The Reading / Listening - Napoleon's Hat - Level 3

Is it possible to spend over $2 million on a hat? The answer is "yes" if the hat once belonged to the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. An iconic hat that Napoleon is most famous for was sold at an auction this week for $2.1 million. This is a record for a hat, so it is the most expensive piece of headwear ever sold. The auction sale broke the previous record for a hat, which was $2 million. That hat also once belonged to Napoleon. A historian said Napoleon liked hats and owned around 120 of them. This week's record-breaking hat is made of felt and has the red, white and blue colours of the French flag on it. Experts say it dates back to the early 1800s. Thousands of artists have created paintings of Napoleon wearing it.

Napoleon is one of France's most famous historical figures. He was a general who played a key part in the French Revolution of 1787-1799. He helped to take over the French government, and then became emperor of France in 1804. His reign as emperor came to an end in 1815 after he lost the Battle of Waterloo to the British. He was sent to live on a remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean called St. Helena. He died there six years later in 1821, aged 51. The auction of his hat coincides with the release of a new Hollywood movie about his rise to power, and his relationship with the empress Josephine. The movie is called "Napoleon". It is directed by Ridley Scott and stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Napoleon's Hat - Level 0,  Napoleon's Hat - Level 1   or  Napoleon's Hat - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/napoleon-hat-sold-at-auction-for-a-history-making-price-breaks-record/
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/20/style/napoleons-hat-record-intl-scli/index.html
  • https://news.yahoo.com/napoleons-hat-sells-record-sum-160514514.html


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. HATS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about hats. 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?
       possible / spend / hat / emperor / auction / record / historian / flag / artists / painting
       historical figures / general / revolution / government / battle / remote island / movie
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. AUCTION MONEY: Students A strongly believe half of the money from auctions should go to charity; Students B strongly believe not. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. HEADWEAR: How useful are these items of headwear? Why? Do you have / would you like one? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

How Useful?

Why?

Have / Want?

A crown

 

 

 

A safety helmet

 

 

 

A crash helmet

 

 

 

A tiara

 

 

 

A baseball cap

 

 

 

A Santa hat

 

 

 
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. SPEND: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "spend". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. AUCTION: Rank these with your partner. Put the best things to buy at an auction at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Hats
  • Car licence plates
  • Movie memorabilia
  • Rock star clothes
  • Classic cars
  • Houses
  • Jewellery
  • Paintings

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. belonged a. A leader or ruler of a country or group of countries.
      2. emperor b. A public sale where things are sold to the person who will pay the highest price.
      3. iconic c. Originated at a particular time in the past; has existed since a particular time in the past.
      4. auction d. Being a person or thing that is very well known for a particular reason.
      5. record e. A person who is very knowledgeable about or skillful in a particular area.
      6. expert f. Was the property of; was owned by.
      7. date back to g. The best performance or most remarkable event of its kind.

    Paragraph 2

      8. figure h. A leader of an army, or an army officer of very high rank.
      9. general i. Very important.
      10. key j. The way in which people are connected, often because of love.
      11. reign k. Very, very far from anywhere else.
      12. remote l. The period of a monarch being in power.
      13. coincide m. A person who was important or special in some way.
      14. relationship n. Happen at the same time.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. A hat worn by Napoleon Bonaparte sold for $2.5 million.     T / F
  2. The previous record for a hat was one worn by Julius Caesar.     T / F
  3. The hat that was sold comes from the beginning of the 19th century.     T / F
  4. The article says thousands of artists have painted Napoleon with his hat. T / F
  5. Napoleon Bonaparte became the French emperor in 1815.     T / F
  6. Bonaparte was sent by the British to live on a South Pacific island.     T / F
  7. Bonaparte died at the age of 51.     T / F
  8. A movie about Napoleon is directed by Joaquin Phoenix.     T / F

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

  1. belonged
  2. famous
  3. expensive
  4. experts
  5. created
  6. figures
  7. key
  8. remote
  9. coincides
  10. stars
  1. people
  2. important
  3. made
  4. happens together
  5. well known
  6. faraway
  7. was owned by
  8. big names
  9. specialists
  10. costly

