Nigel Richards is a Scrabble player from New Zealand. He won a big Scrabble contest in Spanish, even though he doesn't speak Spanish. He played in Spain and won 23 out of 24 games. Nigel learned Spanish words by memorizing them for a year. His friend Liz says he sees words like pictures in his mind.
People are amazed by Nigel's win because he doesn't speak Spanish. The person who won last year, Benjamรญn, came in second place this time. Nigel has also won Scrabble contests in French, even though he doesn't speak French. He uses math to play Scrabble, not just words. Nigel started playing Scrabble when he was 28 and now he lives in Malaysia.
Original news source: A New Zealander studied for a year to win the Spanish world Scrabble title. He doesnโt speak Spanish (AP News)
๐ง Listen:
๐ Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– CHARADES
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns acting out words or phrases related to Scrabble (e.g., "play," "win," "words," "letters") without speaking, while the other groups guess the word or phrase.
– VOCABULARY PICTIONARY
Instructions: Write vocabulary words from the article on the board. Students will take turns drawing one word while their classmates guess what it is. This activity helps reinforce vocabulary understanding through visual representation.
– THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Instructions: Pose a question related to the article, such as "How do you think Nigel felt when he won the contest?" Students will think individually for a minute, then discuss their thoughts with a partner before sharing with the class.
– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Create a simple statement based on the article, like "Winning without speaking the language is impressive." Have students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates if they agree or disagree, tallying responses on a chart.
– FUTURE PREDICTIONS
Instructions: Ask students to predict what Nigel might do next in his Scrabble career or if he will learn other languages. They can write or share their ideas in pairs, then some students can share their predictions with the class.
๐ค Comprehension Questions:
Nigel Richards is from New Zealand.
Nigel plays Scrabble.
Nigel won 23 out of 24 games.
Nigel learned Spanish words by memorizing them for a year.
Benjamรญn came in second place after Nigel.
Nigel has won Scrabble contests in French.
Nigel was 28 years old when he started playing Scrabble.
๐งโ๏ธ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Nigel Richards is a player from New Zealand. He won a big Scrabble in Spanish, even though he doesn't speak Spanish. He played in Spain and won 23 out of 24 games. learned Spanish words by them for a year. His friend Liz says he sees words like pictures in his mind. People are amazed by Nigel's win because he doesn't speak . The person who won last year, Benjamรญn, in second place this time. Nigel has also won Scrabble contests in French, even though he doesn't speak French. He uses math to play Scrabble, not just words. Nigel playing Scrabble when he was 28 and now he lives in .
๐ฌ Discussion Questions:
1. What is your favorite game to play?
2. Do you like to learn new words? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you won a big game?
4. Do you think it is easy to learn a new language? Why?
5. What is a word you like?
6. How do you remember things?
7. Do you think playing games is fun? Why?
8. Have you ever played Scrabble? Did you like it?
9. How would you feel if you played a game in a different language?
10. Do you think math is important in games? Why or why not?
11. What is a country you want to visit?
12. Do you think it is good to try new things? Why?
Individual Activities
๐๐ญ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
๐ก Multiple Choice Questions:
๐ต๏ธ True or False Questions:
๐ Write a Summary:
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