A famous singer, Taylor Swift, was chosen as the most important person of the year by a big magazine called Time. She was picked because she did a lot of big things this year, like having a very popular music tour and causing people to ask questions about how a company named Ticketmaster sells tickets. Taylor said she was very happy and proud to get this special title. She talked about how hard it is to do her shows and about her new boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who plays American football.

Taylor is known for more than just who she dates. She had a really big year with her music tour where she sang 45 songs each night. So many people wanted to see her that it caused problems for the website where you buy tickets, and even the government wanted to know why. Taylor made some great music during a time when people were staying home a lot, and she became even more famous. She also sold the most music this year, had lots of her albums in the top 10 at the same time, and set a record for a woman having the most albums that were number one.

Taylor is not just famous for her music; she also has a lot of money. Just last month, a place that knows a lot about money said she has a billion dollars just from her music. She was so happy about being the person of the year that she put her cute cat on the magazine cover. Taylor is resting now but will start singing in other countries soon. She will go to Europe in May and plans to make a new version of one of her albums next year.

Original news source: Taylor Swift named Time Magazine’s person of the year (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary

Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Provide each group with a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the students to read the article and work together to summarize the main points.
4. Each group will then present their summary to the class.
5. Encourage discussion and ask follow-up questions.

– Word Association

Instructions:
1. Write the word “Taylor Swift” on the board.
2. Ask the students to brainstorm and write down as many words as they can think of that are related to Taylor Swift or her music.
3. After a few minutes, ask the students to share their words with the class.
4. Encourage discussion and ask the students to explain why they chose each word.

– Vocabulary Pictionary

Instructions:
1. Choose 5-10 key vocabulary words from the article, such as “singer,” “tour,” “tickets,” “popular,” “famous,” etc.
2. Divide the class into two teams.
3. Give each team a set of vocabulary words.
4. One student from each team will come to the front of the class.
5. The teacher will say one of the vocabulary words and the students must draw a picture to represent the word.
6. The rest of the team must guess the word within a certain time limit.
7. Award points to the teams for correct guesses.

– Speed Summarizing

Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Provide each group with a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the students to take turns summarizing the article to their partner/group within a time limit of 1-2 minutes.
4. Encourage the students to focus on the main points and key details.
5. After each round, have the students switch partners or groups and repeat the activity.
6. As a follow-up, ask the students to share any interesting or surprising information they learned from their partners/groups.

– Pros and Cons

Instructions:
1. Divide the class into two groups.
2. Assign one group to discuss the pros (advantages) of Taylor Swift being chosen as the most important person of the year.
3. Assign the other group to discuss the cons (disadvantages) of Taylor Swift being chosen as the most important person of the year.
4. Give the groups a few minutes to brainstorm their arguments.
5. Have each group present their points to the class.
6. Encourage the students to listen to and respectfully respond to each other’s arguments.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who was chosen as the most important person of the year by Time magazine?
2. Why was Taylor Swift chosen for this title?
3. What did Taylor Swift talk about when she received the title?
4. What did Taylor Swift do on her music tour this year?
5. Why did Taylor Swift become even more famous this year?
6. How much money does Taylor Swift have from her music?
7. Where will Taylor Swift be singing next year?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A famous singer, Taylor Swift, was chosen as the most (1)______ person of the (2)______ by a big magazine called Time. She was picked because she did a lot of big things this year, like having a very popular music tour and causing people to ask (3)______ about how a company named Ticketmaster sells tickets. Taylor said she was very happy and proud to get this special title. She talked about how hard it is to do her shows and about her new (4)______, Travis Kelce, who plays American (5)______.

Taylor is known for more than just who she dates. She had a really big year with her music tour where she sang 45 songs each night. So many people wanted to see her that it caused (6)______ for the website where you buy tickets, and even the government wanted to know why. Taylor made some great music during a (7)______ when people were staying home a lot, and she became even more famous. She also sold the most music this year, had lots of her (8)______ in the top 10 at the same time, and set a record for a (9)______ having the most albums that were number one.

