The Reading / Listening - Stamps - Level 6

The French Post Office (La Poste) has issued a commemorative postage stamp to honour France's famous bread – the baguette. The new stamp is not a run-of-the-mill issue. Its surface is coated with tiny capsules that, once broken, release the fragrance of freshly baked bread. The €1.96 stamp depicts a baguette decorated with a red, white, and blue ribbon. A shopkeeper in the heart of Paris that sells the "scratch-and-sniff" stamp said it had a "bakery smell". The stamp was launched on Thursday to celebrate the day of the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs. La Poste said it had an initial print run of 594,000 copies. It also said French bakers bake more than six billion baguettes every year. The baguette is very close to the hearts of French people. France's President Emmanuel Macron once described it as being "250 grams of magic and perfection". La Poste wrote about the French loaf on its website. It called the baguette, "the bread of our daily lives, the symbol of our gastronomy, the jewel of our culture". It explained why the baguette was so popular. It said: "It is the promise of a delectable sensory experience. On view, it seduces with its golden crust…Fresh from the oven, its toasted scent whets the appetite." The baguette was given UNESCO heritage status in 2022. La Poste called the bread, "an ambassador of the bakery craft". It said the baguette, "transcends borders to become an international icon".

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Stamps - Level 4  or  Stamps - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/may/17/french-post-office-releases-scratch-and-sniff-baguette-stamp
  • https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240517-french-post-office-celebrates-baguette-with-scented-stamp
  • https://www.laposte.fr/pp/timbre-baguette-de-pain-francaise/p/1124031


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. POSTAGE STAMPS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about postage stamps. 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?
       post office / bread / baguette / capsule / fragrance / shopkeeper / baker / chef / bake
       hearts / magic / gastronomy / jewel / culture / delectable / appetite / UNESCO / icon
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. BREAD: Students A strongly believe bread is the most delicious staple food; Students B strongly believe it isn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. THE JEWEL OF CULTURE: What do you know about these gastronomic delights? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What I Know

What I Want to Know

Baguette

 

 

Pizza

 

 

Sushi

 

 

Hummus

 

 

Samosa

 

 

Hot dog

 

 
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. BAKERY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "bakery". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. BREAD USES: Rank these with your partner. Put the best uses of bread at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Sandwiches
  • Buttered toast
  • Bread pudding
  • French toast
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Croutons
  • Pizza bread
  • For dipping in hummus

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. commemorative a. Covered with a thin layer of something.
      2. honour (verb) b. A nice smell, like from flowers or perfume.
      3. run-of-the-mill c. Something made to remember a special person or event.
      4. coated d. A special deceased, holy person who protects and looks after a group of people.
      5. fragrance e. To show great respect for someone or something.
      6. depict f. Ordinary and not special.
      7. patron saint g. To show something in a picture or drawing.

    Paragraph 2

      8. loaf h. To go beyond or rise above something.
      9. delectable i. A big piece of bread that you can cut into slices.
      10. seduce j. Very tasty and delicious.
      11. crust k. To make you feel hungry or excited about something.
      12. whet l. The hard outside part of bread or pizza.
      13. appetite m. To attract someone to do something, often something they might not usually do.
      14. transcend n. The feeling of wanting to eat.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. A series of four different stamps in France celebrate the baguette.     T / F
  2. The new stamp was run through a mill to coat its surface.     T / F
  3. A shopkeeper who sells the stamp said it smells like a bakery.     T / F
  4. Just fewer than half a million of the stamps have been printed.     T / F
  5. France's president said the baguette was "magic" and "perfection".     T / F
  6. The French Post Office called the baguette a diamond of couture.     T / F
  7. The French Post Office said the baguette had a seductive crust.     T / F
  8. The baguette was granted UNESCO heritage status in 2022.     T / F

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

  1. commemorative
  2. run-of-the-mill
  3. fragrance
  4. heart
  5. initial
  6. perfection
  7. symbol
  8. delectable
  9. whets
  10. transcends
  1. delicious
  2. centre
  3. flawlessness
  4. scent
  5. stimulates
  6. ordinary
  7. goes beyond
  8. first
  9. sign
  10. celebratory