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

  1. sold at an auction
  2. the most expensive piece of headwear
  3. The auction sale broke the previous
  4. colours of the
  5. Experts say it dates
  6. Napoleon is one of France's most famous
  7. He was a general who played
  8. His reign as emperor came
  9. He was sent to live
  10. a new Hollywood movie about his
  1. historical figures
  2. to an end in 1815
  3. French flag
  4. rise to power
  5. this week
  6. record for a hat
  7. on a remote island
  8. back to the early 1800s
  9. a key part
  10. ever sold

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
felt
spend
auction
artists
record
belonged
flag
sold

Is it possible to (1) _____________________ over $2 million on a hat? The answer is "yes" if the hat once (2) _____________________ to the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. An iconic hat that Napoleon is famous for was sold at an (3) _____________________ this week for $2.1 million. This is a record for a hat, so it is the most expensive piece of headwear ever (4) _____________________. The auction sale broke the previous (5) _____________________ for a hat, which was $2 million. That hat also once belonged to Napoleon. A historian said Napoleon liked hats and owned around 120 of them. This week's record-breaking hat is made of (6) _____________________ and has the red, white and blue colours of the French (7) _____________________ on it. Experts say it dates back to the early 1800s. Thousands of (8) _____________________ have created paintings of Napoleon wearing it.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
reign
historical
take
stars
key
coincides
rise
remote

Napoleon is one of France's most famous (9) _____________________ figures. He was a general who played a (10) _____________________ part in the French Revolution of 1787-1799. He helped to (11) _____________________ over the French government, and then became emperor of France in 1804. His (12) _____________________ as emperor came to an end in 1815 after he lost the Battle of Waterloo to the British. He was sent to live on a (13) _____________________ island in the South Atlantic Ocean called St. Helena. He died there six years later in 1821, aged 51. The auction of his hat (14) _____________________ with the release of a new Hollywood movie about his (15) _____________________ to power, and his relationship with the empress Josephine. The movie is called "Napoleon". It is directed by Ridley Scott and (16) _____________________ Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) if the hat once belonged to the French ______
     a.  temper or Napoleon Bonaparte
     b.  member or Napoleon Bonaparte
     c.  amp aura Napoleon Bonaparte
     d.  emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
2)  An iconic hat that Napoleon is famous for was sold at an ______
     a.  action this week
     b.  auction this weeks
     c.  auction these week
     d.  auction this week
3)  This is a record for a hat, so it is the most expensive piece of ______
     a.  headwear even sold
     b.  headwear ever sold
     c.  headwear every sold
     d.  headwear never sold
4)  A historian said Napoleon liked hats and ______
     a.  disowned around 120
     b.  gowned around 120
     c.  owned around 120
     d.  moaned around 120
5)  Experts say it dates back to ______
     a.  the burly 1800s
     b.  the early 1800s
     c.  the hurly 1800s
     d.  the curly 1800s

6)  Napoleon is one of France's most ______
     a.  famous historical figurines
     b.  famous historical figure
     c.  famous historical figures
     d.  famous historical figured
7)  He was a general who played a key part in the French ______
     a.  Resolution of 1787-1799
     b.  Revolution of 1787-1799
     c.  Revolting of 1787-1799
     d.  Regulation of 1787-1799
8)  He was sent to live on ______
     a.  a remote island
     b.  a limit island
     c.  a demote island
     d.  a devote island
9)  coincides with the release of a new Hollywood movie about his ______
     a.  arise to power
     b.  lies to power
     c.  rice to power
     d.  rise to power
10)  It is directed by Ridley Scott and ______
     a.  starts Joaquin Phoenix
     b.  stares Joaquin Phoenix
     c.  steers Joaquin Phoenix
     d.  stars Joaquin Phoenix

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Is it (1) ____________________ over $2 million on a hat? The answer is "yes" if the hat once belonged to the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. An iconic hat that Napoleon is (2) ____________________ was sold at an auction this week for $2.1 million. This is a record for a hat, so it is the most (3) ____________________ headwear ever sold. The auction sale (4) ____________________ record for a hat, which was $2 million. That hat also once belonged to Napoleon. A historian said Napoleon liked hats (5) ____________________ 120 of them. This week's record-breaking hat is made of felt and has the red, white and blue colours of the French flag on it. Experts say it dates back to the early 1800s. (6) ____________________ have created paintings of Napoleon wearing it.

