The Reading / Listening - Comics - Level 6

A pristine copy of the very first self-titled Superman comic has been sold at auction for $9.12 million. This is a world record for a comic book. The rare publication was sold by Texas-based Heritage Auctions. Its vice-president, Lon Allen, called the record-breaking edition the "pinnacle of comic collecting". He said: "Superman No. 1 is a milestone in pop culture history, and this copy is not only in unprecedented condition, it also has a movie-worthy story behind it. I was glad to see the price reflect that, and I'm honoured that Heritage was entrusted with this iconic book." Superman No. 1 first appeared on bookshelves in June 1939. It paved the way for a whole gamut of superhero comics.

Prior to its sale, the record-breaking 86-year-old copy of Superman No. 1 had been gathering dust in the attic of a house in California. Three brothers discovered it amid the cobwebs while cleaning out their late mother's house. The brothers said their mother was an avid comic collector, and that she had told them she had "rare comics somewhere". Half a million copies of Superman No. 1 were initially printed. One copy cost 10 cents. Mint condition copies are now extremely rare because the comic invited readers to cut off the front cover to use as a poster. Superman No. 1 became the blueprint for the modern superhero. The character was a symbol of hope, justice, and "doing the right thing".

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Comics - Level 4  or  Comics - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8e9rp0knj6o
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/21/style/superman-attic-most-expensive-comic-scli-intl
  • https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/21/superman-no1-becomes-most-expensive-comic-ever-sold


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. SUPERMAN: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Superman. 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?
       comic / auction / vice-president / pinnacle / milestone / collecting / superhero / price /
       record breaking / dust / cobweb / mint condition / front cover / poster / justice / hope
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. COMICS OR BOOKS: Students A strongly believe comics are better than books; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. SUPERHEROES: What do you know about these superheroes? What can we learn from them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What I Know

What We Can Learn

Superman

 

 

Wonder Woman

 

 

Storm

 

 

Spiderman

 

 

Vixen

 

 

Ultraman

 

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

  • Super strength
  • Flight
  • Super speed
  • Telepathy
  • Invisibility
  • Telekinesis
  • Can control fire
  • Time travel

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. pristine a. A sale where people offer money for things and the highest offer wins.
      2. auction b. A historically important moment or event.
      3. pinnacle c. Many different kinds of something.
      4. milestone d. The best or highest point of something.
      5. unprecedented e. Made something else possible at a later time.
      6. paved the way for f. Very clean and like new.
      7. a whole gamut of g. Never ever happened before.

    Paragraph 2

      8. prior to h. The space or room under the roof of a house.
      9. attic i. Not used for a very long time.
      10. gathering dust j. A plan or design for things to be done or made later.
      11. cobwebs k. Very interested in something.
      12. avid l. Collections of thin strands made by spiders.
      13. mint condition m. Before something.
      14. blueprint n. In perfect condition with no damage.

 

Before reading / listening

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

  1. The Superman comic sold for over $10 million.     T / F
  2. The comic was auctioned in New York.     T / F
  3. The auction house said a movie could be made about the record copy.     T / F
  4. The comic 'Superman No. 1' first came out in 1939.     T / F
  5. The record-breaking comic was found in the attic of a comic collector.     T / F
  6. There were cobwebs surrounding the comic.     T / F
  7. The decades-old comic smelt of mint.     T / F
  8. 'Superman No.1' became the model for superheroes that came after it.    T / F

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

  1. pristine
  2. publication
  3. pinnacle
  4. milestone
  5. gamut
  6. prior
  7. gathering dust
  8. avid
  9. blueprint
  10. justice
  1. collecting cobwebs
  2. peak
  3. range
  4. fairness
  5. perfect condition
  6. example
  7. previous
  8. book
  9. keen
  10. landmark

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

  1. a pristine
  2. sold at
  3. Superman No. 1 is a milestone in
  4. It paved
  5. a whole gamut
  6. gathering
  7. Three brothers discovered it amid
  8. their mother was an avid
  9. Mint condition copies
  10. the blueprint for
  1. the modern superhero
  2. pop culture history
  3. dust
  4. comic collector
  5. copy
  6. are now extremely rare
  7. the way
  8. auction
  9. of superhero comics
  10. the cobwebs