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

  1. issued a commemorative
  2. Its surface is coated
  3. The €1.96 stamp depicts
  4. the patron saint
  5. an initial print run
  6. It is the promise of a delectable sensory
  7. On view, it seduces with its golden
  8. its toasted scent whets
  9. It said the baguette transcends
  10. become an international
  1. icon
  2. a baguette
  3. crust
  4. of 594,000 copies
  5. borders
  6. with tiny capsules
  7. experience
  8. postage stamp
  9. the appetite
  10. of bakers

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
saint
postage
bake
fragrance
issue
heart
initial
decorated

The French Post Office (La Poste) has issued a commemorative (1) _____________________ stamp to honour France's famous bread – the baguette. The new stamp is not a run-of-the-mill (2) _____________________. Its surface is coated with tiny capsules that, once broken, release the (3) _____________________ of freshly baked bread. The €1.96 stamp depicts a baguette (4) _____________________ with a red, white, and blue ribbon. A shopkeeper in the (5) _____________________ of Paris that sells the "scratch-and-sniff" stamp said it had a "bakery smell". The stamp was launched on Thursday to celebrate the day of the patron (6) _____________________ of bakers and pastry chefs. La Poste said it had an (7) _____________________ print run of 594,000 copies. It also said French bakers (8) _____________________ more than six billion baguettes every year.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
culture
hearts
craft
delectable
icon
symbol
magic
whets

The baguette is very close to the (9) _____________________ of French people. France's President Emmanuel Macron once described it as being "250 grams of (10) _____________________ and perfection". La Poste wrote about the French loaf on its website. It called the baguette, "the bread of our daily lives, the (11) _____________________ of our gastronomy, the jewel of our (12) _____________________". It explained why the baguette was so popular. It said: "It is the promise of a (13) _____________________ sensory experience. On view, it seduces with its golden crust….Fresh from the oven, its toasted scent (14) _____________________ the appetite." The baguette was given UNESCO heritage status in 2022. La Poste called the bread, "an ambassador of the bakery (15) _____________________". It said the baguette, "transcends borders to become an international (16) _____________________".

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  The French Post Office (La Poste) has issued a ______
     a.  commemorative post it stamp
     b.  commemorative poster stamp
     c.  commemorative postage stamp
     d.  commemorative post stage stamp
2)  The new stamp is not a run-of-______
     a.  the-bill issue
     b.  the-hill issue
     c.  the-mill issue
     d.  the-nil issue
3)  Its surface is coated with tiny capsules that, once broken, ______
     a.  release the flagrant
     b.  release the fragrance
     c.  release the fray grants
     d.  release the fray grunts
4)  The stamp was launched on Thursday to celebrate the day of ______
     a.  the petrol saint
     b.  the patron saint
     c.  the pate Tron saint
     d.  the pay Tron saint
5)  La Poste said it had an initial print run ______
     a.  of 594,000 copies
     b.  of 594,000 coppices
     c.  of 594,000 cop its
     d.  of 594,000 copious

6)  Emmanuel Macron once described it as being 250 grams of ______
     a.  magician and perfection
     b.  magical and perfection
     c.  magics and perfection
     d.  magic and perfection
7)  It called the baguette the bread of our daily lives, the symbol ______
     a.  of our gastro naming
     b.  of our gas trigonometry
     c.  of our gusto naming
     d.  of our gastronomy
8)  It is the promise of a ______
     a.  detectable sense airy experience
     b.  delectable sensory experience
     c.  delectable sensory experiences
     d.  delectable sensory experiential
9)  Fresh from the oven, its toasted scent ______
     a.  wets the appetite
     b.  whets the appetite
     c.  whet the appetite
     d.  waits the appetite
10)  It said the baguette transcends borders to become ______
     a.  an international iconic
     b.  an international icons
     c.  an international eye con
     d.  an international icon

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The French Post Office (La Poste) (1) ____________________ commemorative postage stamp to honour France's famous bread – the baguette. The new stamp is not a run-of-(2) ____________________. Its surface is coated with tiny capsules that, once broken, release the fragrance of freshly baked bread. The €1.96 (3) ____________________ baguette decorated with a red, white, and blue ribbon. A shopkeeper in the heart of Paris that sells the "scratch-and-sniff" stamp said it had a "bakery smell". The stamp was launched on Thursday to (4) ____________________ of the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs. La Poste said it had an (5) ____________________ of 594,000 copies. It also said French (6) ____________________ than six billion baguettes every year.

