The Reading / Listening - Croissant - Level 3

People can be afraid of some strange things. There is an actual fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. The latest thing to have caused fear for people in Poland is a croissant. The French, crescent-shaped roll made of flaky pastry scared some residents in the Polish city of Krakow. They mistook the pastry for a kind of dangerous animal. They called for help to get the "animal" removed from a tree opposite their apartment building. The residents were so worried that they kept their windows closed for a couple of days. The Krakow Animal Welfare Society wrote on its Facebook account that a woman called authorities to report the unidentified "predator" sitting in the tree.

Animal welfare officers phoned residents in the building. They asked them to describe the animal. One resident mistook the croissant for a bird of prey; another said the pastry was a kind of lizard. One welfare officer explained what happened. He said he went to the housing estate where the residents lived to check on the strange animal. He reported that he spotted a "brown creature sitting on a lilac branch," and that its "brown coat was shining in the sun". He added: "The poor little guy had no legs or head." When he discovered that the strange beast was a croissant, he was "almost swept off his feet by a laughing attack". He said it was better to be safe than sorry and to report any sightings of strange animals.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Croissant - Level 0 Croissant - Level 1   or  Croissant - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/croissant-in-a-tree-brings-fear-to-polish-city/ar-BB1fH4hW
  • https://www.euronews.com/2021/04/16/mystery-animal-sighting-in-krakow-ends-up-being-a-croissant
  • https://www.newsweek.com/mysterious-animal-stuck-tree-revealed-croissant-during-rescue-1583902


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. CROISSANTS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about croissants. 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?
       afraid / strange / peanut butter / your mouth / crescent / tree / a couple of days /
       welfare / animal / bird of prey / pastry / creature / branch / the sun / laughing
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. PASTRIES: Students A strongly believe croissants are the best pastries; Students B strongly believe otherwise. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. FEARS: How might these fears affect someone's life? How can people overcome these fears? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

How It Affects Someone's Life

Overcoming It

The dark

 

 

Blood

 

 

Heights

 

 

Flying

 

 

Dentists

 

 

Speaking English

 

 

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. CRESCENT: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "crescent". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. DANGEROUS ANIMALS: Rank these with your partner. Put the most dangerous animals at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Crocodile
  • Puffer fish
  • Black mamba
  • Tarantula
  • Humans
  • Mosquito
  • Lion
  • Great white shark

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. afraid a. Having a position on the other or further side of something.
      2. roof b. An animal that naturally kills and eats other animals.
      3. pastry c. Feeling fear; being scared.
      4. resident d. The thing that is in top of a building, or the top part of the inside of your mouth.
      5. opposite e. A person who lives somewhere permanently or for a long time.
      6. authority f. A person or organization having power or control.
      7. predator g. An item of food made of a sweet bread.

    Paragraph 2

      8. mistook h. Found out something.
      9. prey i. An animal (but not a human).
      10. welfare j. Saw.
      11. spotted k. Wrongly thought someone or something was someone or something else.
      12. creature l. The action of seeing something that doesn't happen often.
      13. discovered m. An animal that is hunted and killed by another for food.
      14. sighting n. The health, happiness, and fortunes of a person or group.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. People can fear peanut butter sticking to the roof of their mouth.     T / F
  2. A croissant is a flaky pastry that is the shape of a crescent.     T / F
  3. Residents in an apartment building mistook a croissant for an animal.     T / F
  4. An animal welfare society said the croissant was a predator.     T / F
  5. One resident thought the croissant was a bird of prey.     T / F
  6. One resident said she saw a lizard eating the croissant.     T / F
  7. An animal welfare officer laughed a lot when he saw the croissant.     T / F
  8. The animal welfare officer said it was better to be sorry than safe.     T / F

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

  1. afraid
  2. latest
  3. residents
  4. opposite
  5. authorities
  6. animal
  7. kind
  8. spotted
  9. discovered
  10. safe
  1. creature
  2. across from
  3. found out
  4. inhabitants
  5. sort
  6. scared
  7. saw
  8. officials
  9. unharmed
  10. most recent

