Rationale for this publication About the Learning English through Sports Communication elective module Introduction

(1)

(2)

(3)

About the Learning English through Sports Communication elective module

The Learning English through Sports Communication module facilitates learners in reading, viewing and producing a range of texts in sports contexts. Learners will encounter the rich body of language used in describing sports, playing sports and talking about sports, as well as the terms and idioms derived from sport and used in everyday language.

Sports communication does not confine itself only to directly talking about the rules of sports or sports games, for example as sports articles or commentary, it may also include sports product reviews, sports personalities and their fan sites and media presence and surveys about sports matters.

This module comprises seven units which each explore typical sporting contexts. These units are:

Unit 1 What is Sports Communication?

Unit 2 Sports Articles

Unit 3 Interviewing a Sports Personality Unit 4 Survey Reports

Unit 5 Fan Pages

Unit 6 Sports Product Reviews

Unit 7 Sports Communication Olympics

The units present a variety of tasks covering useful English language skills practised in novel scenarios. An extensive knowledge of sport is not a requirement of the module but students may be surprised to find how pervasive sports references are in English.

Disclaimer: The websites quoted in these units were available at the time of publication.

Teachers are advised to check the status of the sites before teaching the unit. Teachers may need to use other sites appropriate to the requirements of the task if the quoted sites are no longer current.

Rationale for this publication

In NETworking: Using Sports Communication in the English Classroom, you will find teaching resources that are designed to support local English teachers and NETs in Hong Kong responsible for teaching the Learning English through Sports Communication elective module in the Three-year Senior Secondary English Language Curriculum.

Although this publication is designed to be a companion to the Sports Communication elective module, it is hoped that teachers will also find the materials useful as an integral part of the school-based English Language curriculum.

Introduction

(4)

Introduction

Unit 1 What is Sports Communication?

Activity 1 Introducing Sports Communication Activity 2 Activating Prior Knowledge

(a) ‘What We Know’ Word Web

(b) Sports Idioms in Everyday English (c) Olympic Games Crossword

Unit 2 Sports Articles

Activity 1 Introducing Sports Articles

Activity 2 Identifying the Structure and Languge Features of a Sports Article

Activity 3 Expanding Sports-related Vocabulary Activity 4 Planning a Sports Article

Activity 5 Writing a Sports Article

Activity 6 Creating an Effective Title for a Sports Article

Unit 3 Interviewing a Sports Personality

Activity 1 Identifying Sports Personalities Activity 2 Setting the Task Requirements Activity 3 Paraphrasing Technical Language Activity 4 Paraphrasing Card Game

Activity 5 Preparing for an Interview (a) Categorising Information (b) Revising Question Forms (c) Preparing Prompt Cards Activity 6 Conducting an Interview

... 3

...…... 4

... 4

... 6

... 9

... 10

... 11

... 12

... 14

... 16

... 21

... 22

... 23

... 25

... 27

... 28

... 30

... 31

This icon indicates that a document is available on the Resource CD.

Page

(5)

Unit 4 Survey Reports

Activity 1 Understanding the Process of Conducting a Survey Activity 2 Trialling the Survey Questions

Activity 3 Planning and Conducting a Survey

(a) Describe the Background and (b) Develop a Research Question (c) Write and (d) Trial the Survey Questions

(e) Design a Questionnaire (f) Administer the Questionnaire Activity 4 Tabulating and Interpreting Data Activity 5 Reporting Survey Results

Activity 6 Presenting the Survey Report

Unit 5 Fan Pages

Activity 1 What is a Fan?

Activity 2 Exploring a Fan Page Activity 3 Profiling an Athlete

(a) Identifying the Information in a Profile (b) Identifying the Tone of a Profile Activity 4 Creating a Fan Page

Unit 6 Sports Product Review

Activity 1 Introducing the Purpose of Product Reviews Activity 2 Identifying the Structure of a Product Review Activity 3 The Language of Product Reviews:

Complexity of Structure and Use of Technical Terms Activity 4 Evaluating a Product Review

Activity 5 The Language of Product Reviews: Being Objective Activity 6 Writing a Sports Product Review

Unit 7 Sports Communication Olympics

Activity 1 Rapid-fire Card Matching Activity 2 Come on – Ask me!

Activity 3 What does it Mean?

Activity 4 What is in the Survey?

Activity 5 Call the Editor!

Activity 6 Slick Pitch Activity 7 I’m Hearing You!

... 35

... 36

... 39

... 40

... 41

... 43

... 45

... 49

... 50

... 52

... 53

... 54

... 61

... 62

... 64

... 66

... 68

... 70

... 75

... 76

... 77

... 78

... 79

... 80

... 81 Page

(6)

Resource CD Contents

Unit 1 What is Sports Communication?

Worksheets

Unit 2 Sports Articles

Handouts Worksheets Teacher Notes Assessment Forms

Unit 3 Interviewing a Sports Personality

Handouts Worksheets Game Cards Assessment Forms

Unit 4 Survey Reports

Handouts Worksheets Tapescripts

Assessment Forms

Unit 5 Fan Pages

Worksheets

Assessment Forms

Unit 6 Sports Product Review

Handouts Worksheets

Assessment Forms

Unit 7 Sports Communication Olympics

Worksheets Game Cards Tapescripts

Assessment Forms

(7)

Unit 1 1

What is Sports Communication?

Unit 1

Activity 1 Introducing Sports Communication Activity 2 Activating Prior Knowledge

... 3

... 4

...…... 6

(8)

2 ^{Unit 1}What is Sports Communication?

1. Introduction

In this unit, students will explore the concept of sports communication by reading, viewing, and responding to, a variety of sports-related texts.

Once students have developed an understanding of the concept, activities that are designed to help students build on what they already know can then be provided.

