The Reading / Listening - Go Grand Champion - Level 3

A world champion has retired because he has decided humans cannot beat computers at his game. The grand champion is Lee Se-Dol from South Korea. He was world champion at the ancient, strategy board game Go. Some people compare Go to chess. Mr Lee is the only person in the world to ever beat Google's AlphaGo computer algorithm. This is a special A.I. computer program created by Google to play Go. Mr Lee, an 18-time world champion, told reporters earlier this week that: "Even if I become the number one, there is an entity that cannot be defeated. With the debut of A.I. in Go games, I've realized that I'm not at the top even if I become the number one."

The game of Go originated in China around 3,000 years ago. Today, it is played mostly in China, Japan and South Korea. It is believed to be the oldest board game in the world. In 2016, the International Go Federation said it had 75 member nations, and that over 46 million people worldwide knew how to play Go. Mr Lee started playing at the age of five. He turned professional seven years later, when he was 12. He played five games against Google's AlphaGo and lost four of them. He said his one victory was because of a "bug" in the program. The bug did not know what to do when Mr Lee made a "tricky" move. Today's Go programs are much more powerful than the one that beat Mr Lee.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Go Grand Champion - Level 0,  Go Grand Champion - Level 1   or  Go Grand Champion - Level 2

Sources
  • https://japantoday.com/category/tech/go-grandmaster-says-computers-cannot-be-defeated
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/27/go-game-master-quits-saying-machines-cannot-be-defeated
  • http://www.koreatimesus.com/go-master-lee-says-he-quits-unable-to-win-over-ai-go-players/


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. GO: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Go. 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?
       world / champion / ancient / strategy / board game / computer / number one / top /
       game / China / nations / professional / victory / bug / program / tricky / powerful
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. BOARD GAMES: Students A strongly believe board games are better than computer games; Students B strongly believe the opposite.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. A.I.: How might Artificial Intelligence challenge humans in these areas? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What A.I. Could Do

Good Things

Bad Things

Football

 

 

 

Cooking

 

 

 

Music

 

 

 

Teaching

 

 

 

Friendship

 

 

 

Art

 

 

 
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. COMPUTER: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "computer". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. GAMES: Rank these with your partner. Put the best games at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Go
  • Monopoly
  • Roulette
  • Pictionary
  • Tag
  • Angry Birds
  • Snap
  • Tic-Tac-Toe

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. retired a. Belonging to the very distant past.
      2. ancient b. A thing with clear and independent existence.
      3. compare c. A set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.
      4. algorithm d. Show how things are the same or different.
      5. entity e. Stopped playing a sport or game competitively.
      6. debut f. Became aware of something.
      7. realized g. A person's first appearance or performance in a particular role.

    Paragraph 2

      8. originated h. An error in a computer program or system.
      9. mostly i. Started.
      10. nation j. An act of beating an enemy or opponent in a battle, game, or competition.
      11. professional k. Skillful and difficult to deal with.
      12. victory l. Country.
      13. bug m. A person playing a sport or game, or doing a job or in the performing arts as a paid job.
      14. tricky n. Usually, generally.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. A former Go world champion from South Korea has quit the game.     T / F
  2. The article said Go was the same as chess.     T / F
  3. The ex-champion won the world title 18 times.     T / F
  4. The ex-champion said A.I. means he can never be top.     T / F
  5. The game of Go began in Japan 3,000 years ago.     T / F
  6. A world Go organization has 75 countries as its members.     T / F
  7. The ex-champion was a professional when he was 12 years old.     T / F
  8. The ex-champion said he beat the Go program once through skill.     T / F

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

  1. retired
  2. beat
  3. created
  4. compare
  5. realized
  6. originated
  7. mostly
  8. nations
  9. victory
  10. tricky
  1. liken
  2. difficult
  3. mainly
  4. defeat
  5. countries
  6. win
  7. quit
  8. understood
  9. made
  10. began