The baguette is very close (7) ____________________ of French people. France's President Emmanuel Macron once described it as being "250 grams of magic and perfection". La Poste wrote about the (8) ____________________ its website. It called the baguette, "the bread of our daily lives, the symbol (9) ____________________, the jewel of our culture". It explained why the baguette was so popular. It said: "It is the promise of a delectable sensory experience. On view, it seduces with its golden crust….Fresh from the oven, (10) ____________________ whets the appetite." The baguette was given UNESCO (11) ____________________ 2022. La Poste called the bread, "an ambassador of the bakery craft". It said the baguette, "transcends borders to become (12) ____________________".

Comprehension questions

  1. What's the name of the French Post Office?
  2. What is the surface of the stamp coated with?
  3. How much does one stamp cost?
  4. Where does a shopkeeper mentioned in the article work?
  5. How many copies of the stamp have been printed?
  6. What is the baguette very close to?
  7. Who said the baguette was "magic"?
  8. What does the baguette seduce people with?
  9. What is it about a baguette that whets people's appetites?
  10. What happened to the baguette in 2022?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What's the name of the French Post Office?
a) Monsieur Poste
b) Claude
c) La Poste
d) Le Timbre
2) What is the surface of the stamp coated with?
a) tiny capsules
b) glue
c) history
d) breadcrumbs
3) How much does one stamp cost?
a) €1.99
b) €1.98
c) €1.95
d) €1.96
4) Where does a shopkeeper mentioned in the article work?
a) in a post office
b) in the heart of Paris
c) in a stamp shop
d) in a small village
5) How many copies of the stamp have been printed?
a) 549,000 copies
b) 954,000 copies
c) 594,000 copies
d) 494,000 copies

6) What is the baguette close to?
a) pitta bread
b) French people's hearts
c) extinction
d) Switzerland
7) Who said the baguette was "magic"?
a) France's top baker
b) a magician
c) the University de la Baguette
d) France's President Emmanuel Macron
8) What does the baguette seduce people with?
a) smells
b) its golden crust
c) its whiteness
d) hope
9) What is it about a baguette that whets people's appetites?
a) its toasted scent
b) cheese
c) salted butter
d) tomatoes
10) What happened to the baguette in 2022?
a) It became more popular than sushi.
b) It won an international prize.
c) It starred in a movie.
d) It was given UNESCO heritage status.

Role play

Role  A – Sandwiches
You think sandwiches is the best use for bread. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their uses. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): buttered toast, breadcrumbs or dipping in hummus.

Role  B – Buttered Toast
You think buttered toast is the best use for bread. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their uses. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): sandwiches, breadcrumbs or dipping in hummus.

Role  C – Breadcrumbs
You think breadcrumbs is the best use for bread. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their uses. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): buttered toast, sandwiches or dipping in hummus.

Role  D – Dipping in Hummus
You think dipping in hummus is the best use for bread. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their uses. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): buttered toast, breadcrumbs or sandwiches.

After reading / listening

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

'bread'

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

    • and 'stamp'.

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

    • • 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:

    • issued
    • surface
    • depicts
    • sells
    • day
    • run
    • hearts
    • magic
    • culture
    • experience
    • status
    • icon

    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 - Stamps

    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 'bread'?
    3. What do you think of stamps?
    4. Do we still need stamps?
    5. What do you know about French baguettes?
    6. What do you think of 'scratch-and-sniff' stamps?
    7. What do you think of the smell of freshly baked bread?
    8. What are the best things to do with bread?
    9. What food smells are best?
    10. What food should be celebrated in your country?

    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 'stamp'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. How often do you use stamps?
    5. Is the baguette the best kind of bread?
    6. What's the symbol of your country's gastronomy?
    7. What's the jewel of your culture?
    8. What is the most delectable sensory experience you've ever had?
    9. What food always whets your appetite?
    10. What questions would you like to ask French bakers?

