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The Bank Robbery

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Warm Up

Work with a partner.

Can you think of five reasons why people go to the bank?

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Reading
Scene:

Read the conversation below.

Mrs. Thomas was in a bank during a robbery. Shes telling the police her story.

Police Officer:

So, Mrs. Thomas, where were you when the robbers entered?

Mrs. Thomas:

Erm I was quite near the counter.

Police Officer:

I see. Tell me what happened.

Mrs. Thomas:

Well, I was standing in line when suddenly two men entered the bank. They
shouted, Everybody on the floor!

Police Officer:

Right. What happened next?

Mrs. Thomas:

Well, I got on the floor, of course. But when I was lying on the floor, I could
see the robbers clearly.

Police Officer:

Can you describe them?

Mrs. Thomas:

Yes. Lets see. One man was tall, and was in his late twenties, I guess. He
was wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt.

Police Officer:

And the other robber?

Mrs. Thomas:

Hmm. He was shorter, and maybe in his late forties. I cant remember the
clothes, but he was holding a large black sports bag.

Police Officer:

Ok. Thank you, Mrs. Thomas. We will ask you some more questions shortly.

Comprehension

Are these sentences true or false? Correct the false ones.

1) Mrs. Thomas was filling in a form when the robbers entered.

2) The robbers shouted, everybody face the wall!
3) When she was lying on the floor, she could not see the robbers.
4) The tall robber was wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt.
5) The shorter robber was in his early sixties.
6) The shorter robber was holding a white briefcase.

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Language Work #1

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Rewrite these sentences.

1) Bill [cook] when the lights suddenly [go out] .

2) When the earthquake [happen] , Tom [teach] English.
3) Yesterday, I . [work] all morning. In the afternoon, I . [meet] some friends in town.
4) Julia [drive] home when she . [run into] another car.
5) Peter . [clean] the living room when he [come across] some money.

Language Work #2

Describing Age

A) Can you remember the approximate ages of the robbers in the reading? Fill in the spaces.
1) The tall robber was

2) The shorter robber was

B) Look at the pictures below. How old do you think these people are? Finish the sentences.

Tom is ..

Andy is

Jo is

C) Make similar sentences using the cues in the box below, or your imagination.
MY BEST FRIEND
MY SON / DAUGHTER

MY ENGLISH TEACHER
MY GRANDMOTHER

MY MOTHER / FATHER
MY BROTHER / SISTER

Speaking Practice

Ask and answer these questions with a partner.

What were you doing when your cell phone last rang?

What were you doing when you found something?

What did you do when you were traveling to work/school today?

Have you ever seen a famous person? What were you doing when you saw him/her?

Your Ideas!

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The Bank Robbery: Teaching Notes

Past Continuous / Progressive and Past Simple
General
Intermediate
45 - 60 minutes
None

Target Structure:
Vocabulary:
Level:
Time:
Preparation:
Suggested Teaching Method

Students can find it difficult to use the past continuous tense correctly. This worksheet has a short conversation,
comprehension questions, grammar exercises and speaking practice.

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Give one worksheet to each student. Students should work in pairs. After a few minutes, elicit some answers, and write
them on the board.
Set the scene. Pre-teach vocabulary, as necessary. Students should read through the conversation, and then practice in
pairs.
Follow the instructions on the worksheet. Students can work in pairs. You can make this exercise more challenging by
asking students to cover the conversation while correcting the sentences.
Before beginning this exercise, you may wish to present the target structure. Draw on the board a timeline similar to the one
below:
Watch TV

Now
Fall asleep

Elicit When I was watching TV, I fell asleep.

Tell students that the answers are either the Past Simple or the Past Continuous. They should work alone on the written
exercise, and check in pairs.

Follow the instructions on the worksheet. After part (a), write the sentence pattern on the board:

Bob
Julie

is in

his
her

early
mid
late

twenties
thirties
fifties

Students should complete B and C, and then check in pairs.

Follow the instructions on the sheet. Encourage students to ask follow up questions. Monitor, but try not to interrupt. After
the activity is finished, go though some of the errors on the board, and encourage self / peer correction.

The answer key is on the next page.

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Answer Key - More than one answer may be possible.

Sample Answers:
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Pay in money / deposit money

Pay in cheques / cash cheques [US: checks]
Withdraw money
Buy travellers cheques
Pay bills
Get a loan

1)

Mrs. Thomas was filling in a form when the robbers entered.

Mrs. Thomas was standing in line when the robbers entered.

2)

The robbers shouted, everybody face the wall!

They shouted, Everybody on the floor!

3)

When she was lying on the floor, she could not see the robbers.
She could see the robbers when she was lying on the floor.

4)

The tall robber was wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt.

5)

The shorter robber was in his early sixties.

He was in his early forties.

6)

The shorter robber was holding a white briefcase.

He was holding a large black sports bag.

1)

Bill was cooking when the lights suddenly went out.

2)

When the earthquake happened, Tom was teaching English.

3)

Yesterday, I worked all morning. In the afternoon, I met some friends in town.

4)

Julia was driving home when she ran into another car.

5)

Peter was cleaning the living room when he came across some money.

A)

1) The tall robber was in his late twenties.

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2) The shorter robber was in his late forties.

B)

C)

Tom is in his early twenties.

Andy is in his mid-thirties.
Jo is in her early fifties.

(Possible answers)

Answers vary.

How are we doing?

Wed be pleased to hear some feedback on our worksheets. Contact us at editor@handoutsonline.com.

Updated 7/2/2006

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