In a big hockey game in Montreal, American and Canadian players were very tense. This was because former U.S. President Donald Trump said Canada should be part of the U.S. The American team thought the Canadian fans would be unfriendly. During the game, over 21,000 fans booed the U.S. national anthem and the American players.

The game quickly became chaotic with three fights happening in the first nine seconds. Players from both teams started fighting each other. Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel were the first to fight, followed by Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, and then J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko. The Canadian fans, who were angry at first, cheered loudly during the fights, showing how much they wanted to win.

In the end, the American team won the game 3-1 and moved to the tournament final. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a video to celebrate, saying Canada is strong despite Trump’s comments. This game showed how serious the rivalry is between the U.S. and Canada, especially in hockey. The political talk made the competition even more intense.

Original news source: Ice hockey game between USA and Canada has three fights in first nine seconds (Sky News)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Students will act out words or phrases related to hockey, rivalry, and sports without speaking. Classmates will guess what they are acting out. Use terms like “hockey,” “fight,” “team,” and “goal.”

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Students will walk around the classroom and ask their classmates whether they think sports should be influenced by politics or not. After collecting opinions, students will share their findings with the class.

– VOCABULARY PICTIONARY
Instructions: Students will draw vocabulary words from the article, such as “hockey,” “fans,” “fight,” and “anthem,” on the board while their classmates guess the words.

– THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Instructions: Students will think about the message of the article for one minute, then pair up to discuss their thoughts with a partner. After sharing, they will present their ideas to the class.

– FUTURE PREDICTIONS
Instructions: Students will discuss and write down what they think will happen in the next hockey game between the U.S. and Canada, considering the rivalry and political comments. They will then share their predictions with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why were the players feeling tense during the hockey game?
2. What did Donald Trump say about Canada that made the game more intense?
3. How many fans were at the hockey game?
4. What happened in the first nine seconds of the game?
5. Who were the first two players to fight during the game?
6. How did the Canadian fans react during the fights?
7. What was the final score of the game, and which team won?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a big hockey (1)______ in Montreal, American and Canadian players were very tense. This was because former U.S. President (2)______ Trump said Canada should be part of the U.S. The American (3)______ thought the Canadian fans would be unfriendly. During the game, over 21,000 fans booed the U.S. national anthem and the American players.

The game quickly became chaotic with three fights (4)______ in the first nine seconds. Players from both (5)______ started fighting each other. (6)______ Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel were the first to fight, followed by Brady (7)______ and Sam Bennett, and then J.T. (8)______ and (9)______ Parayko. The Canadian fans, who were angry at first, cheered loudly during the fights, showing how much they wanted to win.

In the end, the American team won the game 3-1 and moved to the tournament final. Canadian (10)______ Minister (11)______ Trudeau made a video to (12)______, saying Canada is strong despite Trump’s comments. This game showed how serious the rivalry is between the U.S. and Canada, especially in hockey. The political talk made the competition even more intense.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your favorite sport to watch or play?
2. How would you feel if someone said your country should be part of another country?
3. Do you think sports can bring people together? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever seen a fight during a game? What happened?
5. What is a rivalry? Can you think of a rivalry in sports or between countries?
6. Do you like it when fans cheer loudly at games? Why or why not?
7. How do you feel when your team wins a game?
8. Do you think it’s okay for fans to boo the other team? Why or why not?
9. What is your opinion about how sports and politics mix?
10. How would you feel if you were a player in a tense game like this one?
11. Do you think it’s important for players to stay calm during a game? Why?
12. What do you think makes a game exciting to watch?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. tense
2. former
3. anthem
4. chaotic
5. rivalry
6. tournament
7. celebrate
8. despite
9. serious
10. intense
11. political
12. competition

Meanings:
(A) Even though something else happened
(B) Someone who used to have a certain position or role
(C) Trying to win or be the best at something
(D) A series of games to find the best team or player
(E) A strong feeling of wanting to be better than someone else
(F) Feeling nervous or worried
(G) Very strong or extreme
(H) Very messy and out of control
(I) A special song for a country
(J) To have a party or do something fun for a special reason
(K) Very important and not funny
(L) Related to government or public affairs
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where did the big hockey game take place?
(a) Montreal
(b) Toronto
(c) Vancouver
(d) Ottawa

