The Reading / Listening - Level 2

Toys R Us has stopped selling a drug-dealer doll from the popular American TV series 'Breaking Bad'. One of the figures had bags full of drug money and blue crystal drugs. A mother, Susan Myers, started an online petition to get Toys R Us to stop selling the toys. More than 3,000 people signed it. Ms Myers wrote on the petition: "Toys R Us is well known around the world….However their decision to sell a Breaking Bad doll…with a…sack of cash and a bag of [drugs], alongside children’s toys is a dangerous [move away] from their family-friendly values."

Ms Myers said Breaking Bad was popular with adults, but the dolls from the show should not be on a toy store shelf next to Disney characters. She said: "Parents and grandparents around the world shop at Toys R Us, online and in stores, with their children. They should not [have to] explain why a certain toy comes with a bag of highly dangerous and illegal drugs, or why someone who sells those drugs deserves to be made into an action figure." Toys R Us said the packaging clearly said that the dolls are for ages 15 and up. The toys were in the adult action figure area of the stores.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 0,  Level 1   or  Level 3

Sources
  • http://news.sky.com/story/1356927/breaking-bad-dolls-spark-online-petition
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11177774/Toys-R-Us-quietly-withdraws-drug-dealer-Breaking-Bad-dolls.html
  • http://www.change.org/p/toys-r-us-remove-breaking-bad-dolls-from-their-shelves


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 Activities

MATCHING

PARAGRAPH ONE:

1.

Toys R Us has stopped selling

a.

around the world

2.

the popular American

b.

full of drug money

3.

One of the figures had bags

c.

toys

4.

started an online

d.

TV series

5.

More than 3,000 people

e.

friendly values

6.

well known

f.

petition

7.

alongside children's

g.

signed it

8.

family-

h.

a drug-dealer doll


MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

PARAGRAPH TWO:

1.

Breaking Bad was popular

a.

sells those drugs

2.

should not be on a toy store shelf

b.

with adults

3.

online and

c.

are for ages 15 and up

4.

They should not have to explain

d.

in stores

5.

illegal

e.

figure area of the stores

6.

someone who

f.

drugs

7.

the packaging clearly said that the dolls

g.

next to Disney characters

8.

The toys were in the adult action

h.

why

LISTEN AND FILL IN THE GAPS

Toys R Us (1) ___________________ a drug-dealer doll from the popular American TV series 'Breaking Bad'. (2) ___________________ had bags full of drug money and blue crystal drugs. A mother, Susan Myers, started (3) ___________________ get Toys R Us to stop selling the toys. More than 3,000 (4) ___________________. Ms Myers wrote on the petition: "Toys R Us is (5) ___________________ the world….However their decision to sell a Breaking Bad doll…with a…sack of cash and a bag of [drugs], alongside children's toys is a dangerous [move away] from their (6) ___________________."

Ms Myers said Breaking Bad was (7) ___________________, but the dolls from (8) ___________________ be on a toy store shelf next to Disney characters. She said: "Parents (9) ___________________ the world shop at Toys R Us, online and in stores, with their children. They should not [have to] explain why a certain toy comes with a bag of highly dangerous (10) ___________________, or why someone who sells those drugs deserves to be made into an action figure." Toys R Us said the (11) ___________________ that the dolls are for ages 15 and up. The toys were (12) ___________________ figure area of the stores.

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

ToysRUshasstoppedsellingadrug-dealerdollfromthepopularAmer
icanTVseries'BreakingBad'.Oneofthefigureshadbagsfullofdrugmone
yandbluecrystaldrugs.Amother,SusanMyers,startedanonlinepetitio
ntogetToysRUstostopsellingthetoys.Morethan3,000peoplesignedit.
MsMyerswroteonthepetition:"ToysRUsiswellknownaroundtheworld
….HowevertheirdecisiontosellaBreakingBaddoll…witha…sackofcash
andabagof[drugs],alongsidechildren'stoysisadangerous[moveawa
y]fromtheirfamily-friendlyvalues."MsMyerssaidBreakingBadwasp
opularwithadults,butthedollsfromtheshowshouldnotbeonatoystore
shelfnexttoDisneycharacters.Shesaid:"Parentsandgrandparentsaro
undtheworldshopatToysRUs,onlineandinstores,withtheirchildren.T
heyshouldnot[haveto]explainwhyacertaintoycomeswithabagofhigh
lydangerousandillegaldrugs,orwhysomeonewhosellsthosedrugsdes
ervestobemadeintoanactionfigure."ToysRUssaidthepackagingclearl
ysaidthatthedollsareforages15andup.Thetoyswereintheadultaction
figureareaofthestores.

WRITE QUESTIONS & ASK YOUR PARTNER(S)

Student A: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)

________________________________________________________

b)

________________________________________________________

c)

________________________________________________________

d)

________________________________________________________

e)

________________________________________________________

f)

________________________________________________________

g)

________________________________________________________

h)

________________________________________________________

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

Student B: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)

________________________________________________________

b)

________________________________________________________

c)

________________________________________________________

d)

________________________________________________________

e)

________________________________________________________

f)

________________________________________________________

g)

________________________________________________________

h)

________________________________________________________

WRITING

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

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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