The Reading / Listening - Level 3

Football fans in the English city of Leicester have been celebrating a fairytale win for their club. Leicester City won England's Premier League for the first time in their 132-year history. The team beat the traditional powerhouses of Manchester United and Chelsea to the title. Many journalists are saying it is the greatest achievement in the history of sport. Leicester were bottom of the 20-team Premier League last year. They were nearly relegated to a lower league. However, their style of play totally changed this year. Their team spirit, the introduction of new players and a new coach all combined to make them almost unbeatable. They won the title on Monday night and their supporters around the world went crazy.

Leicester City were promoted to England’s Premier League only two years ago. They were hot favourites to go back down to the lower league again this season. No one gave them a chance of winning the Premier League. Last August, they were 5,000-1 against winning the title. That means if you had put a $1 bet on them to win, you could now collect $5,000. The actor Tom Hanks said he bet $100 on Leicester to win and will now get $500,000 back. Leicester's whole team cost less to buy than just one star in the top teams. Despite this, two Leicester players won the top player of the year awards in England. It is also likely that Leicester's Italian manager Claudio Ranieri will be world coach of the year.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Level 0,  Level 1   or  Level 2

Sources
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/03/sports/soccer/leicester-city-clinches-premier-league-title.html?_r=0
  • http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/02/476498542/longshot-leicester-city-win-english-premiere-league-title
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/05/03/leicester-citys-astounding-premier-league-win-a-huge-loss-for-british-bookmakers/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. LEICESTER CITY: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Leicester City. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

       football / fans / fairytale / traditional / journalists / achievement /
       promoted / favourites / season / chance / bet / collect / winning / awards / coach

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. GREATEST: Students A strongly believe football is the greatest sport in the world; Students B strongly believe it isn't.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

4. FAIRYTALES: What fairytales could there be in these situations? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

(Please look at page 3 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. WIN: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "win". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. SPORTS: Rank these with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • karate
  • rugby
  • skiing
  • tennis
  • football
  • swimming
  • basketball
  • Formula 1

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. Leicester City is 132 years old.     T / F
  2. The team lost to Manchester United and Chelsea.     T / F
  3. Journalists say it is the greatest achievement in sports history.     T / F
  4. Their style of play has not changed over the past few years.     T / F
  5. Leicester were promoted to the Premier League last season.     T / F
  6. Leicester were 5,000-1 against winning the Premier League.     T / F
  7. Tom Hanks said he bet on Leicester to win the Premier League.     T / F
  8. Leicester City's coach has been named as world coach of the year.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. fans
  2. win
  3. achievement
  4. nearly
  5. combined
  6. only
  7. chance
  8. whole
  9. star
  10. likely
  1. just
  2. performance
  3. joined
  4. hope
  5. big name
  6. supporters
  7. probable
  8. almost
  9. victory
  10. entire

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. celebrating a
  2. the greatest achievement in
  3. their style of
  4. make them almost
  5. their supporters around the world
  6. hot
  7. No one gave them
  8. 5,000-1 against
  9. player of the year
  10. Ranieri will be world
  1. the history of sport
  2. unbeatable
  3. awards
  4. favourites
  5. winning the title
  6. coach of the year
  7. went crazy
  8. a chance
  9. play
  10. fairytale win

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
history
club
totally
title
crazy
time
combined
nearly

Football fans in the English city of Leicester have been celebrating a fairytale win for their (1) ____________. Leicester City won England's Premier League for the first (2) ____________ in their 132-year history. The team beat the traditional powerhouses of Manchester United and Chelsea to the (3) ____________. Many journalists are saying it is the greatest achievement in the (4) ____________ of sport. Leicester were bottom of the 20-team Premier League last year. They were (5) ____________ relegated to a lower league. However, their style of play (6) ____________ changed this year. Their team spirit, the introduction of new players and a new coach all (7) ____________ to make them almost unbeatable. They won the title on Monday night and their supporters around the world went (8) ____________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
bet
promoted
back
awards
coach
hot
chance
this

Leicester City were (9) ____________ to England’s Premier League only two years ago. They were (10) ____________ favourites to go back down to the lower league again this season. No one gave them a (11) ____________ of winning the Premier League. Last August, they were 5,000-1 against winning the title. That means if you had put a $1 (12) ____________ on them to win, you could now collect $5,000. The actor Tom Hanks said he bet $100 on Leicester to win and will now get $500,000 (13) ____________. Leicester's whole team cost less to buy than just one star in the top teams. Despite (14) ____________, two Leicester players won the top player of the year (15) ____________ in England. It is also likely that Leicester's Italian manager Claudio Ranieri will be world (16) ____________ of the year.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  Football fans in the English city of Leicester have been celebrating ______
     a.  a fairytale win
     b.  a fairytale won
     c.  a fairytale wins
     d.  a fairytale winning

