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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

A LUCKY
FIND
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1 Warm up

There are many ways to buy things second-hand. Look at the table and answer the questions in pairs
or small groups.

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A LUCKY FIND

1. Which of these do you have in your town or city?

2. Have you ever bought something second-hand in any of these ways? Would you like to?
3. What’s the best second-hand bargain you ever found?
4. Why do you think people like second-hand shopping?
5. Put these ideas in order from most to least important. Can you think of any other reasons?

• to find out more about the past ___

• to have or own unique items ___
• to help the environment by reusing and recycling items ___
• to make money by reselling the items later ___
• to save money ___

2 Reading for the main idea

You are going to read a news story called, "A Lucky Find - a second-hand bargain brings unexpected
riches." What do you think this story is going to be about?

Skim the article quickly and then try to remember the answers to these questions.

1. Who had a lucky find?

2. What did they buy?

3. Where did they buy it?

4. How much did they pay for the item?

5. How much did they sell the item for?

6. How did they find out the item’s true value?

7. Why was this good luck so important for this person?

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A LUCKY FIND

A Lucky Find
A second-hand bargain brings unexpected riches

1. An unemployed American man was browsing at his local thrift store for items to restore and resell when he noticed
a poster featuring a work by Pablo Picasso. He paid $14 for what he saw as a nice commercial print. However,
after inspecting the markings on it, he realized it was worth more: the signed Picasso print eventually sold for
$7,000.

2. "A pretty good return," said Zachary Bodish of Ohio, laughing. "Can’t get that at the bank."

3. The 46-year-old Bodish said that an online search led him to the print’s history as a French exhibition
advertisement. He began to examine some faded red writing on the print, which he originally thought were
random pencil marks.

4. "It wasn’t until I realized ... that those little red marks were right where the signature should be, that I got out a
stronger magnifying glass and determined that ‘Holy cow! It’s really a Picasso!’" Bodish said.

5. Bodish said he met with a representative from Christie’s auction house to authenticate the piece. A Christie’s
representative confirmed that Bodish consulted a specialist, but the auction house said its policy is not to comment
on items that aren’t sold through it. In this case, Bodish decided to sell the print privately.

6. Lisa Florman, an associate history professor at Ohio State University, has written a book on Picasso. She is familiar
with Bodish’s print only through photos but said it’s very unlikely that the signature is forged because its resell
value is relatively low. Criminals are far more likely to try to pass off an entire painting as an authentic Picasso on
the international art market, as happened in Madrid with a copy of the 1964 painting, "Buste de Jeune (Bust of a
Young Man)" which went for $1.25 million pounds before the crime was discovered.

7. Florman said Picasso designed the print to advertise a 1958 exhibition of his ceramic work in Vallauris, France.
There were 100 prints made for the exhibition and Picasso signed them all. Florman said Bodish’s print may be
one of only a handful that Picasso personally reviewed before they were mass-produced. According to Florman,
Picasso signed so many prints that it’s plausible that the piece would end up somewhere as far away as a thrift
store in the midwestern United States. "It’s kind of a fun story," she said. "There’s nothing about it that seems
fishy."

8. Ed Zettler, a retired English teacher, claims the print sat in his basement for years before he decided to donate it
to the thrift store. Zettler has no hard feelings. "I gave it away. Someone else found it. He fortunately saw more.
It’s his." Zettler said. "That’s the risk you take when you bring something to the thrift store."

9. Bodish says he plans to use the money for day-to-day bills, including utilities, food and even more thrift store
finds. "It’s just been a difficult struggle to make ends meet," he said. "I may have been fated to find it."

Sources: independent.co.uk, theguardian.com

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A LUCKY FIND

3 Reading for details

Match the words in bold to these meanings.

Group 1

1. describing a copy of something that was made illegally so as to deceive people

2. describing an unavoidable event that was perhaps planned by God

3. having a less bright color than previously

4. likely to be true, believable

5. seeming false or dishonest

6. without an obvious meaning or significance

Group 2

1. an image created on paper with ink so that multiple copies can be made

2. dishonestly pretend that something is another thing

3. give something away so that another person of organization can benefit from
it
4. look at something very closely to get more information

5. make sure that something is real, or what someone claims it to be

6. the profit that you get from a business activity or investment

1. What part of speech are all the items in Group 1?

2. Find this same part of speech for the word authenticate in the text.

3. Group 1 has three items with the same ending. Which one has a different pronunciation pattern?

4 Language in context
Read the sentences from the article and choose the best words to complete the phrases in bold. Say
what each phrase means.