2. Objectives

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• understand the concept of sports communication; and

• respond to a variety of sports-related texts.

The language skill focus will be:

- viewing and describing how different types of texts are organised and expressed.

3. Overview of Activities

Activity 1: Introducing Sports Communication Activity 2: Activating Prior Knowledge

What is Sports Communication?

(9)

Unit 1 3

Activity 1: Introducing Sports Communication

To begin the module, the following online resources can be used to introduce students to various types of sports communication. You may wish to consider your students’

interests and choose other websites.

Product information

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-89nkQLvibM

Fans

http://www.beckham-magazine.com/frames.html

Events

http://www.mevents.org.hk/en/about_introduction.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPRtvl2Ai4I&feature=related Commentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuo51XB4sHY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUVh-V_KnPQ&feature=related

Show the websites and ask students to fill in Activity 1 Worksheet 1: Response Sheet.

Activity 1 Worksheet 1: Response Sheet is designed to encourage students to analyse and respond to the various types of sports communication.

Activity 1 Worksheet 1:

Introducing Sports Communication - Response Sheet

Activity 1 Worksheet 1: Introducing Sports Communication - Response Sheet

Watch the advertisement on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-89nkQLvibM.

What did you see?

What did you hear?

What did you read?

Do you want to buy the product? Explain.

Introducing Sports Communication Response Sheet

Read the fan page on http://www.beckham-magazine.com/frames.html.

What did you see?

What did you hear?

What did you read?

Do you want to know more about this sports person? Explain.

Name: Class:___

(10)

Activity 2: Activating Prior Knowledge (a) ‘What We Know’ Word Web

In groups, ask students to fill in a Word Web on a popular sport, e.g. basketball. One group reads their words to the class, while the other groups write down any words not in their own Webs. Then each group contributes any extra words they have.

Finally, every group should have a complete Web of all the words known by the class. Words can be categorised into ‘action-related’, ‘equipment-related’, ‘player- related’, etc. In doing this activity, students share their prior knowledge of sports vocabulary as a class. This activity may be repeated with other popular sports.

Other common words related to basketball might include: foul, guard, jump shot, lay up, MVP, overtime, rebound, referees, three-point line, time-out, travelling.

(b) Sports Idioms in Everyday English

Sports idioms are a common feature of the English language. Students may recognise such idioms without knowing they are related to sports. Give students an example of sports expressions commonly found in English by showing the video on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3JcmzPoRTI (0:00-1:10). Then, give students an example of this sports idiom, kicking off, in everyday English, e.g.

‘Today we are kicking off our sports communication module.’

Basketball backboard slam dunk

shoot

hoop

basket

bounce

pass

dribble

(11)

Unit 1 5

Ask students, ‘What do you think kicking off means?’ Explain that in football, the players kick the ball to start the game. This is the literal meaning of kick off, but in more general English, it simply means begin or start something. Ask students for any examples of sports idioms they know, and discuss the meaning and the sport that the idiom came from.

Ask students to complete Activity 2(b) Worksheet 1: Sports Idioms in Everyday English.

Note to teachers: A comprehensive list of sports idioms used in everyday English can be found at http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/idioms-sports.htm. The website includes the sport of origin, meanings, example sentences and a quiz.

Activity 2(b) Worksheet 1: Sports Idioms in Everyday English

Name: Class:___

Sports Idioms in Everyday English

Idiom Example Meaning Sport of

Origin 1. the ball is in

your court

She has already refused your offer. Now the ball is in your court. What are you going to do?

2. front runner Obama is the front runner in the election race and will likely be the next President.

3. get off the

hook Michael didn’t do his homework but got off the hook when the teacher forgot to check it.

4. go overboard You just need to do the odd- numbered questions. Don’t go overboard by doing all of them.

5. take a rain

check Sorry, I can’t have dinner tonight, but I’d like to take a rain check - maybe next week.

6. jump the gun I know you are angry but don’t jump the gun and leave your job. You should wait until you have another one.

7. keep one’s head above water

I make just enough money to pay all my bills so I’m just able to keep my head above water.

8. neck and neck The two candidates for Chief Executive are neck and neck. We don’t know who’s going to win the election.

9. skate on thin

ice You are skating on thin ice. If you don’t hand in your homework one more time, I’ll give you a detention.

10. throw in the towel

The politician threw in the towel when he realised he wouldn’t win the election.

Read the idioms.

Use the examples to guess their meaning and the sports that they originally came from.

Activity 2(b) Worksheet 1:

Sports Idioms in Everyday English

(12)

(c) Olympic Games Crossword

The crossword link below is a good review of Olympic sports. Students may enjoy competing in groups to see who can finish this crossword first.

http://www.englishmedialab.com/crosswords/olympics/index.html

4. Assessment Form

The purpose of this section has been to introduce students to the Sports Communication elective module. As such, there is no formal assessment task or rubric included. Teachers could assess students informally on their group work and discussion.

(13)

Unit 2 7

Sports Articles

Unit 2

Activity 1 Introducing Sports Articles

Activity 2 Identifying the Structure and Language Features of a Sports Article

Activity 3 Expanding Sports-related Vocabulary Activity 4 Planning a Sports Article

Activity 5 Writing a Sports Article

Activity 6 Creating an Effective Title for a Sports Article

... 9

... 10

... 11

...…... 12

... 14

... 16

(14)

8 ^{Unit 2}Sports Articles

1. Introduction

In this unit, students will read and analyse sports articles. Students will identify commonly found language in sports articles and build upon their sports-related vocabulary.

Students will produce a short article to report on what happened in a sports game.

2. Objectives

• explain the differences between various types of sports articles;

• identify and use appropriate organisation and language features to write a sports article; and

• write a sports article.

