The Reading / Listening - Monster Bees - Level 3

Most small children are afraid of the dark and can have nightmares in bed. They are scared of noises at night, or are frightened of imaginary monsters in their bedroom. For one little girl in the USA, the monster turned out to be real. Three-year-old Saylor spent months telling her parents that there were "monsters in the wall" of her bedroom. Saylor's parents thought the "monsters" came from their daughter's overactive imagination. Saylor's mother said the little girl had just seen the Pixar movie Monsters, Inc. She thought that was the reason Saylor was seeing monsters. However, Saylor's parents were shocked when they found out there was something behind their daughter's bedroom wall. There were 60,000 bees.

After the mother found the bees, she called a beekeeper. The beekeeper said the insects were honeybees. These are a protected species in the USA, so they could not be killed. The beekeeper used a thermal camera to see the heat patterns behind the wall. He said he had never seen so many bees in a house. He drilled a hole in the bedroom wall and hundreds of the creatures flew out. The mother said: "They just came pouring out like a horror movie." The beekeeper has removed about 45 kg of honeycomb. The beekeeper captured the bees and put them in special boxes. They are now living in safety on a honeybee sanctuary. The bees caused more than $20,000 in damages to the house.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Monster Bees - Level 0,  Monster Bees - Level 1   or  Monster Bees - Level 2

Sources
  • http://news.yahoo.com/little-girl-said-monsters-were-231916421.html
  • https://www.unilad.com/community/viral/mom-finds-50000-bees-in-her-wall-068381-20240429
  • https://www.upworthy.com/mom-shocked-daughter-describes-monsters-living-in-walls


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. BEES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about bees. 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?
       children / the dark / nightmares / noises / monsters / imagination / reason / bees
       insects / protected species / heat / patterns / horror movie / honeycomb / damages
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. COUNSELLING: Students A strongly believe all children need counselling when they have a nightmare; Students B strongly believe this is not necessary. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. MONSTERS: What do you know about these monsters? How dangerous might they be? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What I Know

How Dangerous They Are

Frankenstein

 

 

Godzilla

 

 

Loch Ness Monster

 

 

Dragons

 

 

The Yeti

 

 

Sea monsters

 

 
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. HONEY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "honey". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. USEFUL INSECTS: Rank these with your partner. Put the most useful insects at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.
  • Bees
  • Worms
  • Butterflies
  • Ants
  • Praying mantis
  • Spiders
  • Centipedes
  • Cockroaches

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. afraid a. When something is too busy or works too much, like when your mind won't stop thinking about things.
      2. nightmare b. A solid structure that divides or surrounds an area, like the sides of a house or room.
      3. imaginary c. Feeling scared or worried about something that might happen.
      4. overactive d. Something that you can only see or think about in your mind, like a made-up story or a pretend friend.
      5. reason e. A very bad dream that can make you feel scared or upset when you are sleeping.
      6. shocked f. Why something happens or why someone does something.
      7.

wall

 g. Feeling very surprised or upset because something unexpected or bad happened.

    Paragraph 2

      8. insect h. When something is kept safe from harm or danger, like when you wear a helmet to protect your head.
      9. protected i. A group of similar living things that can produce babies together, like dogs, cats, or birds.
      10. species j. Any living being, like animals, insects, or even imaginary beings like dragons or unicorns.
      11. thermal k. A small creature with six legs and usually wings, like bees beetles and butterflies.
      12. drilled l. When someone or something is taken and kept in a place they can't escape from.
      13. creature m. Make a hole in or through something by using a special tool.
      14.

captured

 n. Related to heat or warmth.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. The article says all small children are afraid of the dark.     T / F
  2. Children are scared of noises throughout the day.     T / F
  3. The girl's parents thought a movie made the girl imagine monsters.     T / F
  4. There were 60,000 bees in the ceiling of the little girl's bedroom.     T / F
  5. Honeybees are a protected species in the USA.     T / F
  6. A beekeeper used a special microphone to listen to the bees.     T / F
  7. The beekeeper drilled a hole in the wall of the little girl's bedroom.     T / F
  8. The house needs $20,000 in repairs because of the bees.     T / F

