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Australian wins at World Pizza Championship (15th April, 2014)

The Reading / Listening - Level 6

An Australian chef has been crowned pizza king at the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy. Pizza maker Johnny Di Francesco, who runs an Italian pizzeria in Melbourne, Australia, scooped the award in the traditional Neapolitan pizza category. He fended off dozens of rivals from Italy and all over the world. Italians who might be shocked at the thought of an Australian (or indeed any non-Italian) winning the prize can take heart from the fact that Mr Di Francesco has firm roots in Italy. His family is from Naples, home of the legendary Neapolitan, and he trained at the city's prestigious culinary school, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.

The World Pizza Championship is an annual event held to determine the world's best pizza makers and artists. It began in 1991 and now attracts over 600 entrants. Pizzas are judged by discerning international experts, who look at preparation, taste, bake and presentation. There are also awards for the fastest pizza maker, freestyle acrobatics and the largest dough stretch. The judges at this year's contest restored Italian pride by announcing the winner of the best classic pizza was master chef Giulio Scialpi from the city of Bari, in south-east Italy. Mr Scialpi said it was the pinnacle of his career and had "craved" the prize since first entering the championship in 2000.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 4 or Level 5

Sources

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/241499/aussie-beats-italians-to-pizza-prize
http://www.thelocal.it/20140411/australia-has-worlds-best-neapolitan-pizza
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Pizza_Championship

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 :-)

The 40 Lesson Activities on the PDF Handout

WARM-UPS

1. PIZZA: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about pizza. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

chef / king / championship / traditional / rivals / shocked / take heart / prestigious / event / pizza makers / judges / experts / preparation / taste / acrobatics / dough

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

3. THE BEST PIZZA: Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	It (they) needs (need) to be…..	Why?
Crust
Size
Depth
Toppings
Garnish
Side dishes

4. ITALIANS: Students A strongly believe Italians will always make the best pizza; Students B strongly believe this will change. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

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. TOPPINGS: Rank these with your partner. Put the best pizza toppings at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• anchovies

• onions

• pineapple

• feta cheese

• olives

• jalapeno peppers

• sweet corn

• salami

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

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

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

a.	The World Pizza Championships were held in Melbourne, Australia.	T / F
b.	The Australian winner is a chef at one of Australia's leading hotels.	T / F
c.	The Aussie chef won the award in the best Neapolitan pizza category.	T / F
d.	The chef's family is from the home of the Neapolitan pizza.	T / F
e.	The World Pizza Championship is over a century old.	T / F
f.	Over 600 chefs entered the contest.	T / F
g.	There is an award for who can stretch dough the longest.	T / F
h.	The winner in the classic pizza category is from Rome.	T / F

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

1.	runs	a.	won
2.	scooped	b.	be comforted by
3.	take heart from	c.	draws
4.	prestigious	d.	yearly
5.	culinary	e.	owns
6.	annual	f.	honour
7.	attracts	g.	cooking
8.	discerning	h.	high point
9.	pride	i.	respected
10.	pinnacle	j.	sophisticated

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

1.	scooped	a.	world's best
2.	He fended	b.	from the fact
3.	take heart	c.	event
4.	home of the	d.	of his career
5.	he trained at the city's prestigious	e.	off dozens of rivals
6.	an annual	f.	international experts
7.	determine the	g.	culinary school
8.	discerning	h.	stretch
9.	the largest dough	i.	the award
10.	it was the pinnacle	j.	legendary Neapolitan

GAP FILL

An Australian chef has been (1) ____________ pizza king at the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy. Pizza maker Johnny Di Francesco, who (2) ____________ an Italian pizzeria in Melbourne, Australia, scooped the award in the traditional Neapolitan pizza (3) ____________. He fended off dozens of (4) ____________ from Italy and all over the world. Italians who might be shocked at the thought of an Australian (or (5) ____________ any non-Italian) winning the prize can take (6) ____________ from the fact that Mr Di Francesco has firm (7) ____________ in Italy. His family is from Naples, home of the legendary Neapolitan, and he trained at the city's prestigious (8) ____________ school, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.

indeed
rivals
runs
culinary
roots
crowned
heart
category

The World Pizza Championship is an (9) ____________ event held to determine the world's best pizza makers and artists. It began in 1991 and now (10) ____________ over 600 entrants. Pizzas are judged by (11) ____________ international experts, who look at preparation, taste, (12) ____________ and presentation. There are also awards for the fastest pizza maker, freestyle acrobatics and the largest (13) ____________ stretch. The judges at this year's contest restored Italian (14) ____________ by announcing the winner of the best classic pizza was master chef Giulio Scialpi from the city of Bari, in south-east Italy. Mr Scialpi said it was the (15) ____________ of his career and had "(16) ____________ " the prize since first entering the championship in 2000.