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

  1. sticking to the roof
  2. The latest thing to have caused
  3. made of flaky
  4. a tree opposite
  5. they kept their windows closed
  6. One resident mistook the croissant
  7. the housing estate
  8. shining
  9. he was almost swept
  10. He said it was better to
  1. off his feet
  2. pastry
  3. for a bird
  4. for a couple of days
  5. in the sun
  6. of your mouth
  7. be safe than sorry
  8. where the residents lived
  9. fear for people
  10. their apartment building

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
fear
kind
afraid
couple
pastry
sitting
mouth
opposite

People can be (1) _____________________ of some strange things. There is an actual fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your (2) _____________________. The latest thing to have caused (3) _____________________ for people in Poland is a croissant. The French, crescent-shaped roll made of flaky (4) _____________________ scared some residents in the Polish city of Krakow. They mistook the pastry for a (5) _____________________ of dangerous animal. They called for help to get the "animal" removed from a tree (6) _____________________ their apartment building. The residents were so worried that they kept their windows closed for a (7) _____________________ of days. The Krakow Animal Welfare Society wrote on its Facebook account that a woman called authorities to report the unidentified "predator" (8) _____________________ in the tree.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
lizard
branch
describe
estate
swept
welfare
sorry
guy

Animal (9) _____________________ officers phoned residents in the building. They asked them to (10) _____________________ the animal. One resident mistook the croissant for a bird of prey; another said the pastry was a kind of (11) _____________________. One welfare officer explained what happened. He said he went to the housing (12) _____________________ where the residents lived to check on the strange animal. He reported that he spotted a "brown creature sitting on a lilac (13) _____________________," and that its "brown coat was shining in the sun". He added: "The poor little (14) _____________________ had no legs or head." When he discovered that the strange beast was a croissant, he was "almost (15) _____________________ off his feet by a laughing attack". He said it was better to be safe than (16) _____________________ and to report any sightings of strange animals.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) There is an actual fear of peanut butter sticking to the ______ mouth
     a.  aloof of your
     b.  loafer of your
     c.  roofer of your
     d.  roof of your
2)  The French, crescent-shaped roll made ______
     a.  of flake key pastry
     b.  of flay quay pastry
     c.  of flaky pastry
     d.  of fly key pastry
3)  They called for help to get the "animal" removed from ______
     a.  a tree opposites
     b.  a tree opposite
     c.  a tree opposition
     d.  a tree apposite
4)  The residents were so worried that they kept their windows closed for  ______ days
     a.  a coupled of
     b.  a couples of
     c.  uncouple of
     d.  a couple of
5)  a woman called authorities to report ______
     a.  the unidentified predator
     b.  the unidentified presenter
     c.  the unidentified predatory
     d.  the unidentified bread data

6)  One resident mistook the croissant for a ______
     a.  bird of pray
     b.  bird of prey
     c.  bird of play
     d.  bird osprey
7)  He said he went to the housing estate where the residents ______
     a.  lived two check
     b.  lived too check
     c.  lived tube check
     d.  lived to check
8)  He reported that he spotted a brown creature sitting on ______
     a.  a lilac branch
     b.  a lilac brunch
     c.  a lilac bench
     d.  a lilac bunch
9)  he discovered that the strange beast was a croissant, he was almost ______ feet
     a.  swept off his
     b.  dusted off his
     c.  erased off his
     d.  rubbed off his
10)  He said it was better to be ______
     a.  safes than sore
     b.  safes than sari
     c.  sci-fi than story
     d.  safe than sorry

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

People can (1) ____________________ some strange things. There is an actual fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. The latest thing to have (2) ____________________ people in Poland is a croissant. The French, crescent-shaped roll made of flaky pastry scared some residents in the Polish city of Krakow. They mistook (3) ____________________ a kind of dangerous animal. They called for help to get the "animal" removed from a (4) ____________________ apartment building. The residents were so worried that they kept their windows closed for a (5) ____________________. The Krakow Animal Welfare Society wrote on its Facebook account that a woman called authorities (6) ____________________ unidentified "predator" sitting in the tree.