Napoleon is one of France's most (7) ____________________. He was a general who played a key part in the French Revolution of 1787-1799. He (8) ____________________ the French government, and then became emperor of France in 1804. His reign as emperor came to (9) ____________________ 1815 after he lost the Battle of Waterloo to the British. He was sent to live on (10) ____________________ in the South Atlantic Ocean called St. Helena. He died there six years later in 1821, aged 51. The auction of his hat (11) ____________________ release of a new Hollywood movie about his rise to power, and his relationship with the empress Josephine. The movie is called "Napoleon". It (12) ____________________ Ridley Scott and stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine.

Comprehension questions

  1. How much did Napoleon Bonaparte's hat sell for?
  2. Where did the hat sell?
  3. Who once owned the second-most expensive hat ever sold?
  4. How many hats did Napoleon own?
  5. How many artists have painted Napoleon wearing his hat?
  6. When was the French Revolution?
  7. When did Napoleon become emperor?
  8. Where did Napoleon after he lost the Battle of Waterloo?
  9. What happened to Napoleon in 1821?
  10. What is the name of the woman Napoleon had a relationship with?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How much did Napoleon Bonaparte's hat sell for?
a) $2 million
b) $2.1 million
c) $2.2 million
d) $2.3 million
2) Where did the hat sell?
a) in a Parisian department store
b) online
c) New York
d) at an auction
3) Who once owned the second-most expensive hat ever sold?
a) Aristotle
b) Julius Caesar
c) Napoleon
d) Tutankhamen
4) How many hats did Napoleon own?
a) around 120
b) exactly 120
c) fewer than 120
d) more than 120
5) How many artists have painted Napoleon wearing his hat?
a) millions
b) thousands
c) billions
d) gazillions

6) When was the French Revolution?
a) 1787-1799
b) 1789-1797
c) 1777-1789
d) 1788-1799
7) When did Napoleon become emperor?
a) 1800
b) 1815
c) 1804
d) 1807
8) Where did Napoleon go after he lost the Battle of Waterloo?
a) a South Atlantic island
b) Italy
c) on an expedition
d) on a tour of French schools
9) What happened to Napoleon in 1821?
a) He became president.
b) He escaped from prison.
c) He wrote a book about revolution.
d) He died.
10) What is the name of the woman Napoleon had a relationship with?
a) Jocelyne
b) Jacqueline
c) Josephine
d) Janet

Role play

Role  A – A Hat
You think a hat is the best thing to buy at an auction. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): movie memorabilia, jewellery or a painting.

Role  B – Movie Memorabilia
You think movie memorabilia is the best thing to buy at an auction. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): a hat, jewelery or a painting.

Role  C – Jewellery
You think jewellery is the best thing to buy at an auction. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): movie memorabilia, a hat or a painting.

Role  D – A Painting
You think a painting is the best thing to buy at an auction. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): movie memorabilia, jewellery or a hat.

After reading / listening

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

'hat'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'auction'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • 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:

    • possible
    • sold
    • sale
    • owned
    • red
    • thousands
    • historical
    • key
    • end
    • remote
    • rise
    • stars

    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 - Napoleon's Hat

    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 'hat'?
    3. How important are hats to you?
    4. When are the best times to wear a hat?
    5. What do you think of spending $2.1 million on a hat?
    6. What's the most you'd pay for a hat?
    7. Which is better – a hat or a cap?
    8. Should baseball caps be worn backwards?
    9. What would you do with Napoleon's hat?
    10. How many hats do you need?

    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 'auction'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Do you have a favourite hat?
    5. What do you know about Napoleon?
    6. What do you think of auctions?
    7. Have you ever used online auctions like eBay?
    8. Would you like to see the movie 'Napoleon'?
    9. Do we need hats?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the auction house?