dough
discerning
pinnacle
annual
craved
attracts
bake
pride

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	An Australian chef has been ______
	a. clowned pizza king b. crowned pizza king c. crowed pizza king d. ground pizza king
2)	scooped the award in the traditional Neapolitan ______
	a. pizza categories b. pizza categorise c. pizza cat a gory d. pizza category
3)	take heart from the fact that Mr Di Francesco has ______
	a. firm loots in Italy b. firm boots in Italy c. firm hoots in Italy d. firm roots in Italy
4)	His family is from Naples, home of the ______
	a. legend airy Neapolitan b. legendary Neapolitan c. ledge and airy Neapolitan d. legend array Neapolitan
5)	he trained at the city's prestigious ______
	a. cull in airy school b. culling air school c. culling array school d. culinary school
6)	The World Pizza Championship is an annual event held to ______ best
	a. determined the world's b. determinate the world's c. determines the world's d. determine the world's
7)	It began in 1991 and now attracts ______
	a. over 600 entrants b. over 600 entrance c. over 600 entranced d. over 600 entries
8)	Pizzas are judged by discerning ______
	a. international expats b. international experts c. international expertise d. international exerts
9)	awards for the fastest pizza maker, freestyle acrobatics and the ______
	a. largest bough stretch b. largest cough stretch c. largest dough stretch d. largest rough stretch
10)	Mr Scialpi said it was the ______ career
	a. pin up of his b. pin a call of his c. pinner call of his d. pinnacle of his

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

An Australian chef (1) ___________________ pizza king at the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy. Pizza maker Johnny Di Francesco, who runs an Italian pizzeria in Melbourne, Australia, (2) ___________________ in the traditional Neapolitan pizza category. He (3) ___________________ of rivals from Italy and all over the world. Italians who might be shocked at the thought of an Australian (or indeed any non-Italian) winning the prize can (4) ___________________ fact that Mr Di Francesco has firm roots in Italy. His family is from Naples, (5) ___________________ Neapolitan, and he trained at the (6) ___________________ school, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.

The World Pizza Championship is an annual (7) ___________________ the world's best pizza makers and artists. It began in 1991 and now attracts (8) ___________________. Pizzas are judged by discerning international experts, who look at preparation, taste, bake and presentation. There are (9) ___________________ fastest pizza maker, freestyle acrobatics and the (10) ___________________. The judges at this year's contest restored Italian pride by announcing the winner of the best classic pizza was master chef Giulio Scialpi from the city of Bari, in south-east Italy. Mr Scialpi said it was the (11) ___________________ and had (12) ___________________ first entering the championship in 2000.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	In which Italian city was the World Pizza Championship held?
2.	What does the winner Johnny Di Francesco run?
3.	Who did Johnny Di Francesco beat?
4.	Where are Johnny Di Francesco's roots?
5.	What kind of school did Johnny Di Francesco train at?
6.	How often is the World Pizza Championship held?
7.	When did the championship start?
8.	What award is there that concerns the pizza dough?
9.	What is the nationality of the winner in the best classic pizza category?
10.	When did the winner of the best classic pizza first enter the contest?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	In which Italian city was the World Pizza Championship held?	6.	How often is the World Pizza Championship held?
	a) Milan b) Bari c) Naples d) Parma		a) triannually b) every four years c) annually d) biannually
2.	What does the winner Johnny Di Francesco run?	7.	When did the championship start?
	a) pizza-eating competitions b) a pizzeria c) a culinary arts school d) a website about pizza		a) 1991 b) 3pm c) after the ovens were hot d) when the town mayor arrived
3.	Who did Johnny Di Francesco beat?	8.	What award is there that concerns the pizza dough?
	a) Claudio Benetti b) Pizza Hut c) the champion for the past 8 years d) dozens of rivals		a) the smoothest b) the fewest air pockets c) the longest d) the whitest
4.	Where are Johnny Di Francesco's roots?	9.	What is the nationality of the winner in the best classic pizza category?
	a) in his garden b) Sicily c) Naples d) New York		a) Swiss b) Italian c) Greek d) French
5.	What kind of school did Johnny Di Francesco train at?	10.	When did the winner of the best classic pizza first enter the contest?
	a) a rough one b) the Pizza University c) a normal one d) a prestigious culinary school		a) 2000 b) 2001 c) 2002 d) 2003

ROLE PLAY

Role A – The crust

You think the crust is the most important part of a pizza. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are not so important about their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): the thickness, the tomato base or the toppings.