Taylor is not just famous for her music; she also has a lot of money. Just last (10)______, a place that knows a lot about money said she has a billion dollars just from her music. She was so happy about being the person of the year that she put her cute cat on the magazine cover. Taylor is resting now but will start singing in other countries soon. She will go to (11)______ in May and plans to (12)______ a new version of one of her albums next year.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. Who was chosen as the most important person of the year by Time magazine?
2. What did Taylor Swift do this year that made her famous?
3. How do you think Taylor Swift felt when she got the special title?
4. How would you feel if you were chosen as the most important person of the year?
5. Do you like Taylor Swift’s music? Why or why not?
6. What do you think about Taylor Swift’s music tour?
7. How do you think Taylor Swift’s music helped people who were staying home a lot?
8. What do you think about Taylor Swift having a billion dollars from her music?
9. Do you think it’s important for famous people to use their money to help others? Why or why not?
10. Have you ever been to a concert? How was it?
11. Would you like to see Taylor Swift perform live? Why or why not?
12. What other famous singers do you know?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. chosen
2. popular
3. company
4. proud
5. famous
6. problems
7. government
8. albums
9. money
10. magazine
11. resting
12. version

Meanings:
(A) Feeling happy and satisfied about something
(B) Well-known and recognized by many people
(C) Liked by many people
(D) The group of people who make decisions and rules for a country
(E) Difficulties or issues that need to be solved
(F) Picked or selected
(G) A collection of songs recorded by a musician or band
(H) The amount of coins and bills that someone has
(I) A publication with articles, pictures, and stories
(J) A different form or edition of something
(K) Taking a break or relaxing
(L) A group of people who work together to sell things or provide a service
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who was chosen as the most important person of the year by Time magazine?
(a) Travis Kelce
(b) Ticketmaster
(c) The government
(d) Taylor Swift

2. Why was Taylor Swift chosen as the most important person of the year?
(a) She is dating Travis Kelce, a famous American football player.
(b) She sold the most music and had the most number one albums.
(c) She had a popular music tour and raised questions about Ticketmaster.
(d) She has a billion dollars from her music.

3. What did Taylor Swift talk about when she received the special title?
(a) Her music and her cat.
(b) Her music tour and her new boyfriend.
(c) Her shows and her albums.
(d) Her popularity and her money.

4. What caused problems for the website where people buy tickets?
(a) Many people wanted to see Taylor Swift’s music tour.
(b) The government wanted to know why Taylor Swift was so popular.
(c) Taylor Swift made a lot of money from her music.
(d) Taylor Swift had a billion dollars from her music.

5. What record did Taylor Swift set this year?
(a) She sold the most music.
(b) She had the most albums that were number one.
(c) She had the most popular music tour.
(d) She had the most albums in the top 10 at the same time.

6. How much money does Taylor Swift have from her music?
(a) A million dollars.
(b) A hundred dollars.
(c) A billion dollars.
(d) Ten dollars.

7. What did Taylor Swift put on the magazine cover to celebrate being the person of the year?
(a) Her new boyfriend.
(b) Her music tour.
(c) Her albums.
(d) Her cute cat.

8. What are Taylor Swift’s plans for next year?
(a) To make a new version of one of her albums.
(b) To go on a music tour in Europe.
(c) To rest and take a break from singing.
(d) To become even more famous.