    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)

    Is it (1) ____ to spend over $2 million on a hat? The answer is "yes" if the hat once (2) ____ to the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. An iconic hat that Napoleon is famous for was sold (3) ____ an auction this week for $2.1 million. This is a record for a hat, so it is the most expensive piece of headwear ever sold. The auction sale (4) ____ the previous record for a hat, which was $2 million. That hat also once belonged to Napoleon. A historian said Napoleon liked hats and owned around 120 of them. This week's record-breaking hat is made of (5) ____ and has the red, white and blue colours of the French flag on it. Experts say it dates back to the (6) ____ 1800s. Thousands of artists have created paintings of Napoleon wearing it.

    Napoleon is one of France's most famous historical (7) ____. He was a general who played a key part in the French Revolution of 1787-1799. He helped to take over the French government, and then became emperor of France in 1804. His (8) ____ as emperor came to an end in 1815 after he lost the Battle of Waterloo to the British. He was sent to live on a (9) ____ island in the South Atlantic Ocean called St. Helena. He died there six years later in 1821, aged 51. The auction of his hat (10) ____ with the release of a new Hollywood movie about his (11) ____ to power, and his relationship with the empress Josephine. The movie is called "Napoleon". It is directed by Ridley Scott and (12) ____ Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     possibly     (b)     possibilities     (c)     possibility     (d)     possible    
    2. (a)     belong     (b)     belongings     (c)     belonging     (d)     belonged    
    3. (a)     of     (b)     at     (c)     on     (d)     under    
    4. (a)     break     (b)     broken     (c)     broke     (d)     breaking    
    5. (a)     belt     (b)     melt     (c)     felt     (d)     pelt    
    6. (a)     early     (b)     fast     (c)     slow     (d)     low    
    7. (a)     figurines     (b)     figures     (c)     figure     (d)     figured    
    8. (a)     reign     (b)     rein     (c)     rain     (d)     ruin    
    9. (a)     remoteness     (b)     remote     (c)     remotely     (d)     remotes    
    10. (a)     coincidences     (b)     coinciding     (c)     coincides     (d)     coincide    
    11. (a)     elevate     (b)     up     (c)     rise     (d)     increase    
    12. (a)     satellites     (b)     moons     (c)     suns     (d)     stars

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. the hat once beodngle to the French emperor
    2. sold at an ocunati
    3. the most expensive piece of arhweade
    4. broke the opusriev record for a hat
    5. rxestpe say it dates back to the early 1800s
    6. Thousands of sttiars have created paintings

    Paragraph 2

    1. famous sohciirtla figures
    2. the French ieRolnuotv of 1787-1799
    3. His eirgn as emperor came to an end
    4. He was sent to live on a meerto island
    5. icedonsci with the release
    6. his hairilospent with the empress Josephine

    Put the text back together

    (...)   $2 million. That hat also once belonged to Napoleon. A historian said Napoleon liked hats and owned
    (...)   belonged to the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. An iconic hat that Napoleon is famous
    (...)   called "Napoleon". It is directed by Ridley Scott and stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine.
    (...)   part in the French Revolution of 1787-1799. He helped to take over the French government, and then became emperor
    (...)   for was sold at an auction this week for $2.1 million. This is a record for a hat, so it is the most
    (...)   around 120 of them. This week's record-breaking hat is made of felt and has the red, white and blue colours of the French
    (...)   flag on it. Experts say it dates back to the early 1800s. Thousands of artists have created paintings of Napoleon wearing it.
    (...)   Napoleon is one of France's most famous historical figures. He was a general who played a key
    (...)   of France in 1804. His reign as emperor came to an end in 1815 after he lost the Battle of Waterloo
    (  1  )   Is it possible to spend over $2 million on a hat? The answer is "yes" if the hat once
    (...)   to the British. He was sent to live on a remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean called St. Helena. He died there six years
    (...)   later in 1821, aged 51. The auction of his hat coincides with the release of a new Hollywood movie about his rise to
    (...)   expensive piece of headwear ever sold. The auction sale broke the previous record for a hat, which was
    (...)   power, and his relationship with the empress Josephine. The movie is