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

  1. afraid
  2. real
  3. reason
  4. shocked
  5. found out
  6. insects
  7. pouring
  8. captured
  9. sanctuary
  10. caused
  1. cause
  2. swarming
  3. discovered
  4. created
  5. genuine
  6. bugs
  7. refuge
  8. scared
  9. surprised
  10. caught

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

  1. Most small children are afraid
  2. frightened of imaginary monsters
  3. the monster turned
  4. their daughter's overactive
  5. there was something behind their
  6. These are a protected
  7. He drilled a
  8. They just came pouring
  9. The beekeeper captured
  10. The bees caused more than $20,000
  1. in their bedroom
  2. hole in the bedroom wall
  3. the bees
  4. daughter's bedroom wall
  5. in damages
  6. imagination
  7. out like a horror movie
  8. of the dark
  9. species in the USA
  10. out to be real

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
turned
wall
behind
afraid
reason
telling
imaginary
overactive

Most small children are (1) _____________________ of the dark and can have nightmares in bed. They are scared of noises at night, or are frightened of (2) _____________________ monsters in their bedroom. For one little girl in the USA, the monster (3) _____________________ out to be real. Three-year-old Saylor spent months (4) _____________________ her parents that there were "monsters in the (5) _____________________ " of her bedroom. Saylor's parents thought the "monsters" came from their daughter's (6) _____________________ imagination. Saylor's mother said the little girl had just seen the Pixar movie Monsters, Inc. She thought that was the (7) _____________________ Saylor was seeing monsters. However, Saylor's parents were shocked when they found out there was something (8) _____________________ their daughter's bedroom wall. There were 60,000 bees.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
patterns
damages
hole
captured
insects
safety
killed
pouring

After the mother found the bees, she called a beekeeper. The beekeeper said the (9) _____________________ were honeybees. These are a protected species in the USA, so they could not be (10) _____________________. The beekeeper used a thermal camera to see the heat (11) _____________________ behind the wall. He said he had never seen so many bees in a house. He drilled a (12) _____________________ in the bedroom wall and hundreds of the creatures flew out. The mother said: "They just came (13) _____________________ out like a horror movie." The beekeeper has removed about 45 kg of honeycomb. The beekeeper (14) _____________________ the bees and put them in special boxes. They are now living in (15) _____________________ on a honeybee sanctuary. The bees caused more than $20,000 in (16) _____________________ to the house.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) Most small children are afraid of the dark and can have ______
     a.  nightmares on bed
     b.  nightmares at bed
     c.  nightmares in bed
     d.  nightmares imbed
2)  They are scared of noises at night, or are frightened ______
     a.  of imagine a monsters
     b.  of imagine airy monsters
     c.  of imaginary monsters
     d.  of imaginary monster
3)  For one little girl in the USA, the monster turned out ______
     a.  to be really
     b.  to be reel
     c.  to be royal
     d.  to be real
4)  She thought that was the reason Saylor ______
     a.  was seeing monsters
     b.  was seen monsters
     c.  was see in monsters
     d.  was sewn monsters
5)  shocked when they found out there was something behind ______
     a.  they're daughter's bedroom
     b.  them daughter's bedroom
     c.  their daughter's bedroom
     d.  they daughter's bedroom

6)  After the mother found the bees, she ______
     a.  called a beekeeper
     b.  culled a beekeeper
     c.  killed a beekeeper
     d.  scold a beekeeper
7)  the insects were honeybees. These are ______
     a.  a protected specials
     b.  a protective species
     c.  a protector species
     d.  a protected species
8)  The beekeeper used a thermal camera to see ______
     a.  the heater patterns
     b.  the hot patterns
     c.  the heat patterns
     d.  the heats patterns
9)  He drilled a hole in the bedroom wall and hundreds of the ______
     a.  creatures blew out
     b.  creatures grew out
     c.  creatures slew out
     d.  creatures flew out
10)  The bees caused more than ______
     a.  $20,000 on damages
     b.  $20,000 up damages
     c.  $20,000 in damages
     d.  $20,000 out damages

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Most small children (1) ____________________ the dark and can have nightmares in bed. They are (2) ____________________ at night, or are frightened of imaginary monsters in their bedroom. For one little girl in the USA, the monster (3) ____________________ be real. Three-year-old Saylor spent months telling her parents that there were "monsters (4) ____________________" of her bedroom. Saylor's parents thought the "monsters" came from their daughter's overactive imagination. Saylor's mother said the little girl had just seen the Pixar movie Monsters, Inc. She thought that (5) ____________________ Saylor was seeing monsters. However, Saylor's parents were shocked when they found out there was (6) ____________________ daughter's bedroom wall. There were 60,000 bees.

