A man from Japan who is very good at baseball just made a big deal to play for a team in Los Angeles. He will get a lot of money, more than anyone has ever gotten to play baseball in America. Lots of teams wanted him to play for them, but he chose Los Angeles. He is as famous as some of the biggest sports stars. The man can hit the ball and throw the ball very well, which makes him special.

Last year, he was the best player in his group, but he got hurt and couldn’t play for a little while. He helped Japan win a big game against America. He said thank you to his old team and is excited to play for his new team. His new team is very happy because he is a very good player. People are excited to watch him play baseball this year.

Original news source: Shohei Ohtani: Baseball star joins LA Dodgers in record $700m deal (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of vocabulary cards related to the article (e.g. baseball, Los Angeles, Japan, player, team, hit, throw, etc.). One student from each group will take turns acting out the words on the cards without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess the word. The group that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “baseball” on the board. Have the students take turns saying a word that is related to or reminds them of baseball. Encourage them to think of words related to the article (e.g. player, team, hit, throw, Japan, Los Angeles, etc.). Continue going around the class until all the students have had a chance to contribute.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of vocabulary cards related to the article. One student from each pair will randomly pick a card and draw a picture to represent the word, while the other student tries to guess the word. They can only use drawings, no speaking allowed. The pair that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Write the following sentence starters on the board: “A man from Japan…”; “He is very good at…”; “He made a big deal to…”; “He will get a lot of…”; “He chose…”; “He is as famous as…”; “He can…”; “Last year…”; “He got hurt and…”; “He helped…”; “His new team is…”; “People are excited to…”. Have the students work in pairs. Give each pair a few minutes to complete as many sentence starters as they can using information from the article. The pair with the most completed sentence starters wins.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Read the article aloud to the class. After reading, give the students a few minutes to think about the following questions: “Why do you think the man chose to play for a team in Los Angeles?”; “Why are people excited to watch him play baseball?”; “How would you feel if you were a famous sports star?”. Then, have the students pair up and share their thoughts and answers with each other. Finally, ask a few pairs to share their answers with the whole class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the man from Japan who is good at baseball?
2. What did the man make a big deal to do?
3. Where is the team that he will play for?
4. Is the man famous?
5. What can the man do very well?
6. What happened to the man last year?
7. Who is excited to watch the man play baseball this year?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man from Japan who is very good at (1)______ just made a big (2)______ to play for a team in Los Angeles. He will get a lot of money, more than anyone has ever gotten to play baseball in America. Lots of teams wanted him to play for them, but he chose Los Angeles. He is as (3)______ as some of the biggest (4)______ stars. The man can hit the ball and throw the ball very well, which (5)______ him special.

Last year, he was the best player in his group, but he got hurt and couldn’t play for a little (6)______. He helped Japan win a big game against America. He said (7)______ you to his old team and is excited to (8)______ for his new team. His new team is very happy because he is a very good player. People are excited to watch him play baseball this year.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is baseball?
2. How would you feel if you were the best player in a game and then got hurt?
3. Do you like playing baseball? Why or why not?
4. What do you think it means to be famous?
5. How would you feel if you were chosen to play for a famous team?
6. Do you think it’s important to say thank you to your old team? Why or why not?
7. How do you think the new team feels about having a very good player?
8. Why do you think people are excited to watch him play baseball?
9. Have you ever played a sport before? Which one? Did you like it?
10. What do you think it means to be special?
11. How would you feel if you were the best player in a game and everyone wanted you to play for their team?
12. Do you think it’s important to be good at throwing and hitting the ball in baseball? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. baseball
2. deal
3. money
4. teams
5. famous
6. hit
7. throw
8. player
9. game
10. watch

Meanings:
(A) A fun activity that you play with other people
(B) Something that you use to buy things
(C) To make the ball go far by throwing it
(D) Someone who plays a sport
(E) A game where you hit a ball with a bat and run around bases
(F) Groups of people who play together
(G) An agreement between two people
(H) Well-known and lots of people know who you are
(I) To look at something and enjoy it
(J) To touch the ball with the bat
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where is the man from who made a big deal to play baseball in Los Angeles?
(a) France
(b) Germany
(c) China
(d) Japan