2)  Many journalists are saying it is the greatest achievement in the ______
     a.  histories of sport
     b.  history of sport
     c.  history for sport
     d.  history of sports

3)  They were nearly relegated to ______
     a.  a low are league
     b.  a low the league
     c.  a lower leagues
     d.  a lower league

4)  new players and a new coach all combined to make them ______
     a.  almost unbeatable
     b.  almost not beatable
     c.  almost non-beatable
     d.  almost ermm… beatable

5)  They won the title on Monday night and their supporters around the ______
     a.  world went crazily
     b.  worlds went crazy
     c.  world went crazy
     d.  worlds went crazily

6)  Leicester City were promoted to England’s Premier League ______
     a.  only two years then
     b.  only two years go
     c.  only two years a goes
     d.  only two years ago

7)  They were hot favourites to go back down to the lower league ______
     a.  again that season
     b.  again this season
     c.  again these season
     d.  again those season

8)  Last August, they were 5,000-1 against ______
     a.  win in the titled
     b.  winning the title
     c.  winning a title
     d.  winning the titled

9)  Tom Hanks said he bet $100 on Leicester to win and will now ______
     a.  got $500,000 back
     b.  get $500,000 back
     c.  gets $500,000 pack
     d.  get $500,000 pack

10)  Leicester's Italian manager Claudio Ranieri will be world ______
     a.  coach of the year
     b.  coach for the year
     c.  coach from the year
     d.  coach off the year

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Football fans in the English city of Leicester have (1) ___________________ a fairytale win for their club. Leicester City won England's Premier League for the (2) ___________________ their 132-year history. The team beat the traditional powerhouses of Manchester United and Chelsea to the title. Many journalists are saying it is the (3) ___________________ in the history of sport. Leicester were bottom of the 20-team Premier League last year. They were (4) ___________________ to a lower league. However, their style of play totally changed this year. Their team spirit, the introduction of new players and a new coach (5) ___________________ make them almost unbeatable. They won the title on Monday night and their supporters around the (6) ___________________.

Leicester City (7) ___________________ England’s Premier League only two years ago. They were hot favourites to go (8) ___________________ the lower league (9) ___________________. No one gave them a chance of winning the Premier League. Last August, they were 5,000-1 against winning the title. That means if you had put a $1 (10) ___________________ win, you could now collect $5,000. The actor Tom Hanks said he bet $100 on Leicester to win and will now get $500,000 back. Leicester's whole team cost (11) ___________________ just one star in the top teams. Despite this, two Leicester players won the top player (12) ___________________ in England. It is also likely that Leicester's Italian manager Claudio Ranieri will be world coach of the year.

Comprehension questions

  1. Who has been celebrating in Leicester?
  2. How old is Leicester City Football Club?
  3. How many teams are there in the English Premier League?
  4. What totally changed with the club this year?
  5. What did Leicester supporters around the world do on Monday?
  6. When were Leicester promoted to the Premier League?
  7. What did people say were the chances of Leicester winning the League?
  8. Which actor bet on Leicester winning the Premier League?
  9. What did two of Leicester's players win?
  10. What award might Leicester City's coach get?

Multiple choice quiz

1) Who has been celebrating in Leicester?
a) restaurant staff
b) radio commentators
c) fans
d) ball boys and girls

2) How old is Leicester City Football Club?
a)  132 years old
b) 122 years old
c) 123 years old
d) 113 years old

3) How many teams are there in the English Premier League?
a) 16
b) 18
c) 22
d) 20

4) What totally changed with the club this year?
a) their stadium
b) their style of play
c) their kit
d) players' salaries

5) What did Leicester supporters around the world do on Monday?
a) fight
b) bet on next season
c) go crazy
d) watch TV

6) When were Leicester promoted to the Premier League?
a) 3 years ago
b) 2 years ago
c) 4 years ago
d) 10 years ago

7) What did people say were the chances of Leicester winning the League?
a) good
b) 10-1
c) nil
d) 5,000-1

8) Which actor bet on Leicester winning the Premier League?
a) Leonardo DiCaprio
b) Tom Hanks
c) Robert De Niro
d) Benedict Cumberbatch

9) What did two of Leicester's players win?
a) player of the year awards
b) the FIFA 2016 game
c) teddy bears
d) a car

10) What award might Leicester City's coach get?
a) fired
b) a new team
c) a promotion
d) world coach of the year

Role play

Role A — Football

You think football is the best sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): basketball, Formula 1 or tennis.