After the mother found the bees, she called a beekeeper. The beekeeper said the insects were honeybees. These are (7) ____________________ in the USA, so they could not be killed. The beekeeper used a thermal camera to see the (8) ____________________ the wall. He said he had never seen so many bees in a house. He (9) ____________________ in the bedroom wall and hundreds of the creatures flew out. The mother said: "They just came pouring out like (10) ____________________." The beekeeper has removed about 45 kg of honeycomb. The beekeeper (11) ____________________ and put them in special boxes. They are now living in safety on a honeybee sanctuary. The bees caused more than $20,000 (12) ____________________ the house.

Comprehension questions

  1. What does the article say children can have in bed?
  2. How long did Saylor spend telling her parents about monsters?
  3. Where did Saylor's parents think the monsters came from?
  4. Where in the house were the bees?
  5. How did Saylor's parents feel when they discovered the bees?
  6. Who did Saylor's mother call?
  7. What did the beekeeper use to see the heat pattern of the bees?
  8. What did the beekeeper drill a hole in?
  9. What did the beekeeper take from the house that weighed 45 kg?
  10. How much is the repair bill caused by the bees?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What does the article say children can have in bed?
a) difficulty sleeping
b) breakfast
c) nightmares
d) teddy bears
2) How long did Saylor spend telling her parents about monsters?
a) months
b) a few hours
c) two years
d) a week or two
3) Where did Saylor's parents think the monsters came from?
a) Saylor's imagination
b) Africa
c) a local forest
d) a zoo
4) Where in the house were the bees?
a) in the garden
b) behind Saylor's bedroom wall
c) under Saylor's bed
d) above Saylor's ceiling
5) How did Saylor's parents feel when they discovered the bees?
a) confused
b) terrified
c) worried
d) shocked

6) Who did Saylor's mother call?
a) a honey expert
b) a beekeeper
c) her husband
d) the police
7) What did the beekeeper use to see the heat pattern of the bees?
a) a thermal camera
b) a microscope
c) a smartphone
d) a computer
8) What did the beekeeper drill a hole in?
a) the ceiling
b) a bee
c) the bedroom wall
d) the ground
9) What did the beekeeper take from the house that weighed 45 kg?
a) wood
b) the mother
c) the daughter
d) honeycomb
10) How much is the repair bill caused by the bees?
a) $20,000
b) $12,000
c) $22,000
d) $200,000

Role play

Role  A – Bees
You think bees are the most useful insects. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their insects aren't as useful. Also, tell the others which are the least useful of these (and why): worms, spiders or centipedes.

Role  B – Worms
You think worms are the most useful insects. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their insects aren't as useful. Also, tell the others which are the least useful of these (and why): bees, spiders or centipedes.

Role  C – Spiders
You think spiders are the most useful insects. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their insects aren't as useful. Also, tell the others which are the least useful of these (and why): worms, bees or centipedes.

Role  D – Centipedes
You think centipedes are the most useful insects. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their insects aren't as useful. Also, tell the others which are the least useful of these (and why): worms, spiders or bees.

After reading / listening

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

'monster'

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

    • and 'bee'.

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

    • • 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:

    • small
    • real
    • months
    • imagination
    • reason
    • behind
    • insects
    • killed
    • many
    • horror
    • special
    • caused

    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 - Monster Bees

    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 'monster'?
    3. What were you afraid of when you were a small child?
    4. Did you think there were monsters in your bedroom?
    5. What do you think of monsters?
    6. Why are there so many movies about monsters?
    7. What do you know about bees?
    8. Do you think the little girl will be afraid of bees?
    9. What insects are you scared of?
    10. How would you deal with 60,000 bees in your room?