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
reflect
pinnacle
appeared
self
unprecedented
publication
gamut
pop

A pristine copy of the very first (1) _________________________________ -titled Superman comic has been sold at auction for $9.12 million. This is a world record for a comic book. The rare (2) _________________________________ was sold by Texas-based Heritage Auctions. Its vice-president, Lon Allen, called the record-breaking edition the "(3) _________________________________ of comic collecting". He said: "Superman No. 1 is a milestone in (4) _________________________________ culture history, and this copy is not only in (5) _________________________________ condition, it also has a movie-worthy story behind it. I was glad to see the price (6) _________________________________ that, and I'm honoured that Heritage was entrusted with this iconic book." Superman No. 1 first (7) _________________________________ on bookshelves in June 1939. It paved the way for a whole (8) _________________________________ of superhero comics.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
avid
symbol
invited
initially
dust
blueprint
condition
amid

Prior to its sale, the record-breaking 86-year-old copy of Superman No. 1 had been gathering (9) _________________________________ in the attic of a house in California. Three brothers discovered it (10) _________________________________ the cobwebs while cleaning out their late mother's house. The brothers said their mother was an (11) _________________________________ comic collector, and that she had told them she had "rare comics somewhere". Half a million copies of Superman No. 1 were (12) _________________________________ printed. One copy cost 10 cents. Mint (13) _________________________________ copies are now extremely rare because the comic (14) _________________________________ readers to cut off the front cover to use as a poster. Superman No. 1 became the (15) _________________________________ for the modern superhero. The character was a (16) _________________________________ of hope, justice, and "doing the right thing".

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  A pristine copy of the very first self-titled Superman comic has been ______
     a.  sold up auction
     b.  sold at auction
     c.  sold of auction
     d.  sold as auction
2)  The rare publication was sold by Texas-______
     a.  basted Heritage Auctions
     b.  biased Heritage Auctions
     c.  baste Heritage Auctions
     d.  based Heritage Auctions
3)  He said Superman No. 1 is a milestone in ______
     a.  pop cultural history
     b.  pop culture history
     c.  popped culture history
     d.  pop culture historian
4)  I'm honoured that Heritage was entrusted with ______
     a.  this icon nick book
     b.  this iconic book
     c.  these iconic book
     d.  this eco-nick book
5)  It paved the way for a whole gamut ______
     a.  of superhero comics
     b.  of superhero comic
     c.  off superhero comics
     d.  off superhero comic

6)  the record-breaking 86-year-old copy of Superman No. 1 had ______
     a.  been gathering dusted
     b.  been gathering dust
     c.  been gathering dusty
     d.  been gathering dusts
7)  Three brothers discovered it ______
     a.  armed the cobwebs
     b.  timid the cobwebs
     c.  mid the cobwebs
     d.  amid the cobwebs
8)  The brothers said their mother was an ______
     a.  abet comic collector
     b.  rabid comic collector
     c.  avid comic collector
     d.  aphid comic collector
9)  copies are now extremely rare because the comic invited readers to cut off ______
     a.  the front covered
     b.  the front covering
     c.  the front cover
     d.  the front covet
10)  The character was a symbol of hope, justice, and doing ______
     a.  the right thing
     b.  the light thing
     c.  the bright thing
     d.  the rightly thing

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A (1) _______________________________________________ the very first self-titled Superman comic has been sold at auction for $9.12 million. This is a world record for a comic book. The (2) _______________________________________________ sold by Texas-based Heritage Auctions. Its vice-president, Lon Allen, called the record-breaking edition the "(3) _______________________________________________ collecting". He said: "Superman No. 1 is a milestone in pop culture history, and this copy is not only in unprecedented condition, it also has a (4) _______________________________________________ behind it. I was glad to see the (5) _______________________________________________, and I'm honoured that Heritage was entrusted with this iconic book." Superman No. 1 first appeared on bookshelves in June 1939. It paved the way for a (6) _______________________________________________ superhero comics.