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

  1. he has decided humans
  2. Some people compare
  3. computer
  4. an 18-
  5. even if I become
  6. The game of Go originated
  7. the oldest board
  8. it had 75 member
  9. his one victory was because of a
  10. Today's Go programs are much
  1. nations
  2. in China
  3. the number one
  4. game in the world
  5. "bug" in the program
  6. cannot beat computers
  7. algorithm
  8. more powerful
  9. time world champion
  10. Go to chess

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
retired
created
strategy
top
earlier
number
grand
beat

A world champion has (1) ____________ because he has decided humans cannot beat computers at his game. The (2) ____________ champion is Lee Se-Dol from South Korea. He was world champion at the ancient, (3) ____________ board game Go. Some people compare Go to chess. Mr Lee is the only person in the world to ever (4) ____________ Google's AlphaGo computer algorithm. This is a special A.I. computer program (5) ____________ by Google to play Go. Mr Lee, an 18-time world champion, told reporters (6) ____________ this week that: "Even if I become the (7) ____________ one, there is an entity that cannot be defeated. With the debut of A.I. in Go games, I've realized that I'm not at the (8) ____________ even if I become the number one."

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
board
age
originated
tricky
member
bug
mostly
lost

The game of Go (9) ____________ in China around 3,000 years ago. Today, it is played (10) ____________ in China, Japan and South Korea. It is believed to be the oldest (11) ____________ game in the world. In 2016, the International Go Federation said it had 75 (12) ____________ nations, and that over 46 million people worldwide knew how to play Go. Mr Lee started playing at the (13) ____________ of five. He turned professional seven years later, when he was 12. He played five games against Google's AlphaGo and (14) ____________ four of them. He said his one victory was because of a "bug" in the program. The (15) ____________ did not know what to do when Mr Lee made a "(16) ____________" move. Today's Go programs are much more powerful than the one that beat Mr Lee.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  A world champion has retired because he has decided humans ______
     a.  cannot beaten computers
     b.  cannot beating computers
     c.  cannot beat computers
     d.  cannot beats computers
2)  the only person in the world to ever beat Google's AlphaGo ______
     a.  computer all go rhythm
     b.  compute an all gore in
     c.  computer all going thin
     d.  computer algorithm
3)  Mr Lee, an 18-time world champion, told reporters ______
     a.  earlier this week
     b.  earlier this weeks
     c.  earlier this weak
     d.  earlier this weaken
4)  there is an entity that cannot be defeated. With ______ A.I.
     a.  the day view of
     b.  the day blue of
     c.  the debut of
     d.  the debutant of
5)  I've realized that I'm not at the top even if I become ______
     a.  the number one
     b.  the numbers won
     c.  the numeral one
     d.  the number won

6)  The game of Go originated in China around ______
     a.  3,000 year ago
     b.  3,000 years ago
     c.  3,000 years ergo
     d.  3,000 years a go
7)  It is believed to be the ______
     a.  old is board game
     b.  oldest bored game
     c.  oldest board game
     d.  oldest bored game
8)  Mr Lee started playing at the age of five. He turned ______ years later
     a.  professionally seven
     b.  professions even
     c.  professional even
     d.  professional seven
9)  He played five games against Google's AlphaGo and ______ them
     a.  last four of
     b.  lost for of
     c.  lost four of
     d.  last for of
10)  The bug did not know what to do when Mr Lee made ______
     a.  a "trick key" move
     b.  a "trick" e-move
     c.  a "tricky" move
     d.  eight-trick move

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A world champion (1) ___________________ he has decided humans cannot beat computers at his game. The (2) ___________________ Lee Se-Dol from South Korea. He was world champion at the ancient, strategy board game Go. (3) ___________________ Go to chess. Mr Lee is the only person in the world to ever beat Google's AlphaGo computer algorithm. This is a special A.I. computer (4) ___________________ Google to play Go. Mr Lee, an 18-time world champion, told reporters earlier this week that: "Even if I become the number one, there is an entity that (5) ___________________. With the debut of A.I. in Go games, I've realized that I'm not (6) ___________________ even if I become the number one."

