A man from Ghana who works for the government said he was sorry for making fun of a soccer player named Harry Maguire. Last year, he said that another man from Ghana who helps run the country was not doing a good job, just like how he thought Maguire was not playing soccer well. The man who said sorry talked about Maguire when they were talking about money in their country. But he still said the other man was not taking care of Ghana’s money right.

People did not like that Maguire was made fun of, and they said they were not happy with how he played soccer. But Maguire’s friends who play soccer and his boss said it was not fair to make fun of him. Maguire’s mom was also upset because people were being mean to her son. Some people in Ghana think Maguire is doing better now, but others say it was not nice to compare him to the man who helps run Ghana.

The people who run Ghana have had some problems with money, so they had to borrow money from a group called the IMF. Things cost a lot more in Ghana now, and the money problems got really bad last year. The man who said sorry talked about how the government made people pay more money for things because of the deal with the IMF. This made people in Ghana upset, and they went out to show they were angry because life is getting too expensive and it’s hard to find jobs. Even with these problems, the man who helps run Ghana wants to be the boss in 2024, and he says he can make Ghana a better place.

Original news source: Harry Maguire: Ghana MP Isaac Adongo sorry for mocking Manchester United star (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the groups to read the article and summarize the main points in their own words.
4. After a designated time, have each group share their summary with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the groups to discuss their opinions on the following questions:
a) Do you think it was fair to make fun of Harry Maguire? Why or why not?
b) Do you think it was fair to compare Maguire to the man who helps run Ghana? Why or why not?
c) Do you think the government’s decision to borrow money from the IMF was a good idea? Why or why not?
4. After a designated time, have each group share their opinions with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write down a list of vocabulary words from the article on separate cards or pieces of paper.
2. Divide the class into teams.
3. One member from each team picks a word from the list and draws a picture to represent that word.
4. The team members must guess the word based on the drawing.
5. The team that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Synonym Challenge
Instructions:
1. Write down a list of key words from the article on separate cards or pieces of paper.
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Give each group a set of cards with the key words.
4. Instruct the groups to come up with as many synonyms as they can for each key word.
5. After a designated time, have each group share their synonyms with the class.

– Future Predictions
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the groups to discuss and make predictions about the future of Ghana based on the information in the article.
4. They can discuss topics such as the economy, the government, and the soccer player Harry Maguire.
5. After a designated time, have each group share their predictions with the class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who did the man from Ghana make fun of?
2. Why did people not like that Maguire was made fun of?
3. How did Maguire’s friends and boss feel about him being made fun of?
4. Why was Maguire’s mom upset?
5. Why did the man who said sorry talk about money in Ghana?
6. Why were people in Ghana upset last year?
7. What does the man who helps run Ghana want to do in 2024?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man from Ghana who works for the government said he was sorry for making fun of a (1)______ player named Harry Maguire. Last year, he said that another man from Ghana who helps run the (2)______ was not doing a good job, just like how he (3)______ Maguire was not playing soccer well. The man who said sorry talked about Maguire when they were talking about money in their country. But he still said the (4)______ man was not taking care of Ghana’s money right.

People did not like that Maguire was made fun of, and they said they were not happy with how he (5)______ soccer. But Maguire’s (6)______ who play soccer and his boss said it was not fair to make fun of him. Maguire’s mom was also upset because people were being mean to her son. Some people in Ghana think Maguire is doing better now, but others say it was not nice to compare him to the man who helps run Ghana.

The people who run Ghana have had some (7)______ with (8)______, so they had to borrow money from a (9)______ called the IMF. Things cost a lot more in Ghana now, and the money problems got really bad last year. The man who said sorry talked about how the government (10)______ people pay more money for (11)______ because of the deal with the IMF. This made people in (12)______ upset, and they went out to show they were angry because life is getting too expensive and it’s hard to find jobs. Even with these problems, the man who helps run Ghana wants to be the boss in 2024, and he says he can make Ghana a better place.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a soccer player?
2. How would you feel if someone made fun of you?
3. Do you like playing soccer? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s fair to make fun of someone’s soccer skills? Why or why not?
5. What do you think Maguire’s friends and boss meant when they said it wasn’t fair to make fun of him?
6. How would you feel if someone was mean to your friend or family member?
7. What do you think it means to compare someone to another person?
8. Do you know what borrowing money means? Can you give an example?
9. Why do you think people in Ghana were upset about the deal with the IMF?
10. How do you think it feels when things cost a lot more?
11. Do you think it’s important for a country’s leader to be able to make the country a better place? Why or why not?
12. What do you think can be done to make life less expensive and find more jobs in Ghana?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Ghana
2. government
3. soccer
4. Maguire
5. sorry
6. money
7. upset
8. boss

Meanings:
(a) Coins and paper that you use to buy things
(b) Feeling angry or sad about something
(c) A player of the game soccer
(d) A game played with a ball and feet
(e) The people who make the rules in a country
(f) The person in charge of a group of people
(g) Feeling bad for something you did wrong
(h) A country in Africa
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who did the man from Ghana make fun of?
(a) The man who helps run Ghana
(b) Harry Maguire
(c) Maguire’s friends who play soccer
(d) Maguire’s boss

2. Why were people upset with the man who made fun of Harry Maguire?
(a) They thought Maguire was not playing soccer well.
(b) They thought Maguire’s mom was upset.
(c) They thought Maguire’s friends were upset.
(d) They thought it was unfair to make fun of him.