Prior to its sale, the record-breaking 86-year-old copy of Superman No. 1 had been (7) _______________________________________________ the attic of a house in California. Three brothers discovered it (8) _______________________________________________ while cleaning out their late mother's house. The brothers said their mother (9) _______________________________________________ comic collector, and that she had told them she had "rare comics somewhere". Half a million copies of Superman No. 1 were initially printed. One copy cost 10 cents. (10) _______________________________________________ are now extremely rare because the comic invited readers to cut off the front cover to use as a poster. Superman No. 1 became (11) _______________________________________________ the modern superhero. The character was a (12) _______________________________________________, justice, and "doing the right thing".

Comprehension questions

  1. In what kind of condition was the comic that broke the record?
  2. Where is the auction house that sold the Superman comic?
  3. What did an auction house say the comic was a milestone in?
  4. When did the original Superman No. 1 comic first come out?
  5. What did the original Superman No. 1 comic pave the way for?
  6. What had the comic been gathering in a woman's attic?
  7. Who was an avid comic collector?
  8. How much did the original Superman No. 1 sell for?
  9. What was the original Superman No. 1 a blueprint for?
  10. What is Superman a symbol of besides hope and justice?

Multiple choice quiz

1)  In what kind of condition was the comic that broke the record?
a) in reasonable condition
b) in pristine (perfect) condition
c) in sellable condition
d) in very good condition
2) Where is the auction house that sold the Superman comic?
a) Florida
b) California
c) New York
d) Texas
3) What did an auction house say the comic was a milestone in?
a) a road to success
b) a journey
c) pop culture history
d) publishing technology
4) When did the original Superman No. 1 comic first come out?
a) June 1939
b) July 1939
c) June 1940
d) July 1904
5) What did the original Superman No. 1 comic pave the way for?
a) changing clothes in telephone boxes
b) a whole gamut of superhero comics
c) sales of kryptonite
d) the popularity of red capes

6) What had the comic been gathering in a woman's attic?
a) dust
b) money
c) fans
d) readers
7) Who was an avid comic collector?
a) Clark Kent
b) Superman
c) The woman whose attic the comic was found in.
d) the auction house vice-president
8) How much did the original Superman No. 1 sell for?
a) ten cents
b) twelve cents
c) eighteen cents
d) twenty cents
9) What was the original Superman No. 1 a blueprint for?
a) movie series
b) doing the right thing.
c) being nice
d) the modern superhero
10) What is Superman a symbol of besides hope and justice?
a) handsomeness
b) strength
c) doing the right thing.
d) being nice

Role play

Role  A – Super Strength
You think super strength is the best superpower. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their powers. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): flight, invisibility or time travel.

Role  B – Flight
You think flight is the best superpower. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their powers. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): super strength, invisibility or time travel.

Role  C – Invisibility
You think invisibility is the best superpower. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their powers. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): flight, super strength or time travel.

Role  D – Time Travel
You think time travel is the best superpower. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their powers. Also, tell the others which is the least useful of these (and why): flight, invisibility or super strength.

After reading / listening

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

'Superman'

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

    • and 'comic'.

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

    • • 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:

    • pristine
    • vice
    • collecting
    • only
    • glad
    • whole
    • dust
    • amid
    • late
    • avid
    • mint
    • modern

    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 - Comics

    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 'Superman'?
    3. What do you think of Superman?
    4. How important are heroes in society?
    5. What do you think of comics?
    6. What are your country's superheroes like?
    7. Who is the greatest superhero?
    8. What can we learn from Superman?
    9. Who is better – Superman, Batman or Spiderman?
    10. What advice do you have for Superman?

    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 'comic'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you think of superheroes?
    5. Do you prefer comics or novels?
    6. What things in your attic might be worth something?
    7. What things do or did you like collecting?
    8. How are modern and traditional superheroes different?
    9. What three things would you want Superman to do right now?
    10. What questions would you like to ask Superman?

