Chuck Grassley, a 90-year-old Republican Senator, has gained a new nickname on social media: the ultimate matchmaker. He recently attended the wedding of two of his employees, Jennifer Heins and Nick Davis, who met while working in his office. This marks the 20th couple to marry after meeting in Grassley’s office. Grassley, known for his active social media presence, shared a photo of himself and his wife, Barbara, alongside the newlyweds at their ceremony in Iowa. The news quickly caught the attention of singles in the Washington, DC area, with some jokingly expressing interest in working in Grassley’s office to find love.
While many offered congratulations and marital advice to the couple, others saw the high number of staff marriages as a sign that Grassley has been in Congress for too long. As the oldest member of Congress following the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein, Grassley has served in office for 48 years and was re-elected for his eighth term representing Iowa last year. Some social media users took the opportunity to criticize Grassley’s long tenure in Congress.
Although Grassley has not commented on his matchmaking abilities, he faces competition from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who reportedly has a similar track record of staff marriages and babies. Schumer’s spokesperson mentioned in 2016 that there were 13 “Schumer marriages” and 14 “Schumer babies.” According to former staffers, Schumer is known for encouraging his staff towards marital bliss.
In conclusion, Chuck Grassley, a Republican Senator, has gained attention on social media for being a matchmaker, with 20 couples marrying after meeting in his office. While some praised his matchmaking skills, others criticized his long tenure in Congress. Grassley faces competition from Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, who also has a history of staff marriages.
Original news source: Chuck Grassley crowned ‘matchmaker’ after 20 staff marriages (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a few minutes to read the article and then instruct them to write a brief summary of the main points. Afterward, have each group share their summary with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask the students to form pairs or small groups. Have them discuss and debate whether they think it is appropriate for employees to date and marry colleagues. Afterward, have each group share their opinions with the class and facilitate a class discussion about the topic.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: Instruct the students to work individually or in pairs to come up with a catchy headline for the article. Encourage creativity and emphasize the importance of capturing the main idea in a concise and attention-grabbing way. Afterward, have each student or pair share their headline with the class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the class into two teams. Have one student from each team come to the front of the class and choose a word. They must then draw a picture to represent the word, while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly earns a point. Continue until all the words have been guessed, and then tally up the points to determine the winning team.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. Assign one group to defend the idea of employees dating and marrying colleagues, and assign the other group to argue against it. Give the groups a few minutes to brainstorm their arguments, and then have a debate where each group takes turns presenting their points. Encourage students to use evidence and examples from the article to support their arguments.
Comprehension Questions:
1. How did Chuck Grassley gain the nickname “the ultimate matchmaker”?
2. Who recently got married after meeting in Grassley’s office?
3. How many couples have married after meeting in Grassley’s office?
4. What did Grassley share on social media after attending the wedding?
5. How did singles in the Washington, DC area respond to the news of Grassley’s office marriages?
6. What criticism did Grassley face regarding his long tenure in Congress?
7. Who is Chuck Schumer and how does he relate to Grassley’s matchmaking abilities?
8. How many “Schumer marriages” and “Schumer babies” have been reported?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Chuck Grassley, a 90-year-old Republican Senator, has gained a new nickname on (1)______ media: the ultimate matchmaker. He recently attended the wedding of two of his employees, Jennifer Heins and Nick Davis, who met while working in his (2)______. This marks the 20th couple to (3)______ after meeting in Grassley’s office. Grassley, known for his active social media presence, shared a (4)______ of himself and his wife, Barbara, alongside the newlyweds at their ceremony in Iowa. The news quickly caught the attention of singles in the Washington, DC area, with some jokingly expressing interest in working in Grassley’s office to find love.
While many offered (5)______ and (6)______ advice to the couple, others saw the high (7)______ of staff marriages as a sign that Grassley has been in Congress for too long. As the oldest member of Congress following the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein, Grassley has served in office for 48 (8)______ and was re-elected for his eighth term representing Iowa last year. Some social (9)______ users took the opportunity to (10)______ Grassley’s long tenure in Congress.
