The mouse-man who made famous furniture

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Elementary A2

PDF: The mouse-man who made famous furniture

Warm-up

Do you know what a furniture maker does? (Yes, they...)

Vocabulary Match

oak •• chairs, tables, etc.
collect •• features
hidden •• secret
details •• sturdy
furniture •• gather
well-made •• a kind of wood

Vocabulary Answers

oaka kind of wood
collectgather
hiddensecret
detailsfeatures
furniturechairs, tables, etc.
well-madesturdy

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

Robert Thompson, also known as the Mouseman of Kilburn, was a ________ maker from England. He was born in 1876 and started a furniture-making business that became famous for its unique style. Thompson's furniture was made of ________ and had small hand-carved ________, including a mouse on each piece. The mouse was ________ in different places, like chair arms or table legs.

People liked Thompson's furniture because it was strong and ________. Thompson died in 1955, but his family still runs the business. Today, people ________ Thompson's furniture because it is special and has a mouse on it. The mouse has become a symbol of Thompson's work and is famous all over the world.

Robert Thompson, also known as the Mouseman of Kilburn, was a furniture maker from England. He was born in 1876 and started a furniture-making business that became famous for its unique style. Thompson's furniture was made of oak and had small hand-carved details, including a mouse on each piece. The mouse was hidden in different places, like chair arms or table legs.

People liked Thompson's furniture because it was strong and well-made. Thompson died in 1955, but his family still runs the business. Today, people collect Thompson's furniture because it is special and has a mouse on it. The mouse has become a symbol of Thompson's work and is famous all over the world.

Quiz

  1. Who was Robert Thompson?
  2. What was unique about Thompson's furniture?
  3. Why did people like Thompson's furniture?
  4. What is the mouse a symbol of?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Robert Thompson was a furniture maker from England.
  2. Thompson's furniture had small hand-carved details, including a mouse on each piece.
  3. People liked Thompson's furniture because it was strong and well-made.
  4. The mouse is a symbol of Thompson's work.

True or False

  1. Thompson's furniture was made of pine. T F
  2. Thompson's family still runs the business. T F
  3. The mouse on Thompson's furniture was always in the same place. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. False

Conversation

A:Wow, this furniture is beautiful! Who made it?
B:That's the work of Robert Thompson, the Mouseman of Kilburn.
A:Why is he called the Mouseman?
B:He put a small mouse on every piece of furniture he made.
A:Really? Where is it? (looks carefully) Aha! I found it!

Discussion

  1. Do you have any furniture that is special to you? Why is it special?
  2. Have you ever collected anything? What did you collect and why?
  3. Do you make anything? What personal touch do you add to your work?
  4. If you could make something that people would collect, what would it be and why?

Further Reading

https://www.robertthompsons.co.uk/visitor-centre/history/

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