Penguin Readers Factsheets Teacher’s Notes

The Last Photo by Bernard Smith About Easystarts Communicative activities

Easystarts are Penguin Readers written to the lowest level in the Penguin Readers series. There are more than twenty titles to choose from, across a range of styles and subject matter. All titles are in full colour with carefully selected photos and/or artwork which helps to guide early learners of English. There is one page of activities at the back of each book.

The following activities on this page are whole-class, teacher-led activities which may be done after those in the Reader.

Penguin Readers Easystarts provide pleasurable reading for all tastes at an appropriate level of difficulty.

1 Ask the students to look at the picture on the front of the book. On the board write down any new words that they need to describe the picture e.g. photos, newspaper. Ask them to write a few sentences about who the two people are, where they are (in a kitchen) and what they are doing. Students may also like to write about what they think the story is about. 2 Ask students if they are interested in photography. How do their photos look? When do they take photos? Do they like having their photo taken?

Summary In The Last Photo, Martin and his sister Pam are spending a day in Cambridge, England. Pam likes taking photos, but sometimes they are not very good. At the end of the day, she takes one last photo. The photo is one of Martin, and as she takes it, a strange man with a rucksack walks in front of Martin. This makes Pam cross. Later, they see the man get on a bus for Scotland. Three days later, Pam looks at her photos from Cambridge with Martin. The last photo shows the man with the rucksack. Martin, has an idea. He thinks that this man looks like a man in the newspaper. The policemen are looking for the man because he has a lot of money (a hundred thousand pounds) with him. It is not his money, but the bank’s where he works. He shows the newspaper photo to Pam. They take the photo and newspaper to the police station They tell the police that they saw the man get on a bus to Scotland. The police think it is the same man too. They find him and the money. The people in the bank are very pleased to have the money back and give Pam and Martin a thousands pounds. Pam has money to buy a good camera.

Background and themes Chance: Pam accidentally takes a photo of someone who is wanted by the police. By chance they see which bus the man goes on. Pam thinks that the last photo is a mistake, but in the end it brings her luck. Appearances: Martin is able to see the same face of a stranger even when the stranger looks different. Police: People who break the law often make mistakes which helps the police catch them. In this story, Rook is caught because he walks in front of a camera and his photois taken. © Pearson Education Limited 2002

BEFORE YOU READ

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Students who guessed what the story is about may like to read aloud what they wrote. The other students point out what is different about their story and the real story. Ask the students to imagine they are policemen. Alan Rook, has been found. Now they must write a report. It must be factual and start with a time and date when Pam and Martin first walked into the police station. Put students in pairs. Each pair chooses a sentence from the story. One student from each pair reads out the sentence that they have chosen. The other pairs must say where in the story the sentences come from, e.g. ‘It comes from the beginning/middle/the end’. As an extra task, the students could arrange the sentences out in story order. Ask each pair to stand up and make a line in order of their sentences. When done, they can read out the sentences again in order. Record this.

Vocabulary Here is a list of the words commonly used in the Reader. beard camera camping bus and police station far film flowers idea laugh minute rucksack sunglasses take photos tent tired university

Penguin Readers Factsheets Student’s activities ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK

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1 Point to the words which are in the cover photo. One word is not in the picture, which is it? photo newspaper window kitchen blue smile 2 What do you think the story is about? Read the back of the book then choose one of the answers below. (a) The boy and girl are looking for a friend. (b) The boy and girl see that there is something special about the last photo. (c) The boy and girl are choosing a photo for a newspaper. (d) The boy and girl are going to cook a meal.

Here are some answers. What are the questions? Use ‘why?’ ‘who?’ ‘what?’and ‘where?’ (a) Because he wants to look at the photo in the newspaper. (b) His name is Alan Rook. (c) ‘I’m drawing on the newspaper.’ (d) He is in Scotland.

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Practise the words for colours (a) What colour is Pam’s sweater on page 1? (b) What colour is the man’s rucksack? His tent? His hat? (c) What colour is the wall in the police station?

ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK 1

(d) What is the colour of the man from the bank’s hair on page 15?

Find the mistakes. Pages 1-4 (a) Pam takes photos of trees.

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Choose the correct word: on or in

(b) Pam and Martin go home at 3 o’clock.

(a) Martin draws a beard –– the face of the man –– the photo.

(c) Martin likes Pam to take his photo.

(b) Pam and Martin are –– Cambridge. They are –– a garden.

(d) Martin stands next to a man with a suitcase.

(c) Pam gets her photos from the shop –– Tuesday. –– the last photo there is a strange man.

(e) Pam is happy because she has a photo of the man. (f) The man wears blue sunglasses and a black hat.

(d) Alan Rook is –– the mountains –– Aberdeen. The money is –– the rucksack. (e) The rucksack is –– his back. There is a lot of money –– it.

Pages 5-9 (g) They see the man again at the police station.

(f) –– the next morning, Pam and Martin’s story is –– all the newspapers.

(h) At home, they sit in the bedroom and look at the photos (i) Pam looks at the last photo and says ’Wait a minute.’ (j) The newspaper says £10,000 is missing.

6 Make some headlines using A. Finish the sentences from (B) (A)

(k) Martin draws on the photo.

(i) The bank says (ii) Do you know (iii) Police go to Aberdeen

Pages 10-15 (l) The man in the newspaper looks like Martin.

(a) to look for Rook

(m) The policeman’s name is Alan Rook.

(b) this man?

(n) Pam tells the policeman that she thinks the man is in Cambridge.

(c) a lot of money

(o) The police find Alan Rook, but he does not have the money.. (p) Now Pam and Martin are in the newspaper! (q) The people in the bank give Pam a new camera. 2

(iv) Bank loses (B)

Put these words into a sentence. beard camping bus station rucksack sunglasses photo police station

(d) thank you to Pam and Martin ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK 1 Do you like the story? Find three things that are good, and three that are bad about the story. Set a time limit of ten minutes to make your answers. 2 Imagine you are Alan Rook. You are in a tent in Scotland. Write a letter to the bank. In the letter tell them if you are sorry, angry or happy for example.

The man has –– (a) on, and they hide his eyes. He has a –– (b) on his face. He is walking to the –– (c) where he wants to get a bus. He is carrying a –– (d) on his back. Is he –– (e) or going to a hotel? He does not know that Pam and Martin have a –– (f) of him. They take the photo to the –– (g).

© Pearson Education Limited 2002

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