Before Wonka: the original rip-off events that left children in tears

Level 1: Elementary

1
  Warmer

a. Read the definition below. Can you think of a time when someone lied to you about something
you bought? What happened? What did you do? Discuss.

rip-off (n) something that is not worth what you pay for it

2
  Key words

a. Write the correct words from the wordpool to complete the definitions below. Then find and
highlight them in the article to read them in context.

charge      mobility scooter      promise      spend      ticketholder

1. tell somebody that something will definitely happen

2. give money to pay for things

3. ask for a certain amount of money for something

4. someone who has a ticket for a particular trip or event

5. a small vehicle with three of four wheels and an engine for people
who cannot walk well

climbing wall      court      disappointing      mannequin      ride

6. a machine in an amusement park that people travel in or are

moved around by for fun

7. a large model of a human, especially one used to show clothes

in a shop

8. making you feel unhappy because something was not what you
hoped or expected

9. a fake wall with places to put your hands and feet, used for
practising the sport of climbing

10. a place where legal cases happen

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 Before Wonka: the original rip-off events that left children in tears
Level 1: Elementary

b. Complete the sentences with words from the previous activity. You might have to change the
form of the word.

1. I don’t understand why they’ve me extra.

2. Today is the new lawyer’s first day in .

3. How much do you want to on a new car?

4. Look at the beautiful dress on that in the window.

5. The children each other they would stay friends forever.

6. That restaurant had five stars, but my food was .

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 Before Wonka: the original rip-off events that left children in tears
Level 1: Elementary
Stuart Heritage 7 At the Fortnite festival held in Norwich in 2019,
28 February, 2024 the company sold 10,000 tickets at between
£13.52 and £22.14, but charged extra for other
1 Willy’s Chocolate Experience in Glasgow is the tickets. These included a tiny climbing wall,
perfect story. Run by a company called House a small stage where children could floss and
of Illuminati, they promised a lot but gave very a “cave experience”, described as “a tunnel
little. But they were not the first. So let’s look at through a trailer with a slide”. The first event
some other rip-offs. was so bad that the rest were cancelled. The
makers of Fortnite took the company to court,
2 At Christmas, people often spend too much and it was later closed.
money on things they don’t need. Sometimes,
though, Christmas events can go too far. 8 But this all happened in the past. The
future of rip-off events is here, thanks to
3 In 2020, the Colannades Shopping Centre Willy’s Chocolate Experience. Prepare
in Adelaide charged $60 Australian (£31) for yourselves, everyone.
Santa’s Winter Village. But once they paid,
ticketholders went to an empty building with © Guardian News and Media 2024
First published in The Guardian, 28/02/2024
several old Christmas trees, unpainted boxes
and a mobility scooter as Santa’s sleigh.
4 There was also a 2022 event in East Lothian,
where ticketholders were charged an extra
£15 to meet St Nicholas, but met a mannequin
dressed as Santa instead. There were rides
here but, they weren’t very good. One man said
he spent £100 on tickets. He reported that his
daughter was left on the bungee ropes for 10
minutes after she was finished because the
staff member left.
5 In 2019, the Rialto Theatre in Montreal
hosted an adult Harry Potter event for 600
people at $50 Canadian (£29), but it too was
disappointing. Ticketholders could make their
own wands, which were some chopsticks on
a table. Meanwhile, Platform 9 and 3/4 was a
blank brick wall.
6 The 2018 Mario Kart event in Melbourne
promised gamers a chance to dress up as
Nintendo characters, race go-karts, play in a
games room and more. In reality, the costumes
were dirty, the snack was one cupcake and
the games room had just two Nintendo Wiis.
Tickets cost $100 US (£51) each.
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 Before Wonka: the original rip-off events that left children in tears
Level 1: Elementary

3
  Comprehension check

a. Answer the questions using information from the article.

1. Where is the name of the event?

2. Where was it held?

3. What is the House of illuminati?

4. What do people often do at Christmas?

5. How much were tickets to Santa’s Winter Village in Adelaide?

6. What was used for Santa’s sleigh?

7. At the 2022 event in East Lothian, what was used for St Nicholas?

8. Where was the Harry Potter event held?

9. What did the Mario Kart event in Melbourne promise?

10. How many tickets were sold for the Fortnite festival in 2019?

4
  Key language

a. Read the sentences from the article. Identify the correct tense for each underlined verb.