1. Florman said Bodish’s print may be one of only a handful / mouthful / spoonful that Picasso
personally reviewed before they were mass-produced.

2. Zettler has no difficult / hard / hate feelings. "I gave it away. Someone else found it. He fortunately
saw more. It’s his." Zettler said.

3. Bodish says he plans to use the money for day-to-day bills, including utilities, food and even more
thrift store finds. "It’s just been a difficult struggle to make ends go / meet / work," he said.

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A LUCKY FIND

5 Speaking
You are going to plan a story about a lucky find. You can use dice to help you decide some of the
details and use your imagination to provide the rest. You can use real dice or find virtual dice on the
Internet using your phone. Circle the information you are going to include.

What did you buy? 1) a work of art / 2) a book or document /

3) an item of clothing or sneakers / 4) a
piece of glass or china / 5) jewelry / 6) any
of these or your own idea

Where did you buy it? 1) at an auction / 2) at a junk or antique

store / 3) at a charity store or thrift store /
4) at a flea market / 5) at a boot fair or
garage sale / 6) any of these or your own
idea

Who are you? 1) a student / 2) you are unemployed / 3) a

dealer / 4) an expert / 5) you are a novice –
so this is your first time in this type of store
/ 6) any of these or your own idea

Where did you find the item? 1) it was in the store window, at the front
of the display or in the auction catalogue /
2) in an old box with lots of other things /
3) on the floor at the back of the store,
display or catalogue / 4) the staff or
dealers were just unpacking it to put it on
display / 5) someone else was asking about
it or looking at it / 6) any of these or your
own idea

How did you find out its value? 1) on the Internet / 2) you asked an expert
/ 3) you took it to a museum or store / 4) a
friend or family member told you / 5) you
already knew / 6) any of these or your own
idea

How much did it cost and how much did You decide!
you sell it for?

Think through the story in your head, inventing any other details that you need to. Plan to use at least
three items from the vocabulary and language in context exercises.
Work in A/B pairs. Interview each other, using the questions in the table and any other questions
that you need to. Get ready to say how your two stories are the same and different.

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A LUCKY FIND

6 Writing: an article

You are going to turn your story into a written article. First read the sentences about articles and
decide if they are true or false.

1. Articles are successful if they are interesting to the reader.

2. Articles need to have a title.

3. Articles only express the writer’s views.

4. Articles are always formal in style.

5. Articles, like stories, often quote direct speech.

Decide whether these phrases are more likely to be about the Introduction (I) or the Conclusion (C)
of an article.

1. Asks the reader a question.

2. Briefly provides the main information points of the story.

3. Makes sure the reader has something to think about later.

4. Describes an unusual scene or situation.

5. Expresses your own personal opinion.

6. Relates the story to a more general situation or trend.

Write an article about your lucky find. Double space your writing so the teacher can make corrections
easily.

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A LUCKY FIND

7 Optional extension

Read about more lucky finds and match the items with the correct information. Two items are extra.

A) a 1959 Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarm watch

B) a sweater
C) a painting created by an unknown artist in the early 1600s
D) a small landscape by early 19th-century English artist John Constable
E) a copy of the American Declaration of Independence commissioned by President John Quincy Adams
F) a ring with a 26-carat diamond cut in the 1800s
G) a necklace designed by the famous sculptor Alexander Calder
H) a blue and white porcelain teapot

When a student bought a second-hand sofa-bed at a flea market in Berlin for $215, she used it only
for seating at first. However, when she eventually pulled out the fold-away bed, she found this item
1
which eventually sold for $27,630.

Zach Norris found this item in a box at a thrift store in Phoenix, Arizona. As an expert, Norris knew
that only 900 of these had ever been made, and he eagerly bought it for only $5.99. He went on to
2
sell it for $35,000.

