Lesson Topics: robbery, crime
Skill Focus: Listening, Speaking, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 1.75 hours
Lesson Plan Download: louvre-heist-crime-advanced-lesson-102025.docx
- Note: Some speaking activities in this lesson take a playful tone and have students imagine themselves in crime-related scenarios. If this is not appropriate for your class, then omit these activities or pick a different lesson.
- The lesson begins with warm-up questions about Paris, crime, and theft.
- Next, students preview sentences from the lesson's featured video and match 12 vocabulary items to their definitions.
- The lesson's featured video is a short 2:51 clip about the high-profile heist at the Louvre that occurred on October 19, 2025. The video explains how the robbery was executed, the items stolen, and the beginning of the police manhunt.
- The video is followed by comprehension and follow-up questions.
- For vocabulary practice, students create discussion questions with the 12 vocabulary items and then ask a partner.
- The lesson has two debate topics about stealing from the rich and the moral duty to act as a witness.
- As the main speaking activity, students have to devise a scheme to make three million dollars in a week in order to repay the mafia. Seven options are presented, some of them illegal (though not too dark), that the students must evaluate on a decision matrix that considers risk, possible payout, and potential consequences.
- Next students review four famous quotations about crime and theft.
- As a creative and consolidation activity, students then make up the second half of the Louvre robbery story. In their story, they should integrate some images and the lesson's key vocabulary.
- As the lesson draws to a close, students review the key vocabulary and collocations. Finally, the lesson ends with some final discussion questions.
ADVANCED (C1/C2) Lesson on Crime & Theft (Web Preview)
Warm-up Questions
- Have you ever visited Paris? If not, would you like to?
- Is crime a major issue in your country?
- If you could steal one famous object from anywhere in the world, what would it be and why?
Vocabulary Previewing: Match the bolded phrases from today’s video to their definitions below.
- Brazen and in broad daylight, the thief in a hood and high-vis, part of a team carrying out an audacious heist at the Louvre.
- … an incalculable amount had been swiped from one of the most famous museums in the world, as confused visitors were ushered out by frantic
- … treasures from Napoleon and French sovereigns.
- France, as you know, is a country with a rich heritage …
- And this is what they made off with: eight items, including …
- We have seen similar heists, but targeting the Louvre is next level…
- … as forensic teams worked to track down the masterminds.
- The gang could be trying to cross the border or melting down their loot as we speak.
1. ____________ (adj): done openly and without shame or hesitation
2. ____________ (n): cultural traditions and history passed down through generations
3. ____________ (adj): acting with extreme worry or fear; rushed and anxious
4. ____________ (n): stolen goods or valuable items taken illegally
5. ____________ (adj): related to scientific methods used to investigate crimes
6. ____________ (phr v): escaped with something stolen
7. ____________ (v): stole something quickly and easily
8. ____________ (n): the intelligent planners behind a complex crime or operation
9. ____________ (adj): showing boldness or daring, often in a shocking way
10. ____________ (phr v): guided or moved people out of a place, usually in an orderly or hurried way
11. ____________ (n): planned thefts, especially of valuable items
12. ____________ (n): kings or queens; people who rule a country
Video: Eight 'priceless' objects stolen in Louvre museum heist
Background: The theft occurred on October 19, 2025.
Comprehension Questions & Follow-Up Questions
1) Recall & Retell: Retell the video’s main ideas to a partner using your own words.
2) What makes this crime particularly brazen and audacious?
3) What details suggest the thieves were professionals?
4) Why does the French president consider the crime an attack on his people’s heritage?
5) Do you think the thieves will be caught? Why or why not?
6) What could be some motives behind stealing cultural treasures instead of money or art for resale?
7) Why do stories like this captivate the public? What does this fascination say about us?
Replace the underlined phrase below with a bolded word above. Then ask the questions to a partner.
brazen / heritage / frantic / loot / forensic / make off with / swipe
mastermind / audacious / usher / heist / sovereign
- If you were part of a heist team, would you be the intelligent planner, the muscle, or something else?
- Have anyone ever quickly stolen something from you?
- If someone robbed your home, what would be the most valuable stolen goods?
- How do scientific teams use technology to solve crimes?
- What are the most valuable items in your country’s culture and history?
Debate Prompt (Pick one)
- Stealing from the rich isn’t always wrong.
- Witnesses to a crime have a duty to act
Speaking Activity: Criminal Obligations
Background: You and your partners owe three million dollars to the mafia. You need to pay them back by next week “or else”.