Role B — Basketball

You think basketball is the best sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): football, Formula 1 or tennis.

Role C — Formula 1

You think Formula 1 is the best sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): basketball, football or tennis.

Role D — Tennis

You think tennis is the best sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): basketball, Formula 1 or football.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'fairy'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'tale'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • ago
    • down
    • against
    • now
    • star
    • year
    • celebrating
    • first
    • journalists
    • nearly
    • style
    • crazy

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - Leicester City in football fairytale win

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What springs to mind when you hear the word 'football'?
    3. Which is the best word, 'football' or 'soccer'?
    4. What do you know about Leicester City's victory?
    5. What do you know about the English Premier League?
    6. What is the biggest fairytale in sport?
    7. What is your greatest sporting joy?
    8. How important is sport?
    9. Why does sport create so much passion in people?
    10. Why is football the world's most popular sport?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of Leicester winning the Premier League?
    3. How has Leicester's victory changed football?
    4. How likely is it that Leicester will win again next season?
    5. What would it be like to play for Leicester City?
    6. Have you ever bet on a team or player?
    7. Is the English Premier League the best league in the world?
    8. How do you think the Leicester players feel right now?
    9. How much of Leicester's victory is because of the coach?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the Leicester players?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    Football fans in the English city of Leicester have been (1) ____ a fairytale win for their club. Leicester City won England's Premier League for the first time in their 132-year (2) ____. The team beat the traditional powerhouses of Manchester United and Chelsea to the (3) ____. Many journalists are saying it is the greatest achievement in the history of sport. Leicester were bottom of the 20-team Premier League last year. They were (4) ____ relegated to a lower league. However, their style of play totally changed this year. Their team (5) ____, the introduction of new players and a new coach all combined to make them almost unbeatable. They won the title on Monday night and their supporters around the world (6) ____ crazy.

    Leicester City were (7) ____ to England’s Premier League only two years ago. They were (8) ____ favourites to go back down to the lower league again this season. No one gave them a chance of winning the Premier League. Last August, they were 5,000-1 (9) ____ winning the title. That means if you had put a $1 bet on them to win, you could now collect $5,000. The actor Tom Hanks said he (10) ____ $100 on Leicester to win and will now get $500,000 back. Leicester's whole team cost less to buy than just one star in the top teams. Despite (11) ____, two Leicester players won the top player of the year awards in England. It is also (12) ____ that Leicester's Italian manager Claudio Ranieri will be world coach of the year.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)   celebrating   (b)   celebration   (c)   celebrations   (d)   celebrated  
    2. (a)   historian   (b)   historical   (c)   history   (d)   histories  
    3. (a)   label   (b)   banner   (c)   title   (d)   form  
    4. (a)   nearer   (b)   nears   (c)   neared   (d)   nearly  
    5. (a)   ghost   (b)   ghoul   (c)   spirit   (d)   phantom  
    6. (a)   did   (b)   went   (c)   landed   (d)   came  
    7. (a)   promotion   (b)   promoted   (c)   prominent   (d)   prompted  
    8. (a)   tepid   (b)   hot   (c)   barbecued   (d)   alight  
    9. (a)   from   (b)   post   (c)   against   (d)   disagree  
    10. (a)   met   (b)   get   (c)   let   (d)   bet  
    11. (a)   those   (b)   these   (c)   them   (d)   this  
    12. (a)   liking   (b)   liked   (c)   likes   (d)   likely

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. aerbtceling a fairytale win
    2. their 132-year ytsohir
    3. the natatdoiril powerhouses
    4. Many sisoluajrtn
    5. relegated to a lower aueelg
    6. their ueprtosprs around the world

    Paragraph 2

    1. They were hot riaosfvetu (UK)  /  rfesitaov (USA)
    2. No one gave them a hnecca of winning
    3. this nasose
    4. coetcll $5,000
    5. player of the year awsrad
    6. world acoch of the year