- identifying and using appropriate organisation and language features in writing a sports article.

3. Overview of Activities

Activity 1: Introducing Sports Articles

Activity 2: Identifying the Structure and Language Features of a Sports Article Activity 3: Expanding Sports-related Vocabulary

Activity 4: Planning a Sports Article Activity 5: Writing a Sports Article

Activity 6: Creating an Effective Title for a Sports Article

Sports Articles

(15)

Unit 2 9

Sports Articles

Introducing Sports Articles

Sport has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Sports-related news items can be found in all types of media. Indeed, there are magazines, radio stations and television networks that are dedicated entirely to sports.

Traditionally, sports articles reported the highlights of recently-played popular sports.

However, nowadays sports articles might include a description of an extreme sport, a profile of a famous athlete, gossip about sports personalities, or research on fitness activities.

Suggested procedures

Note to teachers: Find different types of sports articles, appropriate in length and difficulty for your class. Types of articles might include: a short biography of an athlete (athlete profile), a preview of a major sports event or competition, a game report, a list of fitness tips, a gossip item about a sports personality, etc.

1. Ask each student to bring an example of a sports article. In groups of four, students share their articles and choose the one they like best and write a one-paragraph summary of this article.

2. Distribute the teacher-provided sports articles, one to each group. Students read the teacher-provided article. Ask groups to compare and contrast the two articles. Use students’ explanations to develop a list of the kinds or types of sports articles.

3. Post all the articles around the classroom and ask groups to label the type of article with a post-it note. Discuss the labels and point out the variety.

Identifying the Structure and Language Features of a Sports Article

This activity focuses on a common type of sports article, a short report (less than 500 words) on a game.

Activity 1: Introducing Sports Articles

In this activity, students will become familiar with various types of sports articles. They will bring articles on different themes to class and present them informally.

(16)

Activity 2 Worksheet 1 is designed to analyse the language in an article on a sports game and how it is structured.

1. Use pre- and while-reading strategies to guide students in reading the article on Activity 2 Worksheet 1. (Students should read for gist and general understanding, rather than understanding all the technical vocabulary.)

2. Discuss the purpose of the article, i.e. to report on what happened at a recent game.

3. Introduce the typical structure of a game report (refer to Teacher Notes). On Activity 2 Worksheet 1, ask students to identify the introduction, record of events, comments and conclusion in the article. Check answers.

4. Explain the typical language features in a game report (refer to Teacher Notes). Review the grammar terminology as needed. Ask students to complete the worksheet, by circling, underlining and highlighting those language features. Check answers.

Activity 2 Worksheet 1:

Identifying the Structure and Language Features of a Sports Article

Name: Class:___

Structure of a Sports Article In the report above, identify and label the...

● introduction

● record of events

● comments

● conclusion

Japan win 5th HSBC Asian 5 Nations Top 5 Title

[Tokyo, May 19, 2012] It may be a new Japan team but the result was just the same as the Brave Blossoms wrapped up the 2012 HSBC Asian Five Nations (HSBC A5N) Top 5 with an emphatic 67-0 win over Hong Kong.

Hong Kong had hoped to silence the crowd by using their big front five to deny the Japanese any possession, but from the opening exchanges it was evident that Japan were too strong up front and too quick in the backs for an upset to occur.

Left winger Hirotoki Onozawa led the try-spree with a brace of ties either side of halftime as Japan cruised to a straightforward victory against a Hong Kong team who had hoped they could repeat their performance from last year when they ran the Asian champions close in a 44-22 loss.

Onozawa scored the 50th test try of this career when he smartly stepped outside Hong Kong fullback Ross Armour to touch down for Japan’s fifth try of the first half as Hong Kong struggled to shut down the relentless Japanese attack.

Hong Kong was forced into making 130 tackles in the match as a rampant Japan pressed forward. It was not long before the constant attacks resulted in holes appearing in defense.

Hong Kong was overwhelmed by the pace and power of Japan who dominated the breakdown area to run in 11 unanswered tries in a slick display in front of their home fans at Prince Chichibu Stadium.

“That was our best performance of the HSBC Asian Five Nations,” said Japan coach Eddie Jones. “We had the game won by halftime. We played with a fair bit of discipline and control and I’m really pleased with the growth of the team.”

Japan’s victory - their 20th straight bonus-point win in the competition - ensured Japan won the title for the fifth straight year.

[adapted with permission from http://www.hkrugby.com/en/node/2108]

Activity 2: Identifying the Structure and Language Features of a Sports Article

Before writing a report on a sports game, students should first identify the structure and how language is used in this type of article.

(17)

Unit 2 11

Sports Articles

Expanding Sports-related Vocabulary

The language in sports articles is descriptive and often emotive. Descriptions of the plays and events are usually technical and may be jargonistic. Readers may find an article difficult to understand if they are unfamiliar with the particular sport.

It may be easier to read first for the gist of the article. Students can skim and scan the text for answers to:

What was the sport and event (game, tournament, competition, etc.)?

Where and when was it played?

Who played?

What was the score? Who won?

After students have become familiar with the general content of the article, they then need to recognise the sports-specific language so they can better understand the text.

Activity 3 Worksheet 1 is designed to expand students’ sports-related vocabulary.

Activity 3: Expanding Sports-related Vocabulary

In this activity, students are given a theme, such as ‘people in sports’, and skim an article to identify words related to the theme. Students then group the words into categories, such as ‘athletes’, ‘fans’, ‘organisers’,

‘sponsors’. Students share their answers.

Activity 3 Worksheet 1: Expanding Sports-related Vocabulary

Name: Class:___

Activity 3 Worksheet 1: Expanding Sports-related Vocabulary List words that are related to:

______________(theme).

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Group the words in your list into categories. Fill in the Word Web below.

