Chuck Grassley, a very old man who helps make laws, is being called a “love helper.” This is because 20 people who work for him have gotten married after meeting at his office. Grassley shared a picture of himself, his wife, and the new husband and wife at their wedding. Some people think this is funny and want to work for Grassley to find love. But, other people think this means Grassley has been in his job for too long.

Grassley has been in his job for 48 years and is now the oldest person in Congress. He hasn’t said anything about helping people fall in love. But, another man who makes laws, Chuck Schumer, has also helped many people fall in love and have babies. Some people are happy about Grassley’s love matches, but others think it’s a sign he’s been in his job too long. Even so, many people are talking about it on the internet.

Original news source: Chuck Grassley crowned ‘matchmaker’ after 20 staff marriages (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a list of words related to the article (e.g. love, marriage, Congress, Grassley, Schumer). One student from each team will come to the front of the class and act out the word silently while the rest of their team tries to guess what it is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns summarizing the article to their partner in their own words. They should try to include the main points and key details. After both partners have had a chance to share, they can compare their summaries and discuss any differences.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper with the question “Do you think Chuck Grassley helping people find love is a good thing? Why or why not?” Students will write down their answer and then walk around the classroom asking their classmates the same question. They should record their classmates’ responses. Afterwards, students can share and discuss the different opinions they collected.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on small slips of paper and put them in a bag or box. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and draw a slip of paper from the bag without looking. They will then have one minute to draw a picture representing the word on the slip. Their team members must guess the word based on the drawing. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask students to think about and write down their answer to the question “What do you think is the most important quality in a leader?” After a few minutes, students will pair up and share their answers with each other. They should discuss their reasons for choosing that quality. After the pair discussion, ask a few students to share their answers with the whole class and facilitate a brief class discussion on leadership qualities.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is Chuck Grassley?
2. Why are people calling Chuck Grassley a “love helper”?
3. How long has Chuck Grassley been in his job?
4. Who is the oldest person in Congress?
5. Has Chuck Grassley said anything about helping people fall in love?
6. Who is another man who has helped people fall in love and have babies?
7. Are people happy or unhappy about Chuck Grassley’s love matches?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Chuck Grassley, a very old man who (1)______ make laws, is being called a “”love helper.”” This is because 20 people who work for him have gotten married after meeting at his office. Grassley (2)______ a picture of himself, his wife, and the new husband and wife at their wedding. Some (3)______ think this is (4)______ and want to work for Grassley to find love. But, other people think this means Grassley has been in his job for too long.

Grassley has been in his job for 48 years and is now the (5)______ person in Congress. He hasn’t said anything about helping people fall in love. But, another man who (6)______ laws, Chuck Schumer, has also helped many people fall in love and have babies. Some people are (7)______ about Grassley’s love matches, but (8)______ think it’s a sign he’s been in his job too long. Even so, many people are talking about it on the internet.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a love helper?
2. How would you feel if you met someone at work and then got married?
3. Do you like the idea of working for someone who helps people find love? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about Grassley being in his job for 48 years?
5. Do you think it’s a good thing or a bad thing that Grassley has helped people find love?
6. How do you think Grassley feels about being called a love helper?
7. What do you think about people talking about Grassley’s love matches on the internet?
8. How would you feel if you were the oldest person in your job?
9. Do you think it’s important for people to find love at work? Why or why not?
10. Have you ever met someone at work who later became your friend or partner?
11. What do you think about Chuck Schumer helping people fall in love and have babies?
12. How do you think Grassley’s wife feels about him helping people find love at work?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Chuck Grassley
2. laws
3. love helper
4. married
5. office
6. picture
7. job
8. Congress

Meanings:
(a) A very old man who helps make rules
(b) The work that someone does to earn money
(c) Someone who helps people find love
(d) A drawing that shows what something looks like
(e) A place where people work
(f) A group of people who make rules for the country
(g) Rules that people have to follow
(h) When two people become husband and wife
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why is Chuck Grassley being called a “”love helper””?
(a) Because he is very old.
(b) Because he has been in his job for 48 years.
(c) Because 20 people who work for him have gotten married after meeting at his office.
(d) Because he shared a picture of himself and his wife.