The game of Go (7) ___________________ around 3,000 years ago. Today, it is played mostly in China, Japan and South Korea. It is believed to be the (8) ___________________ in the world. In 2016, the International Go Federation said it had (9) ___________________, and that over 46 million people worldwide knew how to play Go. Mr Lee started playing (10) ___________________ of five. He turned professional seven years later, when he was 12. He played five games against Google's AlphaGo and lost four of them. He said his (11) ___________________ because of a "bug" in the program. The bug did not know what to do when Mr Lee made a "tricky" move. Today's Go programs are (12) ___________________ than the one that beat Mr Lee.

Comprehension questions

  1. Where is the former Go world champion from?
  2. What kind of game did the writer say Go was?
  3. What is the name of the Google program that plays Go?
  4. How many times was the man world champion?
  5. What did the man say he could not be, even if he was number one?
  6. How long ago was Go invented?
  7. How many nations were in the International Go Federation in 2016?
  8. How many people knew how to play Go in 2016?
  9. What happened when the former champion turned 12?
  10. What did the man say was the reason for his one victory?

Multiple choice quiz

1) Where is the former Go world champion from?
a) Japan
b) China
c) North Korea
d) South Korea
2) What kind of game did the writer say Go was?
a) a fun and interesting game
b) an ancient, strategy board game
c) a challenging game of strategy
d) a game to increase intelligence
3) What is the name of the Google program that plays Go?
a) BetaGo
b) DeltaGo
c) GammaGo
d) AlphaGo
4) How many times was the man world champion?
a) 16
b) 17
c) 18
d) 19
5) What did the man say he could not be, even if he was number one?
a) a legend
b) a cyborg
c) the best
d) top

6) How long ago was Go invented?
a) 4,000 years ago
b) 1,000 years ago
c) 3,000 years ago
d) 2,000 years ago
7) How many nations were in the International Go Federation in 2016?
a) 75
b) 76
c) 74
d) 77
8) How many people knew how to play Go in 2016?
a) exactly 46 million
b) just under 46 million
c) more than 46 million
d) around 46 million
9) What happened when the former champion turned 12?
a) he became world champion
b) he turned professional
c) he beat a world champion
d) he discovered Go
10) What did the man say was the reason for his one victory?
a) a computer bug
b) a special drink
c) a better strategy
d) luck

Role play

Role  A – Go
You think Go is the best game. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their games. Also, tell the others which is the least fun of these (and why): Monopoly, Angry Birds or Tic-Tac-Toe.

Role  B – Monopoly
You think Monopoly is the best game. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their games. Also, tell the others which is the least fun of these (and why): Go, Angry Birds or Tic-Tac-Toe.

Role  C – Angry Birds
You think Angry Birds is the best game. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their games. Also, tell the others which is the least fun of these (and why): Tic-Tac-Toe: Monopoly, Go or DDDDDD.

Role  D – Tic-Tac-Toe
You think Tic-Tac-Toe is the best game. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their games. Also, tell the others which is the least fun of these (and why): Monopoly, Angry Birds or Go.

After reading / listening

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

'board'

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

    • and 'game'.

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

    • • 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:

    • retired
    • strategy
    • only
    • 18
    • one
    • top
    • 3,000
    • mostly
    • 75
    • age
    • four
    • move

    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 - Go Grand Champion

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'champion'?
    3. What do you know about the game Go?
    4. Are you good at playing board games?
    5. In what way are board games better than computer games?
    6. Should Mr Lee have quit?
    7. What would you like to be world champion at?
    8. Is it fair to play a game against a computer?
    9. How dangerous do you think AI is?
    10. How do you feel when you lose at a game?