A married couple in North Carolina had a side hustle restoring and selling vintage items online. They
found this bargain at a local thrift store, paying only 58 cents. However, it was too damaged to resell,
so they kept for themselves. While watching a documentary about a legendary football coach, Vince
Lombardi, they spotted the identical item. They were delighted to find his name on it and managed to
3
sell it for $43,020.

Robin Darvell bought a box of junk at an auction in the UK for the equivalent of $46. Inside he found
this item, which he didn’t like much. Nonetheless, he kept it in a drawer at home for 10 years, before
giving it to his son, who investigated the faded signature and learned that it was worth over $390,000!
4

This item turned up at a thrift store in Nashville, Tennessee. Buyer Michael Sparks was attracted by
its quality and paid only $2.48 for it, assuming it was a copy. Research revealed that it was one of
200 official copies made in 1820 (and only the 36th ever identified). The resale value was $477,650.
5

Great bargains are also to be had online. An anonymous buyer picked this item up for $20 in an online
auction. Although it was broken, it later sold for $806,000 because it was one of the first examples
6
produced in America, nearly 250 years ago.

Answer these questions.

1. Which item has the most surprising story for you?

2. Have you ever bought something and made a surprise discovery?
3. What do you think side hustle means, in the third text?

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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

A LUCKY FIND

Key

1. Warm up

10 mins.
Students start by comparing six different ways of buying second-hand items which are popular in the English-
speaking world. Go through the terms in the left-hand column and drill pronunciation (note that garage would
have first syllable stress in the UK, but this type of sale is not so common there). Students can examine the rest
of the table before discussing the follow-up questions in pairs or small groups. Monitor and support as necessary
and round off this stage with a brief recap of any interesting points from the discussion.

2. Reading for the main idea

10 mins.
In this stage, students practice the effective reading strategies of prediction and skimming. Introduce the article
and elicit a range of simple predictions about the story, using the questions as a framework. Make sure that
students understand how to skim a text: read it quickly, ignoring any new words, to get a general idea of the
content and how it is organized. You could set a time limit of no more than three minutes for this. They should
then cover the article and recall the answers to the questions. You could allow them to work alone or in pairs, and
then check any information they aren’t sure of in the article after a while. Check answers with the whole class.
You could compare the answers with their predictions as you work through.
Sources: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/unemployed-ohio-man-s-luck-changes-after-
discovering-signed-picasso-print-7734325.html; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/07/four-arrested-
1m-picasso-forgery

1. Zachary Bodish, from Ohio in the US

2. A poster featuring a picture by artist Pablo Picasso
3. At a local thrift store
4. $14
5. $7,000
6. He found a signature, did research online and checked with an expert from Christie’s auction house
7. He’s unemployed and needs the money to pay his bills

3. Reading for details

10 mins.
Students now practice defining meaning from the context in a matching exercise. You could ask individual students
to complete both groups, or they could work in A/B pairs, and each complete one set, before sharing their answers
in pairs. Check answers with the class and drill pronunciation – stressed syllables are underlined. You should point
out that donate has first syllable stress in American English. Pose the follow-up questions to the whole class. You
might also want to present the related noun forms forgery and donation. Students will have an opportunity to
activate these items in the speaking and writing stages.
Group 1

1. forged (adj.) 2. fated (adj.) 3. faded (adj.)

4. plausible (adj.) 5. fishy (adj.) 6. random (adj.)
Group 2

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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

A LUCKY FIND

1. print (n) 2. pass off (phrasal verb) 3. donate (v)

4. inspect (v) 5. authenticate (v) 6. return (n)
Questions

1. adjectives
2. authentic
3. Forged has just one syllable while faded and fated have two.

4. Language in context

5 mins.
Students recall detailed information and define the phrases from context. These items will also be useful in the
speaking and writing activity.
1) handful 2) hard 3) meet

1. meaning: only a small number

2. meaning: accepting the outcome of a situation which is not in your own favor
3. meaning: able to pay for everyday expenses