Although Grassley has not commented on his matchmaking abilities, he (11)______ competition from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who reportedly has a similar track record of (12)______ marriages and babies. Schumer’s spokesperson mentioned in 2016 that there were 13 “”Schumer marriages”” and 14 “”Schumer babies.”” (13)______ to former staffers, Schumer is known for encouraging his staff towards marital bliss.
In (14)______, Chuck Grassley, a (15)______ Senator, has gained attention on social media for being a matchmaker, with 20 couples marrying after meeting in his office. While some praised his matchmaking skills, others (16)______ his long tenure in Congress. Grassley faces competition from Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, who also has a history of staff marriages.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What do you think about Chuck Grassley being called the “ultimate matchmaker”?
2. Have you ever heard of someone finding love at their workplace? What do you think about it?
3. How would you feel if you met your future spouse at work?
4. Do you think it’s appropriate for politicians to be involved in their employees’ personal lives? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever had a boss or supervisor who encouraged romantic relationships among employees? How did you feel about it?
6. What do you think about the fact that Grassley has been in Congress for 48 years? Do you think it’s a good thing or a bad thing? Why?
7. How do you think Grassley’s long tenure in Congress might have contributed to the number of staff marriages in his office?
8. Do you think it’s fair to criticize Grassley for his long tenure in Congress? Why or why not?
9. What do you think about the fact that Chuck Schumer also has a history of staff marriages? Do you think it’s a coincidence or is there something about being in politics that leads to workplace romances?
10. How do you think politicians like Grassley and Schumer might feel about their employees finding love in their offices?
11. Do you think it’s important for politicians to have a strong social media presence? Why or why not?
12. How do you think Grassley and Schumer’s matchmaking abilities might affect their popularity among their constituents?
13. Have you ever had a boss or supervisor who played matchmaker for their employees? How did you feel about it?
14. Do you think it’s possible for workplace romances to negatively impact productivity or the work environment? Why or why not?
15. What do you think about the idea of finding love at work? Do you think it’s a good idea or should people keep their personal and professional lives separate? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. Grassley
2. Senator
3. office
4. marriages
5. social media
6. matchmaking
7. Congress
8. competition
Meanings:
(a) A member of the legislative body in the US
(b) The 90-year-old Republican matchmaker on social media
(c) The act of getting married
(d) The place where Grassley’s employees work
(e) The legislative body in the US
(f) The act of bringing people together romantically
(g) Platforms like Facebook and Twitter
(h) The rivalry between Grassley and Schumer in matchmaking
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What is Chuck Grassley’s new nickname on social media?
(a) the ultimate matchmaker
(b) the oldest member of Congress
(c) the social media king
(d) the Iowa senator
2. How many couples have married after meeting in Grassley’s office?
(a) 10
(b) 30
(c) 20
(d) 40
3. Where did Grassley attend the wedding of two of his employees?
(a) Washington, DC
(b) Iowa
(c) New York
(d) California
4. What did Grassley share on social media?
(a) a photo of his office staff
(b) a photo of his wedding
(c) a photo of his vacation
(d) a photo of himself and his wife with the newlyweds
5. How many years has Grassley served in office?
(a) 10
(b) 48
(c) 20
(d) 30
6. Who is the oldest member of Congress?
(a) Chuck Schumer
(b) Dianne Feinstein
(c) Nick Davis
(d) Chuck Grassley
7. Who is Chuck Schumer?
(a) Republican Senator
(b) Grassley’s rival matchmaker
(c) Democratic Senate Majority Leader
(d) Grassley’s employee
8. How many “”Schumer marriages”” were there according to Schumer’s spokesperson?
(a) 13
(b) 20
(c) 14
(d) 10
True or False Questions:
1. Grassley’s office has been responsible for 20 couples getting married.
2. Grassley’s active social media presence contributed to his new nickname as the ultimate matchmaker.
3. Grassley shared a photo of himself and his wife, Barbara, at the wedding in Iowa.
4. Some singles in the Washington, DC area expressed interest in working in Grassley’s office to find love.
5. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, also has a history of staff divorces and pets.