    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)

    A pristine copy of the very (1) ____ self-titled Superman comic has been sold (2) ____ auction for $9.12 million. This is a world record for a comic book. The rare publication was sold by Texas-based Heritage Auctions. Its vice-president, Lon Allen, called the record-breaking edition the "(3) ____ of comic collecting". He said: "Superman No. 1 is a (4) ____ in pop culture history, and this copy is not only in unprecedented condition, it also has a movie-worthy story behind it. I was glad to see the price (5) ____ that, and I'm honoured that Heritage was entrusted with this iconic book." Superman No. 1 first appeared on bookshelves in June 1939. It (6) ____ the way for a whole gamut of superhero comics.

    (7) ____ to its sale, the record-breaking 86-year-old copy of Superman No. 1 had been gathering dust in the attic of a house in California. Three brothers discovered it (8) ____ the cobwebs while cleaning out their late mother's house. The brothers said their mother was an (9) ____ comic collector, and that she had told them she had "rare comics somewhere". Half a million copies of Superman No. 1 were initially printed. One copy cost 10 cents. (10) ____ condition copies are now extremely rare because the comic invited readers to cut off the front cover to use as a poster. Superman No. 1 became the (11) ____ for the modern superhero. The character was a symbol (12) ____ hope, justice, and "doing the right thing".

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     first     (b)     fast     (c)     fist     (d)     frosty    
    2. (a)     of     (b)     by     (c)     at     (d)     to    
    3. (a)     receptacle     (b)     commercial     (c)     pinnacle     (d)     popular    
    4. (a)     cornerstone     (b)     grindstone     (c)     millstone     (d)     milestone    
    5. (a)     reflect     (b)     shine     (c)     polish     (d)     usurp    
    6. (a)     dusted     (b)     paved     (c)     tarmacked     (d)     tiled    
    7. (a)     Pry     (b)     Priority     (c)     Priory     (d)     Prior    
    8. (a)     ending     (b)     amid     (c)     starter     (d)     middling    
    9. (a)     aphid     (b)     avoid     (c)     avid     (d)     evade    
    10. (a)     Herb     (b)     Coin     (c)     Menthol     (d)     Mint    
    11. (a)     fingerprint     (b)     footprint     (c)     imprint     (d)     blueprint    
    12. (a)     at     (b)     of     (c)     to     (d)     by

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. A etisrnpi copy
    2. sold at otunaci
    3. the nlcenpia of comic collecting
    4. in nuepeddrctene condition
    5. stureendt with this iconic book
    6. a whole mugat of superhero comics

    Paragraph 2

    1. rroip to its sale
    2. discovered it amid the ebsowcb
    3. their mother was an idva comic collector
    4. ltxymreee rare
    5. the pbtleunir for the modern superhero
    6. a lmobsy of hope

    Put the text back together

    (  1  )   A pristine copy of the very first self-titled Superman comic has been sold at auction for $9.12 million. This is a world
    (    )   appeared on bookshelves in June 1939. It paved the way for a whole gamut of superhero comics.
    (    )   dust in the attic of a house in California. Three brothers discovered it amid the cobwebs while cleaning out their late
    (    )   mother's house. The brothers said their mother was an avid comic collector, and that she had told
    (    )   of comic collecting". He said: "Superman No. 1 is a milestone in pop culture history, and this copy is not
    (    )   only in unprecedented condition, it also has a movie-worthy story behind it. I was glad to see the price
    (    )   president, Lon Allen, called the record-breaking edition the "pinnacle
    (    )   printed. One copy cost 10 cents. Mint condition copies are now extremely rare because the comic invited
    (    )   Prior to its sale, the record-breaking 86-year-old copy of Superman No. 1 had been gathering
    (    )   readers to cut off the front cover to use as a poster. Superman No. 1 became the blueprint for the modern
    (    )   record for a comic book. The rare publication was sold by Texas-based Heritage Auctions. Its vice-
    (    )   reflect that, and I'm honoured that Heritage was entrusted with this iconic book." Superman No. 1 first
    (    )   superhero. The character was a symbol of hope, justice, and "doing the right thing".
    (    )   them she had "rare comics somewhere". Half a million copies of Superman No. 1 were initially