2. What is the man good at?
(a) Running and jumping
(b) Swimming and dancing
(c) Hitting and throwing the ball
(d) Singing and painting

3. Why did the man choose to play for Los Angeles?
(a) Because he had to
(b) Because he wanted to
(c) Because he was forced to
(d) Because he didn’t want to play for any other team

4. What happened to the man last year?
(a) He won a big game
(b) He became famous
(c) He quit playing baseball
(d) He got hurt and couldn’t play

5. Who did the man help Japan win a big game against?
(a) Japan
(b) China
(c) America
(d) France

6. What did the man say to his old team?
(a) Goodbye
(b) Thank you
(c) I hate you
(d) I love you

7. How do the man’s new team feel about him?
(a) They are very happy
(b) They are very sad
(c) They don’t like him
(d) They don’t care

8. What are people excited to do this year?
(a) Watch him play baseball
(b) Watch him play basketball
(c) Watch him play soccer
(d) Watch him play tennis

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. He is really good at hitting and throwing the ball, which makes him special.
2. He is not excited to play for his new team and people are not excited to watch him play baseball this year.
3. Last year, he was the best player in his group, but he got hurt and couldn’t play for a little while.
4. He is not famous, unlike some of the biggest sports stars.
5. He is not going to get a lot of money to play baseball in America.
6. A man from Japan is going to play baseball for a team in Los Angeles.
7. Many teams did not want him to play for them, but he chose Los Angeles.
8. He helped Japan win a big game against America.
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 is the man from Japan who is good at baseball?
2. Where did the man from Japan decide to play baseball?
3. Why did the man from Japan get a lot of money?
4. What happened to the man from Japan last year?
5. Who is excited to watch the man from Japan play baseball this year?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is the man from Japan who is good at baseball?
The man from Japan who is good at baseball is not mentioned in the article.

2. What did the man make a big deal to do?
The man made a big deal to play for a team in Los Angeles.

3. Where is the team that he will play for?
The team that he will play for is in Los Angeles.

4. Is the man famous?
Yes, the man is famous.

5. What can the man do very well?
The man can hit the ball and throw the ball very well.

6. What happened to the man last year?
Last year, the man got hurt and couldn’t play for a little while.

7. Who is excited to watch the man play baseball this year?
People are excited to watch the man play baseball this year.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) baseball
(2) deal
(3) famous
(4) sports
(5) makes
(6) while
(7) thank
(8) play
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. baseball
Answer: (E) A game where you hit a ball with a bat and run around bases

2. deal
Answer: (G) An agreement between two people

3. money
Answer: (B) Something that you use to buy things

4. teams
Answer: (F) Groups of people who play together

5. famous
Answer: (H) Well-known and lots of people know who you are

6. hit
Answer: (J) To touch the ball with the bat

7. throw
Answer: (C) To make the ball go far by throwing it

8. player
Answer: (D) Someone who plays a sport

9. game
Answer: (A) A fun activity that you play with other people

10. watch
Answer: (I) To look at something and enjoy it
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where is the man from who made a big deal to play baseball in Los Angeles?
Answer: (d) Japan

2. What is the man good at?
Answer: (c) Hitting and throwing the ball

3. Why did the man choose to play for Los Angeles?
Answer: (b) Because he wanted to

4. What happened to the man last year?
Answer: (d) He got hurt and couldn’t play

5. Who did the man help Japan win a big game against?
Answer: (c) America

6. What did the man say to his old team?
Answer: (b) Thank you

7. How do the man’s new team feel about him?
Answer: (a) They are very happy

8. What are people excited to do this year?
Answer: (a) Watch him play baseball
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. He is really good at hitting and throwing the ball, which makes him special. (Answer: True)
2. He is not excited to play for his new team and people are not excited to watch him play baseball this year. (Answer: False)
3. Last year, he was the best player in his group, but he got hurt and couldn’t play for a little while. (Answer: True)
4. He is not famous, unlike some of the biggest sports stars. (Answer: False)
5. He is not going to get a lot of money to play baseball in America. (Answer: False)
6. A man from Japan is going to play baseball for a team in Los Angeles. (Answer: True)
7. Many teams did not want him to play for them, but he chose Los Angeles. (Answer: False)
8. He helped Japan win a big game against America. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