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)
π§ Listen:
π 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.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
Shohei Ohtani.
He will get $700 million.
Because he is really good at playing baseball.
He can hit the ball really well and throw it really fast when he pitches.
He got hurt.
He said thank you to his old team, the Los Angeles Angels.
Because he is very talented and can help them win games.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A baseball from Japan named Shohei Ohtani just made a big with a team called the Los Angeles . 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 because he is really good at playing, but the Dodgers offered him the most money. Ohtani is special because he can hit the really well and also throw it really fast when he pitches. He was the player in his league in 2021 and just won the award again. He got this year, but he still helped Japan win a big baseball tournament against the States. Ohtani said thank you to his old team, the Los Angeles Angels, on 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 and can help them win games. who baseball are really excited to see Ohtani play for the Dodgers.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
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
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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