3. Why did the man from Ghana apologize?
(a) Because he realized it was wrong to make fun of Maguire.
(b) Because he thought Maguire was doing better now.
(c) Because he wanted to be the boss in 2024.
(d) Because he wanted to borrow money from the IMF.

4. Why did the people in Ghana get angry?
(a) Because Maguire’s friends were upset.
(b) Because the man who helps run Ghana wants to be the boss in 2024.
(c) Because Maguire was not playing soccer well.
(d) Because life is getting too expensive and it’s hard to find jobs.

5. What did the government of Ghana do because of money problems?
(a) They made people pay more money for things.
(b) They made fun of Harry Maguire.
(c) They borrowed money from the IMF.
(d) They apologized to Maguire’s mom.

6. What did the man from Ghana compare Maguire to?
(a) Maguire’s friends who play soccer
(b) Maguire’s boss
(c) The man who helps run Ghana
(d) The IMF

7. What did the man who helps run Ghana say about the future?
(a) He wants to be the boss in 2024.
(b) He wants to borrow money from the IMF.
(c) He wants to make Ghana a better place.
(d) He wants to make fun of Harry Maguire.

8. What did the man from Ghana talk about when he was talking about money in their country?
(a) The man who helps run Ghana
(b) Maguire’s soccer skills
(c) Maguire’s mom
(d) The deal with the IMF

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The government in Ghana had no money problems and did not have to borrow money from the IMF.
2. Some people in Ghana think Maguire is playing worse now.
3. Maguire’s mom was upset because people were being mean to her son.
4. A man from Ghana made fun of a soccer player named Harry Maguire.
5. The man refused to apologize for making fun of Maguire.
6. Maguire’s friends and boss criticized him and said it was fair to make fun of him.
7. The man who made fun of Maguire works for the government in Ghana.
8. People in Ghana are upset because things are more expensive and it’s hard to find jobs.
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 made fun of a soccer player named Harry Maguire?
2. Why were people upset with the man who made fun of Maguire?
3. Why was Maguire’s mom upset?
4. Why did the people in Ghana get angry and protest?
5. What does the man who helps run Ghana want to do in 2024?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who did the man from Ghana make fun of?
The man from Ghana made fun of a soccer player named Harry Maguire.

2. Why did people not like that Maguire was made fun of?
People did not like that Maguire was made fun of because it was mean and hurtful.

3. How did Maguire’s friends and boss feel about him being made fun of?
Maguire’s friends and boss felt that it was not fair to make fun of him.

4. Why was Maguire’s mom upset?
Maguire’s mom was upset because people were being mean to her son.

5. Why did the man who said sorry talk about money in Ghana?
The man who said sorry talked about money in Ghana because he was comparing Maguire’s performance to the government’s handling of money.

6. Why were people in Ghana upset last year?
People in Ghana were upset last year because the country had money problems and things became more expensive.

7. What does the man who helps run Ghana want to do in 2024?
The man who helps run Ghana wants to be the boss in 2024 and make Ghana a better place.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) soccer
(2) country
(3) thought
(4) other
(5) played
(6) friends
(7) problems
(8) money
(9) group
(10) made
(11) things
(12) Ghana
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Ghana
Answer: (h) A country in Africa

2. government
Answer: (e) The people who make the rules in a country

3. soccer
Answer: (d) A game played with a ball and feet

4. Maguire
Answer: (c) A player of the game soccer

5. sorry
Answer: (g) Feeling bad for something you did wrong

6. money
Answer: (a) Coins and paper that you use to buy things

7. upset
Answer: (b) Feeling angry or sad about something

8. boss
Answer: (f) The person in charge of a group of people
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who did the man from Ghana make fun of?
Answer: (b) Harry Maguire

2. Why were people upset with the man who made fun of Harry Maguire?
Answer: (d) They thought it was unfair to make fun of him.

3. Why did the man from Ghana apologize?
Answer: (a) Because he realized it was wrong to make fun of Maguire.

4. Why did the people in Ghana get angry?
Answer: (d) Because life is getting too expensive and it’s hard to find jobs.

5. What did the government of Ghana do because of money problems?
Answer: (c) They borrowed money from the IMF.

6. What did the man from Ghana compare Maguire to?
Answer: (c) The man who helps run Ghana

7. What did the man who helps run Ghana say about the future?
Answer: (a) He wants to be the boss in 2024.

8. What did the man from Ghana talk about when he was talking about money in their country?
Answer: (b) Maguire’s soccer skills
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The government in Ghana had no money problems and did not have to borrow money from the IMF. (Answer: False)
2. Some people in Ghana think Maguire is playing worse now. (Answer: False)
3. Maguire’s mom was upset because people were being mean to her son. (Answer: True)
4. A man from Ghana made fun of a soccer player named Harry Maguire. (Answer: True)
5. The man refused to apologize for making fun of Maguire. (Answer: False)
6. Maguire’s friends and boss criticized him and said it was fair to make fun of him. (Answer: False)
7. The man who made fun of Maguire works for the government in Ghana. (Answer: True)
8. People in Ghana are upset because things are more expensive and it’s hard to find jobs. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