the ARTICLE (for teachers)

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Cornelia Turner
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2 the ARTICLE (for teachers) David Storey of Australia purchased a private island for $26,500. The price may sound very cheap. However, the island cannot be reached by any boat or plane because it's virtual. In other words, the place doesn't exist in the real world. It's part of a computer program for an online role-playing game. You now may wonder if Storey is a little crazy. However, the twenty-seven year old graduate student currently earns more than $100,000 per year from the game. He is able to mix recreation and work. He runs the island like a rare game preserve, where hunters are taxed to use the land. He then exchanges the virtual money for real cash. There are similar businesses online, like an asteroid space resort and a space station. If either of these properties were sold, they could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars! A lot of people may see the whole concept as silly. However, David Storey and others like him don't just live from paycheck to paycheck. These gamers are making a lot of money. They are getting paid to play. Teacher's Notes: * Underlined words in red typeface are the recommended vocabulary for this lesson. Heads Up English - 1

3 WARM-UPS Select one or all of the following warm-up activities. 1: Define: What does "online" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples? 2: Brainstorm: Brainstorm with a partner words and ideas for "role playing game" for two minutes. Next, talk about the words and ideas for five minutes. 3: Title: Today's article is: "." What will you read about? 4: Do you agree or disagree? Why? a. I want to play video games every day. b. Video games are fun, but they are also a waste of time. c. Some people make a lot of money playing video games. d. I want to make money online. e. Work is more important than fun and recreation. Heads Up English - 2

4 VOCABULARY Select one of the following vocabulary acquisition activities. 1: Vocabulary match: Individually or in pairs/groups, match the words in column A (from the article) with the best choice in column B. a. purchase u. ask yourself b. exist v. same c. wonder w. be d. recreation x. buy e. similar y. idea f. concept z. fun 2: Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word. wonder recreation similar purchased concept exist a. David Storey of Australia ( ) a private island for $26,500. b. the place doesn't ( ) in the real world. c. You now may ( ) if Storey is a little crazy. d. He is able to mix ( ) and work. e. There are ( ) businesses online, like an asteroid space resort. f. A lot of people may see the whole ) as silly. 3: Define: Look in your dictionary for each word. Write the definition, correctly pronounce the word, and give an example sentence to the class. a. purchase: b. exist: c. wonder: d. recreation: e. similar: f. concept: Heads Up English - 3

5 WORD RECOGNITION These activities are optional. They reinforce vocabulary and increase reading speed. 1: Word Search: Find only the target words (in bold). Time yourself, and see how long it takes to find all the words. wonder recreation similar purchased concept exist R U V F N G P T Q C P X N P W A E X I S T E P Y M U X O W Q A W C K W W Q H W F R B A Y M B X Z R P D K K Y Q C S J L Y P M P D A H M F V P H T I B N I U T H A E M O J V A A E G S N M E U W K T R O M S R E I V R E C R E A T I O N E A M Y L E X N Q T N S E O D D I F S O I W O T W P T E N N L W D U S C L C Z D F E O X I D Z B S C G D I G B E W C A I X L Y N G R A L I M I S R N O X F Z J A U O V H J D P U O O L T X E T M N M O V C A I P Z C D C I B 2: Target Word Pool: Find only the target words (in bold) with their exact match. Time yourself, and see how long it takes to find all the words. wonder recreation similar purchased concept exist similarly purchases wonders exit wondering recreation concept perchance creation wander existed recreated conceptual simian misconception similar purchased exist exists conception purchasing existence wondered similarity wonder recreations conceive recreate purchase dissimilar Heads Up English - 4

6 pre- or post-comprehension Select one or more activity to direct students before the article is read, or to check understanding after the article is read. 1: Brainstorm Questions: Brainstorm questions that you would like to ask about today's topic. Answer a partner the questions. He shouldn't look at the article when he answers. 2: True or False?: Guess (before the article) or answer (after the article) if the sentence is true or false. If false, correct the sentence. a. David Storey sold an island worth $26,500, but the money wasn't real. T/F b. According to the article, David Storey is crazy. T/F c. He also owns an asteroid space resort and a space station. T/F d. According to the article, most people think this idea is silly. T/F e. Storey lives from paycheck to paycheck, and must worry about his salary. T/F 3: Questions: Answer the questions to check comprehension. a. What did David Storey buy? How much did it cost b. How much does Storey earn per year? c. How does Storey earn money? d. What does "living paycheck to paycheck" mean? e. What is meant by "getting paid to play?" 4: Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence. a. In other words, the place doesn't... b. However, the twenty-seven year old graduate student currently earns... c. There are similar businesses online, like... d. If either of these properties were sold, they... Heads Up English - 5

