A baseball player from Japan named Shohei Ohtani just made a big deal with a team called the Los Angeles Dodgers. He will get $700 million to play with them for 10 years. This is the most money anyone has ever been paid to play baseball in the United States. Many teams wanted Ohtani because he is really good at playing, but the Dodgers offered him the most money.

Ohtani is special because he can hit the ball really well and also throw it really fast when he pitches. He was the best player in his league in 2021 and just won the award again. He got hurt this year, but he still helped Japan win a big baseball tournament against the United States. Ohtani said thank you to his old team, the Los Angeles Angels, on Instagram and said he’s excited to play for the Dodgers.

Ohtani’s new deal shows he is one of the best baseball players ever. Baseball is very popular and players can make a lot of money. The Dodgers are happy to have Ohtani because he is very talented and can help them win games. People who like baseball are really excited to see Ohtani play for the Dodgers.

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:

– News Summary

Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a copy of the article. Instruct them to read the article and write a brief summary of the main points. After a few minutes, have each group share their summary with the class.

– Opinion Poll

Instructions: Write the following question on the board: “Do you think Shohei Ohtani deserves to be the highest-paid baseball player in the United States?” Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Instruct them to discuss the question and come up with their own opinions. After a few minutes, conduct a class poll by asking each pair/group to share their opinion and reasoning.

– Vocabulary Pictionary

Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g., Ohtani, Dodgers, baseball, tournament, talented, etc.). Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Instruct them to take turns choosing a word and drawing a picture to represent it, while their partner/group tries to guess the word. Encourage them to use gestures and actions to help convey the meaning of the word.

– Think-Pair-Share

Instructions: Pose the following question to the class: “What do you think it takes to become a successful baseball player?” Instruct students to take a few moments to think about their answer individually. Then, have them pair up with a partner and discuss their thoughts. After a few minutes, open the discussion to the whole class and ask a few students to share their ideas.

– Future Predictions

Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Instruct them to imagine they are sports analysts and make predictions about Shohei Ohtani’s future with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They should discuss and write down their predictions, including things like how many home runs he will hit, how many games the Dodgers will win with him, etc. After a few minutes, have each group share their predictions with the class. Encourage them to justify their predictions with reasons based on the information from the article.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the baseball player from Japan who made a big deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
2. How much money will Shohei Ohtani get to play with the Dodgers?
3. Why did many teams want Ohtani?
4. What makes Ohtani special as a baseball player?
5. What happened to Ohtani this year?
6. Who did Ohtani say thank you to on Instagram?
7. Why are the Dodgers happy to have Ohtani on their team?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A baseball (1)______ from Japan named Shohei Ohtani just made a big (2)______ with a team called the Los Angeles (3)______. He will get $700 million to play with them for 10 years. This is the most money anyone has ever been paid to play baseball in the United States. Many teams wanted (4)______ because he is really good at playing, but the Dodgers offered him the most money.

Ohtani is special because he can hit the (5)______ really well and also throw it really fast when he pitches. He was the (6)______ player in his league in 2021 and just won the award again. He got (7)______ this year, but he still helped Japan win a big baseball tournament against the (8)______ States. Ohtani said thank you to his old team, the Los Angeles Angels, on (9)______ and said he’s excited to play for the Dodgers.

Ohtani’s new deal shows he is one of the best baseball players ever. Baseball is very popular and players can make a lot of money. The Dodgers are happy to have Ohtani because he is very (10)______ and can help them win games. (11)______ who (12)______ baseball are really excited to see Ohtani play for the Dodgers.
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Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a baseball player?
2. How would you feel if you were given $700 million to play a sport?
3. Do you like playing baseball? Why or why not?
4. What do you think makes Shohei Ohtani special?
5. How do you think Ohtani felt when he won the award for being the best player?
6. Have you ever been hurt while playing a sport? How did it make you feel?
7. Why do you think Ohtani thanked his old team on Instagram?
8. Do you know any other baseball teams besides the Los Angeles Dodgers?
9. What do you think it means to be one of the best baseball players ever?
10. How does it feel when your favorite team wins a game?
11. Are you excited to see Ohtani play for the Dodgers? Why or why not?
12. Do you think playing sports can make you happy? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. deal
2. player
3. pitch
4. league
5. award
6. hurt
7. tournament
8. Instagram
9. talented
10. games
11. popular
12. excited

Meanings:
(A) A social media app where people can share pictures and messages
(B) Injured or in pain
(C) Someone who plays a sport or game
(D) A prize or recognition for doing something well
(E) Feeling very happy and enthusiastic
(F) Liked or enjoyed by many people
(G) Activities that people play for fun or competition
(H) An agreement or arrangement between two or more people
(I) A competition where teams play against each other to win
(J) A group of teams that play against each other
(K) Having a natural skill or ability
(L) Throwing the ball in a game of baseball
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Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who is the baseball player that made a big deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
(a) Ichiro Suzuki
(b) Hideki Matsui
(c) Yu Darvish
(d) Shohei Ohtani

2. How much money will Shohei Ohtani get to play with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
(a) $500 million
(b) $700 million
(c) $1 billion
(d) $300 million

