Short story: A Scandal in Bohemia
Interactive exercises to consolidate your students’ learning.
The Sherlock Holmes story where a woman beats him, A Scandal in Bohemia by Arthur Conan Doyle (1891), retold at A2+ with the story untouched: a king needs an old photo back from the singer Irene Adler, and Holmes uses disguises, a fake street fight and a cry of "Fire!" to find it, but she is one step ahead. Four pages of story with pictures, then six choice questions, "Find the clues" questions, a box and gap fill on three verb forms from the story, and a pair writing task; answer key and teacher notes included, in colour and in black and white. One long lesson or two short ones.
Documents to download (2)
- Worksheet In your teacher account
- Worksheet (black and white) In your teacher account
Teaching guide
Objective & content
The Sherlock Holmes story where a woman beats him, A Scandal in Bohemia by Arthur Conan Doyle (1891), retold at A2+. The language is simplified, the story is not: every trick and the ending are Conan Doyle's. A masked visitor comes to Baker Street: he is the King of Bohemia, and he needs an old photo back from the singer Irene Adler before his wedding. Holmes watches her house in disguise, ends up as the witness at her own wedding, and then plans a fake street fight and a cry of "Fire!" to make her show him where the photo is. But Irene Adler is one step ahead of him. The story is told by Dr Watson, as in the original. By the end, pupils can follow a story of about 1,700 words, explain how Holmes and Irene Adler each found out the truth, and use three verb forms from the story.
Pedagogical guide
The story runs over four pages, set like a novel, with one drawing on each page. Page 5 holds the tasks. Six choice and true or false questions check the story. "Find the clues" sends pupils back into the text: how Holmes knew his visitor was a rich German from Bohemia, why he wanted Watson to shout "Fire!", why Irene Adler let him into her house, and who the young man was who said "Good night, Mr Sherlock Holmes". A box gives three verb forms from the story (the past simple, be going to, have + past participle), then pupils complete four sentences from the story with them. In the last task, pupils work in pairs: they are Sherlock Holmes, and they write a short answer to Irene Adler's letter. Page 6 is the answer key with the teacher notes.
Suggested procedure
- (5 min) Ask "Is it easy to trick a very clever person? How could you do it?"
- (20 min) Read the story aloud, or pupils read in pairs. Stop after "She is going to show it to me." and ask "How?" Stop again after "Now who was that?" and ask "Who do you think it was?"
- (10 min) Pupils answer the choice questions, then the "Find the clues" questions; check together.
- (10 min) Pupils read the box and complete the four sentences.
- (10 min) In pairs, pupils write Holmes's answer to Irene Adler, then read some aloud.
Adaptations
[S] Read the story over two lessons, two pages at a time, and go through the words they may need first (mask, disguise, witness, wedding, priest, smoke rocket). Pupils can answer the choice questions and two of the clues only.
[A] Pupils retell the story from Irene Adler's point of view: the strange priest, the fire, and the night she followed Holmes home.
Materials & prerequisites
One copy per pupil, in colour or black and white: pages 1 to 5 are for pupils, page 6 is the answer key. Pupils should know the past simple of common irregular verbs.
Possible adaptations
- Lower levels: Offer segmented listening and additional visual aids.
- Advanced levels: Encourage an oral summary and a debate in English on the theme.
- Large groups: Organise group work with differentiated roles.
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