    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 'bee'?
    3. What do you think of the sound of bees?
    4. What do you think of bees?
    5. What do you think of the job of a beekeeper?
    6. How important are honeybees?
    7. What do you know about honeycomb?
    8. Why do you think bees are a protected species?
    9. What different things can we do with honey?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the little girl?

    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)

    Most small children are afraid (1) ____ the dark and can have nightmares in bed. They are scared of (2) ____ at night, or are frightened of imaginary monsters in their bedroom. For one little girl in the USA, the monster turned (3) ____ to be real. Three-year-old Saylor spent months telling her parents that there were "monsters in the wall" of her bedroom. Saylor's parents thought the "monsters" came from their daughter's overactive (4) ____. Saylor's mother said the little girl had just (5) ____ the Pixar movie Monsters, Inc. She thought that was the reason Saylor was seeing monsters. However, Saylor's parents were shocked when they found out there was (6) ____ behind their daughter's bedroom wall. There were 60,000 bees.

    After the mother found the bees, she called a beekeeper. The beekeeper said the insects were honeybees. These are a (7) ____ species in the USA, so they could not be killed. The beekeeper used a thermal camera to see the (8) ____ patterns behind the wall. He said he had never seen so many bees in a house. He (9) ____ a hole in the bedroom wall and hundreds of the creatures flew out. The mother said: "They just came (10) ____ out like a horror movie." The beekeeper has removed about 45 kg of honeycomb. The beekeeper (11) ____ the bees and put them in special boxes. They are now living in safety on a honeybee sanctuary. The bees caused more than $20,000 (12) ____ damages to the house.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     of     (b)     to     (c)     at     (d)     on    
    2. (a)     noisy     (b)     noiseless     (c)     noises     (d)     noiselessness    
    3. (a)     in     (b)     up     (c)     out     (d)     down    
    4. (a)     imagine     (b)     imagined     (c)     imaginary     (d)     imagination    
    5. (a)     saw     (b)     see     (c)     seen     (d)     seeing    
    6. (a)     anything     (b)     something     (c)     thing     (d)     nothing    
    7. (a)     protect     (b)     protected     (c)     protection     (d)     protective    
    8. (a)     heats     (b)     heat     (c)     heater     (d)     heating    
    9. (a)     grilled     (b)     thrilled     (c)     drilled     (d)     shrilled    
    10. (a)     boring     (b)     soaring     (c)     souring     (d)     pouring    
    11. (a)     drove     (b)     rented     (c)     founded     (d)     captured    
    12. (a)     by     (b)     at     (c)     on     (d)     in

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. children are adriaf of the dark
    2. have segrimnath in bed
    3. frightened of aiigrnamy monsters
    4. their daughter's overactive ntiiaaimong
    5. the ensroa Saylor was seeing monsters
    6. Saylor's ntspear were shocked

    Paragraph 2

    1. the tsncise were honeybees
    2. a protected secespi in the USA
    3. hundreds of the cretsurae flew out
    4. The beekeeper tadpucer the bees
    5. living in safety on a honeybee nsraacytu
    6. more than $20,000 in daasgme

    Put the text back together

    (...)  pouring out like a horror movie." The beekeeper has removed about 45 kg of honeycomb. The beekeeper captured the bees
    (...)  imagination. Saylor's mother said the little girl had just seen the Pixar movie Monsters, Inc. She thought that was the
    (...)  and put them in special boxes. They are now living in safety on a honeybee
    (...)  at night, or are frightened of imaginary monsters in their bedroom. For one little girl in the USA, the monster turned
    (...)  reason Saylor was seeing monsters. However, Saylor's parents were shocked when they found out there was something
    (...)  camera to see the heat patterns behind the wall. He said he had never seen so many bees in a house. He drilled a
    (...)  behind their daughter's bedroom wall. There were 60,000 bees.
    (...)  After the mother found the bees, she called a beekeeper. The beekeeper said the insects were
    (...)  hole in the bedroom wall and hundreds of the creatures flew out. The mother said: "They just came
    (...)  out to be real. Three-year-old Saylor spent months telling her parents that there were "monsters in the wall"
    (..1..) Most small children are afraid of the dark and can have nightmares in bed. They are scared of noises
    (...)  sanctuary. The bees caused more than $20,000 in damages to the house.
    (...)  of her bedroom. Saylor's parents thought the "monsters" came from their daughter's overactive
    (...)  honeybees. These are a protected species in the USA, so they could not be killed. The beekeeper used a thermal