    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 when you hear the word 'game'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What are the good things about playing against a computer?
    5. What is your favourite board game?
    6. What is the most popular game in your country?
    7. What can we learn from games like Go?
    8. Will computers ever beat us at games like football and tennis?
    9. Would you rather play against a person or computer?
    10. What questions would you like to ask Mr Lee?

    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)

    A world champion has (1) ____ because he has decided humans cannot beat computers at his game. The (2) ____ champion is Lee Se-Dol from South Korea. He was world champion at the ancient, strategy board game Go. Some people compare Go (3) ____ chess. Mr Lee is the only person in the world to (4) ____ beat Google's AlphaGo computer algorithm. This is a special A.I. computer program created by Google to play Go. Mr Lee, an 18-time world champion, told reporters earlier this week that: "Even if I become the number one, there is an (5) ____ that cannot be defeated. With the debut of A.I. in Go games, I've (6) ____ that I'm not at the top even if I become the number one."

    The game of Go originated in China around 3,000 years ago. Today, it is played (7) ____ in China, Japan and South Korea. It is believed to be the oldest board game in the world. In 2016, the International Go Federation said it had 75 member nations, and that over 46 million people worldwide knew (8) ____ to play Go. Mr Lee started playing at the age of five. He (9) ____ professional seven years later, when he was 12. He played five games against Google's AlphaGo and lost four of them. He said his (10) ____ victory was because of a "bug" in the program. The bug did not know what to do when Mr Lee made a "(11) ____" move. Today's Go programs are much more powerful than the (12) ____ that beat Mr Lee.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     retired     (b)     refried     (c)     retried     (d)     refined    
    2. (a)     luxurious     (b)     large     (c)     grand     (d)     huge    
    3. (a)     by     (b)     of     (c)     to     (d)     at    
    4. (a)     evens     (b)     even     (c)     every     (d)     ever    
    5. (a)     enter     (b)     entree     (c)     entity     (d)     entire    
    6. (a)     razed     (b)     realized     (c)     rallied     (d)     reeled    
    7. (a)     must     (b)     mostly     (c)     misty     (d)     murkily    
    8. (a)     then     (b)     how     (c)     that     (d)     what    
    9. (a)     twisted     (b)     twirled     (c)     turned     (d)     screwed    
    10. (a)     algorithm     (b)     computer     (c)     win     (d)     one    
    11. (a)     toasty     (b)     tinny     (c)     tasty     (d)     tricky    
    12. (a)     owns     (b)     own     (c)     once     (d)     one

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. A world champion has teedirr
    2. the eacntni, strategy board game Go
    3. Some people orpacme Go to chess
    4. computer hlmgiatro
    5. an entity that cannot be eaeddfet
    6. the dteub of A.I. in Go games

    Paragraph 2

    1. The game of Go gotieadrni in China
    2. the International Go eioFrtnead
    3. 75 member sationn
    4. He turned anssrfopeoli seven years later
    5. because of a "bug" in the aorprgm
    6. much more lwufpero

    Put the text back together

    (...)  Federation said it had 75 member nations, and that over 46 million people worldwide knew how
    (...)  victory was because of a "bug" in the program. The bug did not know what to do
    (...)  when Mr Lee made a "tricky" move. Today's Go programs are much more powerful than the one that beat Mr Lee.
    (...)  was 12. He played five games against Google's AlphaGo and lost four of them. He said his one
    (...)  by Google to play Go. Mr Lee, an 18-time world champion, told reporters earlier this
    (...)  to play Go. Mr Lee started playing at the age of five. He turned professional seven years later, when he
    (...)  The game of Go originated in China around 3,000 years ago. Today, it is played mostly in China, Japan
    (  1  ) A world champion has retired because he has decided humans cannot beat computers at his
    (...)  of A.I. in Go games, I've realized that I'm not at the top even if I become the number one."
    (...)  and South Korea. It is believed to be the oldest board game in the world. In 2016, the International Go
    (...)  game. The grand champion is Lee Se-Dol from South Korea. He was world champion at the ancient, strategy board
    (...)  beat Google's AlphaGo computer algorithm. This is a special A.I. computer program created
    (...)  game Go. Some people compare Go to chess. Mr Lee is the only person in the world to ever
    (...)  week that: "Even if I become the number one, there is an entity that cannot be defeated. With the debut