Animal welfare officers phoned (7) ____________________ building. They asked them to describe the animal. One resident mistook the croissant for a bird of prey; another said the pastry was (8) ____________________ lizard. One welfare officer explained what happened. He said he went to (9) ____________________ where the residents lived to check on the strange animal. He reported that he spotted a "brown creature sitting on a lilac branch," and that its "brown coat (10) ____________________ the sun". He added: "The poor little guy had no legs or head." When he discovered that the strange beast was a croissant, he was "almost (11) ____________________ feet by a laughing attack". He said it was better to be (12) ____________________ and to report any sightings of strange animals.

Comprehension questions

  1. What can people be afraid of sticking to the roof of their mouth?
  2. What shape does the article say a croissant is?
  3. Where was the croissant sitting?
  4. For how long did residents keep their windows closed?
  5. What kind of society wrote about the "animal" on Facebook?
  6. What kind of bird did a resident mistake the croissant for?
  7. What kind of branch was the croissant sitting on?
  8. What did an animal welfare officer say was shining in the sun?
  9. What did an animal welfare officer do when he saw the croissant?
  10. What did an animal welfare officer say being safe was better than?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What can people be afraid of sticking to the roof of their mouth?
a) rolls
b) croissant
c) peanut butter
d) pastry
2) What shape does the article say a croissant is?
a) crescent shaped
b) half-moon shaped
c) moon shaped
d) star shaped
3) Where was the croissant sitting?
a) on a bakery store shelf
b) in a tree
c) in a kitchen
d) on the grass
4) For how long did residents keep their windows closed?
a) a long, long time
b) 36 hours
c) hours
d) a few days
5) What kind of society wrote about the "animal" on Facebook?
a) a pastry society
b) a croissant society
c) an animal welfare society
d) a peanut butter society

6) What kind of bird did a resident mistake the croissant for?
a) an ostrich
b) a bird of prey
c) a bird of paradise
d) a bird of a feather
7) What kind of branch was the croissant sitting on?
a) a pastry branch
b) a bakery branch
c) an olive branch
d) a lilac branch
8) What did an animal welfare officer say was shining in the sun?
a)  a tree
b) the croissant's "coat"
c) a strange animal
d) residents
9) What did an animal welfare officer do when he saw the croissant?
a) he ate it
b) laughed
c) he took a picture
d) he destroyed it
10) What did an animal welfare officer say being safe was better than?
a) being sorry
b) being angry
c) being depressed
d) being happy

Role play

Role  A – Humans
You think humans are the most dangerous animals. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their animals aren't as dangerous. Also, tell the others which is the least dangerous of these (and why): tarantulas, mosquitos or lions.

Role  B – Tarantulas
You think tarantulas are the most dangerous animals. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their animals aren't as dangerous. Also, tell the others which is the least dangerous of these (and why): humans, mosquitos or lions.

Role  C – Mosquitos
You think mosquitos are the most dangerous animals. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their animals aren't as dangerous. Also, tell the others which is the least dangerous of these (and why): tarantulas, humans or lions.

Role  D – Lions
You think lions are the most dangerous animals. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their animals aren't as dangerous. Also, tell the others which is the least dangerous of these (and why): tarantulas, mosquitos or humans.

After reading / listening

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

'croissant'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'terror'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • 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:

    • actual
    • caused
    • roll
    • help
    • kept
    • report
    • phoned
    • bird
    • happened
    • brown
    • swept
    • sorry

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic 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.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - Croissant