Task: Review the below schemes for making money quickly. Use the matrix to help you evaluate your decision. Once you’ve chosen a course of action, explain how you will execute it to your teacher (a retired criminal), who will give you some advice.
| Level of Legality | Possible Payout (in $) | Likelihood of Success (in %) | Potential Consequences | |
| 1. Investing in a crypto coin | ||||
| 2. A heist (think of a location) | ||||
| 3. Taking out as many loans as possible | ||||
| 4. A GoFundMe campaign | ||||
| 5. Selling everything you own | ||||
| 6. Setting up a “sting operation” with the police to arrest the mafia | ||||
| 7. Lottery tickets | ||||
| 8. ____________________ |
Famous Quotations about Crime & Theft
- “Steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and they make you king.” – Bob Dylan
- “He who does not prevent crime when he can encourages it.” – Seneca
- “A thief is a thief, whether he steals a diamond or a cucumber.” – Indian proverb
- “What is the robbing of a bank compared to the founding of a bank?” – Bertolt Brecht
Speaking Activity: The Manhunt
Setup: You have made off with the loot from the Louvre. The next step is escaping the global manhunt.
Task: Use some of the lesson’s vocabulary and the below images (in any order) to create a story describing how your story ends.
| [see .DOCX for images] | Vocabulary· brazen· heritage · frantic · loot · forensic · make off with · swipe · mastermind · audacious · usher · heist · sovereign | ||
Vocabulary Review: Insert one of the below vocabulary items into the appropriate blank.
loot / sovereign / audacious / swipe / forensic / brazen / make off with /
frantic / usher / mastermind / heist / heritage
1. ____________ and in broad daylight, the thief in a hood and high-vis, part of a team carrying out an ____________ heist at the Louvre.
2. In a matter of minutes, treasures worth an incalculable amount had been ____________ from one of the most famous museums in the world, as confused visitors were ____________ out by ____________ security.
3. … the Apollo Gallery — a display housing treasures from Napoleon and French ____________.
4. France, as you know, is a country with a rich ____________.
5. And this is what they ____________: eight items, including a tiara, necklace, and …
6. We have seen similar ____________, but targeting the Louvre is next level…
7. The French president has called the raid “an attack on our heritage,” as ____________ teams worked to track down the ____________.
8. The gang could be trying to cross the border or melting down their ____________ as we speak.
Quick Collocation Review
| 1) in broad2) in a matter of3) before fleeing 4) organized 5) objects of great 6) the theft of the 7) straight out of a Hollywood | a) on scootersb) daylightc) script d) crime e) decade f) value g) minutes |
Final Discussion Questions
- As a child, did you ever get caught stealing?
- What motivates people to risk everything for fame or fortune? Do you think these thieves were driven by greed, thrill, or something else?
- What would be a fair punishment for this crime?
- Is there value in having precious items visible to the public in museums or should they be locked away?
This lesson plan was created by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright). Site members may photocopy and edit the file for their classes. Permission is not given to rebrand the lesson, redistribute it on another platform, or sell it as part of commercial course curriculum. ChatGPT was used to generate answer keys and some famous quotations. For questions, contact the author.
Comprehension Question Answer Key
- …
- The crime occurred in broad daylight inside one of the most famous museums in the world, making it unusually bold and audacious.
- They were highly organized, used professional tools, acted quickly, and escaped efficiently, suggesting experience and planning.
- Because the stolen items are part of France’s national heritage—symbols of its history and identity—so their theft feels like an attack on the nation itself.
- Possibly not; the thieves seemed professional and may already have fled or destroyed evidence, though their visibility increases pressure on police.
- Cultural treasures carry historical and symbolic value; they may be stolen for private collections, ransom, or the thrill of achieving the “impossible.”
- People are fascinated by heist stories because they combine danger, cleverness, and rebellion; they reflect admiration for intelligence and risk-taking even in crime.
Vocabulary answer key: 1-brazen, 2-heritage, 3-frantic, 4-loot, 5-forensic, 6-made off with, 7-swiped, 8-masterminds, 9-audacious, 10-ushered, 11-heists, 12-sovereigns
Collocations: 1-b, 2-g, 3-a, 4-d, 5-f, 6-e, 7-c
Seems like a really interesting lesson, does anyone have a working link to the video?
Hello. I hunted down the video. You can access it here now: https://englishcurrent.com/files/videos/paris-heist-video-brazen.mp4 . Thanks for letting me know!