    Put the text back together

    1. (    )     to make them almost unbeatable. They won the title on Monday night and their supporters around the world went crazy.
    2. (    )     last year. They were nearly relegated to a lower league. However, their style of play totally
    3. (    )     saying it is the greatest achievement in the history of sport. Leicester were bottom of the 20-team Premier League
    4. (    )     Leicester City were promoted to England’s Premier League only two years ago. They were hot favourites to go back
    5. (    )     likely that Leicester's Italian manager Claudio Ranieri will be world coach of the year.
    6. (    )     down to the lower league again this season. No one gave them a chance of winning the Premier League. Last August, they
    7. (  1  )     Football fans in the English city of Leicester have been celebrating a fairytale win for their
    8. (    )     the traditional powerhouses of Manchester United and Chelsea to the title. Many journalists are
    9. (    )     this, two Leicester players won the top player of the year awards in England. It is also
    10. (    )     now get $500,000 back. Leicester's whole team cost less to buy than just one star in the top teams. Despite
    11. (    )     changed this year. Their team spirit, the introduction of new players and a new coach all combined
    12. (    )     win, you could now collect $5,000. The actor Tom Hanks said he bet $100 on Leicester to win and will
    13. (    )     were 5,000-1 against winning the title. That means if you had put a $1 bet on them to
    14. (    )     club. Leicester City won England's Premier League for the first time in their 132-year history. The team beat

    Put the words in the right order

    1. a   Celebrating   club   their   for   win   fairytale   .  
    2. year   history   For   the   first   time   in   their   132   -   .  
    3. of   sport   It   is      .   the   greatest   achievement   in   the   history
    4. league   relegated   to   They   a   were   lower   nearly   .  
    5. world   the   around   supporters   Their   crazy   went   .  
    6. go   They   to   favourites   down   hot   back   were   .  
    7. the   League   No   one   gave   them   a   chance   of   winning   .   
    8. win   Hanks   said   he   bet   $100   on   Leicester   to   .  
    9. buy   to  less   cost   team   whole  Leicester's   star  one   just   than   .
    10. player  top  the   won  players   Leicester  Two  awards  year   the  of  .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Football fans in the English city of / from Leicester have been celebrating a fairytale win / winning for their club. Leicester City won England's Premier League for the first time in that / their 132-year history. The team beat the traditional / traditionally powerhouses of Manchester United and Chelsea to the title. Many journalists are said / saying it is the greatest achievement in the history of sport. Leicester were low / bottom of the 20-team Premier League last year. They were nearly relegation / relegated to a lower league. However, their style / stylish of play totally changed this year. Their team spirit, the introduction of new players and a new coach all combed / combined to make them almost unbeatable. They won the title on Monday night and their supporters around the world went crazily / crazy.

    Leicester City were promoted / prompted to England’s Premier League only two years ago. They were hot favourites to go back up / down to the lower league again this / the season. No one gave them a chance of wins / winning the Premier League. Last August, they were 5,000-1 against winning the title. That means if you had put / done a $1 bet on them to win, you could now collection / collect $5,000. The actor Tom Hanks said he bet $100 in / on Leicester to win and will now get $500,000 back. Leicester's hole / whole team cost less to buy than just one star in the top teams. Despite / Spite this, two Leicester players won the top player of the year awards in England. It is also likely that Leicester's Italian manager Claudio Ranieri will be world coach / couch of the year.

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    F__tb_ll f_ns _n th_ _ngl_sh c_ty _f L__c_st_r h_v_ b__n c_l_br_t_ng _ f__ryt_l_ w_n f_r th__r cl_b. L__c_st_r C_ty w_n _ngl_nd's Pr_m__r L__g__ f_r th_ f_rst t_m_ _n th__r 132-y__r h_st_ry. Th_ t__m b__t th_ tr_d_t__n_l p_w_rh__s_s _f M_nch_st_r _n_t_d _nd Ch_ls__ t_ th_ t_tl_. M_ny j__rn_l_sts _r_ s_y_ng _t _s th_ gr__t_st _ch__v_m_nt _n th_ h_st_ry _f sp_rt. L__c_st_r w_r_ b_tt_m _f th_ 20-t__m Pr_m__r L__g__ l_st y__r. Th_y w_r_ n__rly r_l_g_t_d t_ _ l_w_r l__g__. H_w_v_r, th__r styl_ _f pl_y t_t_lly ch_ng_d th_s y__r. Th__r t__m sp_r_t, th_ _ntr_d_ct__n _f n_w pl_y_rs _nd _ n_w c__ch _ll c_mb_n_d t_ m_k_ th_m _lm_st _nb__t_bl_. Th_y w_n th_ t_tl_ _n M_nd_y n_ght _nd th__r s_pp_rt_rs _r__nd th_ w_rld w_nt cr_zy.