    Put the words in the right order

    1. afraid   small   dark   .   of   children   are   the   Most
    2. They   at   are   scared   night   .   of   noises
    3. bedroom   .   in   of   her   wall   monsters   The   the
    4. the   had   The   girl   movie   .   just   little   seen
    5. they   shocked   were   out   .   They   found   when
    6. beekeeper   insects   honeybees   .   said   the   were   The
    7. protected   USA   .   a   These   species   in   are   the
    8. never   many   had   seen   so   He   bees   .
    9. drilled   the   a   in   hole   wall   .   He   bedroom
    10. caused   damages   .   The   bees   $20,000   than   more   in

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Most small children are scary / afraid of the dark and can have nightmares in bed. They are scared of noises in / at night, or are frightened of imaginary monsters in their bedroom. For one little girl in the USA, the monster turned out / in to be real. Three-year-old Saylor spent months telling her parents that there were "monsters in the wall" of her bedroom. Saylor's parents thoughtless / thought the "monsters" came from their daughter's overactive imagine / imagination. Saylor's mother said the little girl had just seen / saw the Pixar movie Monsters, Inc. She thought that was the reason Saylor was seeing / seen monsters. However, Saylor's parents were shocking / shocked when they found out there was something / anything behind their daughter's bedroom wall. They / There were 60,000 bees.

    After the mother found / fund the bees, she called a beekeeper. The beekeeper said / called the insects were honeybees. These are a protected / protection species in the USA, so they could not be dead / killed. The beekeeper used a / the thermal camera to see the heat patterns behind the wall. He said he had never seen so / such many bees in a house. He drilled a whole / hole in the bedroom wall and hundreds of the creatures flew out. The mother said: "They just came pouring / poured out like a horror movie." The beekeeper has removed about 45 kg of honeycomb. The beekeeper captured the bees and put them in special boxes. They are now living in safely / safety on a honeybee sanctuary. The bees caused more than $20,000 in / at damages to the house.

    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)

    M_st  sm_ll  ch_ldr_n  _r_  _fr__d  _f  th_  d_rk  _nd  c_n  h_v_  n_ghtm_r_s  _n  b_d.  Th_y  _r_  sc_r_d  _f  n__s_s  _t  n_ght,  _r  _r_  fr_ght_n_d  _f  _m_g_n_ry  m_nst_rs  _n  th__r  b_dr__m.  F_r  _n_  l_ttl_  g_rl  _n  th_  _S_,  th_  m_nst_r  t_rn_d  __t  t_  b_  r__l.  Thr__-y__r-_ld  S_yl_r  sp_nt  m_nths  t_ll_ng  h_r  p_r_nts  th_t  th_r_  w_r_  "m_nst_rs  _n  th_  w_ll"  _f  h_r  b_dr__m.  S_yl_r's  p_r_nts  th__ght  th_  "m_nst_rs"  c_m_  fr_m  th__r  d__ght_r's  _v_r_ct_v_  _m_g_n_t__n.  S_yl_r's  m_th_r  s__d  th_  l_ttl_  g_rl  h_d  j_st  s__n  th_  P_x_r  m_v__  M_nst_rs,  _nc.  Sh_  th__ght  th_t  w_s  th_  r__s_n  S_yl_r  w_s  s___ng  m_nst_rs.  H_w_v_r,  S_yl_r's  p_r_nts  w_r_  sh_ck_d  wh_n  th_y  f__nd  __t  th_r_  w_s  s_m_th_ng  b_h_nd  th__r  d__ght_r's  b_dr__m  w_ll.  Th_r_  w_r_  60,000  b__s.