Role B – The thickness

You think the thickness is the most important part of a pizza. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are not so important about their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): the crust, the tomato base or the toppings.

Role C – The tomato base

You think the tomato base is the most important part of a pizza. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are not so important about their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): the thickness, the crust or the toppings.

Role D – The toppings

You think the toppings are the most important part of a pizza. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are not so important about their things. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): the thickness, the tomato base or the crust.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

annual

event

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:

king
runs
dozens
indeed
heart
trained

annual
600
taste
dough
classic
craved

PIZZA SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about pizza 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.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

PIZZA DISCUSSION

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

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word 'pizza'?
c)	Why is pizza so popular throughout the world?
d)	Is it good an Australian beat many Italians for this prize?
e)	How difficult do you think it is to make a great pizza?
f)	What is a great pizza?
g)	How important is pizza in your life?
h)	Is pizza the best food from Italy?
i)	How good or bad is pizza for you?
j)	Would you like to study the art of pizza making?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	What do you think of pizza?
c)	What are the three most important things for a pizza to have?
d)	Do you think you would be a good pizza judge?
e)	What's the worst pizza you've eaten?
f)	What's your favourite pizza restaurant, and why?
g)	What do you think of frozen or microwave pizza?
h)	What food do you get a craving for?
i)	What kind of pizza toppings do you think are not good?
j)	What questions would you like to ask the winner?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE

An Australian chef has been (1) ____ pizza king at the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy. Pizza maker Johnny Di Francesco, who (2) ____ an Italian pizzeria in Melbourne, Australia, (3) ____ the award in the traditional Neapolitan pizza category. He fended off dozens of rivals from Italy and all over the world. Italians who might be shocked at the thought of an Australian (or (4) ____ any non-Italian) winning the prize can take (5) ____ from the fact that Mr Di Francesco has firm roots in Italy. His family is from Naples, home of the legendary Neapolitan, and he trained at the city's prestigious (6) ____ school, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.

The World Pizza Championship is an annual event held to (7) ____ the world's best pizza makers and artists. It began in 1991 and now attracts over 600 entrants. Pizzas are judged by discerning international (8) ____, who look at preparation, taste, bake and presentation. There are also awards for the fastest pizza maker, freestyle acrobatics and the largest (9) ____ stretch. The judges at this year's contest restored Italian (10) ____ by announcing the winner of the best classic pizza was master chef Giulio Scialpi from the city of Bari, in south-east Italy. Mr Scialpi said it was the (11) ____ of his career and had "(12) ____" the prize since first entering the championship in 2000.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	cloned	(b)	crowned	(c)	clowned	(d)	crowning
2.	(a)	trains	(b)	runs	(c)	mixes	(d)	bakes
3.	(a)	escaped	(b)	scarpered	(c)	scraped	(d)	scooped
4.	(a)	indebted	(b)	indeed	(c)	indelible	(d)	inedible
5.	(a)	back	(b)	stomach	(c)	head	(d)	heart
6.	(a)	equine	(b)	logistics	(c)	culinary	(d)	anatomical
7.	(a)	determine	(b)	undermine	(c)	mine	(d)	gold mine
8.	(a)	expats	(b)	expects	(c)	experts	(d)	ex-porters
9.	(a)	ingredients	(b)	base	(c)	crust	(d)	dough
10.	(a)	pride	(b)	parsley	(c)	Parmesan	(d)	poultry
11.	(a)	pinnacle	(b)	scale	(c)	ascent	(d)	reach
12.	(a)	craved	(b)	carved	(c)	cavorted	(d)	caved

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	woncrde pizza king
2.	the traditional Neapolitan pizza cgerytao
3.	He fended off nedosz of rivals
4.	shocked at the httuhog
5.	home of the ardlgyeen Neapolitan
6.	the city's sepgiurosit culinary school
Paragraph 2
7.	an lunaan event
8.	erteinemd the world's best pizza makers
9.	judged by snecidirng international experts
10.	the largest hdoug stretch
11.	it was the enlancip of his career
12.	vedacr the prize

