A man named George Weah, who used to play soccer, said “good job” to another man named Joseph Boakai because Joseph won a big leader job. George did this to keep everyone safe and happy. People think this is very good because not many leaders in Africa do this. Everyone is saying “yay” for George because he is being very nice and thinking about his country.

George’s country, Liberia, had some very big fights before, and many people were hurt. So, when George said “good job” to Joseph, it helped everyone feel better and not fight. Some people who watch over countries say George did a great thing. Other leaders in Africa have done this too, like a man named Goodluck Jonathan. People are very happy with George and think he is helping make things better for everyone.

Original news source: Liberian leader George Weah hailed for his sportsmanship after accepting defeat (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down words related to the article on slips of paper, such as “soccer,” “leader,” “country,” “peace,” “congratulate,” and “happy.” Students take turns acting out the words without speaking, while the rest of the class guesses the word. This activity helps to reinforce vocabulary from the article in a fun and engaging way.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Split the class into pairs. One student plays the role of a news reporter, and the other is George Weah. The reporter asks questions about the recent election and George’s decision to congratulate Joseph Boakai. This encourages students to practice speaking and listening, using information from the article.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Use key vocabulary from the article such as “election,” “peace,” “congratulate,” and “leadership.” Divide the class into two teams. Team members take turns drawing the words on the board while their team guesses the word. This is a way to visually reinforce the vocabulary learned from the article.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: As a class, discuss the concept of congratulating an opponent after an election. Ask students to anonymously write down if they think this is a good or bad idea and why. Collect the responses and tally the results, then share with the class. Discuss the reasons for their opinions, using simple vocabulary and phrases.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have students think individually about the question “Why is peace important in a country?” Then, pair up students to discuss their thoughts. Finally, ask pairs to share their ideas with the whole class. This encourages students to reflect on the article’s content and express their thoughts in English.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did George Weah say to Joseph Boakai?
2. Why did George say “good job” to Joseph?
3. What do people think about what George did?
4. What are people saying about George?
5. What happened in George’s country before?
6. How did people feel when George said “good job” to Joseph?
7. Who is another leader that did something like George?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man named (1)______ Weah, who used to play (2)______, said “good job” to another man named Joseph Boakai because Joseph won a big leader job. George did this to keep everyone safe and happy. People think this is very good because not (3)______ leaders in Africa do this. Everyone is saying “yay” for George because he is being very (4)______ and thinking about his country.

George’s country, Liberia, had some very big fights before, and many people were hurt. So, when George said “good job” to (5)______, it helped everyone feel better and not fight. Some people who (6)______ over countries say George did a great (7)______. Other (8)______ in Africa have done this too, like a man named Goodluck Jonathan. People are very happy with George and think he is helping make things better for everyone.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a leader?
2. How would you feel if someone said “good job” to you?
3. Do you like playing soccer?
4. Do you think it is important to be nice? Why or why not?
5. What do you say when you are happy for someone?
6. Have you ever said “good job” to someone? Why?
7. How do you feel when people are safe and happy?
8. Do you think saying “good job” can help people not fight? Why?
9. What is a big fight?
10. Can you tell me about a time when you helped someone feel better?
11. Do you think it’s good to think about your country? Why or why not?
12. What do you do to make things better for everyone around you?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. George
2. Joseph
3. soccer
4. job
5. leader
6. Africa
7. fights
8. country

Meanings:
(a) A man who won a big responsibility
(b) A place where people live and have their own rules
(c) Someone who tells other people what to do
(d) A game where you kick a ball
(e) When people hit each other and get hurt
(f) Something you do to help people and get money
(g) A big place where many people live
(h) A man who used to play a game with a ball
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who is George Weah?
(a) A famous actor
(b) A scientist
(c) A chef
(d) A man who used to play soccer

