. Spelling Mistakes - ESL Lesson Plan - Breaking News English Lesson
Spelling Mistakes - ESL Lesson Plan - Breaking News English Lesson
Spelling Mistakes - ESL Lesson Plan - Breaking News English Lesson

Breaking News English Lesson: Spelling Mistakes

Everyone makes spelling mistakes. In the UK, a political party misspelled the name of its own country. The mistake was on a chocolate bar. The word "Britain" was spelt "Britian". The political party was giving the chocolate to people at an event. The party said the mistake was because of a "printing error".

Social media laughed at the mistake. A journalist wrote that the party couldn't spell the name of its country. A different party said the political party "can't proofread". Earlier this year, another party misspelt the word "Scottish". It made a handout that said "Your Scotish Labour candidate," missing a "t".

Try the same news story at these levels:

  • https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/06/conservative-party-misspell-britain-conference-chocolate-bar
  • https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/embarrassing-chocolate-bar-handed-out-32623227
  • https://metro.co.uk/2025/10/06/kemi-badenoch-makes-wonky-spelling-error-tory-chocolate-bar-24356118/

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities, and more.

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News

"Much has been said and written on the utility of newspapers; but one principal advantage which might be derived from these publications has been neglected; we mean that of reading them in schools."

The Portland Eastern Herald (June 8, 1795)

"News is history in its first and best form, its vivid and fascinating form, and. history is the pale and tranquil reflection of it."

Mark Twain, in his autobiography (1906)

"Current events provide authentic learning experiences for students at all grade levels. In studying current events, students are required to use a range of cognitive, affective, critical thinking and research skills."

Haas, M. and Laughlin, M. (2000) Teaching Current Events: It's Status in Social Studies Today.

Phrase Matching Paragraph 1
  1. Everyone makes
  2. In the
  3. a political
  4. misspelled the name of
  5. The mistake was on a chocolate
  6. The word "Britain" was
  7. people at
  8. a printing
  1. UK
  2. its own country
  3. spelling mistakes
  4. spelt "Britian"
  5. error
  6. an event
  7. party
  8. bar
Paragraph 2
  1. Social media laughed
  2. A journalist wrote
  3. the party couldn't spell the
  4. the political
  5. spell the name
  6. the political party can't
  7. It made
  8. missing a
  1. a handout
  2. proofread
  3. at the mistake
  4. "t"
  5. that
  6. of its country
  7. party
  8. name
Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Everyone (1) _________________________________________________. In the UK, a political party misspelled the name (2) _________________________________________________ country. The mistake was on (3) _________________________________________________. The word "Britain" was spelt "Britian". (4) _________________________________________________ was giving the chocolate (5) _________________________________________________ an event. The party said the mistake was because of (6) _________________________________________________.

Social media (7) _________________________________________________ mistake. A journalist wrote (8) _________________________________________________ couldn't spell the name of its country. A (9) _________________________________________________ the political party "can't proofread". (10) _________________________________________________, another party misspelt the word "Scottish". It (11) _________________________________________________ that said "Your Scotish Labour candidate," (12) _________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Everyonemakesspellingmistakes.IntheUK,apoliticalpartymisspelle dthenameofitsowncountry.Themistakewasonachocolatebar.Thewo rd"Britain"wasspelt"Britian".Thepoliticalpartywasgivingthechocolat etopeopleatanevent.Thepartysaidthemistakewasbecauseofa"printi ngerror".Socialmedialaughedatthemistake.Ajournalistwrotethatthe partycouldn'tspellthenameofitscountry.Adifferentpartysaidthepoliti calparty"can'tproofread".Earlierthisyear,anotherpartymisspeltthew ord"Scottish".Itmadeahandoutthatsaid"YourScotishLabourcandidat e,"missinga"t".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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