    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)

    The French Post Office (La Poste) has (1) ____ a commemorative postage stamp to honour France's famous bread – the baguette. The new stamp is not a run-of-the-(2) ____ issue. Its surface is coated with tiny capsules that, once (3) ____, release the fragrance of freshly baked bread. The €1.96 stamp depicts a baguette (4) ____ with a red, white, and blue ribbon. A shopkeeper in the heart of Paris that sells the "scratch-and-sniff" stamp said it had a "bakery smell". The stamp was launched on Thursday to celebrate the day of the (5) ____ saint of bakers and pastry chefs. La Poste said it had an initial print run of 594,000 copies. It also said French bakers (6) ____ more than six billion baguettes every year.

    The baguette is very close to the (7) ____ of French people. France's President Emmanuel Macron once described it as being "250 grams of magic and perfection". La Poste wrote about the French (8) ____ on its website. It called the baguette, "the bread of our daily lives, the symbol of our gastronomy, the (9) ____ of our culture". It explained why the baguette was so popular. It said: "It is the promise (10) ____ a delectable sensory experience. On view, it seduces with its golden crust….Fresh from the oven, its toasted scent (11) ____ the appetite." The baguette was given UNESCO heritage status in 2022. La Poste called the bread, "an ambassador of the bakery craft". It said the baguette, "transcends borders to become an international (12) ____".

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     issues     (b)     issuance     (c)     issuer     (d)     issued    
    2. (a)     fill     (b)     bill     (c)     hill     (d)     mill    
    3. (a)     braked     (b)     broken     (c)     breaks     (d)     broke    
    4. (a)     decoration     (b)     decorates     (c)     decorated     (d)     decorate    
    5. (a)     matron     (b)     citron     (c)     patron     (d)     neutron    
    6. (a)     bake     (b)     roast     (c)     grill     (d)     baste    
    7. (a)     hearth     (b)     heart     (c)     heat     (d)     hart    
    8. (a)     loaf     (b)     hoof     (c)     beef     (d)     oaf    
    9. (a)     dew     (b)     jewel     (c)     jury     (d)     jowl    
    10. (a)     as     (b)     to     (c)     of     (d)     on    
    11. (a)     wets     (b)     sweats     (c)     whets     (d)     waits    
    12. (a)     scene     (b)     eco     (c)     scion     (d)     icon

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. a mtrceomviaeom postage stamp
    2. ohonru France's famous bread
    3. Its surface is coated with tiny acpluess
    4. release the grnaecafr of freshly baked bread
    5. ecrdeotda with a red, white, and blue ribbon
    6. an ialntii print run

    Paragraph 2

    1. the symbol of our antgromsoy
    2. a ectleadebl sensory experience
    3. its toasted scent whets the taeeppit
    4. UNESCO gareheti status
    5. an dbsoraasam of the bakery craft
    6. the baguette csntraesnd borders

    Put the text back together

    (...)   The baguette is very close to the hearts of French people. France's President Emmanuel Macron once
    (...)   culture". It explained why the baguette was so popular. It said: "It is the promise of a delectable sensory
    (...)   coated with tiny capsules that, once broken, release the fragrance of freshly baked bread. The €1.96 stamp
    (...)   experience. On view, it seduces with its golden crust….Fresh from the oven, its toasted scent whets
    (  1  ) The French Post Office (La Poste) has issued a commemorative postage stamp to honour
    (...)   described it as being "250 grams of magic and perfection". La Poste wrote about the French loaf on its
    (...)   France's famous bread – the baguette. The new stamp is not a run-of-the-mill issue. Its surface is
    (...)   heart of Paris that sells the "scratch-and-sniff" stamp said it had a "bakery smell". The stamp was launched on Thursday
    (...)   the appetite." The baguette was given UNESCO heritage status in 2022. La Poste called the bread, "an ambassador
    (...)   website. It called the baguette, "the bread of our daily lives, the symbol of our gastronomy, the jewel of our
    (...)   of 594,000 copies. It also said French bakers bake more than six billion baguettes every year.
    (...)   to celebrate the day of the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs. La Poste said it had an initial print run
    (...)   depicts a baguette decorated with a red, white, and blue ribbon. A shopkeeper in the
    (...)   of the bakery craft". It said the baguette, "transcends borders to become an international icon".