    _ft_r  th_  m_th_r  f__nd  th_  b__s,  sh_  c_ll_d  _  b__k__p_r.  Th_  b__k__p_r  s__d  th_  _ns_cts  w_r_  h_n_yb__s.  Th_s_  _r_  _  pr_t_ct_d  sp_c__s  _n  th_  _S_,  s_  th_y  c__ld  n_t  b_  k_ll_d.  Th_  b__k__p_r  _s_d  _  th_rm_l  c_m_r_  t_  s__  th_  h__t  p_tt_rns  b_h_nd  th_  w_ll.  H_  s__d  h_  h_d  n_v_r  s__n  s_  m_ny  b__s  _n  _  h__s_.  H_  dr_ll_d  _  h_l_  _n  th_  b_dr__m  w_ll  _nd  h_ndr_ds  _f  th_  cr__t_r_s  fl_w  __t.  Th_  m_th_r  s__d:  "Th_y  j_st  c_m_  p__r_ng  __t  l_k_  _  h_rr_r  m_v__."  Th_  b__k__p_r  h_s  r_m_v_d  _b__t  45  kg  _f  h_n_yc_mb.  Th_  b__k__p_r  c_pt_r_d  th_  b__s  _nd  p_t  th_m  _n  sp_c__l  b_x_s.  Th_y  _r_  n_w  l_v_ng  _n  s_f_ty  _n  _  h_n_yb__  s_nct__ry.  Th_  b__s  c__s_d  m_r_  th_n  $20,000  _n  d_m_g_s  t_  th_  h__s_.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    most small children are afraid of the dark and can have nightmares in bed. they are scared of noises at night, or are frightened of imaginary monsters in their bedroom. for one little girl in the usa, the monster turned out to be real. three-year-old saylor spent months telling her parents that there were "monsters in the wall" of her bedroom. saylor's parents thought the "monsters" came from their daughter's overactive imagination. saylor's mother said the little girl had just seen the pixar movie monsters, inc. she thought that was the reason saylor was seeing monsters. however, saylor's parents were shocked when they found out there was something behind their daughter's bedroom wall. there were 60,000 bees.

    after the mother found the bees, she called a beekeeper. the beekeeper said the insects were honeybees. these are a protected species in the usa, so they could not be killed. the beekeeper used a thermal camera to see the heat patterns behind the wall. he said he had never seen so many bees in a house. he drilled a hole in the bedroom wall and hundreds of the creatures flew out. the mother said: "they just came pouring out like a horror movie." the beekeeper has removed about 45 kg of honeycomb. the beekeeper captured the bees and put them in special boxes. they are now living in safety on a honeybee sanctuary. the bees caused more than $20,000 in damages to the house

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Mostsmallchildrenareafraidofthedarkandcanhavenightmaresinbed.
    Theyarescaredofnoisesatnight,orarefrightenedofimaginarymonster
    sintheirbedroom.ForonelittlegirlintheUSA,themonsterturnedouttob
    ereal.Three-year-oldSaylorspentmonthstellingherparentsthatther
    ewere"monstersinthewall"ofherbedroom.Saylor'sparentsthoughtth
    e"monsters"camefromtheirdaughter'soveractiveimagination.Saylo
    r'smothersaidthelittlegirlhadjustseenthePixarmovieMonsters,Inc.S
    hethoughtthatwasthereasonSaylorwasseeingmonsters.However,S
    aylor'sparentswereshockedwhentheyfoundouttherewassomething
    behindtheirdaughter'sbedroomwall.Therewere60,000bees.Afterth
    emotherfoundthebees,shecalledabeekeeper.Thebeekeepersaidthei
    nsectswerehoneybees.TheseareaprotectedspeciesintheUSA,sothey
    couldnotbekilled.Thebeekeeperusedathermalcameratoseetheheatp
    atternsbehindthewall.Hesaidhehadneverseensomanybeesinahouse
    .Hedrilledaholeinthebedroomwallandhundredsofthecreaturesflewo
    ut.Themothersaid:"Theyjustcamepouringoutlikeahorrormovie."Th
    ebeekeeperhasremovedabout45kgofhoneycomb.Thebeekeepercap
    turedthebeesandputtheminspecialboxes.Theyarenowlivinginsafety
    onahoneybeesanctuary.Thebeescausedmorethan$20,000indamag
    estothehouse.

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    Children need help to overcome their nightmares at night.  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. BEES: Make a poster about bees. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. NO MONSTERS: Write a magazine article about not telling children about monsters. 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 monsters. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your opinions on monsters. 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

    $US 9.99

    Answers

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

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