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	culinary school, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.
( )	maker Johnny Di Francesco, who runs an Italian pizzeria in Melbourne, Australia, scooped
( )	chef Giulio Scialpi from the city of Bari, in south-east Italy. Mr Scialpi said it was the pinnacle of
( )	acrobatics and the largest dough stretch. The judges at this year's contest restored Italian pride
( )	the award in the traditional Neapolitan pizza category. He fended off dozens of rivals from Italy and all
( )	heart from the fact that Mr Di Francesco has firm roots in Italy. His family is from Naples, home
( )	experts, who look at preparation, taste, bake and presentation. There are also awards for the fastest pizza maker, freestyle
( )	The World Pizza Championship is an annual event held to determine the world's best pizza makers
( )	over the world. Italians who might be shocked at the thought of an Australian (or indeed any non-Italian) winning the prize can take
( )	and artists. It began in 1991 and now attracts over 600 entrants. Pizzas are judged by discerning international
( )	by announcing the winner of the best classic pizza was master
( 1 )	An Australian chef has been crowned pizza king at the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy. Pizza
( )	of the legendary Neapolitan, and he trained at the city's prestigious
( )	his career and had "craved" the prize since first entering the championship in 2000.

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	pizza chef king has been An crowned Australian.
2.	category the traditional The Neapolitan award pizza in.
3.	rivals fended from off Italy dozens of He.
4.	an at Australian the winning thought of Shocked.
5.	culinary at school the city's He prestigious trained.
6.	pizza An annual event held to determine the world's best.
7.	Pizzas experts international discerning by judged are.
8.	pizza There awards fastest also the maker are for.
9.	judges year's Italian The this restored at contest pride.
10.	Scialpi said it was the pinnacle of his career Mr.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

An Australian chef has been crowning / crowned pizza king at the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy. Pizza maker Johnny Di Francesco, who runs / running an Italian pizzeria in Melbourne, Australia, scraped / scooped the award in the traditional Neapolitan pizza category. He fended off / out dozens of rivals / rivalries from Italy and all over the world. Italians who might be shocked at / for the thought of an Australian (or deeds / indeed any non-Italian) winning the prize can take heart / head from the fact that Mr Di Francesco has firm boots / roots in Italy. His family is from Naples, home of the legendary Neapolitan, and he trained at the city's prestige / prestigious culinary school, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.

The World Pizza Championship is an annually / annual event held to determine the world's best pizza markers / makers and artists. It began in 1991 and now attractive / attracts over 600 entrants. Pizzas are judged by discerning international experts / expats, who look at preparation, taste, cake / bake and presentation. There are also awards for the fastest pizza maker, freestyle aerobics / acrobatics and the largest dough / bough stretch. The judges at this year's contest restored / restoration Italian pride by announcing the winner of the best classic pizza was master / mister chef Giulio Scialpi from the city of Bari, in south-east Italy. Mr Scialpi said it was the pinnacle of his career and had "carved" / "craved" the prize since first entering the championship in 2000.

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)

_n __str_l__n ch_f h_s b__n cr_wn_d p_zz_ k_ng _t th_ W_rld P_zz_ Ch_mp__nsh_p _n P_rm_, _t_ly. P_zz_ m_k_r J_hnny D_ Fr_nc_sc_, wh_ r_ns _n _t_l__n p_zz_r__ _n M_lb__rn_, __str_l__, sc__p_d th_ _w_rd _n th_ tr_d_t__n_l N__p_l_t_n p_zz_ c_t_g_ry. H_ f_nd_d _ff d_z_ns _f r_v_ls fr_m _t_ly _nd _ll _v_r th_ w_rld. _t_l__ns wh_ m_ght b_ sh_ck_d _t th_ th__ght _f _n __str_l__n (_r _nd__d _ny n_n-_t_l__n) w_nn_ng th_ pr_z_ c_n t_k_ h__rt fr_m th_ f_ct th_t Mr D_ Fr_nc_sc_ h_s f_rm r__ts _n _t_ly. H_s f_m_ly _s fr_m N_pl_s, h_m_ _f th_ l_g_nd_ry N__p_l_t_n, _nd h_ tr__n_d _t th_ c_ty's pr_st_g___s c_l_n_ry sch__l, th_ _ss_c__z__n_ V_r_c_ P_zz_ N_p_l_t_n_.