    Put the words in the right order

    1. postage  France's  honour  to  stamps  bread . Commemorative  famous
    2. coated   with   Its   is   capsules   .   tiny   surface
    3. releases   fragrance   freshly   of   It   baked   bread   .   the
    4. print   initial   An   594,000   run   copies   .   of
    5. than   bakers   six   baguettes   .   billion   French   bake   more
    6. hearts   close   Very   the   of   people   .   to   French
    7. its   Wrote   website   .   on   the   French   about   loaf
    8. so   the   why   popular   .   explained   was   It   baguette
    9. of   the   delectable   a   It's   promise   sensory   experience   .
    10. an   to   borders   transcends   international   It   icon   .   become

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The French Post Office (La Poste) has issuance / issued a commemorative postage stamp to honour France's famous bread – the baguette. The new stamp is not a run-of-the-mill / hill issue. Its surface is coasted / coated with tiny capsules that, once broken, release the fragrance / flagrant of freshly baked bread. The €1.96 stamp depicts / decrepit a baguette decorated with a red, white, and blue ribbon. A shopkeeper in the hearth / heart of Paris that sells the "scratch-and-sniff" stamp said it had a "bakery smell". The stamp was launched on Thursday to celebrate the day of the peloton / patron saint of bakers and pastry / pasty chefs. La Poste said it had an initial / initials print run of 594,000 copies. It also said French bakers bake / baker more than six billion baguettes every year.

    The baguette is very close to the hearths / hearts of French people. France's President Emmanuel Macron once described it as been / being "250 grams of magic and perfection". La Poste wrote about the French loaf / load on its website. It called the baguette, "the bread of our day / daily lives, the symbol of our gastronomy / gastronomic, the jewel of our culture". It explained why the baguette was so popular. It said: "It is the promise / promissory of a delectable sensory / sensor experience. On view, it seduces with its golden crust….Fresh at / from the oven, its toasted scent whets / wets the appetite." The baguette was given UNESCO heritage status in 2022. La Poste called the bread, "an ambassador of the bakery craft". It said the baguette, "transcends border / borders to become an international icon".

    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)

    Th_  Fr_nch  P_st  _ff_c_  (L_  P_st_)  h_s  _ss__d  _  c_mm_m_r_t_v_  p_st_g_  st_mp  t_  h_n__r  Fr_nc_'s  f_m__s  br__d  –  th_  b_g__tt_.  Th_  n_w  st_mp  _s  n_t  _  r_n-_f-th_-m_ll  _ss__.  _ts  s_rf_c_  _s  c__t_d  w_th  t_ny  c_ps_l_s  th_t,  _nc_  br_k_n,  r_l__s_  th_  fr_gr_nc_  _f  fr_shly  b_k_d  br__d.  Th_  €1.96  st_mp  d_p_cts  _  b_g__tt_  d_c_r_t_d  w_th  _  r_d,  wh_t_,  _nd  bl__  r_bb_n.  _  sh_pk__p_r  _n  th_  h__rt  _f  P_r_s  th_t  s_lls  th_  "scr_tch-_nd-sn_ff"  st_mp  s__d  _t  h_d  _  "b_k_ry  sm_ll".  Th_  st_mp  w_s  l__nch_d  _n  Th_rsd_y  t_  c_l_br_t_  th_  d_y  _f  th_  p_tr_n  s__nt  _f  b_k_rs  _nd  p_stry  ch_fs.  L_  P_st_  s__d  _t  h_d  _n  _n_t__l  pr_nt  r_n  _f  594,000  c_p__s.  _t  _ls_  s__d  Fr_nch  b_k_rs  b_k_  m_r_  th_n  s_x  b_ll__n  b_g__tt_s  _v_ry  y__r.