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. She was chosen because she had a very popular music tour and made people question how tickets are sold.
2. She has a billion dollars from her music and plans to release a new version of one of her albums next year.
3. Taylor Swift was not chosen as the most important person of the year by a magazine called Time.
4. Taylor only sang 15 songs each night during her music tour.
5. Taylor is sad and ashamed to have received this special title.
6. Only a few people wanted to see her, causing no problems for the ticket-buying website and attracting no government attention.
7. She talked about the challenges of doing her shows and her new boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who plays American football.
8. Taylor sold the most music this year and had multiple albums in the top 10 at the same time.
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 was chosen as the most important person of the year by Time magazine?
2. Why was Taylor Swift chosen as the most important person of the year?
3. What did Taylor Swift do this year that made her very popular?
4. What problems did Taylor Swift’s popularity cause for the website where you buy tickets?
5. How much money does Taylor Swift have just from her music?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who was chosen as the most important person of the year by Time magazine?
Taylor Swift was chosen as the most important person of the year by Time magazine.

2. Why was Taylor Swift chosen for this title?
Taylor Swift was chosen because she had a very popular music tour and sold the most music this year. She also set a record for having the most albums that were number one.

3. What did Taylor Swift talk about when she received the title?
When she received the title, Taylor Swift talked about how hard it is to do her shows and about her new boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who plays American football.

4. What did Taylor Swift do on her music tour this year?
On her music tour this year, Taylor Swift sang 45 songs each night.

5. Why did Taylor Swift become even more famous this year?
Taylor Swift became even more famous this year because she made great music during a time when people were staying home a lot.

6. How much money does Taylor Swift have from her music?
Taylor Swift has a billion dollars just from her music, according to a recent report.

7. Where will Taylor Swift be singing next year?
Next year, Taylor Swift will be singing in Europe. She will go there in May.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) important
(2) year
(3) questions
(4) boyfriend
(5) football
(6) problems
(7) time
(8) albums
(9) woman
(10) month
(11) Europe
(12) make
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. chosen
Answer: (F) Picked or selected

2. popular
Answer: (C) Liked by many people

3. company
Answer: (L) A group of people who work together to sell things or provide a service

4. proud
Answer: (A) Feeling happy and satisfied about something

5. famous
Answer: (B) Well-known and recognized by many people

6. problems
Answer: (E) Difficulties or issues that need to be solved

7. government
Answer: (D) The group of people who make decisions and rules for a country

8. albums
Answer: (G) A collection of songs recorded by a musician or band

9. money
Answer: (H) The amount of coins and bills that someone has

10. magazine
Answer: (I) A publication with articles, pictures, and stories

11. resting
Answer: (K) Taking a break or relaxing

12. version
Answer: (J) A different form or edition of something
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who was chosen as the most important person of the year by Time magazine?
Answer: (d) Taylor Swift

2. Why was Taylor Swift chosen as the most important person of the year?
Answer: (c) She had a popular music tour and raised questions about Ticketmaster.

3. What did Taylor Swift talk about when she received the special title?
Answer: (b) Her music tour and her new boyfriend.

4. What caused problems for the website where people buy tickets?
Answer: (a) Many people wanted to see Taylor Swift’s music tour.

5. What record did Taylor Swift set this year?
Answer: (b) She had the most albums that were number one.

6. How much money does Taylor Swift have from her music?
Answer: (c) A billion dollars.

7. What did Taylor Swift put on the magazine cover to celebrate being the person of the year?
Answer: (d) Her cute cat.

8. What are Taylor Swift’s plans for next year?
Answer: (a) To make a new version of one of her albums.
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. She was chosen because she had a very popular music tour and made people question how tickets are sold. (Answer: True)
2. She has a billion dollars from her music and plans to release a new version of one of her albums next year. (Answer: True)
3. Taylor Swift was not chosen as the most important person of the year by a magazine called Time. (Answer: False)
4. Taylor only sang 15 songs each night during her music tour. (Answer: False)
5. Taylor is sad and ashamed to have received this special title. (Answer: False)
6. Only a few people wanted to see her, causing no problems for the ticket-buying website and attracting no government attention. (Answer: False)
7. She talked about the challenges of doing her shows and her new boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who plays American football. (Answer: True)
8. Taylor sold the most music this year and had multiple albums in the top 10 at the same time. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