5. Speaking

15 mins.
Students begin to develop a story about a lucky find. The use of real or virtual dice is fun and also relieves students
of the burden of thinking of so many details. However, it is also possible to give students free choice over any/all
of the details. They will need to use their imagination as well.
Explain the speaking task (which develops into a writing task later in the lesson) and give students a minute to
examine all the options in case they want to ask questions (novice is defined in the table). Then hand out dice or
provide a link to virtual dice on the Internet and give students a minute to roll the dice and choose their options.
They also need to imagine any other details to make the story seem plausible.
Before they interview each other in pairs, they should think through the story in their head. They should plan
to use at least three items from the vocabulary and language in context exercises. This rehearsal stage makes an
important contribution to the eventual quality of the story.
Set up A/B pairs. Students interview each other, and they can use the questions provided as a framework, as
well as adding their own. They do not need to make notes about their partner’s story – the purpose here is for
the speaker to start formulating the information and incorporating target language. Pair work also encourages
students to share good ideas. This will support the writing activity that follows.
Ask a few students to comment on how their partner’s story was the same/different to their own.

6. Writing: an article

10 mins.
Students should now have a story that is sufficiently developed to turn into a short article, one of the writing
tasks in Cambridge exams. Go through the true/false sentences with students to make sure they are familiar with
the basic genre of an article. Then examine the second exercise and consider the functions of introductions and
conclusions. Finally, go over the task instructions. Choose a word limit that relates to preparation for the most
relevant exam (B2 First ~190 words, C1 Advanced ~250 words). Students can complete the article for homework.
The marking focus should include use of target language and how well the work conforms with the genre of
article.

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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

A LUCKY FIND

True/false:

1. True – the purpose of an article is to entertain and hold the reader’s attention until the end.
2. True, and they can also have a subtitle, as in the example in the lesson; a title is the first stage in capturing the
reader’s attention.
3. False – they can express the views of anyone in the story or the writer can even imagine and explore opposing
views.
4. False – they are unlikely to be formal; informal or semi-formal is more usual depending on where they are
published.
5. True – this is a good way to keep the reader interested.
Conclusion/introduction:

1. I 2. I 3. C 4. I 5. C 6. C

7. Optional extension

10 mins.
This activity is intended as a cooler or filler if you have time in your lesson. Students read six short texts and match
each one with the correct "lucky find". They can work alone and then check answers in pairs before you check
with the whole class. Pose the follow-up questions.
Source: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/ "Pennies for a Picasso? Check out these 20 thrift store finds worth up to
$200 million"
Extra items: a necklace designed by the famous sculptor Alexander Calder, a ring with a 26-carat diamond cut in
the 1800s

When a student bought a second-hand sofa-bed at a flea market in Berlin for $215, she used it only for seating at
first. However, when she eventually pulled out the fold-away bed, she found this item which eventually sold for
$27,630. C) a painting created by an unknown artist in the early 1600s
Zach Norris found this item in a box at a thrift store in Phoenix, Arizona. As an expert, Norris knew that only 900
of these had ever been made, and he eagerly bought it for only $5.99. He went on to sell it for $35,000. A) a
1959 Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarm watch
A married couple in North Carolina had a side hustle restoring and selling vintage items online. They found this
bargain at a local thrift store, paying only 58 cents. However, it was too damaged to resell, so they kept for
themselves. While watching a documentary about a legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi, they spotted the
identical item. They were delighted to find his name on it and managed to sell it for $43,020. B) a sweater
Robin Darvell bought a box of junk at an auction in the UK for the equivalent of $46. Inside he found this item,
which he didn’t like much. Nonetheless, he kept it in a drawer at home for 10 years, before giving it to his son,
who investigated the faded signature and learned that it was worth over $390,000! D) a small landscape by early
19th-century English artist John Constable
This item turned up at a thrift store in Nashville, Tennessee. Buyer Michael Sparks was attracted by its quality and
paid only $2.48 for it, assuming it was a copy. Research revealed that it was one of 200 official copies made in
1820 (and only the 36th ever identified). The resale value was $477,650. E) a copy of the American Declaration
of Independence commissioned by President John Quincy Adams
Great bargains are also to be had online. An anonymous buyer picked this item up for $20 in an online auction.
Although it was broken, it later sold for $806,000 because it was one of the first examples produced in America,
nearly 250 years ago. H) a blue and white porcelain teapot
G) a necklace designed by the famous sculptor Alexander Calder
F) a ring with a 26-carat diamond cut in the 1800s
A side hustle is work that you take on in addition to your main job – you do this to make extra money, of course,
but also because you enjoy it, or hope it will lead to something bigger in the future.

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