    Th_  b_g__tt_  _s  v_ry  cl_s_  t_  th_  h__rts  _f  Fr_nch  p__pl_.  Fr_nc_'s  Pr_s_d_nt  _mm_n__l  M_cr_n  _nc_  d_scr_b_d  _t  _s  b__ng  "250  gr_ms  _f  m_g_c  _nd  p_rf_ct__n".  L_  P_st_  wr_t_  _b__t  th_  Fr_nch  l__f  _n  _ts  w_bs_t_.  _t  c_ll_d  th_  b_g__tt_,  "th_  br__d  _f  __r  d__ly  l_v_s,  th_  symb_l  _f  __r  g_str_n_my,  th_  j_w_l  _f  __r  c_lt_r_".  _t  _xpl__n_d  why  th_  b_g__tt_  w_s  s_  p_p_l_r.  _t  s__d:  "_t  _s  th_  pr_m_s_  _f  _  d_l_ct_bl_  s_ns_ry  _xp_r__nc_.  _n  v__w,  _t  s_d_c_s  w_th  _ts  g_ld_n  cr_st….Fr_sh  fr_m  th_  _v_n,  _ts  t__st_d  sc_nt  wh_ts  th_  _pp_t_t_."  Th_  b_g__tt_  w_s  g_v_n  _N_SC_  h_r_t_g_  st_t_s  _n  2022.  L_  P_st_  c_ll_d  th_  br__d,  "_n  _mb_ss_d_r  _f  th_  b_k_ry  cr_ft".  _t  s__d  th_  b_g__tt_,  "tr_nsc_nds  b_rd_rs  t_  b_c_m_  _n  _nt_rn_t__n_l  _c_n".

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the french post office la poste has issued a commemorative postage stamp to honour frances famous bread  the baguette the new stamp is not a runofthemill issue its surface is coated with tiny capsules that once broken release the fragrance of freshly baked bread the 196 stamp depicts a baguette decorated with a red white and blue ribbon a shopkeeper in the heart of paris that sells the scratchandsniff stamp said it had a bakery smell the stamp was launched on thursday to celebrate the day of the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs la poste said it had an initial print run of 594000 copies it also said french bakers bake more than six billion baguettes every year

    the baguette is very close to the hearts of french people frances president emmanuel macron once described it as being 250 grams of magic and perfection la poste wrote about the french loaf on its website it called the baguette the bread of our daily lives the symbol of our gastronomy the jewel of our culture it explained why the baguette was so popular it said it is the promise of a delectable sensory experience on view it seduces with its golden crust fresh from the oven its toasted scent whets the appetite the baguette was given unesco heritage status in 2022 la poste called the bread an ambassador of the bakery craft it said the baguette transcends borders to become an international icon

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    TheFrenchPostOffice(LaPoste)hasissuedacommemorativepostages
    tamptohonourFrance'sfamousbread–thebaguette.Thenewstampis
    notarun-of-the-millissue.Itssurfaceiscoatedwithtinycapsulesthat,o
    ncebroken,releasethefragranceoffreshlybakedbread.The€1.96sta
    mpdepictsabaguettedecoratedwithared,white,andblueribbon.Asho
    pkeeperintheheartofParisthatsellsthe"scratch-and-sniff"stampsai
    dithada"bakerysmell".ThestampwaslaunchedonThursdaytocelebrat
    ethedayofthepatronsaintofbakersandpastrychefs.LaPostesaidithad
    aninitialprintrunof594,000copies.ItalsosaidFrenchbakersbakemore
    thansixbillionbaguetteseveryyear.Thebaguetteisveryclosetothehea
    rtsofFrenchpeople.France'sPresidentEmmanuelMacrononcedescrib
    editasbeing"250gramsofmagicandperfection".LaPostewroteaboutt
    heFrenchloafonitswebsite.Itcalledthebaguette,"thebreadofourdailyl
    ives,thesymbolofourgastronomy,thejewelofourculture".Itexplained
    whythebaguettewassopopular.Itsaid:"Itisthepromiseofadelectable
    sensoryexperience.Onview,itseduceswithitsgoldencrust….Freshfro
    mtheoven,itstoastedscentwhetstheappetite."Thebaguettewasgive
    nUNESCOheritagestatusin2022.LaPostecalledthebread,"anambass
    adorofthebakerycraft".Itsaidthebaguette,"transcendsborderstobec
    omeaninternationalicon".

    Free writing

    Write about scratch-and-sniff stamp for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Postage stamps are very important today. 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. POSTAGE STAMPS: Make a poster about postage stamps. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS: Write a magazine article about issuing more commemorative stamps. 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 postage stamps. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your opinions on stamps. 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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