The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas 4 5 by Ellen Miles 6

Penguin Readers Factsheets level E

Teacher’s notes 1

3 The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas 4 5 by Ellen Miles 6

ELEMENTARY SUMMARY THE FLINTSTONES IN VIVA ROCK VEGAS ack in the Stone Age, an alien from another planet, in the Stone Age accurately reflects modern life but B Gazoo, is sent to Earth to observe humans and find without the benefits that electricity provides. Vacuum out about ‘love’. cleaners, cars and all the other luxuries of today’s world Near the town of Bedrock, Wilma Slaghoople lives with exist, but they are driven by dinosaurs or the characters her rich parents in a huge house, but she is bored with her themselves. The first movie spin-off from the TV series life and the man she is going to marry, the fabulously rich came out in 1994 (The Flintstones), and The Flintstones in Chip Rockefeller, and wants to find out about life in Viva Rock Vegas appeared a few years later. Bedrock. She leaves home and meets Betty O’Shale, a In The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas we are taken back waitress. Betty takes Wilma in and gets her a job as a in time to before the characters are married to see where waitress, thinking that she is penniless and living on the they came from and how they met and eventually married. streets. They come from very different backgrounds – Wilma is a Meanwhile Gazoo has met Fred Flintstone and Barney bored rich girl, Betty is a waitress in a fast food restaurant, Rubble who have just gotten jobs in the local quarry and Fred and Barney just want to get jobs working in a quarry. takes them to Bronto King, the restaurant where Wilma The two worlds of the rich and the working class collide and Betty work. Fred and Barney arrange a date with the when they meet. girls at the Bedrock Party in the Park, where they all have a good time and Fred and Wilma, and Barney and Betty The story of the movie and the book is the choice fall in love. Chip invites the four friends to have a vacation between money and happiness. at his casino in Rock Vegas. Wilma is rich and going to be married to Chip, who Chip is secretly planning to win back Wilma. He pays for owns a lot of hotels and casinos. Fred to start gambling and lets him win a lot of money. Betty is the kind-hearted waitress in the fast-food Gazoo tries to stop Fred from gambling all his winnings, restaurant. She falls in love with Barney . but fails. Then Fred wins again. Fred and Barney are working-class men who want good Chip changes the machines from ‘win’ to ‘lose’ and Fred jobs, which they get at the local quarry. But they also want starts to lose. Chip plans another trick. He persuades to meet girls, so Gazoo helps them to meet Wilma and Wilma to give him her expensive pearls, then announces that they have been stolen. Fred and Barney are arrested Betty. Fred finally realizes that Wilma loves him, not and put in prison. Gazoo arrives and shows Fred that Chip money. Barney loves Betty. Chip is only interested in doesn’t really have any money and needs to marry Wilma money. He is badly in debt. He tries every trick to win to get her money so that he can pay his debts. Barney Wilma, knowing that her money will save him, but he is tells Betty that he loves her. Finally, Fred goes on stage found out and he loses. and proposes to Wilma who says yes. In the end, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas is an ‘Yabba Dabba Doo’! attempt to translate a cartoon into real life, and shouldn’t But how will Gazoo get home? be taken too seriously. It’s a lot of fun.

BACKGROUND AND THEMES

The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas is the second movie to come from the long-running TV series, ‘The Flintstones’. The TV series is one of the longest running cartoon series on TV and owes its success to the fact that the way of life

©Pearson Education 2001 level Penguin Readers Factsheets 2 Teacher’s notes

Communicative activities ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK Put students into small groups. They discuss the following The following teacher-led activities cover the same sections question. of text as the exercises at the back of the Reader and supplement those exercises. For supplementary exercises The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas is a story about covering shorter sections of the book, see the photocopiable relationships between people. What do you learn from it Student's Activities pages of this Factsheet. These are about people and their relationships? primarily for use with class readers but, with the exception of the discussion and pair/groupwork activities, can also be used by students working alone in a self-access center. Glossary It will be useful for your students to know the following new words. They ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK are practiced in the ‘Before You Read’ sections of exercises at the back of the book. (Definitions are based on those in the Longman Active Study 1 Put students into groups. Ask them if they have ever Dictionary.) seen ‘The Flintstones’ on TV. If they have, how many of the characters can they remember? Which group can Chapters 1 & 2 remember the most names? alien (n) a creature from another world casino (n) a place where people try to win money by playing card 2 Ask students to look at the cover of the book and games, etc answer these questions. cousin (n) the child of your uncle or aunt (a) When do you think that the story is set? Earth (n) the world that we live in guy (n) a man (b) What do you think life would have been like at that observe (v) to watch someone or something carefully time? quarry (n) a place where large amounts of stone, sand, etc are dug out of the ground (c) Where do you think that ‘Rock Vegas’ really is? rock (n) stone that forms part of the earth’s surface What do you know about it? spaceship (n) a vehicle for carrying people through space ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION trouble (n) problems that make something difficult, make you worry, etc Chapters 1 & 2 Chapters 3–5 1 In pairs or small groups, students imagine that they clam (n) a shellfish that you can eat. It has two shells that open and have been sent to a strange planet as ‘Observers’. close They decide which planet they will visit. What will they date (n) an occasion when you arrange to meet someone that you like look for? What do they think they will they find? in a romantic way kiss (v) to touch someone with your lips to show them love 2 Put students into groups. Ask them to write definitions pearl (n) a small hard round white object that is formed inside the of the following words without using the words shell of an oyster and is very valuable themselves. Then they give the definitions to another pocket (n) a small bag sewn into a coat, pants, etc that you can put group and this group has to say which words they are money or keys into describing. thief (n) someone who steals things Chapters 6–8 stupid rich intelligent beautiful expensive wonderful alarm (n) something such as a bell or light that warns people of danger Chapters 3–5 jail (n) a place where criminals are kept as part of their punishment 1 In pairs or small groups, students choose another title key (n) a small specially shaped piece of metal which you use to lock or unlock a door for each chapter. Each title must be an actual sentence from the chapter. The group must also give reasons why they chose the sentences.