(theme) (category)

(words from your list)

(18)

Note to teachers: Choose a theme such as ‘people in sports’. Find four game reports which contain a variety of vocabulary related to the chosen theme. The procedures below and the worksheet provided exemplify the theme ‘people in sport’.

1. Distribute the articles, a different one per group. Ask groups to skim read their article for gist. Check comprehension.

2. Distribute Activity 3 Worksheet 1. Introduce the chosen theme. Ask for some examples of people mentioned in the reports, trying to elicit not simply proper names but also people such as coaches, fans and organisers. Students write the words in the list column.

Ask students to scan for more words related to the chosen theme. If students are finding it difficult to identify more than proper names, they may need some strategies to help identify words related to the theme; for example, for words related to ‘people in sports’, students could use syntactic cues. Ask students to find the subject and object in a sentence – Is the subject and object a sports-related person? Or, ask students to pay attention to nouns ending in ‘er’ or ‘or’, common suffixes indicating a person, for example, ‘football supporters’.

3. Ask students to look at the list of words and group the words into categories. For example, people in sports might be grouped into what they do in the game.

4. Label the categories of words, e.g. players, coaches, organisers. It is important that students come up with their own labels. Students may not have this language and need help in labelling the category.

5. Ask groups to write the categories and words in the Word Web to complete Activity 3 Worksheet 1. Students present their Word Webs to the class. Students add new categories and words from other groups to their Webs as appropriate.

Planning a Sports Article

To prepare students for writing their own sports articles, a graphic organiser can be used. The graphic organiser can help students to connect key ideas and information.

Activity 4: Planning a Sports Article

In this activity, students use a graphic organiser to gather the information they will need to write their own sports article.

(19)

Unit 2 13

Sports Articles Activity 4 Worksheet 1 is a graphic organiser that students can use to record their notes on a sports game.

1. Distribute Activity 4 Worksheet 1. Play the first few seconds of the YouTube clip http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa6IvmB8as8&feature=player_embedded and use Activity 4 Teacher Notes to demonstrate how to fill in Section 1 – Introduction.

2. Play the rest of the YouTube video clip.

3. Use Activity 4 Teacher Notes to provide an example of the type of information found in Section 2. Play the clip again, stopping occasionally, while students try to add notes to Section 2. Remind students that notes should include events, highlights and any other important information given by the commentators.

4. Discuss what makes a good quote for a sports report. Play the clip once more, and elicit two examples of good quotes for Section 3.

5. Discuss ideas that might be included in Section 4 - Conclusion, e.g. making predictions on the players’ future results, team’s overall standing.

6. Ask students to look at their notes in Section 2 and choose any key vocabulary that could be useful in writing a sports report about Guo Jing Jing. Record the vocabulary in Section 5. Play the clip again as necessary.

Activity 4 Worksheet 1:

Planning a Sports Article

Who was competing? ________________________________________

What was the event? ________________________________________

Where was the event? ___________________________________________

When was the event? ___________________________________________

SECTION 2: Record of what happened in the event and highlights

Planning a Sports Article

Name: Class:___

Activity 4 Teacher Notes:

Planning a Sports Article

2008 Tijuana, Mexico

FINA TELMEX Diving World Series

Based on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa6IvmB8as8&feature=player_embedded SECTION 1: Introduction — background information on the event Who was competing? _______________________________________________

What was the event? _______________________________________________

Where was the event? ______________________________________________

When was the event? _______________________________________________

SECTION 2: Record of what happened in the event and highlights

1. won the ladies’ synchronised event the day before 2. GJJ had trouble at the takeoff but didn’t panic 3. used good techniques

4. had the lead after 4 dives 5. won 3-metre gold last year

6. stayed ahead of Wu Ming Xia with a more difficult dive 7. good take-offs but missing some entries

8. scored 368.25 and won her 4th consecutive event in the World Series 9. won another gold in the 3-metre springboard competition

Circle the highlights which you will write about in your sports article.

Planning a Sports Article

Name: Class:___

(20)

7. Assign students a video clip and ask them to complete another Activity 4 Worksheet 1.

Recommended clips, from gymnastics:

Men’s still ring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1-HFpfLtDM

Men’s high bar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve3YlxjHV80&feature=related

Writing a Sports Article

Activity 5 Handout 1 is a model sports article to be shown at the end of the shared writing activity.

Activity 5: Writing a Sports Article

In this activity, shared writing will be modelled showing how the notes of Activity 4 Worksheet 1 become a sports article. Students will then write a sports article using their notes from the assigned Activity 4 video clip.

Activity 5 Handout 1:

Writing a Sports Article

So far, 2008 has been another successful year for Guo Jing Jing, China’s Springboard Queen. Having already won 4 consecutive events in the World Series, she won again yesterday at the FINA TELMEX Diving World Series competition in Tijuana, Mexico.

Before competing in the 3-metre springboard event, Guo Jing Jing won the ladies’

synchronised event the previous day. She continued to use her great technique in yesterday’s competition and quickly took over the lead after 4 dives. Her strongest competition came from her team-mate, Wu Ming Xia, but Guo managed to stay ahead with more difficult dives. The competition was hardly perfect for Guo, as Cynthia Porter, the TV commentator, pointed out, ‘ Guo Jing Jing has good takeoffs, but she’s just slightly missing some of these entries.’ Even with the missed entries, Guo succeeded in winning her fourth event in the World Series with 368.25 points – just 4 points more than Wu Ming Xia.

Guo Jing Jing has been winning so often this year that when she won gold, the TV commentator called it, ‘An old hat for her’. With the techniques that she has shown here and her record so far, there is good reason to believe that Guo Jing Jing will continue to win more competitions.

