EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• host: to present a show or event
• game show: a show where people compete for money or prizes
• contestant: a person who participates in a competition
• reporter: a person who writes or broadcasts for a news company
• producer: a person who manages a movie or show
• hire: to choose someone for a job

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

Alex Trebek was a Canadian-American television personality. He was known for hosting the game show Jeopardy!, a show where contestants are given a clue, and guess a that the clue would answer. Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario in 1940. At age 12, he moved to Ottawa, Ontario to go to boarding school, and later . Before moving to the United States to find a job as a game show host, Trebek worked as a reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Trebek hosted a few smaller game shows until 1984, when Jeopardy! producers hired him to be the host of their show. Jeopardy! was an instant , and the show currently holds a world record for the most game show episodes ever produced. Trebek worked as the host of Jeopardy! from 1984 until his death in 2020, at age 80.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”19920″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. Jeopardy! was an extremely successful show, winning multiple awards and inspiring adaptations around the world. What do you think made the show so special?

Transcript

Alex Trebek was a Canadian-American television personality. He was known for hosting the popular game show Jeopardy!, a show where contestants receive a clue, and guess a question that the clue would answer.  Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario in 1940. At age 12, he moved to Ottawa, Ontario to go to boarding school, and later university. Before moving to the United States to find a job as a game show host, Trebek worked as a news reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Trebek hosted a few smaller game shows until 1984, when Jeopardy! producers hired him to be the host of their show. Jeopardy! was an instant success, and the show currently holds a world record for the most game show episodes ever produced. Trebek worked as the host of Jeopardy! from 1984 until his death in 2020, at age 80.

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

• hijacking: the act of illegally taking control of a plane, boat, or vehicle
• depart: to leave or exit
• alert: a warning of possible danger
• hold hostage: to keep someone captive in order to make demands
• false alarm: an apparently dangerous situation that turns out to be harmless
• evacuate: to move people away from danger

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Happy New Year! Are you looking for an interesting project idea to try with your English learners this year? Why not try a Timeline project?

Here are a few examples:

• world news timeline (e.g., for a birth year or the year that just passed)
• personal timeline of my life
• personal timeline in comparison to word news
• timeline of our class or school
• timeline of a famous person or event
• prediction timeline (e.g., What might happen this year.)

Timelines can be useful for:

• practising the past tense
• summarizing information
• comparing and contrasting
• combining visual and print media
• presenting in front of an audience
• writing in chart format
• organizing information

EnglishClub’s News Archives

EnglishClub’s Listen to News resource has archives that date back to 2007. This resource can be very useful when it comes to creating timelines that relate to news and historical events. Why not have your students compare their own lives to events that happened around the world? Below is an example timeline entry for a comparison timeline between a student’s life and the world news.

In 2007, the world’s tiniest baby was released from the hospital four months after her birth. Tiny Amelia Taylor weighed 10 ounces at birth. That same year, my cousin Ellie gave birth to a baby boy. Marco weighed 9 pounds and spent only 5 hours in the hospital. What a difference!

A timeline project can also be completed online on a blog or webpage. Encourage your students to include links to the media sources they used or to articles that contain more information.