    Put the words in the right order

    1. computers   .   beat   He   humans   cannot   decided   has
    2. at   game   .   World   board   strategy   the   ancient,   champion
    3. program   created   computer   Google   .   A.I.   special   by
    4. that   an   be   There   entity   is   cannot   defeated   .
    5. realized   top   .   I'm   that   not   at   the   I've
    6. the   world   .   The   board   oldest   in   game
    7. play   .   46 million   worldwide   how   to   people   knew   Over
    8. was   said   "bug"   .   his   victory   He   because   a   of
    9. did   know   not   The   to   what   do   .   bug
    10. Go   much   powerful   .   programs   are   Today's   more

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    A world champion has retired / retried because he has decided humans cannot beat computers of / at his game. The grand champion is Lee Se-Dol from South Korea. He was world champion at the ancient / elderly, strategy board game Go. Some people comparison / compare Go to chess. Mr Lee is the only person in the world to ever / every beat Google's AlphaGo computer algorithm. This is a special / specially A.I. computer program created by Google to play Go. Mr Lee, an 18-time world champion, told reporters earlier this / next week that: "Even if I become the number one, there is an entirely / entity that cannot be defeated / beat. With the debut of A.I. in Go games, I've realized that I'm not at the top eventually / even if I become the number one."

    The game of Go generated / originated in China around 3,000 years ago. Today, it is played mostly in China, Japan and South Korea. It is belief / believed to be the oldest board game on / in the world. In 2016, the International Go Federation said it did / had 75 member nations, and that over 46 million people worldwide knew what / how to play Go. Mr Lee started playing at the age of five. He turned / twisted professional seven years later, when he was 12. He played five games again / against Google's AlphaGo and lost four of / off them. He said his one victory was because of a "bug" in the program. The bug did not know what to do when Mr Lee made a "tricky" / "tacky" move. Today's Go programs are much more power / powerful than the one that beat Mr Lee.

    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)

    A w_r l d c h_m p__ n h_s r_t_r_d b_c__ s_ h_ h_s d_c_d_d h_m_n s c_n n_t b__ t c_m p_t_r s _t h_s g_m_. T h_ g r_n d c h_m p__ n _s L__ S_- D_l f r_m S__ t h K_r__ . H_ w_s w_r l d c h_m p__ n _t t h_ _n c__ n t , s t r_t_g y b__ r d g_m_ G_. S_m_ p__ p l_ c_m p_r_ G_ t_ c h_s s . M r L__ _s t h_ _n l y p_r s_n _n t h_ w_r l d t_ _v_r b__ t G__ g l_' s A l p h_G_ c_m p_t_r _l g_r_t h m . T h_s _s _ s p_c__ l A . I . c_m p_t_r p r_g r_m c r__ t_d b y G__ g l_ t_ p l_y G_. M r L__ , _n 1 8 - t_m_ w_r l d c h_m p__ n , t_l d r_p_r t_r s __ r l__ r t h_s w__ k t h_t : " E v_n _f I b_c_m_ t h_ n_m b_r _n_, t h_r_ _s _n _n t_t y t h_t c_n n_t b_ d_f__ t_d . W_t h t h_ d_b_t _f A . I . _n G_ g_m_s , I ' v_ r__ l_z_d t h_t I ' m n_t _t t h_ t_p _v_n _f I b_c_m_ t h_ n_m b_r _n_. "

