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Japanese Baseball Star Signs Big Deal with Los Angeles

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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)

🎧 Listen:

πŸ“– Vocabulary:

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

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.

πŸ€” 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?

🎧✍️ 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.

πŸ’¬ 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

πŸ“–πŸ’­ Vocabulary Meanings:

Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.

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

πŸ”‘ 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) Shohei Ohtani
(d) Yu Darvish
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 play multiple sports
(d) He can hit the ball well and throw it fast
4. What award did Shohei Ohtani win in 2021?
(a) Best player in his league
(b) Best pitcher in the league
(c) Most home runs in a season
(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) Boston Red Sox
(c) Chicago Cubs
(d) Los Angeles Angels
6. What did Shohei Ohtani say on Instagram to his old team, the Los Angeles Angels?
(a) Goodbye
(b) I'm sorry
(c) Thank you
(d) I don't want to play for you anymore
7. What does Shohei Ohtani's new deal show about him?
(a) He is not a very good baseball player
(b) He is one of the best baseball players ever
(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

πŸ•΅οΈ True or False Questions:

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

πŸ“ 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:

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?

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