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'croissant'?
    3. What do you know about croissants?
    4. What do you think of croissants?
    5. Why might a croissant be scary?
    6. What are you afraid of?
    7. What do you think of peanut butter?
    8. What animal are you most scared of?
    9. What is the best filling for croissants, and why?
    10. When was the last time you were scared?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'terror'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Would you like to work as an animal welfare officer?
    5. What do you know about birds of prey?
    6. What is your favourite animal, and why?
    7. Have you ever had a laughing attack?
    8. What does, 'It's better to be safe than sorry' mean?
    9. Is it better to be safe than sorry?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the residents who were scared?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    People can be afraid (1) ____ some strange things. There is an actual fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. The (2) ____ thing to have caused fear for people in Poland is a croissant. The French, crescent-shaped roll made of (3) ____ pastry scared some residents in the Polish city of Krakow. They mistook the pastry for a kind of dangerous animal. They called (4) ____ help to get the "animal" removed from a tree opposite their apartment building. The residents were so worried that they (5) ____ their windows closed for a couple of days. The Krakow Animal Welfare Society wrote on its Facebook account that a woman called authorities to (6) ____ the unidentified "predator" sitting in the tree.

    Animal welfare officers phoned residents in the building. They asked them to (7) ____ the animal. One resident mistook the croissant for a bird of (8) ____; another said the pastry was a kind of lizard. One welfare officer explained what happened. He said he went to the housing (9) ____ where the residents lived to check on the strange animal. He reported that he spotted a "brown creature sitting on a lilac (10) ____," and that its "brown coat was shining in the sun". He added: "The poor little guy had no legs or head." When he discovered that the strange beast was a croissant, he was "almost swept (11) ____ his feet by a laughing attack". He said it was better to be safe than (12) ____ and to report any sightings of strange animals.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    (a)     of     (b)     at     (c)     on     (d)     to    
    (a)     earliest     (b)     on time     (c)     latest     (d)     punctual    
    (a)     yearning     (b)     plaster     (c)     flaky     (d)     fairy    
    (a)     of     (b)     so     (c)     at     (d)     for    
    (a)     closed     (b)     asked     (c)     kept     (d)     printed    
    (a)     terror     (b)     report     (c)     eat     (d)     bake    
    (a)     description     (b)     describe     (c)     scribe     (d)     describes    
    (a)     play     (b)     prey     (c)     pray     (d)     parry    
    (a)     brick     (b)     land     (c)     estate     (d)     commune    
    (a)     split     (b)     fork     (c)     link     (d)     branch    
    (a)     down     (b)     in     (c)     on     (d)     off    
    (a)     misfortune     (b)     repents     (c)     apology     (d)     sorry

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. There is an atluac fear of peanut butter
    2. The French, nsetercc-shaped roll
    3. made of flaky rstpay
    4. a tree tosoppei their apartment
    5. for a euclop of days
    6. the unidentified eortprda sitting in the tree

    Paragraph 2

    1. asked them to irsedebc the animal
    2. a kind of ildazr
    3. he went to the housing astete
    4. he spotted a brown erruetca
    5. sitting on a lilac nabrch
    6. report any sightings of sntegar animals

    Put the text back together

    (...)  explained what happened. He said he went to the housing estate where the residents lived to check
    (...)  of your mouth. The latest thing to have caused fear for people in Poland is a croissant. The French, crescent-shaped
    1  ) People can be afraid of some strange things. There is an actual fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof
    (...)  attack". He said it was better to be safe than sorry and to report any sightings of strange animals.
    (...)  roll made of flaky pastry scared some residents in the Polish city of Krakow. They mistook the pastry
    (...)  that the strange beast was a croissant, he was "almost swept off his feet by a laughing
    (...)  Animal welfare officers phoned residents in the building. They asked them to describe the
    (...)  for a kind of dangerous animal. They called for help to get the "animal" removed from a tree
    (...)  called authorities to report the unidentified "predator" sitting in the tree.
    (...)  in the sun". He added: "The poor little guy had no legs or head." When he discovered
    (...)  on the strange animal.  He reported that he spotted a "brown creature sitting on a lilac branch," and that its "brown coat was shining
    (...)  days. The Krakow Animal Welfare Society wrote on its Facebook account that a woman
    (...)  animal. One resident mistook the croissant for a bird of prey; another said the pastry was a kind of lizard. One welfare officer
    (...)  opposite their apartment building. The residents were so worried that they kept their windows closed for a couple of