    Put the words in the right order

    1. pristine   A   of   copy   very   the   comic   first   .
    2. This   a   is   record   world   a   for   comic   .
    3. is   Superman   milestone   a   pop   in   history   culture   .
    4. I'm   to   glad   the   see   reflect   price   that   .
    5. was   Heritage   with   entrusted   iconic   this   book   .
    6. had   It   gathering   been   in   dust   attic   the   .
    7. Three   discovered   brothers   amid   it   cobwebs   the   .
    8. Their   was   mother   avid   an   collector   comic   .
    9. Mint   copies   condition   now   are   rare   extremely   .
    10. The   was   character   symbol   a   hope   of   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    A pristine copy of the very first serf-titled / self-titled Superman comic has been sold at / to auction for $9.12 million. This is a world record for a comic book. The rare / rarified publication was sold by Texas-based Heritage Auctions. Its vice-president, Lon Allen, called the record-breaking edition / rendition the "pinnacle of comic collecting". He said: "Superman No. 1 is a milestone / millstone in pop culture history, and this copy is not only in unprecedented / unrepresented condition, it also has a movie-worthy story behind it. I was glad to see the price reflection / reflect that, and I'm honoured that Heritage was encrusted / entrusted with this iconic book." Superman No. 1 first appeared on bookshelves in June 1939. It tarmacked / paved the way for a whole gamut / mutt of superhero comics.

    Prior / Post to its sale, the record-breaking 86-year-old copy of Superman No. 1 had been gathering must / dust in the attic of a house in California. Three brothers discovered it middling / amid the cobwebs while cleaning out their late / early mother's house. The brothers said their mother was an aphid / avid comic collector, and that she had told them she had "rare comics somewhere". Half a million copies of Superman No. 1 were initially / firstly printed. One copy cost 10 cents. Mint / Fortune condition copies are now extremely rare because the comic invited readers to cut on / off the front cover to use as a poster. Superman No. 1 became the blueprint at / for the modern superhero. The character was a symbol of / on hope, justice, and "doing the right thing".

    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)

    _  pr_st_n_  c_py  _f  th_  v_ry  f_rst  s_lf-t_tl_d  S_p_rm_n  c_m_c  h_s  b__n  s_ld  _t  __ct__n  f_r  $9.12  m_ll__n.  Th_s  _s  _  w_rld  r_c_rd  f_r  _  c_m_c  b__k.  Th_  r_r_  p_bl_c_t__n  w_s  s_ld  by  T_x_s-b_s_d  H_r_t_g_  __ct__ns.  _ts  v_c_-pr_s_d_nt,  L_n  _ll_n,  c_ll_d  th_  r_c_rd-br__k_ng  _d_t__n  th_  "p_nn_cl_  _f  c_m_c  c_ll_ct_ng".  H_  s__d:  "S_p_rm_n  N_.  1  _s  _  m_l_st_n_  _n  p_p  c_lt_r_  h_st_ry,  _nd  th_s  c_py  _s  n_t  _nly  _n  _npr_c_d_nt_d  c_nd_t__n,  _t  _ls_  h_s  _  m_v__-w_rthy  st_ry  b_h_nd  _t.  _  w_s  gl_d  t_  s__  th_  pr_c_  r_fl_ct  th_t,  _nd  _'m  h_n__r_d  th_t  H_r_t_g_  w_s  _ntr_st_d  w_th  th_s  _c_n_c  b__k."  S_p_rm_n  N_.  1  f_rst  _pp__r_d  _n  b__ksh_lv_s  _n  J_n_  1939.  _t  p_v_d  th_  w_y  f_r  _  wh_l_  g_m_t  _f  s_p_rh_r_  c_m_cs.

