shooting an olympic champion wrestler it was first discovered in 1873 by a 12-year-old stamp collector he sold it a few years later for six shillings - about $50 in today's money and a tidy sum back then it has since had a dozen owners including the french government mr redden marvelled at how sought after the stamp has become he said "this is the most valuable item in the world by weight it's just a tiny piece of paper" he added he was happy that the stamp had been bought by a collector who would cherish it and not by an investor

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

Anewworldrecordhasbeensetforthesaleofapostagestamp.Notjust
anyoldstamp,butaone-of-a-kind.The1856BritishGuianaOne-
CentMagentawassoldatanauctioninNewYorkfor$9.48million.Thea
uctionhouse,Sotheby's,saiditwasthefourthtimethestamphasbrok
entherecord.Sotheby'svicechairmanDavidReddensaidtherecordw
ouldneverbebrokenagain,unlessthesamestampcameupforauction
again.Hetoldreporters:"Thatpricewillbehardtobeat,andlikelywon'
tbeexceededunlesstheBritishGuianaitselfcomesupforsaleagainint
hefuture."DavidBeech,aformercuratorofstampsattheBritishLibrar
y,comparedthesaletobuyingtheartworkthe'MonaLisa'.Thestampw
asboughtbyananonymousbuyer.ItwaspreviouslyownedbyJohnE.
duPont,anheirtotheduPontchemicalfortune.Heiscurrentlyinprison
forfatallyshootinganOlympicchampionwrestler.Itwasfirstdiscover
edin1873bya12-year-oldstampcollector.Hesolditafewyearsla
terforsixshillings-about$50intoday'smoneyandatidysumbackthe
n.Ithassincehadadozenowners,includingtheFrenchgovernment.M
rReddenmarvelledathowsoughtafterthestamphasbecome.Hesaid
:"Thisisthemostvaluableitemintheworldbyweight.It'sjustatinypie
ceofpaper."Headdedhewashappythatthestamphadbeenboughtby
acollectorwhowouldcherishit,andnotbyaninvestor.

FREE WRITING

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

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

Compare and contrast collecting stamps and coins. Which is better? Why?

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 stamps. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

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

4. RECORD SALE: Write a magazine article about paying $9.5 million for a stamp. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against it.

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 a philatelist. Ask him/her three questions about stamps. Give him/her three of your opinions on them. 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

F

c

T

d

F

e

T

f

T

g

T

h

F

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	set	a.	established
2.	sold	b.	traded
3.	came up	c.	emerged
4.	exceeded	d.	surpassed
5.	buying	e.	purchasing
6.	anonymous	f.	nameless
7.	fortune	g.	wealth
8.	marvelled	h.	appreciated
9.	tiny	i.	minute
10.	cherish	j.	care for

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	1856
2.	Sotheby's
3.	Four
4.	If the same stamp goes up for sale again
5.	Stamp curator at the British Library
6.	No one knows
7.	In prison
8.	1873
9.	$50
10.	She'll/He'll cherish it

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

b

2.

c

3.

d

4.

b

5.

a

6.

a

7.

d

8.

c

9.

d

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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Rare stamp sells for $9.5 million (30th June, 2014)

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