2. Who was the former U.S. President mentioned in the article?
(a) Barack Obama
(b) Joe Biden
(c) George Bush
(d) Donald Trump

3. How many fans were at the game?
(a) Over 10,000
(b) Over 21,000
(c) Over 15,000
(d) Over 25,000

4. What happened in the first nine seconds of the game?
(a) Three fights
(b) A goal was scored
(c) A player got injured
(d) The national anthem was sung

5. Who were the first two players to fight?
(a) Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett
(b) Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel
(c) J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko
(d) Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump

6. How did the Canadian fans react during the fights?
(a) They stayed quiet
(b) They left the stadium
(c) They cheered loudly
(d) They booed the players

7. What was the final score of the game?
(a) 2-1
(b) 4-2
(c) 1-0
(d) 3-1

8. What did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau say in his video?
(a) The game was unfair
(b) Hockey is not important
(c) Canada is strong
(d) The U.S. team is better

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Justin Trudeau made a video to celebrate Canada’s strength.
2. The American team lost the game with a score of 3-1.
3. Over 21,000 fans cheered the U.S. national anthem.
4. Donald Trump said Canada should not be part of the U.S.
5. The hockey game took place in Montreal.
6. Canadian fans cheered when the fights happened.
7. Mexican and Canadian players were nervous before the game.
8. There were three fights in the first nine seconds of the game.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
Check your answers with our free English writing assistant!

1. Why were the American and Canadian players feeling tense during the hockey game?
2. What did the Canadian fans do when the U.S. national anthem was played?
3. How many fights happened in the first nine seconds of the game?
4. Who won the hockey game, and what was the final score?
5. What did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau say in his video after the game?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why were the players feeling tense during the hockey game?
The players were feeling tense because they were worried about the Canadian fans being unfriendly.

2. What did Donald Trump say about Canada that made the game more intense?
Donald Trump said that Canada should be part of the U.S., which made the competition more serious.

3. How many fans were at the hockey game?
There were over 21,000 fans at the hockey game.

4. What happened in the first nine seconds of the game?
In the first nine seconds of the game, there were three fights between the players.

5. Who were the first two players to fight during the game?
The first two players to fight were Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel.

6. How did the Canadian fans react during the fights?
The Canadian fans cheered loudly during the fights.

7. What was the final score of the game, and which team won?
The final score was 3-1, and the American team won.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) game
(2) Donald
(3) team
(4) happening
(5) teams
(6) Matthew
(7) Tkachuk
(8) Miller
(9) Colton
(10) Prime
(11) Justin
(12) celebrate
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. tense
Answer: (F) Feeling nervous or worried

2. former
Answer: (B) Someone who used to have a certain position or role

3. anthem
Answer: (I) A special song for a country

4. chaotic
Answer: (H) Very messy and out of control

5. rivalry
Answer: (E) A strong feeling of wanting to be better than someone else

6. tournament
Answer: (D) A series of games to find the best team or player

7. celebrate
Answer: (J) To have a party or do something fun for a special reason

8. despite
Answer: (A) Even though something else happened

9. serious
Answer: (K) Very important and not funny

10. intense
Answer: (G) Very strong or extreme

11. political
Answer: (L) Related to government or public affairs

12. competition
Answer: (C) Trying to win or be the best at something
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where did the big hockey game take place?
Answer: (a) Montreal

2. Who was the former U.S. President mentioned in the article?
Answer: (d) Donald Trump

3. How many fans were at the game?
Answer: (b) Over 21,000

4. What happened in the first nine seconds of the game?
Answer: (a) Three fights

5. Who were the first two players to fight?
Answer: (b) Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel

6. How did the Canadian fans react during the fights?
Answer: (c) They cheered loudly

7. What was the final score of the game?
Answer: (d) 3-1

8. What did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau say in his video?
Answer: (c) Canada is strong
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Justin Trudeau made a video to celebrate Canada’s strength. (Answer: True)
2. The American team lost the game with a score of 3-1. (Answer: False)
3. Over 21,000 fans cheered the U.S. national anthem. (Answer: False)
4. Donald Trump said Canada should not be part of the U.S. (Answer: False)
5. The hockey game took place in Montreal. (Answer: True)
6. Canadian fans cheered when the fights happened. (Answer: True)
7. Mexican and Canadian players were nervous before the game. (Answer: False)
8. There were three fights in the first nine seconds of the game. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