    T h_ g_m_ _f G_ _r_g_n_t_d _n C h_n_ _r__ n d 3 , 0 0 0 y__ r s _g_. T_d_y , _t _s p l_y_d m_s t l y _n C h_n_, J_p_n _n d S__ t h K_r__ . I t _s b_l__ v_d t_ b_ t h_ _l d_s t b__ r d g_m_ _n t h_ w_r l d . I n 2 0 1 6 , t h_ I n t_r n_t__ n_l G_ F_d_r_t__ n s__ d _t h_d 7 5 m_m b_r n_t__ n s , _n d t h_t _v_r 4 6 m_l l__ n p__ p l_ w_r l d w_d_ k n_w h_w t_ p l_y G_. M r L__ s t_r t_d p l_y_n g _t t h_ _g_ _f f_v_. H_ t_r n_d p r_f_s s__ n_l s_v_n y__ r s l_t_r , w h_n h_ w_s 1 2 . H_ p l_y_d f_v_ g_m_s _g__ n s t G__ g l_' s A l p h_G_ _n d l_s t f__ r _f t h_m . H_ s__ d h_s _n_ v_c t_r y w_s b_c__ s_ _f _ " b_g " _n t h_ p r_g r_m . T h_ b_g d_d n_t k n_w w h_t t_ d_ w h_n M r L__ m_d_ _ " t r_c k y " m_v_. T_d_y ' s G_ p r_g r_m s _r_ m_c h m_r_ p_w_r f_l t h_n t h_ _n_ t h_t b__ t M r L__ .

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    a world champion has retired because he has decided humans cannot beat computers at his game the grand champion is lee sedol from south korea he was world champion at the ancient strategy board game go some people compare go to chess mr lee is the only person in the world to ever beat googles alphago computer algorithm this is a special ai computer program created by google to play go mr lee an 18time world champion told reporters earlier this week that even if i become the number one there is an entity that cannot be defeated with the debut of ai in go games ive realized that im not at the top even if i become the number one

    the game of go originated in china around 3000 years ago today it is played mostly in china japan and south korea it is believed to be the oldest board game in the world in 2016 the international go federation said it had 75 member nations and that over 46 million people worldwide knew how to play go mr lee started playing at the age of five he turned professional seven years later when he was 12 he played five games against googles alphago and lost four of them he said his one victory was because of a bug in the program the bug did not know what to do when mr lee made a tricky move todays go programs are much more powerful than the one that beat mr lee

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Aworldchampionhasretiredbecausehehasdecidedhumanscannotbe
    atcomputersathisgame.ThegrandchampionisLeeSe-DolfromSouth
    Korea.Hewasworldchampionattheancient,strategyboardgameGo.S
    omepeoplecompareGotochess.MrLeeistheonlypersonintheworldtoe
    verbeatGoogle'sAlphaGocomputeralgorithm.ThisisaspecialA.I.com
    puterprogramcreatedbyGoogletoplayGo.MrLee,an18-timeworldch
    ampion,toldreportersearlierthisweekthat:"EvenifIbecomethenumb
    erone,thereisanentitythatcannotbedefeated.WiththedebutofA.I.inG
    ogames,I'verealizedthatI'mnotatthetopevenifIbecomethenumbero
    ne."ThegameofGooriginatedinChinaaround3,000yearsago.Today,it
    isplayedmostlyinChina,JapanandSouthKorea.Itisbelievedtobetheol
    destboardgameintheworld.In2016,theInternationalGoFederationsa
    idithad75membernations,andthatover46millionpeopleworldwidekn
    ewhowtoplayGo.MrLeestartedplayingattheageoffive.Heturnedprofe
    ssionalsevenyearslater,whenhewas12.Heplayedfivegamesagainst
    Google'sAlphaGoandlostfourofthem.Hesaidhisonevictorywasbecau
    seofa"bug"intheprogram.ThebugdidnotknowwhattodowhenMrLee
    madea"tricky"move.Today'sGoprogramsaremuchmorepowerfultha
    ntheonethatbeatMrLee.

    Free writing

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

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    Academic writing

    Board games are better than computer games. 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 this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. GO: Make a poster about the board game Go. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. BOARD GAMES: Write a magazine article about board games being better than computer games. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    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 board games. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on board games. 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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