Activity 5 Assessment Form Sports Article Assessment Form

Date:

Name:

Marker:

Task: Report on a sports event

Text Type: Sports Article

Please tick (  ) ^Needs

Improvement Satisfactory Well

Done

A. Content

1. Introduction – who, what, where, when   

2. Record of events – three events or highlights    3. Comments – who, title, relevant quotes    4. Conclusion – future expectations, overall team

standings, final message

  

5. Title – effective and catchy   

B. Language and Style

1. Used common language features of a sports report – nouns and pronouns to identify people, groups, organisations; appropriate action verbs and adjectival phrases; past tense for events in the past

  

2. Used specific sports-related technical vocabulary and jargon as appropriate

  

C. Organisation

1. Appropriate organisation – introduction, record of events, comments and quotes, conclusion

  

2. Comments and quotes include who, title and quotation

  

D. Comments

Activity 5 Assessment Form

(21)

Unit 2 15

Sports Articles Suggested procedures

Note: Students should come to class with Activity 4 Worksheet 1 completed.

1. Ask students how the sports article should begin – What information is in an introduction? Ask students to refer to Section 1 in their notes and to make suggestions for writing an introduction. Write suggestions on the board and edit.

2. Repeat procedure for each section. Show students the model sports article, Activity 5 Handout 1.

3. Ask students to write their own sports articles using notes from Activity 4 Worksheet 1 on the assigned video clip. Students need not yet include a title for their article.

4. When students finish writing, they exchange their sports articles with a classmate and give feedback using Activity 5 Assessment Form.

Creating an Effective Title for a Sports Article

Sports article headlines vary greatly in terms of style. Some article headlines are simply descriptive, for example:

Moe’s Ban Reduced to Six Months

New Zealand Sailing Crew Set Round the World Record Tennis Final Postponed by Rain

Some headlines include catchy expressions or jargon to create excitement and interest in the article, for example:

Figure Skaters Keep their Cool

Dragons on Fire in Tournament Upset Murray Aces US Open

Some headlines use quotes from athletes, officials or organisers to create interest, for example:

Louis ‘Deserves another Chance against Chu’

‘Set for a Big Win’ says Brow Moe ‘Should Have Got Red Card’

Finally, the headlines of sports articles can often use puns or ‘play’ with words to catch readers’ attention. These are the most difficult headlines for students to understand (and to write) because they need to know the original expression, recognise how it has been altered, and understand the implied or new meaning as it relates to the sport or topic in the sports article.

(22)

1. Using the examples above, or selecting additional titles from sports articles, ask students – What makes a title/headline effective? (Possible answers might be:

short, attention-grabbing, use of puns, action verbs, informative, alliteration.) 2. Write a topic sentence on the board. Model how to select key information to create an

effective title. For example:

Jo Moe was banned from playing rugby for 10 months for using foul language, but later the association reduced her ban to 6 months because she said she was sorry.

Moe’s Ban Reduced to Six Months

The tennis final was postponed because it was raining heavily and the court was too wet to play.

Tennis Final Fizzles from Drizzle

No Chance Gloves Will Come Off in Super Bowl

Receivers in this Weekend’s Game will Wear the Latest Sticky- grip Technology to Help Them Make those Key Catches

Explanation of the idiom: ‘The gloves are off’ is an English idiom which comes from boxing. Boxers wear gloves so that they don’t hurt each other too much.

When ‘the gloves come off’, it means to fight in a more serious way.

Explanation of the headline: This headline is a play on words.

The Super Bowl is the most important football game of the year in America. It is high-stakes, high-tension and sometimes ‘the gloves come off’ when players lose their temper and push each other or even fight on the field.

However, this article is not about the tension in the game. It really is about gloves;

gloves that are sticky to help players catch the ball. The headline is playful because it uses the idiom in a literal way.

Activity 6: Creating an Effective Title for a Sports Article

In this activity, students will collaborate to create an effective title for their sports article. The title can be descriptive, containing catchy expressions or jargon, quotations or even a play on words.

(23)

Unit 2 17

Sports Articles 3. Ask students to read at least two classmates’ sports articles and suggest an effective

title for each. Students should summarise the article in a sentence and then reduce it to an effective title.

4. Sports Article Assessment Form

The Activity 5 Assessment Form may be used by the student writer for self-assessment, by a classmate for peer assessment or by the teacher for summative assessment.

5. Resources

Try some of the websites below that are written by and for students and young people.

DOGOnews: Fodder for young minds. http://www.dogonews.com/category/sports contains kids news articles on sports. Students will like the current interest stories on this site, for example, ‘A skateboard that navigates by reading your mind!’

Teaching Kids News. http://teachingkidsnews.com/category/sports/ has short easy- to-read articles on sports for students.

Teen Ink: http://teenink.com/nonfiction/sports contains magazines, websites and books written by teens since 1989.

Also try these articles on the benefits of sports for teens.