1. They promised a lot but gave very little. present simple / past simple

2. People often spend too much money on things they don’t need. present simple / past simple

3. The games room had just two Nintendo Wiis. present simple / past simple

4. The future of rip-off events is here. present simple / past simple

b. Ask and answer the following questions in pairs.

1. Did you ever promise to do something and didn’t do it?

2. Do you spend money on things you don’t need?

3. Did you have a video game console when you were a child?

4. What is your favourite “pop culture” item?

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 Before Wonka: the original rip-off events that left children in tears
Level 1: Elementary

5
  Discussion

a. Discuss these statements.

• “Before you buy something, research it.”

• “Some people will sell you a dream and give you a nightmare.”

6
  In your own words

a. Do some research about other recent rip-offs.

• What are some other ones?

• What did they promise?

• What really happened?

• How can people protect themselves?

b. Report your findings to the class and share your opinions. Here are some phrases to help
you when you discuss facts.

According to my research, …

One example is …

They promised … , but …

One thing you can do is …

Another thing people / governments can do is …

Here are some phrases to use when stating your opinion.

I think (that) …

From what I know / have read, …

It makes me feel …

In my understanding / opinion, …

I (dis)agree with …
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 Before Wonka: the original rip-off events that left children in tears
Level 1: Elementary – Teacher’s notes
b. Before reading the article carefully, students
Article summary: The article talks about the use some of the key words to fill the gaps in the
recent Wonka scam in Scotland and highlights sentences to ensure that they understand and know
other past ones. how the words are used in other contexts.

Time: 60 minutes Key:

1. charged 4. mannequin
Skills: Reading, Speaking, Writing 2. court 5. promised
3. spend 6. disappointing
Language focus: Verb tense review
3. Comprehension check
Materials needed: One copy of the
worksheet per student
a. Students answer the questions based on the
information in the article. They may do this in
different ways, e.g., in item 1, they may say
1. Warmer ‘The event’s name is Willy’s Chocolate Experience’,
or similar.
a. This activity aims to get students thinking and talking
about situations where people get tricked out of Key (suggested answers):
money. Ask students if they’re familiar with the term 1. Willy’s Chocolate Experience
rip-off. Have students discuss rip-offs or scams 2. Glasgow
they have heard of or fallen victim to. If students 3. the company that ran the event
are comfortable, encourage them to share what 4. spend too much money on things they
happened, how they felt and how they protected don’t need
themselves against future scams. They can also 5. $60 Australian
talk about things they have heard from others or in 6. a mobility scooter
the news. 7. a mannequin
8. at the Rialto Theater in Montreal
2. Key words 9. a chance to dress up as Nintendo characters,
race go-karts and play in a games room
a. Ask students to do the exercise individually and 10. 10,000
then compare their answers in pairs or small groups.
Students may know the word experience to describe 4. Key language
knowledge about something (e.g. She has 10 years’
teaching experience) or something that happens to a. The activity gives students an opportunity to review
you and how you felt about it (e.g. We had a great the present simple and past simple using sentences
experience at that restaurant). Students may also found in the article. You could take this opportunity to
be familiar with the word local as an adjective to compare usage and/or ask students to find additional
describe a small area. As an extension activity, ask verbs and name the tense, or change sentences in
students to highlight the key words in the article. the present simple to past simple or vice versa.

Key: Key:
1. promise 6. ride 1. past simple
2. spend 7. mannequin 2. simple present
3. charge 8. disappointing 3. past simple
4. ticketholder 9. climbing wall 4. present simple
5. mobility scooter 10. court
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 Before Wonka: the original rip-off events that left children in tears
Level 1: Elementary – Teacher’s notes

b. Students have an opportunity to practise asking and

answering questions in simple present and simple
past using verbs from the article. Monitor and offer
help with the language when necessary.

5. Discussion

a. Students discuss the statements related to the

article and give their reasons and justifications for
each answer, referring to their own experiences
wherever possible.

6. In your own words

a. Ask students to research more about rip-offs.

b. Students could then present their reports to the

class. Encourage students to share the information
they’ve gathered and their opinions about the issue.
Encourage students to use some of the given
phrases in their presentations when stating facts and
their opinions.

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