2. How long has Chuck Grassley been in his job?
(a) 48 years
(b) 20 years
(c) 10 years
(d) 5 years

3. Who is the oldest person in Congress?
(a) Chuck Schumer
(b) Chuck Grassley
(c) The new husband and wife
(d) Grassley’s wife

4. Who else has helped many people fall in love and have babies?
(a) Chuck Grassley
(b) Chuck Schumer
(c) The new husband and wife
(d) Grassley’s wife

5. What do some people think about Grassley’s love matches?
(a) They think it’s funny.
(b) They think it means he’s been in his job for too long.
(c) They want to work for Grassley to find love.
(d) They are happy about it.

6. What are some people talking about on the internet?
(a) Grassley’s job
(b) Grassley’s wife
(c) Grassley’s love matches
(d) Grassley’s picture

7. What did Grassley share a picture of?
(a) Himself and his wife
(b) The new husband and wife
(c) Grassley’s office
(d) Himself, his wife, and the new husband and wife

8. What is Grassley’s job?
(a) To help make laws
(b) To help people fall in love
(c) To take pictures
(d) To be the oldest person in Congress

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Grassley hasn’t said anything about helping people fall in love.
2. Grassley shared a picture of himself, his wife, and the new husband and wife at their wedding.
3. Few people are talking about Grassley’s love matches on the internet.
4. Chuck Schumer, another man who makes laws, has also helped many people fall in love and have babies.
5. Chuck Grassley is a very old man who helps make laws.
6. 20 people who work for Grassley have gotten divorced after meeting at his office.
7. Some people think it’s serious and want to work for Grassley to find love.
8. Grassley has been in his job for 10 years and is now the youngest person in Congress.
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. What is Chuck Grassley being called?
2. How many people who work for Chuck Grassley have gotten married?
3. Who did Chuck Grassley share a picture with?
4. How long has Chuck Grassley been in his job?
5. Who is the oldest person in Congress?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is Chuck Grassley?
Chuck Grassley is a man who helps make laws.

2. Why are people calling Chuck Grassley a “love helper”?
People are calling Chuck Grassley a “love helper” because 20 people who work for him have gotten married after meeting at his office.

3. How long has Chuck Grassley been in his job?
Chuck Grassley has been in his job for 48 years.

4. Who is the oldest person in Congress?
Chuck Grassley is the oldest person in Congress.

5. Has Chuck Grassley said anything about helping people fall in love?
No, Chuck Grassley hasn’t said anything about helping people fall in love.

6. Who is another man who has helped people fall in love and have babies?
Another man who has helped people fall in love and have babies is Chuck Schumer.

7. Are people happy or unhappy about Chuck Grassley’s love matches?
Some people are happy about Chuck Grassley’s love matches, but others think it’s a sign he’s been in his job too long.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) helps
(2) shared
(3) people
(4) funny
(5) oldest
(6) makes
(7) happy
(8) others
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Chuck Grassley
Answer: (a) A very old man who helps make rules

2. laws
Answer: (g) Rules that people have to follow

3. love helper
Answer: (c) Someone who helps people find love

4. married
Answer: (h) When two people become husband and wife

5. office
Answer: (e) A place where people work

6. picture
Answer: (d) A drawing that shows what something looks like

7. job
Answer: (b) The work that someone does to earn money

8. Congress
Answer: (f) A group of people who make rules for the country
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why is Chuck Grassley being called a “”love helper””?
Answer: (c) Because 20 people who work for him have gotten married after meeting at his office.

2. How long has Chuck Grassley been in his job?
Answer: (a) 48 years

3. Who is the oldest person in Congress?
Answer: (b) Chuck Grassley

4. Who else has helped many people fall in love and have babies?
Answer: (b) Chuck Schumer

5. What do some people think about Grassley’s love matches?
Answer: (d) They are happy about it.

6. What are some people talking about on the internet?
Answer: (c) Grassley’s love matches

7. What did Grassley share a picture of?
Answer: (d) Himself, his wife, and the new husband and wife

8. What is Grassley’s job?
Answer: (a) To help make laws
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Grassley hasn’t said anything about helping people fall in love. (Answer: True)
2. Grassley shared a picture of himself, his wife, and the new husband and wife at their wedding. (Answer: True)
3. Few people are talking about Grassley’s love matches on the internet. (Answer: False)
4. Chuck Schumer, another man who makes laws, has also helped many people fall in love and have babies. (Answer: True)
5. Chuck Grassley is a very old man who helps make laws. (Answer: True)
6. 20 people who work for Grassley have gotten divorced after meeting at his office. (Answer: False)
7. Some people think it’s serious and want to work for Grassley to find love. (Answer: False)
8. Grassley has been in his job for 10 years and is now the youngest person in Congress. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