7 post-comprehension Select one or more activity to discuss the contents of the article. 1: Vocabulary: Circle any other unknown words/phrases in the article. In pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand these words. Write an example sentence for each one. 2: Class Questions: Read through the article once more, and write down any questions that you would like to talk about in pairs/groups or as a class. Answer the questions. 3: Summarize: Work with a partner to summarize the article in your own words. 4: Discuss: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers and ask more questions with your partner. a. Did you like this article? Why/not? b. Would you want to get paid for playing a video game? Why/not? c. Would you want to get paid for doing something you really love? Why/not? d. Are people like Storey just very lucky, or do they have some special quality? e. What realistic change would you like to make to your current job to enjoy it more? f. If someone you knew wanted to make money online, what advice would you give? 5: Discuss: What do you think about these possible dream jobs? Provide any pluses and/or minuses you might experience. Be sure to support your answers. property owner in a virtual world: school owner in a virtual world: professional gambler:???: 6: Google Search: Type "online role-playing games" into Google news and read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings. Heads Up English - 6

8 STUDENT HANDOUT (the article) David Storey of Australia purchased a private island for $26,500. The price may sound very cheap. However, the island cannot be reached by any boat or plane because it's virtual. In other words, the place doesn't exist in the real world. It's part of a computer program for an online role-playing game. You now may wonder if Storey is a little crazy. However, the twenty-seven year old graduate student currently earns more than $100,000 per year from the game. He is able to mix recreation and work. He runs the island like a rare game preserve, where hunters are taxed to use the land. He then exchanges the virtual money for real cash. There are similar businesses online, like an asteroid space resort and a space station. If either of these properties were sold, they could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars! A lot of people may see the whole concept as silly. However, David Storey and others like him don't just live from paycheck to paycheck. These gamers are making a lot of money. They are getting paid to play. Notes: Heads Up English - 7

9 STUDENT HANDOUT (fill in the blank) Fill in the blank with the correct word. wonder similar recreation preserve exist hundreds purchased program concept earns David Storey of Australia (a. ) a private island for $26,500. The price may sound very cheap. However, the island cannot be reached by any boat or plane because it's virtual. In other words, the place doesn't (b. ) in the real world. It's part of a computer (c. ) for an online role-playing game. You now may (d. ) if Storey is a little crazy. However, the twentyseven year old graduate student currently (e. ) more than $100,000 per year from the game. He is able to mix (f. ) and work. He runs the island like a rare game (g. ), where hunters are taxed to use the land. He then exchanges the virtual money for real cash. There are (h. ) businesses online, like an asteroid space resort and a space station. If either of these properties were sold, they could earn (i. ) of thousands of dollars! A lot of people may see the whole (j. ) as silly. However, David Storey and others like him don't just live from paycheck to paycheck. These gamers are making a lot of money. They are getting paid to play. Heads Up English - 8

10 STUDENT HANDOUT (extended listening) Listen and fill in the missing sentences. Compare your answers with a partner, and then listen once more. David Storey of Australia purchased a private island for $26,500. The price may sound very cheap. However, a). In other words, the place doesn't exist in the real world. It's part of a computer program for an online role-playing game. You now may wonder if Storey is a little crazy. However, the twenty-seven year old graduate student currently earns more than $100,000 per year from the game. He is able to mix recreation and work. He runs the island like a rare game preserve, b). He then exchanges the virtual money for real cash. There are similar businesses online, like an asteroid space resort and a space station. If either of these properties were sold, they could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars! A lot of people may see the whole concept as silly. However, c). These gamers are making a lot of money. They are getting paid to play. Sentence #1: Sentence #2: Sentence #3: Heads Up English - 9

11 ANSWERS Vocabulary 1: Vocabulary Match: 2: Fill in the Blanks: a. x a. purchased b. w b. exist c. u c. wonder d. z d. recreation e. v e. similar f. y f. concept pre- or post-comprehension 1. True or False: 2. Fragments: a. F b. F c. F d. T e. F a. exist in the real world. b. more than $100,000 per year from the game. c. an asteroid space resort and a space station. d. could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars! Student Handout 1: Fill in the Blanks: a. purchased f. recreation b. exist g. preserve c. program h. similar d. wonder i. hundreds e. earns j. concept 2: Extended Listening: a. the island cannot be reached by any boat or plane because it's virtual b. where hunters are taxed to use the land c. David Storey and others like him don't just live from paycheck to paycheck Heads Up English - 10

the ARTICLE (for teachers)

the ARTICLE (for teachers) Many couples have two or three children. But in the future, what if the population of the world became too large for the resources because everyone had two or three children?