The Reading / Listening - Taylor Swift - Level 1

The singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is the first artist to win best album at the Grammys four times. Ms Swift made history with her album "Midnights". She has overtaken legends like Stevie Wonder. In her speech, she said: "I would love to tell you that this is the best moment of my life, but I feel this happy when I finish a song…or when I'm rehearsing with my dancers." She added: "All I wanna do is…this. I love it so much. It makes me so happy."

Taylor Swift began writing songs professionally at the age of 14. In 2005, she became a country singer. Since then, she has experimented with many music styles. She has sold over 200 million records. A movie of her 2023 tour "Eras" is the best-selling concert film ever. She is also a huge influencer. Forbes magazine said she is one of the world's 100 most powerful women. Wikipedia called her a champion of artists' rights and women's issues.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Taylor Swift - Level 0 Taylor Swift - Level 2   or  Taylor Swift - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.grammy.com/news/taylor-swift-album-of-the-year-2024-grammys-speech
  • https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grammys-2024-recap-taylor-swift-sza-miley-cyrus-1234961256/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Swift


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. The singer-
  2. Ms Swift made history with
  3. this is the best moment
  4. I feel this happy when
  5. I'm rehearsing with
  6. All I wanna
  7. I love it
  8. It makes me
  1. so happy
  2. I finish a song
  3. her album
  4. do
  5. songwriter Taylor Swift
  6. my dancers
  7. of my life
  8. so much

Paragraph 2

  1. writing songs
  2. at the
  3. she became a
  4. she has experimented with
  5. She has sold over
  6. the best-selling concert
  7. one of the world's 100 most
  8. Wikipedia called her a champion
  1. country singer
  2. film ever
  3. age of 14
  4. 200 million records
  5. powerful women
  6. professionally
  7. of artists' rights
  8. many music styles

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (1) ___________________ artist to win best (2) ___________________ Grammys four times. Ms Swift made history with her album "Midnights". She has (3) ___________________ Stevie Wonder. In her speech, she said: "I would love to tell you that this is the (4) ___________________ my life, but I feel this happy when I finish a song…or when I'm rehearsing (5) ___________________." She added: "All I wanna do is…this. I love it so much. It makes (6) ___________________."

Taylor Swift began writing songs professionally  (7) ___________________ of 14. In 2005, she became a country singer. Since then, she has experimented with   (8) ___________________. She has sold over 200 million records. A movie of (9) ___________________ "Eras" is the best-selling concert film ever. She is (10) ___________________ influencer. Forbes magazine said she is one of the world's 100 most powerful women. Wikipedia (11) ___________________ champion of artists' rights (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thesinger-songwriterTaylorSwiftisthefirstartisttowinbestalbumatt
heGrammysfourtimes.MsSwiftmadehistorywithheralbum"Midnight
s".ShehasovertakenlegendslikeStevieWonder.Inherspeech,shesaid
:"Iwouldlovetotellyouthatthisisthebestmomentofmylife,butIfeelthis
happywhenIfinishasong…orwhenI'mrehearsingwithmydancers."Sh
eadded:"AllIwannadois…this.Iloveitsomuch.Itmakesmesohappy."T
aylorSwiftbeganwritingsongsprofessionallyattheageof14.In2005,s
hebecameacountrysinger.Sincethen,shehasexperimentedwithman
ymusicstyles.Shehassoldover200millionrecords.Amovieofher2023t
our"Eras"isthebest-sellingconcertfilmever.Sheisalsoahugeinfluenc
er.Forbesmagazinesaidsheisoneoftheworld's100mostpowerfulwom
en.Wikipediacalledherachampionofartists'rightsandwomen'sissues.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

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

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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