    Pr__r  t_  _ts  s_l_,  th_  r_c_rd-br__k_ng  86-y__r-_ld  c_py  _f  S_p_rm_n  N_.  1  h_d  b__n  g_th_r_ng  d_st  _n  th_  _tt_c  _f  _  h__s_  _n  C_l_f_rn__.  Thr__  br_th_rs  d_sc_v_r_d  _t  _m_d  th_  c_bw_bs  wh_l_  cl__n_ng  __t  th__r  l_t_  m_th_r's  h__s_.  Th_  br_th_rs  s__d  th__r  m_th_r  w_s  _n  _v_d  c_m_c  c_ll_ct_r,  _nd  th_t  sh_  h_d  t_ld  th_m  sh_  h_d  "r_r_  c_m_cs  s_m_wh_r_".  H_lf  _  m_ll__n  c_p__s  _f  S_p_rm_n  N_.  1  w_r_  _n_t__lly  pr_nt_d.  _n_  c_py  c_st  10  c_nts.  M_nt  c_nd_t__n  c_p__s  _r_  n_w  _xtr_m_ly  r_r_  b_c__s_  th_  c_m_c  _nv_t_d  r__d_rs  t_  c_t  _ff  th_  fr_nt  c_v_r  t_  _s_  _s  _  p_st_r.  S_p_rm_n  N_.  1  b_c_m_  th_  bl__pr_nt  f_r  th_  m_d_rn  s_p_rh_r_.  Th_  ch_r_ct_r  w_s  _  symb_l  _f  h_p_,  j_st_c_,  _nd  "d__ng  th_  r_ght  th_ng".

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    a pristine copy of the very first selftitled superman comic has been sold at auction for 912 million this is a world record for a comic book the rare publication was sold by texasbased heritage auctions its vicepresident lon allen called the recordbreaking edition the pinnacle of comic collecting he said superman no 1 is a milestone in pop culture history and this copy is not only in unprecedented condition it also has a movieworthy story behind it i was glad to see the price reflect that and im honoured that heritage was entrusted with this iconic book superman no 1 first appeared on bookshelves in june 1939 it paved the way for a whole gamut of superhero comics

    prior to its sale the recordbreaking 86yearold copy of superman no 1 had been gathering dust in the attic of a house in california three brothers discovered it amid the cobwebs while cleaning out their late mothers house the brothers said their mother was an avid comic collector and that she had told them she had rare comics somewhere half a million copies of superman no 1 were initially printed one copy cost 10 cents mint condition copies are now extremely rare because the comic invited readers to cut off the front cover to use as a poster superman no 1 became the blueprint for the modern superhero the character was a symbol of hope justice and doing the right thing

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Apristinecopyoftheveryfirstself-titledSupermancomichasbeensolda
    tauctionfor$9.12million.Thisisaworldrecordforacomicbook.Therare
    publicationwassoldbyTexas-basedHeritageAuctions.Itsvice-pres
    ident,LonAllen,calledtherecord-breakingeditionthe"pinnacleofcomi
    ccollecting".Hesaid:"SupermanNo.1isamilestoneinpopculturehistor
    y,andthiscopyisnotonlyinunprecedentedcondition,italsohasamovie-
    worthystorybehindit.Iwasgladtoseethepricereflectthat,andI'mhono
    uredthatHeritagewasentrustedwiththisiconicbook."SupermanNo.1f
    irstappearedonbookshelvesinJune1939.Itpavedthewayforawholeg
    amutofsuperherocomics.Priortoitssale,therecord-breaking86-year-
    oldcopyofSupermanNo.1hadbeengatheringdustintheatticofahousei
    nCalifornia.Threebrothersdiscovereditamidthecobwebswhilecleanin
    gouttheirlatemother'shouse.Thebrotherssaidtheirmotherwasanavi
    dcomiccollector,andthatshehadtoldthemshehad"rarecomicssomew
    here".HalfamillioncopiesofSupermanNo.1wereinitiallyprinted.Onec
    opycost10cents.Mintconditioncopiesarenowextremelyrarebecauset
    hecomicinvitedreaderstocutoffthefrontcovertouseasaposter.Super
    manNo.1becametheblueprintforthemodernsuperhero.Thecharacter
    wasasymbolofhope,justice,and"doingtherightthing".

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    Comics are better than novels. 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. SUPERMAN: Make a poster about Superman. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. SUPERHEROES: Write a magazine article about teaching children in schools about superheroes and their positive messages. 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 Superman. Ask him/her three questions about him. Give him/her three of your opinions of him. 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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