3. What makes Shohei Ohtani special as a baseball player?
(a) He can run very fast
(b) He can catch the ball really well
(c) He can hit the ball well and throw it fast
(d) He can play multiple sports

4. What award did Shohei Ohtani win in 2021?
(a) Best pitcher in the league
(b) Most home runs in a season
(c) Best player in his league
(d) Most stolen bases in a season

5. Which team did Shohei Ohtani play for before joining the Los Angeles Dodgers?
(a) New York Yankees
(b) Los Angeles Angels
(c) Boston Red Sox
(d) Chicago Cubs

6. What did Shohei Ohtani say on Instagram to his old team, the Los Angeles Angels?
(a) Goodbye
(b) I’m sorry
(c) I don’t want to play for you anymore
(d) Thank you

7. What does Shohei Ohtani’s new deal show about him?
(a) He is one of the best baseball players ever
(b) He is not a very good baseball player
(c) He is not interested in playing baseball anymore
(d) He is going to retire soon

8. Why are the Los Angeles Dodgers happy to have Shohei Ohtani?
(a) He is very talented and can help them win games
(b) He is not a good player and won’t make a difference
(c) He is a good player, but they don’t really need him
(d) He is a famous player and will bring more fans to the games

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The Dodgers are not thrilled to have Ohtani on their team because he is not incredibly talented and cannot help them win games.
2. The contract is not worth $700 million and will not last for 10 years.
3. This is not the highest amount of money ever paid to a baseball player in the United States.
4. Although he got injured this year, Ohtani helped Japan win a big baseball tournament against the United States.
5. Ohtani expressed his gratitude to his old team, the Los Angeles Angels, on Facebook and is not excited to play for the Dodgers.
6. Ohtani is known for being both a great hitter and a fast pitcher.
7. In 2021, he was the best player in his league and recently won the same award again.
8. Shohei Ohtani, a baseball player from Japan, has signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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 Shohei Ohtani and what did he just do?
2. How much money will Ohtani get to play with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
3. Why did many teams want Ohtani?
4. What makes Ohtani special as a baseball player?
5. Why are people excited to see Ohtani play for the Dodgers?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is the baseball player from Japan who made a big deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Shohei Ohtani.

2. How much money will Shohei Ohtani get to play with the Dodgers?
He will get $700 million.

3. Why did many teams want Ohtani?
Because he is really good at playing baseball.

4. What makes Ohtani special as a baseball player?
He can hit the ball really well and throw it really fast when he pitches.

5. What happened to Ohtani this year?
He got hurt.

6. Who did Ohtani say thank you to on Instagram?
He said thank you to his old team, the Los Angeles Angels.

7. Why are the Dodgers happy to have Ohtani on their team?
Because he is very talented and can help them win games.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) player
(2) deal
(3) Dodgers
(4) Ohtani
(5) ball
(6) best
(7) hurt
(8) United
(9) Instagram
(10) talented
(11) People
(12) like
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. deal
Answer: (H) An agreement or arrangement between two or more people

2. player
Answer: (C) Someone who plays a sport or game

3. pitch
Answer: (L) Throwing the ball in a game of baseball

4. league
Answer: (J) A group of teams that play against each other

5. award
Answer: (D) A prize or recognition for doing something well

6. hurt
Answer: (B) Injured or in pain

7. tournament
Answer: (I) A competition where teams play against each other to win

8. Instagram
Answer: (A) A social media app where people can share pictures and messages

9. talented
Answer: (K) Having a natural skill or ability

10. games
Answer: (G) Activities that people play for fun or competition

11. popular
Answer: (F) Liked or enjoyed by many people

12. excited
Answer: (E) Feeling very happy and enthusiastic
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who is the baseball player that made a big deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Answer: (d) Shohei Ohtani

2. How much money will Shohei Ohtani get to play with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Answer: (b) $700 million

3. What makes Shohei Ohtani special as a baseball player?
Answer: (c) He can hit the ball well and throw it fast

4. What award did Shohei Ohtani win in 2021?
Answer: (c) Best player in his league

5. Which team did Shohei Ohtani play for before joining the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Answer: (b) Los Angeles Angels

6. What did Shohei Ohtani say on Instagram to his old team, the Los Angeles Angels?
Answer: (d) Thank you

7. What does Shohei Ohtani’s new deal show about him?
Answer: (a) He is one of the best baseball players ever

8. Why are the Los Angeles Dodgers happy to have Shohei Ohtani?
Answer: (a) He is very talented and can help them win games
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The Dodgers are not thrilled to have Ohtani on their team because he is not incredibly talented and cannot help them win games. (Answer: False)
2. The contract is not worth $700 million and will not last for 10 years. (Answer: False)
3. This is not the highest amount of money ever paid to a baseball player in the United States. (Answer: False)
4. Although he got injured this year, Ohtani helped Japan win a big baseball tournament against the United States. (Answer: True)
5. Ohtani expressed his gratitude to his old team, the Los Angeles Angels, on Facebook and is not excited to play for the Dodgers. (Answer: False)
6. Ohtani is known for being both a great hitter and a fast pitcher. (Answer: True)
7. In 2021, he was the best player in his league and recently won the same award again. (Answer: True)
8. Shohei Ohtani, a baseball player from Japan, has signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