Science Daily: Your source for the latest research news

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100922082330.htm TeenZeen, Fitness and Sports

http://www.child.net/articles/fitness-and-sports/education.com The Benefits of Team Sports

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Ed_Benefits_Team_Sports/

And, three sites for writing sports articles…

How to write a game story for a newspaper.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2103495_write-game-story-newspaper.html News Writing – How to Write a Sports Report in 4 Steps

http://nazcar.wrytestuff.com/swa144083.htm

10 tips for improving scholastic newspaper sports writing

http://www.hsj.org/modules/teaching_tips/detail.cfm?menu_id=&submenu_

id=&module_id=13&TeachingTipsID=24

(24)

Other recommended clips for the Sports Article task:

Liu Xiang (110m hurdles)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWUxU_lkgvM 110 Tennis (Wimbledon 2011 Final Recap)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH9VEQV1LRI Beach Volleyball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4yl5Dvjsjk&feature=relmfu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtE6K4WVmN8&feature=relmfu

(25)

Unit 3 19

Interviewing a Sports Personality

Unit 3

Activity 1 Identifying Sports Personalities Activity 2 Setting the Task Requirements Activity 3 Paraphrasing Technical Language Activity 4 Paraphrasing Card Game

Activity 5 Preparing for an Interview (a) Categorising Information (b) Revising Question Forms (c) Preparing Prompt Cards Activity 6 Conducting an Interview

... 21 ... 22 ... 23 ... 25

...…... 27 ... 28 ...…... 30 ...…... 31

(26)

20 ^{Unit 3}Interviewing a Sports Personality

1. Introduction

In this unit, students will choose a favourite sports personality and research information about this person and the sport he/she plays. They will learn how to paraphrase some key technical terms from the chosen sport. They will categorise information about the sportsperson in a graphic organiser. Students will choose appropriate question forms to design a set of prompt cards for an interviewer and a sportsperson, and use them to role-play an interview.

2. Objectives

• use paraphrasing to clarify technical language;

• categorise biographical information using a graphic organiser; and

• role-play an interview with a sportsperson.

- using paraphrasing to clarify sports-specific terms; and - framing appropriate question forms.

3. Overview of Activities

Activity 1: Identifying Sports Personalities Activity 2: Setting the Task Requirements Activity 3: Paraphrasing Technical Language Activity 4: Paraphrasing Card Game

Activity 5: Preparing for an Interview (a) Categorising Information (b) Revising Question Forms (c) Preparing Prompt Cards Activity 6: Conducting an Interview

Interviewing a Sports Personality

(27)

Unit 3 21

Interviewing a Sports Personality

Almost all media reports of a sports event will include some interviews with a prominent player. Sports stars can also be seen on popular talk shows, being interviewed not only about their sports successes, but about their personal lives as well.

The captain of a winning team may be interviewed following a sports match and asked to talk about how he and his team played the match. However, successful players such as Jeremy Lin, Rafael Nadal and Lionel Messi are frequently interviewed about their personal lives as much as their current games. After all, gossip and scandal sell newspapers and magazines!

1. Ask students to name any sports personalities they know.

2. Show the students pictures of prominent sportspeople. Ask students to name the person and the sport, and the country the person comes from.

Teachers might like to start with Chinese sportspeople, such as Yao Ming, Lee Lai Shan, Wong Kam Po, Liu Xiang, Guo Jing Jing and Lin Dan. Then add more international sports figures.

3. Ask students how they know about sports personalities, e.g. TV interviews, advertisements, gossip columns.

Researching Information on a Sports Personality and a Sport

Whether the interview focuses on a player’s sports career or personal life, skilful interviewers have to do research about the sport being played and background information, both professional and personal, on the player.

Interviewers must be good at asking questions. They must be able to ask the questions their audience wants answered, and not be ‘stonewalled’ by a reluctant interviewee. At the same time, interviewers must be good listeners. They must listen to the interviewee’s responses and acknowledge what they have said to make the interview sound more natural, more conversational.

A good interviewee should answer questions directly and clearly. The interviewee should also be able to steer the interview away from intrusive questions without becoming upset or angry.

Activity 1: Identifying Sports Personalities

Students will identify prominent sports personalities they know.

Students will share how they know about sports personalities.

(28)

Activity 2 Handout 1:

Setting the Task Requirements

Setting the Task Requirements

In pairs, you will present a role-play, about five minutes long, between a popular sports personality and a sports reporter. To do this, you will need information about both the sports personality and the sport.

Choosing a sport

You may vote on which method to use for choosing a sport:

● Lucky draw choice from a list of more familiar Olympic and world-wide sports;

or

● Student pairs submit two sport choices and teacher assigns final choices to prevent duplication.

Outline of the research on sport The research on the chosen sport could include:

● Some history of the sport

● An overview of how to play and score

● Equipment used

● Interesting features of the sport (some technical details)

● Famous players

Choosing a sports person

Once the sport has been chosen, you find out who a key player is and also research that person. Alternatively, you may start by submitting the sportsperson of your choice.

Outline of the research on sportsperson

Name: Class:___

Activity 2: Setting the Task Requirements

In pairs, students choose a favourite sportsperson to research.

Teachers may give a suggested list of sports and/or sports stars, if student choices are limited. Students then find information about the sports personality as well as the sport for background to their interview.

Teachers should guide students through developing an interview outline to help focus suitable information. Students should be discouraged from using lengthy downloads from the Internet.

Activity 2 Handout 1 sets out the research and assessment requirements of the sports personality interview.

(29)

Unit 3 23

Interviewing a Sports Personality Suggested procedures

1. Give students Activity 2 Handout 1. Discuss the overall task. Check for comprehension.

2. Vote on the method for choosing the sport – a) Teacher supplies the list of sports for the next lesson, or b) students submit their choices for the next lesson.

3. Discuss the requirements for researching the sport. Emphasise that lengthy downloads are not acceptable as students then simply read the information as is; students should give brief details on each aspect of the sport in their own words.

4. Ask the class what they might want to know about the sports star, e.g. achievements, teams they have played for, best game, personal details, future ambitions, earnings, who inspires them, training programme and health and fitness.

5. Write suggestions on the board for students to add to Handout 1.

6. Discuss the assessment criteria. Teachers may wish to add mini-assessment checks as students progress towards completion of the final task.

7. Students conduct research. Some research could be done in class time if IT facilities permit. Students bring their research information to class.