2. Who did George Weah say “good job” to?
(a) George Washington
(b) Barack Obama
(c) Nelson Mandela
(d) Joseph Boakai

3. Why did George Weah say “good job” to Joseph Boakai?
(a) To keep everyone safe and happy
(b) To start a fight
(c) To make people sad
(d) To become a leader himself

4. Where is George Weah from?
(a) France
(b) Liberia
(c) China
(d) Brazil

5. What did George Weah’s country have before?
(a) Big fights
(b) Lots of candy
(c) Beautiful flowers
(d) Happy parties

6. How did George Weah’s words help people feel?
(a) Angry and upset
(b) Better and not fight
(c) Scared and sad
(d) Excited and happy

7. Who else has done what George Weah did?
(a) George Clooney
(b) Albert Einstein
(c) Goodluck Jonathan
(d) Beyonce

8. How do people feel about George Weah?
(a) Very angry and think he is bad
(b) Very sad and think he should stop
(c) Very happy and think he is helping
(d) Very scared and think he is dangerous

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. George Weah said “good job” to another man named Joseph Boakai.
2. George said “bad job” to keep everyone safe and happy.
3. A woman named George Weah used to play soccer.
4. People are happy with George because he is being nice and thinking about his country.
5. Liberia had some small fights before and many people were hurt.
6. George’s “good job” helped everyone feel worse and not fight.
7. Joseph Boakai won a big leader job.
8. Not many leaders in Africa do what George did.
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. Who said “good job” to Joseph Boakai?
2. What big job did Joseph Boakai win?
3. Why did George Weah say “good job” to Joseph?
4. What happened in George’s country before?
5. What do people think about what George did?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did George Weah say to Joseph Boakai?
George Weah said “good job” to Joseph Boakai.

2. Why did George say “good job” to Joseph?
George said “good job” to Joseph to keep everyone safe and happy.

3. What do people think about what George did?
People think George did a very good thing.

4. What are people saying about George?
People are saying “yay” for George because he is being very nice.

5. What happened in George’s country before?
George’s country had big fights before, and people were hurt.

6. How did people feel when George said “good job” to Joseph?
People felt better and did not want to fight when George said “good job.”

7. Who is another leader that did something like George?
Another leader who did something like George is Goodluck Jonathan.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) George
(2) soccer
(3) many
(4) nice
(5) Joseph
(6) watch
(7) thing
(8) leaders
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. George
Answer: (h) A man who used to play a game with a ball

2. Joseph
Answer: (a) A man who won a big responsibility

3. soccer
Answer: (d) A game where you kick a ball

4. job
Answer: (f) Something you do to help people and get money

5. leader
Answer: (c) Someone who tells other people what to do

6. Africa
Answer: (g) A big place where many people live

7. fights
Answer: (e) When people hit each other and get hurt

8. country
Answer: (b) A place where people live and have their own rules
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who is George Weah?
Answer: (d) A man who used to play soccer

2. Who did George Weah say “good job” to?
Answer: (d) Joseph Boakai

3. Why did George Weah say “good job” to Joseph Boakai?
Answer: (a) To keep everyone safe and happy

4. Where is George Weah from?
Answer: (b) Liberia

5. What did George Weah’s country have before?
Answer: (a) Big fights

6. How did George Weah’s words help people feel?
Answer: (b) Better and not fight

7. Who else has done what George Weah did?
Answer: (c) Goodluck Jonathan

8. How do people feel about George Weah?
Answer: (c) Very happy and think he is helping
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. George Weah said “good job” to another man named Joseph Boakai. (Answer: True)
2. George said “bad job” to keep everyone safe and happy. (Answer: False)
3. A woman named George Weah used to play soccer. (Answer: False)
4. People are happy with George because he is being nice and thinking about his country. (Answer: True)
5. Liberia had some small fights before and many people were hurt. (Answer: False)
6. George’s “good job” helped everyone feel worse and not fight. (Answer: False)
7. Joseph Boakai won a big leader job. (Answer: True)
8. Not many leaders in Africa do what George did. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