    Put the words in the right order

    1. An   iconic   that   famous   Napoleon   for   .   hat   is
    2. is   ever   hat   It   the   sold   .   most   expensive
    3. hat   week's   felt   .   record-breaking   is   This   of   made
    4. say   it   1800s   .   the   back   dates   Experts   to
    5. Napoleon   .   of   created   of   paintings   artists   have   Thousands
    6. a   general   played   who   A   part   .   key
    7. the   to   He   over   take   helped   government   .   French
    8. end   .   emperor   to   an   His   came   reign   as
    9. remote   island   .   a   to   sent   was   He
    10. power   .   to   his   movie   Hollywood   rise   about   A

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Is it possible / possibility to spend over $2 million on a hat? The answer is "yes" if the hat once belonging / belonged to the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. An iconic hat that Napoleon is famous / famously for was sold at the / an auction this week for $2.1 million. This is a record on / for a hat, so it is the most expensive piece of headwear ever sold. The auction sale broken / broke the previous record for a hat, which was $2 million. That hat also once belonged to Napoleon. A historian / historical said Napoleon liked hats and owned round / around 120 of them. This week's record-breaking hat is made of felt and has the red, white and blue colours to / of the French flag on it. Experts say it dates back to the early 1800s. Thousands of artists have created paintings of Napoleon wearing it / them.

    Napoleon is one of France's must / most famous historical figures. He was a general who played a key part in / on the French Revolution of 1787-1799. He helped to take over / under the French government, and then became emperor of / on France in 1804. His rain / reign as emperor came to an end / finish in 1815 after he lost the Battle of Waterloo to the British. He was sent to live on a remote / remotely island in the South Atlantic Ocean called St. Helena. He died there six years later in 1821, aged 51. The auction of his hat coincides / coinciding with the release of a new Hollywood movie about his rise to power, and his relationship with the empress Josephine. The movie is calling / called "Napoleon". It is directed by Ridley Scott and suns / stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine.

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

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    _s  _t  p_ss_bl_  t_  sp_nd  _v_r  $2  m_ll__n  _n  _  h_t?  Th_  _nsw_r  _s  "y_s"  _f  th_  h_t  _nc_  b_l_ng_d  t_  th_  Fr_nch  _mp_r_r  N_p_l__n  B_n_p_rt_.  _n  _c_n_c  h_t  th_t  N_p_l__n  _s  f_m__s  f_r  w_s  s_ld  _t  _n  __ct__n  th_s  w__k  f_r  $2.1  m_ll__n.  Th_s  _s  _  r_c_rd  f_r  _  h_t,  s_  _t  _s  th_  m_st  _xp_ns_v_  p__c_  _f  h__dw__r  _v_r  s_ld.  Th_  __ct__n  s_l_  br_k_  th_  pr_v___s  r_c_rd  f_r  _  h_t,  wh_ch  w_s  $2  m_ll__n.  Th_t  h_t  _ls_  _nc_  b_l_ng_d  t_  N_p_l__n.  _  h_st_r__n  s__d  N_p_l__n  l_k_d  h_ts  _nd  _wn_d  _r__nd  120  _f  th_m.  Th_s  w__k's  r_c_rd-br__k_ng  h_t  _s  m_d_  _f  f_lt  _nd  h_s  th_  r_d,  wh_t_  _nd  bl__  c_l__rs  _f  th_  Fr_nch  fl_g  _n  _t.  _xp_rts  s_y  _t  d_t_s  b_ck  t_  th_  __rly  1800s.  Th__s_nds  _f  _rt_sts  h_v_  cr__t_d  p__nt_ngs  _f  N_p_l__n  w__r_ng  _t.