6. Grassley recently skipped the wedding of two of his employees, Jennifer Heins and Nick Davis.
7. Chuck Grassley is a 70-year-old Republican Senator.
8. Grassley’s short tenure in Congress has drawn criticism from some social media users.
Go to answers ⇩
Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Writing Questions:
Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
1. How many couples have married after meeting in Chuck Grassley’s office?
2. How did Chuck Grassley gain the nickname “the ultimate matchmaker”?
3. What did Chuck Grassley share on social media that caught the attention of singles in Washington, DC?
4. How have some people reacted to the high number of staff marriages in Grassley’s office?
5. Who is Chuck Grassley’s competition in terms of staff marriages?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. Chuck Grassley gained the nickname “the ultimate matchmaker” because 20 couples have married after meeting in his office.
2. Jennifer Heins and Nick Davis recently got married after meeting in Grassley’s office.
3. 20 couples have married after meeting in Grassley’s office.
4. Grassley shared a photo of himself and his wife, Barbara, alongside the newlyweds at their ceremony in Iowa.
5. Singles in the Washington, DC area jokingly expressed interest in working in Grassley’s office to find love.
6. Grassley faced criticism for his long tenure in Congress.
7. Chuck Schumer is the Democratic Senate Majority Leader who reportedly has a similar track record of staff marriages. He is competition for Grassley in terms of matchmaking abilities.
8. There have been 13 “Schumer marriages” and 14 “Schumer babies” reported.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) social
(2) office
(3) marry
(4) photo
(5) congratulations
(6) marital
(7) number
(8) years
(9) media
(10) criticize
(11) faces
(12) staff
(13) According
(14) conclusion
(15) Republican
(16) criticized
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. Grassley
Answer: (b) The 90-year-old Republican matchmaker on social media
2. Senator
Answer: (a) A member of the legislative body in the US
3. office
Answer: (d) The place where Grassley’s employees work
4. marriages
Answer: (c) The act of getting married
5. social media
Answer: (g) Platforms like Facebook and Twitter
6. matchmaking
Answer: (f) The act of bringing people together romantically
7. Congress
Answer: (e) The legislative body in the US
8. competition
Answer: (h) The rivalry between Grassley and Schumer in matchmaking
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What is Chuck Grassley’s new nickname on social media?
Answer: (a) the ultimate matchmaker
2. How many couples have married after meeting in Grassley’s office?
Answer: (c) 20
3. Where did Grassley attend the wedding of two of his employees?
Answer: (b) Iowa
4. What did Grassley share on social media?
Answer: (d) a photo of himself and his wife with the newlyweds
5. How many years has Grassley served in office?
Answer: (b) 48
6. Who is the oldest member of Congress?
Answer: (d) Chuck Grassley
7. Who is Chuck Schumer?
Answer: (c) Democratic Senate Majority Leader
8. How many “”Schumer marriages”” were there according to Schumer’s spokesperson?
Answer: (a) 13
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Grassley’s office has been responsible for 20 couples getting married. (Answer: True)
2. Grassley’s active social media presence contributed to his new nickname as the ultimate matchmaker. (Answer: True)
3. Grassley shared a photo of himself and his wife, Barbara, at the wedding in Iowa. (Answer: True)
4. Some singles in the Washington, DC area expressed interest in working in Grassley’s office to find love. (Answer: True)
5. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, also has a history of staff divorces and pets. (Answer: False)
6. Grassley recently skipped the wedding of two of his employees, Jennifer Heins and Nick Davis. (Answer: False)
7. Chuck Grassley is a 70-year-old Republican Senator. (Answer: False)
8. Grassley’s short tenure in Congress has drawn criticism from some social media users. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