Th_ W_rld P_zz_ Ch_mp__nsh_p _s _n _nn__l _v_nt h_ld t_ d_t_rm_n_ th_ w_rld's b_st p_zz_ m_k_rs _nd _rt_sts. _t b_g_n _n 1991 _nd n_w _ttr_cts _v_r 600 _ntr_nts. P_zz_s _r_ j_dg_d by d_sc_rn_ng _nt_rn_t__n_l _xp_rts, wh_ l__k _t pr_p_r_t__n, t_st_, b_k_ _nd pr_s_nt_t__n. Th_r_ _r_ _ls_ _w_rds f_r th_ f_st_st p_zz_ m_k_r, fr__styl_ _cr_b_t_cs _nd th_ l_rg_st d__gh str_tch. Th_ j_dg_s _t th_s y__r's c_nt_st r_st_r_d _t_l__n pr_d_ by _nn__nc_ng th_ w_nn_r _f th_ b_st cl_ss_c p_zz_ w_s m_st_r ch_f G__l__ Sc__lp_ fr_m th_ c_ty _f B_r_, _n s__th-__st _t_ly. Mr Sc__lp_ s__d _t w_s th_ p_nn_cl_ _f h_s c_r__r _nd h_d "cr_v_d" th_ pr_z_ s_nc_ f_rst _nt_r_ng th_ ch_mp__nsh_p _n 2000.

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

an australian chef has been crowned pizza king at the world pizza championship in parma italy pizza maker johnny di francesco who runs an italian pizzeria in melbourne australia scooped the award in the traditional neapolitan pizza category he fended off dozens of rivals from italy and all over the world italians who might be shocked at the thought of an australian (or indeed any non-italian) winning the prize can take heart from the fact that mr di francesco has firm roots in italy his family is from naples home of the legendary neapolitan and he trained at the city's prestigious culinary school the associazione verace pizza napoletana

the world pizza championship is an annual event held to determine the world's best pizza makers and artists it began in 1991 and now attracts over 600 entrants pizzas are judged by discerning international experts who look at preparation taste bake and presentation there are also awards for the fastest pizza maker freestyle acrobatics and the largest dough stretch the judges at this year's contest restored italian pride by announcing the winner of the best classic pizza was master chef giulio scialpi from the city of bari in south-east italy mr scialpi said it was the pinnacle of his career and had "craved" the prize since first entering the championship in 2000

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

AnAustralianchefhasbeencrownedpizzakingattheWorldPizzaCha
mpionshipinParma,Italy.PizzamakerJohnnyDiFrancesco,whoruns
anItalianpizzeriainMelbourne,Australia,scoopedtheawardinthetra
ditionalNeapolitanpizzacategory.HefendedoffdozensofrivalsfromI
talyandallovertheworld.Italianswhomightbeshockedatthethought
ofanAustralian(orindeedanynon-Italian)winningtheprizecantakeh
eartfromthefactthatMrDiFrancescohasfirmrootsinItaly.Hisfamilyi
sfromNaples,homeofthelegendaryNeapolitan,andhetrainedatthe
city'sprestigiousculinaryschool,theAssociazioneVeracePizzaNapol
etana.TheWorldPizzaChampionshipisanannualeventheldtodeter
minetheworld'sbestpizzamakersandartists.Itbeganin1991andno
wattractsover600entrants.Pizzasarejudgedbydiscerninginternati
onalexperts,wholookatpreparation,taste,bakeandpresentation.T
herearealsoawardsforthefastestpizzamaker,freestyleacrobaticsa
ndthelargestdoughstretch.Thejudgesatthisyear'scontestrestored
Italianpridebyannouncingthewinnerofthebestclassicpizzawasmas
terchefGiulioScialpifromthecityofBari,insouth-eastItaly.MrS
cialpisaiditwasthepinnacleofhiscareerandhad"craved"theprizesin
cefirstenteringthechampionshipin2000.

FREE WRITING

Write about pizza for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

Compare and contrast pizza and pasta. Which is best? Why?

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 pizza. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. PIZZA: Make a poster about pizza. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. WORLD PIZZA CHAMPIONSHIP: Write a magazine article about the championship. Include imaginary interviews with pizza makers, freestyle pizza acrobats and dough stretchers.

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 a pizza expert. Ask him/her three questions about pizza. Give him/her three of your opinions on it. 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

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

F

b

F

c

T

d

T

e

F

f

T

g

T

h

F

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	runs	a.	won
2.	scooped	b.	be comforted by
3.	take heart from	c.	draws
4.	prestigious	d.	yearly
5.	culinary	e.	owns
6.	annual	f.	honour
7.	attracts	g.	cooking
8.	discerning	h.	high point
9.	pride	i.	respected
10.	pinnacle	j.	sophisticated

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	Bari
2.	A pizzeria
3.	Dozens of rivals
4.	Naples
5.	A prestigious culinary school
6.	Yearly
7.	1991
8.	The longest stretch
9.	Italian
10.	2000

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

d

2.

b

3.

d

4.

c

5.

d

6.

c

7.

a

8.

c

9.

b

10.

a

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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Australian wins at World Pizza Championship (15th April, 2014)

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