    L__c_st_r C_ty w_r_ pr_m_t_d t_ _ngl_nd’s Pr_m__r L__g__ _nly tw_ y__rs _g_. Th_y w_r_ h_t f_v__r_t_s t_ g_ b_ck d_wn t_ th_ l_w_r l__g__ _g__n th_s s__s_n. N_ _n_ g_v_ th_m _ ch_nc_ _f w_nn_ng th_ Pr_m__r L__g__. L_st __g_st, th_y w_r_ 5,000-1 _g__nst w_nn_ng th_ t_tl_. Th_t m__ns _f y__ h_d p_t _ $1 b_t _n th_m t_ w_n, y__ c__ld n_w c_ll_ct $5,000. Th_ _ct_r T_m H_nks s__d h_ b_t $100 _n L__c_st_r t_ w_n _nd w_ll n_w g_t $500,000 b_ck. L__c_st_r's wh_l_ t__m c_st l_ss t_ b_y th_n j_st _n_ st_r _n th_ t_p t__ms. D_sp_t_ th_s, tw_ L__c_st_r pl_y_rs w_n th_ t_p pl_y_r _f th_ y__r _w_rds _n _ngl_nd. _t _s _ls_ l_k_ly th_t L__c_st_r's _t_l__n m_n_g_r Cl__d__ R_n__r_ w_ll b_ w_rld c__ch _f th_ y__r.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    football fans in the english city of leicester have been celebrating a fairytale win for their club leicester city won england's premier league for the first time in their 132-year history the team beat the traditional powerhouses of manchester united and chelsea to the title many journalists are saying it is the greatest achievement in the history of sport leicester were bottom of the 20-team premier league last year they were nearly relegated to a lower league however their style of play totally changed this year their team spirit the introduction of new players and a new coach all combined to make them almost unbeatable they won the title on monday night and their supporters around the world went crazy

    leicester city were promoted to england’s premier league only two years ago they were hot favourites to go back down to the lower league again this season no one gave them a chance of winning the premier league last august they were 5000-1 against winning the title that means if you had put a $1 bet on them to win you could now collect $5000 the actor tom hanks said he bet $100 on leicester to win and will now get $500000 back leicester's whole team cost less to buy than just one star in the top teams despite this two leicester players won the top player of the year awards in england it is also likely that leicester's italian manager claudio ranieri will be world coach of the year

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    FootballfansintheEnglishcityofLeicesterhavebeencelebratingafairyt
    alewinfortheirclub.LeicesterCitywonEngland'sPremierLeagueforthe
    firsttimeintheir132-yearhistory.Theteambeatthetraditionalpowe
    rhousesofManchesterUnitedandChelseatothetitle.Manyjournalistsa
    resayingitisthegreatestachievementinthehistoryofsport.Leicesterw
    erebottomofthe20-teamPremierLeaguelastyear.Theywerenearlyrel
    egatedtoalowerleague.However,theirstyleofplaytotallychangedthis
    year.Theirteamspirit,theintroductionofnewplayersandanewcoachall
    combinedtomakethemalmostunbeatable.TheywonthetitleonMonda
    ynightandtheirsupportersaroundtheworldwentcrazy.LeicesterCityw
    erepromotedtoEngland’sPremierLeagueonlytwoyearsago.Theywer
    ehotfavouritestogobackdowntothelowerleagueagainthisseason.No
    onegavethemachanceofwinningthePremierLeague.LastAugust,they
    were5,000-1againstwinningthetitle.Thatmeansifyouhadputa$1b
    etonthemtowin,youcouldnowcollect$5,000.TheactorTomHankssaid
    hebet$100onLeicestertowinandwillnowget$500,000back.Leicester'
    swholeteamcostlesstobuythanjustonestarinthetopteams.Despitethi
    s,twoLeicesterplayerswonthetopplayeroftheyearawardsinEngland.I
    tisalsolikelythatLeicester'sItalianmanagerClaudioRanieriwillbeworl
    dcoachoftheyear.

    Free writing

    Write about football for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Football is the greatest sport on Earth. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about Leicester City. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

    3. LEICESTER CITY: Make a poster about Leicester City. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

    4. PREMIER LEAGUE: Write a magazine article about the English Premier League. Include imaginary interviews with people who think it is the greatest league in the world and with people who think it isn't.

    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on football. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your ideas on how to make it better. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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