Penny Farthing Theft
WORKSHEET
1. Suggested Use
Focus on storytelling and narrative grammar, followed by B1+ vocabulary and pronunciation based on the video.
2. Suggested Activities
A. Project-based learning
In small groups, students create a safety campaign based on the theft in the video. Divide the group into two halves; one half writes a news article of what happened using the video and script to help them, while the other half creates a safety campaign to prevent future similar thefts from happening, The group then present their ideas to the class. Have a class vote on the most effective campaign and have students explain their answers.
B. Mediation task: Processing text
Give students the following questions to listen out for when they watch the video again. Have them make notes of their answers, e.g. who? What? Where? What did he do first? What did he do next? What’s the message? Have students write a summary of the video then compare their summary in pairs to provide feedback on three things they did well and three things they could improve.
C. Pronunciation task: Past tense /t/, /d/, /ɪd/ verb endings
Elicit past regular verbs from the video. Model, drill and practise the sounds with students and the differences between the three sounds. Elicit the rules for the different endings and have students start a ‘pronunciation’ journal of ‘ed’ endings to add to in future lessons. Have students test each other on the endings by pointing to a word and having students say the sound aloud.
3. Vocabulary
Crime
crime
theft
thief
police
crime scene
CCTV footage
stolen
report
return
safe / safety
Property
Phrases and collocations
get around
in shock
stay safe
report a theft
sell (something) on
track down
get in touch
happy ending
strong action
4. Grammar
Narrative tenses:
His bicycle was stolen outside a barber shop; He reported the theft to the police
Past perfect:
He’d already sold the bike on
Colloquial expressions:
…take matters into your own hands; sell something on; …when you least expect it
TRANSCRIPT
Penny Farthing Theft
NARRATOR:
Staying safe from crime is important, especially in busy cities like London. Here, thousands of people use bikes to get around, but unfortunately, bike theft often happens. Cyclist Robert Torto rides a penny farthing — a rare type of bike you’d think would be difficult to steal. His bicycle was stolen outside of a barber shop.
SOUNDBITE - Robert Torto:
“So I just finished having my hair washed. We're just having a conversation. She washed my hair and I went to look and the bike was gone. I was in shock, because why would someone steal a penny farthing?”
NARRATOR:
Robert reported the theft to the police. But after waiting almost a week for action, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He found CCTV footage of the crime scene and tracked down the thief.
SOUNDBITE - Robert Torto:
“So I knocked on his door, told him, you stole my bike. Here's the CCTV footage of you pushing the bike along. And he was quite shocked and he was quite surprised, you know, but he'd already sold the bike on.”
NARRATOR:
Then came the strangest part: Robert and the thief went on a search across London together to find the person who had bought his bike. They had no luck that day, and Robert thought he would never see it again, but soon after, the buyer got in touch and decided to return the penny farthing.
SOUNDBITE - Robert Torto:
“I was quite sad when it was stolen, so i’m happy to have it back.”
NARRATOR:
It was a happy ending but bike theft is still a big problem and Robert believes stronger action should be taken to stop it. For now, he’s just happy to be riding his penny farthing again. Crimes like theft can happen when you least expect them. Staying aware of your surroundings and taking simple steps to protect your property are the best ways to stay safe.