    N_p_l__n  _s  _n_  _f  Fr_nc_'s  m_st  f_m__s  h_st_r_c_l  f_g_r_s.  H_  w_s  _  g_n_r_l  wh_  pl_y_d  _  k_y  p_rt  _n  th_  Fr_nch  R_v_l_t__n  _f  1787-1799.  H_  h_lp_d  t_  t_k_  _v_r  th_  Fr_nch  g_v_rnm_nt,  _nd  th_n  b_c_m_  _mp_r_r  _f  Fr_nc_  _n  1804.  H_s  r__gn  _s  _mp_r_r  c_m_  t_  _n  _nd  _n  1815  _ft_r  h_  l_st  th_  B_ttl_  _f  W_t_rl__  t_  th_  Br_t_sh.  H_  w_s  s_nt  t_  l_v_  _n  _  r_m_t_  _sl_nd  _n  th_  S__th  _tl_nt_c  _c__n  c_ll_d  St.  H_l_n_.  H_  d__d  th_r_  s_x  y__rs  l_t_r  _n  1821,  _g_d  51.  Th_  __ct__n  _f  h_s  h_t  c__nc_d_s  w_th  th_  r_l__s_  _f  _  n_w  H_llyw__d  m_v__  _b__t  h_s  r_s_  t_  p_w_r,  _nd  h_s  r_l_t__nsh_p  w_th  th_  _mpr_ss  J_s_ph_n_.  Th_  m_v__  _s  c_ll_d  "N_p_l__n".  _t  _s  d_r_ct_d  by  R_dl_y  Sc_tt  _nd  st_rs  J__q__n  Ph__n_x  _s  N_p_l__n  _nd  V_n_ss_  K_rby  _s  J_s_ph_n_.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    is it possible to spend over 2 million on a hat the answer is yes if the hat once belonged to the french emperor napoleon bonaparte an iconic hat that napoleon is famous for was sold at an auction this week for 21 million this is a record for a hat so it is the most expensive piece of headwear ever sold the auction sale broke the previous record for a hat which was 2 million that hat also once belonged to napoleon a historian said napoleon liked hats and owned around 120 of them this weeks recordbreaking hat is made of felt and has the red white and blue colours of the french flag on it experts say it dates back to the early 1800s thousands of artists have created paintings of napoleon wearing it

    napoleon is one of frances most famous historical figures he was a general who played a key part in the french revolution of 17871799 he helped to take over the french government and then became emperor of france in 1804 his reign as emperor came to an end in 1815 after he lost the battle of waterloo to the british he was sent to live on a remote island in the south atlantic ocean called st helena he died there six years later in 1821 aged 51 the auction of his hat coincides with the release of a new hollywood movie about his rise to power and his relationship with the empress josephine the movie is called napoleon it is directed by ridley scott and stars joaquin phoenix as napoleon and vanessa kirby as josephine

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Isitpossibletospendover$2milliononahat?Theansweris"yes"ifthehat
    oncebelongedtotheFrenchemperorNapoleonBonaparte.Aniconichat
    thatNapoleonisfamousforwassoldatanauctionthisweekfor$
    2.1million.Thisisarecordforahat,soitisthemostexpensivepieceofhea
    dweareversold.Theauctionsalebrokethepreviousrecordforahat,whic
    hwas$2million.ThathatalsooncebelongedtoNapoleon.Ahistoriansai
    dNapoleonlikedhatsandownedaround120ofthem.Thisweek'srecord-
    breakinghatismadeoffeltandhasthered,whiteandbluecoloursoftheFr
    enchflagonit.Expertssayitdatesbacktotheearly1800s.Thousandsofa
    rtistshavecreatedpaintingsofNapoleonwearingit.NapoleonisoneofFr
    ance'smostfamoushistoricalfigures.Hewasageneralwhoplayedakey
    partintheFrenchRevolutionof1787-1799.HehelpedtotakeovertheFr
    enchgovernment,andthenbecameemperorofFrancein1804.Hisreign
    asemperorcametoanendin1815afterhelosttheBattleofWaterloototh
    eBritish.HewassenttoliveonaremoteislandintheSouthAtlanticOcean
    calledSt.Helena.Hediedtheresixyearslaterin1821,aged51.Theaucti
    onofhishatcoincideswiththereleaseofanewHollywoodmovieabouthis
    risetopower,andhisrelationshipwiththeempressJosephine.Themovi
    eiscalled"Napoleon".ItisdirectedbyRidleyScottandstarsJoaquinPhoe
    nixasNapoleonandVanessaKirbyasJosephine.

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    Hats are unnecessary. 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. NAPOLEON: Make a poster about Napoleon. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. AUCTION: Write a magazine article about half the money from auctions going to charity. 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 hats. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your opinions on hats. 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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