THE FLINTSTONES IN VIVA ROCK VEGAS 2 Put students into small groups and ask them to answer the following questions. (a) At the end of Chapter 3, how did Wilma, Betty, Fred, and Barney feel? Give reasons for your answers. (b) How did Chip and Fred feel at the end of Chapter 4? Do you think that Chip is being honest? (c) What do you think that Chip will do next? (d) What do you think Betty will do now? Chapters 6–8 Put students into pairs. They should make up a conversation between either Fred and Wilma or Barney and Betty at the end of the book. They should discuss what has happened and what will happen in the future.

Published and distributed by Pearson Education Factsheet written by David Francis ©Pearson Education 2001 Factsheet series developed by Louise James Penguin Readers Factsheets level E

Student’s activities 1 The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas 2 3

Photocopiable 4 Students can do these exercises alone or with one or more other students. Pair/group-only activities are marked. 5

Activities before reading the book 6

1 Read the Introduction. Then answer these questions. CHAPTERS 3–5 ELEMENTARY (a) Who are the four main characters in Chapter 3 ‘The Flintstones?’ 1 Put these events in the correct order.

(b) Who is Gazoo? (a) Barney looked at Betty. Betty looked at Barney. THE FLINTSTONES IN VIVA ROCK VEGAS (c) Where does he come from? (b) Fred and Wilma went on the Love Train. (d) What does he have to do on Earth (c) Betty saw her boyfriend kissing another girl. (e) What was the first Flintstones movie? (d) Fred kissed the baby dinosaur. (f) Where was Viva Rock Vegas filmed? (e) Fred kissed Wilma. 2 Read the Introduction again. Do you think Fred and (f) Fred shot three rocks and won a dinosaur egg. Wilma and Barney and Betty will fall in love? (g) Pearl thinks that Betty is Wilma’s cleaner Why/Why not? (h) Wilma agrees to go to the party. (i) Pearl arrived at Wilma’s house. Activities while reading the book 2 Answer these questions. Chapters 1 & 2 (a) Who can see Gazoo and who cannot? 1 Describe Gazoo’s reaction when he hears that he is (b) What did Betty do to her boyfriend? being sent to Earth. Why does he feel like this? (c) Where did Fred and Barney take Wilma and 2 Match these people’s first names to their surnames Betty on their first date? (a) Barney (d) How did Dino help Fred kiss Wilma? (b) Wilma (e) What do you think Pearl thinks about Betty? Do you think that she likes her? (c) Pearl (d) Fred Chapter 4 (e) Chip Are these sentences true or false? Correct the false ones. (f) Betty (a) Fred was going to give Wilma a pearl. (i) Rubble (b) Wilma wore blue and Betty wore white. (ii) O’Shale (c) Betty was happy that Wilma lived in a big house. (iii Flintstone (d) Wilma is happy that Chip is at the party. (iv) Slaghoople (e) Wilma’s father gave her a small string of pearls. (v) Slaghoople (f) Fred is pleased when Dino arrives. (vi) Rockefeller (g) Chip is pleased that Wilma and Fred are in love. 3 Who said these things? Who were they talking to? Chapter 5 (a) My legs are really ugly! Who does these these things? Put in the right name. (b) The only trouble is – the test is today. (a) ………. says that Chip has to pay the money he (c) You want a job. Now do it right. owes. (d) But I’m talking about a girl. (b) ………. gambles all his money on the number seven. (e) Is there any intelligent life around here? (c) ……….warns Fred that something is wrong in the (f) They’re people. Maybe we’re richer than them, casino. but we aren’t better. (d) ………. paid for the hotel rooms and the tickets. (g) Let’s go to Bedrock! We can have a good time there. (e) ………. thought that Fred wasn’t interested in money. (h) I really want to see inside an apartment. (f) ………. saw Barney with another girl.

CHAPTERS 6–8 Activities after reading the book 1 Match the beginnings (a–j) and endings (i–x) of these sentences. 1 What do you think will happen to these people after (a) Why does he want another girl the story ends? (b) The new casino, the Rocks, (a) Wilma and Fred (c) In front of them, (b) Chip (d) Chip carefully put Wilma’s pearls in Fred’s (c) Gazoo pocket. 2 Which parts of the book do you like the best? (e) So you took the pearls Explain why. (f) A Neanderthal sat outside (g) Dino jumped to the ground (h) Back at the hotel, (i) They went into a small room (j) So I came up behind him (i) Fred didn’t feel anything. (ii) and gave them to Flintstone. (iii) when he’s got you? (iv) and watched them. (v) and now a thief in the hotel. (vi) Wilma and Betty were in their room. (vii) and gave him a good kick. (viii) and ran out of the jail. (ix) and closed the door behind them. (x) two Neanderthals fought with their hands. 2 Answer these questions. (a) What happens when Chip pulls the dinosaur leg in the casino? (b) How does Chip plan to make Wilma marry him? (c) How do Dino and Gazoo help Fred and Barney escape from jail? (d) How do Fred and Barney get back into the theatre? (e) Why does Chip say to Wilma, “I can’t live without you.” (f) What do you think happens to Chip at the end of the story? THE FLINTSTONES IN VIVA ROCK VEGAS

Published and distributed by Pearson Education Factsheet written by David Francis ©Pearson Education 2001 Factsheet series developed by Louise James