The great maple syrup heist

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The great maple syrup heist

Warm-up

Have you ever tasted maple syrup? (Yes, I have...)

Vocabulary Match

discovered •• robbers
inspector •• store
reserve •• found
arrested •• checker
jailed •• caught
thieves •• prison

Vocabulary Answers

discoveredfound
inspectorchecker
reservestore
arrestedcaught
jailedprison
thievesrobbers

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In 2011 and 2012, ________ in Quebec stole 2,700 tonnes of maple syrup from a special ________. The stolen syrup was worth nearly $18 million. The crime was ________ when an ________ found empty barrels and others filled with water. Police said it was an inside job.

The group moved the syrup to New Brunswick, then sold it in Canada and the U.S. Four men were ________, and the leader was ________ for almost 8 years. Only some of the syrup was found. This huge crime became known as the Great Maple Syrup Heist and was shown in a Netflix documentary called "Dirty Money."

In 2011 and 2012, thieves in Quebec stole 2,700 tonnes of maple syrup from a special reserve. The stolen syrup was worth nearly $18 million. The crime was discovered when an inspector found empty barrels and others filled with water. Police said it was an inside job.

The group moved the syrup to New Brunswick, then sold it in Canada and the U.S. Four men were arrested, and the leader was jailed for almost 8 years. Only some of the syrup was found. This huge crime became known as the Great Maple Syrup Heist and was shown in a Netflix documentary called "Dirty Money."

Quiz

  1. How much maple syrup did the thieves steal?
  2. Where did the inspector find empty barrels?
  3. How many men were arrested?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. 2,700 tonnes
  2. In Quebec
  3. Four men

True or False

  1. The thieves replaced the syrup with water to trick inspectors. T F
  2. The stolen syrup was sold in Canada and the U.A.E. T F
  3. Security cameras helped police catch the thieves. T F

True or False Answers

  1. True
  2. False
  3. False

Conversation

A:Did you hear about the maple syrup heist?
B:Yeah, it's hard to believe! How did no one notice?
A:The place had no cameras.
B:Seriously? For something worth millions?
A:I know! They even put water in the empty barrels.
B:That's smart… but also really sneaky.

Discussion

  1. Have you ever tried to make pancakes?
  2. Do you like putting syrup on your food?
  3. What would you do if you found a barrel of syrup?
  4. Would you like to watch "Dirty Money"?
  5. Have you ever watched a true crime documentary?

Further Reading

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/great-canadian-maple-syrup-heist

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