Paraphrasing Technical Language

Paraphrasing is an important skill, especially in oral presentations, where students may have to find a simpler way of explaining a technical or difficult word.

Activity 3: Paraphrasing Technical Language

From their chosen sport, students explain the meaning of five technical sports terms in simple words which can be understood by an audience who are not experts.

(30)

Activity 3 Worksheet 1 demonstrates how to paraphrase technical words used in sports.

1. Ask students to select five technical terms from the sport they have researched.

Teachers may need to check that the terms are indeed technical.

2. Elicit basic action verbs, e.g. hit, kick, throw, run, catch, jump. Elicit equipment vocabulary, e.g. net, bat, ball, goalpost.

3. Ask students to consider the basic actions and equipment involved in the five technical terms they have selected.

4. Model paraphrasing using very simple language to describe the technical term.

‘To start a tennis match, serve the ball. You serve by throwing the ball above your head and hitting it with the racquet so the ball goes over the net.’

5. Ask pairs to paraphrase one of their words to another pair. If the term is not understood by the other pair, students should simplify it further.

6. Pairs paraphrase all their terms. Pairs share paraphrased terms and get feedback from the class on how successfully they have explained the meaning.

Activity 3 Worksheet 1: Paraphrasing Technical Language

Name: Class:___

Paraphrasing Technical Language

Sport: ______________________________

Choose five technical words from your sport and paraphrase them, i.e. explain the meaning of the word/s in simpler language.

Technical Word/s in a Sentence Basic Actions/Equipment Involved Paraphrase Example:

To start a tennis game, serve the ball.

Explain the word serve. Throw, ball, hit, net, racquet,

You serve by throwing the ball above your head and hitting it over the net with the racquet.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

(31)

Unit 3 25

Paraphrasing Card Game

Activity 4 Game Cards are designed to enable students to apply their knowledge of paraphrasing to technical terms from another sport with textual support.

Activity 4: Paraphrasing Card Game

In this activity, students scan a technical text for specific information and apply the skills of paraphrasing to vocabulary from another sport.

Activity 4 Game Cards:

Paraphrasing Word Cards

Paraphrasing Word Cards love three-point line

ad-outdeuce tie-breaker fouling a shooter

racquet steal the ball

shooting tip-off

guard

foot fault

Activity 4 Teacher’s Guide:

Paraphrasing Card Game

Paraphrasing Card Game

Vocabulary Meaning

Tennis

love this means zero in scoring

ad-out the receiver can win the game if s/he wins the next point foot fault if the server puts their foot over the line at the end of the

court while serving, the serve is not legal

racquet the name given to the bat. (It looks like a flat lollipop with strings across the round part.)

deuce the score when each player has won 3 points or 40 all tie-breaker The set is won when one player has 6 games but must be 2

games ahead of the other player. If the score is 6-6, a tie break is played with the winner getting 7 points.

Basketball

shooting throwing the ball into the hoop (goal ring)

steal the ball the side which does not have the ball tries to get it away from the other side

tip-off when the referee tosses the ball between two players to start the game, one player hits (tips) the ball towards their team three-point line if a player throws a goal from outside this line, the team

scores 3 points

guard the player in this position, usually the shortest player, brings the ball down the court and sets up scoring opportunities fouling a shooter stopping a player from throwing the ball into the goal in a

way that breaks the rules Table Tennis

celluloid a kind of plastic material used for table tennis balls blade the flat part of the table tennis bat

the free hand the hand that is not holding the bat

legal table surface the game can be played on the whole area of the table in- cluding the edges but not the vertical sides paddle another name for the bat

pimpled rubber the rubber covering one side of the bat; it has small raised dots on the surface

racquet (racket)

(cf tennis) another name for the paddle or bat

(32)

26 ^{Unit 3}Interviewing a Sports Personality Suggested procedures

1. Combine pairs into groups of 6-8. To each group, distribute an Internet printout on the basics of one of the sports (the sport should be different from the groups’ chosen sports).

Cricket www.squidoo.co/cricketfordummies (pp.2-5)

Volleyball www.strength-and-power-for-volleyball.com/how-to-play-volleyball.html (pp.1-2) Tennis http://tennis.isport.com/tennis-guides/tennis-rules-regulations (pp.1-3) Table tennis www.pongworld.com/more/rules.php (pp.1-3)

Basketball www.breakthroughbasketball.com/basics/basics.html (pp.1-3) Football www.soccer-fans-info.com/soccer-rules.html (pp.2-4)

If these websites are no longer available, look for others that will give meanings for the chosen words, or change the words.

2. Distribute a set of Paraphrasing Word Cards. Students choose the 6 cards belonging to their assigned sport based on the Internet printout.

3. One person from each team goes to the board, writes the name of the sport and sticks up their 6 chosen cards in a column.

4. Groups look at each selection and can challenge the choices of another group, for example:

What does (love) mean in (tennis)?

If the challenged team can justify the inclusion of the word, the card stays with their sport and they get a point. If the word cannot be justified, the group must remove it and find another word from their sport and the challenging team gets a point.

5. Each group then paraphrases each of their words in turn. Teams use their printouts to help them but the explanation must be as simple as possible. If students think the paraphrase successfully explains the word (the teacher has casting vote!), the team gets a point; if not, the team loses a point.

6. When all the words have been paraphrased, the team with the highest number of points wins.

(33)

Unit 3 27

Preparing for an Interview

(a) Categorising Information

Activity 5 (a) Worksheet 1 is designed to help students to categorise their research findings.

1. Distribute Activity 5 (a) Worksheet 1. Model linking topics. For example, the topic

‘achievements’ might include ‘best game’, ‘most valuable player’, ‘championship’.