    Put the words in the right order

    1. afraid   things   .   People   strange   of   some   be   can
    2. have   latest   to   fear   .   caused   thing   The
    3. their   Removed   apartment   building   .   from   opposite   a   tree
    4. of   days   .   Windows   a   couple   closed   for   were
    5. the   authorities   called   predator   .   report   woman   A   to
    6. welfare   building   .   residents   the   phoned   in   officers   Animal
    7. for   One   a   croissant   bird   .   resident   the   mistook
    8. he   estate   .   housing   went   He   said   to   the
    9. no   guy   The   had   poor   little   legs   .
    10. by   off   feet   Swept   his   laughing   attack   .   a

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    People can be afraid / fear of some strange things. There is an actual fear of peanut butter sticking to the aloof / roof of your mouth. The latest thing to have caused afraid / fear for people in Poland is a croissant. The French, crescent-shaped roll made of flaky pastry / plaster scared some residents in the Polish city of Krakow. They mistook the pastry for a kin / kind of dangerous animal. They called for help to get the "animal" removed from a tree apposite / opposite their apartment building. The residents / residence were so worried that they kept / wept their windows closed for a couple of days. The Krakow Animal Welfare Society wrote in / on its Facebook account that a woman called authorities to report the unidentified "predator" sat / sitting in the tree.

    Animal welfare officers phoned residents in the building. They asked them to describe / description the animal. One resident mistook the croissant for a bird of pray / prey; another said the pastry was a kindly / kind of lizard. One welfare officer explained what happened. He said he went to the hosing / housing estate where the residents lived to check on / off the strange animal.  He reported that he sported / spotted a "brown creature sitting on a lilac branch," and that its "brown coat was shining up / in the sun". He added: "The poor little guy had no legs or head." When he furthered / discovered that the strange beast was a croissant, he was "almost swept / dusted off his feet by a laughing attack". He said it was better to be safe than sorry / apologise and to report any sightings of strange animals.

    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)

    P__pl_  c_n  b_  _fr__d  _f  s_m_  str_ng_  th_ngs.  Th_r_  _s  _n  _ct__l  f__r  _f  p__n_t  b_tt_r  st_ck_ng  t_  th_  r__f  _f  y__r  m__th.  Th_  l_t_st  th_ng  t_  h_v_  c__s_d  f__r  f_r  p__pl_  _n  P_l_nd  _s  _  cr__ss_nt.  Th_  Fr_nch,  cr_sc_nt-sh_p_d  r_ll  m_d_  _f  fl_ky  p_stry  sc_r_d  s_m_  r_s_d_nts  _n  th_  P_l_sh  c_ty  _f  Kr_k_w.  Th_y  m_st__k  th_  p_stry  f_r  _  k_nd  _f  d_ng_r__s  _n_m_l.  Th_y  c_ll_d  f_r  h_lp  t_  g_t  th_  "_n_m_l"  r_m_v_d  fr_m  _  tr__  _pp_s_t_  th__r  _p_rtm_nt  b__ld_ng.  Th_  r_s_d_nts  w_r_  s_  w_rr__d  th_t  th_y  k_pt  th__r  w_nd_ws  cl_s_d  f_r  _  c__pl_  _f  d_ys.  Th_  Kr_k_w  _n_m_l  W_lf_r_  S_c__ty  wr_t_  _n  _ts  F_c_b__k  _cc__nt  th_t  _  w_m_n  c_ll_d  __th_r_t__s  t_  r_p_rt  th_  _n_d_nt_f__d  "pr_d_t_r"  s_tt_ng  _n  th_  tr__.

