What to do

1. Make copies of the activity pages and cut out the pictures. (Note: If you normally use the eWB version, use the print version for the first part of the activity.) Tell the students that you are going to give each of them a picture of a famous person. They mustn’t show each other their pictures. You want them to identify the person and write four sentences about them without mentioning his or her name.

Give each student one of the pictures. If a student doesn’t recognise the person, give them another picture or give them a clue to help identify the person. The students then write their sentences.

2. Students read out their sentences. They can do this in open class or in groups. If the other students can identify the person, the student reveals their picture. If the other students can’t identify the person, they can ask yes/no questions to help them discover the identity. At the end of the activity, all the pictures should have been revealed. (At this point, eWB users can display all the pictures.)

3. Ask students to look at all the pictures and discuss what they all have in common. If they don’t immediately spot that they are all waxworks, introduce some clues to help them. Then write the word ’waxwork’ on the board. Where can people usually see waxworks? Answer: In a wax museum. What is the name of one of the most famous wax museums in the world? Answer: Madame Tussauds.

4. Dictate the following questions or write them on the board.

1 How long does it take to make a waxwork?
2 How many artists work on a waxwork?
3 How much does it cost to make?
4 How long does the famous person need to spend as a model?

Ask the students to work in groups or pairs and guess an answer for each question. Write their suggestions on the board. Then give them copies of the top half of the first activity page. Ask them to read the column on the right to check the answers to the questions.

5. Ask a student to read out the final two sentences in the column. Explain that all the pictures the students looked at are waxworks apart from one. Which photograph do the students think is of a real person? When students have had a chance to look at the photos again, take a vote on which they think is the real person. If you are using the eWB version you can reveal the answer by displaying the next page. (Answer: Justin Bieber)

6. Students order the story of Madame Tussaud. Invite some students to read out the story in the correct order to check answers. Help with any comprehension problems.

7. Finally, students work in pairs or small groups and nominate someone they think should have a waxwork figure at Madame Tussauds. They should think of a person, and some arguments to backup their choice. Students then present their choices to the class. The class votes for the most deserving case.

Answers

People (page 1)
President Barack Obama; Angela Merkel; Robert Pattinson; Oscar Wilde; Justin Bieber; Tom Cruise; William Shakespeare; Samuel L Jackson

(page 2)
Michelle Obama; Lady Gaga; Michael Jackson; Queen Elizabeth II; Bill Clinton; Albert Einstein; Jennifer Lopez; Cristiano Ronaldo; Kate Winslet; Johnny Depp; King Henry VIII; Marilyn Monroe; Martin Luther King Jr.; Prince Charles; Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; Muhammad Ali

Odd one out
The photo of Justin Bieber is of the real person.

Order the story
1. d; 2. f; 3 b; 4 e; 5 h; 6 a; 7 g; 8 c;