2. Ask students to transfer their research on to Worksheet 1. Encourage students to transfer brief notes only, so they are not tempted later to ‘read out’ their interviews.

Activity 5 (a): Categorising Information

In this activity, students categorise their research on the sportsperson using a mind map or similar graphic organiser. Using their graphic organiser, students will be able to link topics in their interview so the questions and answers flow more naturally.

Activity 5 (a) Worksheet 1: Categorising Information

Name: Class:___

Categorising Information

Sports person Future plans

Background

Achievements Basic structure of the presentation

Possible topics:

 Background to involvement in sport

 Inspiration to do well

 Achievements

 Career highs

 Teams played for/Competitions entered

 Training programme

 Essential sports knowledge

 Future plans in sport

 Personal information

(34)

28 ^{Unit 3}Interviewing a Sports Personality (b) Revising Question Forms

Activity 5 (b) Worksheet 1 is designed to demonstrate the question forms best suited to interviews and draw students’ attention to the difference between neutral and leading questions.

Activity 5 (b): Revising Question Forms

As necessary, students revise the basic form of ‘wh’ questions and verb inversion patterns.

Student interviewers will need to consider the question types typically used in interviews, e.g. using a context-setting statement followed by the question. Student interviewees will need to pay attention to the intent of the question and listen for key words that give a clue to the interviewer’s opinion.

Revising Question Forms

Name: Class:___

‘Wh’ questions 1. What

has been the highlight of your career so far?

are your plans for the future?

do you think of…

Chelsea’s new line-up?

your new goalie, Mita Akubo?

the referee’s decision to red card Roberto Carlo today?

2. Who has inspired you in your great bowling career?

would be on your all-time best basketball team?

is going to open the batting for Hong Kong this Saturday?

3. When 4. Where 5. Why 6. How Verb inversion questions

1. Are you happy that Coach Milivic finally named you in the team?

2. Don’t you think drugs have spoilt the reputation of cycling as a sport?

3. Have you been training for this event all year?

4. Is this going to be another Gledhill walk-over?

5. Can Japan pull something out of the bag for tonight’s game?

‘Wh’ questions with a lead-in to establish context

1. The crowd today was quite disappointing. Why do you think the fans stayed away?

2. This was only Kowloon’s second win over Wan Chai. How do you feel about Kowloon’s performance today?

3. Ten Master’s titles after today, Narelle. What keeps you winning?

4. A gold medal and a world record, Assim; not what the critics were expecting.

Where did you find that extra effort?

Activity 5 (b)

Worksheet 1:

Revising Question Forms

(35)

Unit 3 29

Interviewing a Sports Personality Suggested procedures

1. Distribute Activity 5(b) Worksheet 1. Start with the ‘what’ questions. Discuss the model questions and ask students to formulate their own ‘what’ questions relevant to their own sports personality.

2. Ask pairs to consider the other ‘wh’ questions and to formulate questions that are appropriate to their chosen sports personality.

3. Revise verb inversion questions, positive and negative forms. Ask pairs to formulate appropriate questions for their interview using verb inversion.

4. Consider the ‘wh’ questions with a lead-in. Ask students why the questions are asked this way and what effect it has on the answer. (The interviewer may want to give background information to the audience, but more likely s/he wants to force a certain response from the interviewee.) For example:

This was only Kowloon’s second win over Wan Chai. How do you feel about Kowloon’s performance today?

Well, Wan Chai has a big budget for imported players and coaches, so I feel really proud that we beat those guys.

If only the second part of the question was asked, the answer could be quite different.

How do you feel about Kowloon’s performance today?

I think the guys did a great job.

Ask students to formulate questions of this type suitable for their interview.

5. Now consider the verb inversion questions. Ask students to identify the key words that show the intent or opinion of the interviewer. For example,

Are you happy that Coach Milovic finally named you in the team?

Yes, it’s taken a long time for me to get on to the team. I’m thrilled.

If the question was asked without ‘finally’, the answer could be quite different.

Are you happy that Coach Milovic named you in the team?

Yes, I’m thrilled to be chosen.

(36)

30 ^{Unit 3}Interviewing a Sports Personality (c) Preparing Prompt Cards

1. Introduce the need for establishing the focus of the interview, e.g. a sports star has been dropped from the team.

2. Model an introductory background statement. For example:

Today the fans of Charlie Bogan were shocked to hear that he has been dropped from Liverpool’s team for Friday’s football match against Chelsea. Bogan has been a great player for Liverpool but his form lately has been disappointing. I spoke with Charlie after the team’s training session today.

Hi, Charlie. Bad news from Coach Turino today.

Ask the students what kind of questions the interviewer might now ask.

3. Repeat the above steps with these two models below – What is the focus of each interview? (Berry just became #1, Li Qi just had an unexpected win) What questions might be asked?

Interviewer: I’m Jane Ling, and tonight on Hot Sports we’re pleased to talk to Mike Berry, who has just become the No. 1 tennis player in the world. Mike, you must be very pleased to reach the No. 1 ranking in tennis. Congratulations!

Sports personality: Thanks, Jane. It’s been a long time – 5 years of hard work – but it’s finally paid off.

Interviewer: Despite her great career in diving, which includes two Olympic medals, no one expected Li Qi to win this competition tonight. But here she is with another gold medal around her neck! Fantastic effort, Li Qi. Did you believe you could do this?

4. Ask pairs to discuss the focus of their interview and write a background statement.

Activity 5 (c): Preparing Prompt Cards

Firstly, the pairs will prepare a brief opening statement to establish the focus of the interview they will perform. Then they will use the categorised information from Activity 5 (a) Worksheet 1 and their questions from Activity 5 (b) Worksheet 1 to plan a series of 8 - 10 questions and answers. Students prepare prompt cards for the interview role-play.