    _n_m_l  w_lf_r_  _ff_c_rs  ph_n_d  r_s_d_nts  _n  th_  b__ld_ng.  Th_y  _sk_d  th_m  t_  d_scr_b_  th_  _n_m_l.  _n_  r_s_d_nt  m_st__k  th_  cr__ss_nt  f_r  _  b_rd  _f  pr_y;  _n_th_r  s__d  th_  p_stry  w_s  _  k_nd  _f  l_z_rd.  _n_  w_lf_r_  _ff_c_r  _xpl__n_d  wh_t  h_pp_n_d.  H_  s__d  h_  w_nt  t_  th_  h__s_ng  _st_t_  wh_r_  th_  r_s_d_nts  l_v_d  t_  ch_ck  _n  th_  str_ng_  _n_m_l.    H_  r_p_rt_d  th_t  h_  sp_tt_d  _  "br_wn  cr__t_r_  s_tt_ng  _n  _  l_l_c  br_nch,"  _nd  th_t  _ts  "br_wn  c__t  w_s  sh_n_ng  _n  th_  s_n".  H_  _dd_d:  "Th_  p__r  l_ttl_  g_y  h_d  n_  l_gs  _r  h__d."  Wh_n  h_  d_sc_v_r_d  th_t  th_  str_ng_  b__st  w_s  _  cr__ss_nt,  h_  w_s  "_lm_st  sw_pt  _ff  h_s  f__t  by  _  l__gh_ng  _tt_ck".  H_  s__d  _t  w_s  b_tt_r  t_  b_  s_f_  th_n  s_rry  _nd  t_  r_p_rt  _ny  s_ght_ngs  _f  str_ng_  _n_m_ls.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    people can be afraid of some strange things there is an actual fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth the latest thing to have caused fear for people in poland is a croissant the french crescentshaped roll made of flaky pastry scared some residents in the polish city of krakow they mistook the pastry for a kind of dangerous animal they called for help to get the animal removed from a tree opposite their apartment building the residents were so worried that they kept their windows closed for a couple of days the krakow animal welfare society wrote on its facebook account that a woman called authorities to report the unidentified predator sitting in the tree

    animal welfare officers phoned residents in the building they asked them to describe the animal one resident mistook the croissant for a bird of prey another said the pastry was a kind of lizard one welfare officer explained what happened he said he went to the housing estate where the residents lived to check on the strange animal  he reported that he spotted a brown creature sitting on a lilac branch and that its brown coat was shining in the sun he added the poor little guy had no legs or head when he discovered that the strange beast was a croissant he was almost swept off his feet by a laughing attack he said it was better to be safe than sorry and to report any sightings of strange animals

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Peoplecanbeafraidofsomestrangethings.Thereisanactualfearofpean
    utbutterstickingtotheroofofyourmouth.Thelatestthingtohavecause
    dfearforpeopleinPolandisacroissant.TheFrench,crescent-shapedro
    llmadeofflakypastryscaredsomeresidentsinthePolishcityofKrakow.T
    heymistookthepastryforakindofdangerousanimal.Theycalledforhel
    ptogetthe"animal"removedfromatreeoppositetheirapartmentbuildi
    ng.Theresidentsweresoworriedthattheykepttheirwindowsclosedfor
    acoupleofdays.TheKrakowAnimalWelfareSocietywroteonitsFacebo
    okaccountthatawomancalledauthoritiestoreporttheunidentified"pre
    dator"sittinginthetree.Animalwelfareofficersphonedresidentsintheb
    uilding.Theyaskedthemtodescribetheanimal.Oneresidentmistookth
    ecroissantforabirdofprey;anothersaidthepastrywasakindoflizard.O
    newelfareofficerexplainedwhathappened.Hesaidhewenttothehousi
    ngestatewheretheresidentslivedtocheckonthestrangeanimal.Herep
    ortedthathespotteda"browncreaturesittingonalilacbranch,"andthati
    ts"browncoatwasshininginthesun".Headded:"Thepoorlittleguyhadn
    olegsorhead."Whenhediscoveredthatthestrangebeastwasacroissan
    t,hewas"almostsweptoffhisfeetbyalaughingattack".Hesaiditwasbett
    ertobesafethansorryandtoreportanysightingsofstrangeanimals.

    Free writing

    Write about croissant for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Croissants are better than bread. Discuss.

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    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 this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. CROISSANTS: Make a poster about croissants. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. ANIMAL WELFARE: Write a magazine article about spending a lot more money on animal welfare. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    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 an expert on croissants. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your opinions on croissants. 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

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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