The Reading / Listening - Artists - Level 6

A toddler from Ghana has officially been recognized as the world's youngest artist. Guinness World Records acknowledged Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah when he was just one year and 152 days old. The little boy began painting at the age of six months, when his precocious talent became evident. His mother Chantelle, also an artist, said it was obvious her son had artistic talent from that young age. She explained how he started painting. Chantelle had been commissioned to create a work for Miss Universe 2023. While she was working, she gave Ace-Liam a canvas and some paint. She said he clearly had an affinity for colour as he crawled over the canvas. Chantelle named his first piece "The Crawl".

Ace-Liam is attracting attention across the art world. His work was exhibited at Ghana's Museum of Science in January. Nine of the 10 pieces on show at that exhibition sold. Art lovers have purchased a further six of his paintings this year. Even Ghana's first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo commissioned work from the toddler. Chantelle said her son is creating a stir with his artistic flair. She said: "He has created a buzz and heightened the conversation about art appreciation." She said: "His abstract paintings are inspired by the world around him – colours, shapes, textures and his mood." Guinness said: "There is no doubt that Ace-Liam has an exciting career ahead of him, and we can't wait to see what comes next."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Artists - Level 4  or  Artists - Level 5

Sources
  • https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2024/5/gifted-toddler-from-ghana-gains-global-recognition-as-worlds-youngest-artist-769600
  • https://nypost.com/2024/05/24/lifestyle/guinness-names-youngest-ever-male-artist-and-his-paintings-are-selling-fast/
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn00l5ejx8po


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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. ARTISTS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about artists. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       toddler / artist / painting / the age of six months / talent / canvas / paint / colour /
       the art world / museum / exhibition / art lovers / abstract / shapes / textures / mood
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. CAREER: Students A strongly believe more people should pursue a career as an artist; Students B strongly believe otherwise. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. PAINTING: What do you know about these forms of painting? What do you like or dislike about them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What I Know

Like / Dislike

Abstract

 

 

Graffiti

 

 

Art deco

 

 

Surrealism

 

 

Modern art

 

 

Manga art

 

 

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. TODDLER: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "toddler". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. ART: Rank these with your partner. Put the best forms of art at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Painting
  • Graffiti
  • Sculpture
  • Architecture
  • Opera
  • Movies
  • Anime
  • Photography

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. toddler a. Recognized the importance or quality of.
      2. recognized b. A strong, heavy cloth used by artists to paint on.
      3. acknowledged c. A young child who is just learning to walk, usually between 1 and 3 years old.
      4. precocious d. Showed official appreciation of; reward formally.
      5. evident e. Showing skills or abilities at an earlier age than usual.
      6. canvas (noun) f. Easy to see or understand; clear.
      7. affinity g. A natural liking, talent or feeling of connection to someone or something.

    Paragraph 2

      8. purchased h. A feeling of being thankful for something; understanding the value of something.
      9. commissioned i. Bought something with money.
      10. creating a stir j. A natural ability to do something well.
      11. flair k. Related to ideas and feelings rather than specific things you can see or touch; not realistic.
      12. appreciation l. Asked someone to create something, especially art, and agreed to pay for it.
      13. abstract m. The way something feels when you touch it, like smooth, rough, or bumpy.
      14. texture n. Causing excitement, interest, or a lot of discussion.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. Ace-Liam first started painting when he was six months old.     T / F
  2. Ace-Liam's mother is an art teacher.     T / F
  3. Ace-Liam's paintings are all in black and shades of grey.     T / F
  4. The name of Ace-Liam's first painting is "The Crawl".     T / F
  5. Ace-Liam's paintings have been exhibited in a Ghana museum.     T / F
  6. Ace-Liam has already sold 15 paintings.     T / F
  7. The wife of Ghana's leader asked Ace-Liam to paint her a picture.     T / F
  8. Ace-Liam said he wants a career in computer design.     T / F

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

  1. acknowledged
  2. precocious
  3. commissioned
  4. affinity
  5. piece
  6. exhibited
  7. purchased
  8. flair
  9. inspired
  10. mood
  1. bought
  2. stimulated
  3. shown
  4. talent
  5. ordered
  6. frame of mind
  7. gifted
  8. work of art
  9. harmony
  10. recognized

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

  1. officially been recognized
  2. his precocious
  3. it was obvious
  4. he clearly had an affinity
  5. as he crawled
  6. creating a stir with his artistic
  7. He has created a
  8. abstract
  9. colours, shapes, textures and
  10. Ace-Liam has an exciting career
  1. over the canvas
  2. her son had artistic talent
  3. his mood
  4. talent became evident
  5. buzz
  6. ahead of him
  7. as the world's youngest
  8. flair
  9. for colour
  10. paintings

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
precocious
canvas
piece
toddler
obvious
affinity
just
commissioned

A (1) _____________________ from Ghana has officially been recognized as the world's youngest artist. Guinness World Records acknowledged Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah when he was (2) _____________________ one year and 152 days old. The little boy began painting at the age of six months, when his (3) _____________________ talent became evident. His mother Chantelle, also an artist, said it was (4) _____________________ her son had artistic talent from that young age. She explained how he started painting. Chantelle had been (5) _____________________ to create a work for Miss Universe 2023. While she was working, she gave Ace-Liam a (6) _____________________ and some paint. She said he clearly had an (7) _____________________ for colour as he crawled over the canvas. Chantelle named his first (8) _____________________ "The Crawl".

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
mood
further
attention
doubt
appreciation
show
stir
inspired

Ace-Liam is attracting (9) _____________________ across the art world. His work was exhibited at Ghana's Museum of Science in January. Nine of the 10 pieces on (10) _____________________ at that exhibition sold. Art lovers have purchased a (11) _____________________ six of his paintings this year. Even Ghana's first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo commissioned work from the toddler. Chantelle said her son is creating a (12) _____________________ with his artistic flair. She said: "He has created a buzz and heightened the conversation about art (13) _____________________." She said: "His abstract paintings are (14) _____________________ by the world around him - colours, shapes, textures and his (15) _____________________." Guinness said: "There is no (16) _____________________ that Ace-Liam has an exciting career ahead of him, and we can't wait to see what comes next."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  A toddler from Ghana has ______
     a.  officially being recognized
     b.  officially been recognized
     c.  officially being recognition
     d.  officially been recognition
2)  The little boy began painting at the age of six months, when ______
     a.  his precious talent
     b.  his previous talent
     c.  his precocious talent
     d.  his pre-copious talent
3)  His mother Chantelle, also an artist, said it was obvious her son ______
     a.  had artistic talent
     b.  had artistic talon
     c.  had artistic tall lent
     d.  had artistic target
4)  Chantelle had been commissioned to ______
     a.  creator work
     b.  cremate a work
     c.  creates a work
     d.  create a work
5)  She said he clearly had an ______
     a.  affinity to colour
     b.  affinity for colour
     c.  affinity at colour
     d.  affinity from colour

6)  Ace-Liam is attracting attention across ______
     a.  the art worldly
     b.  the yurt world
     c.  the art world
     d.  the art wold
7)  Nine of the 10 pieces on show at ______
     a.  that exhibiting sold
     b.  that exit mission sold
     c.  that exhibition sold
     d.  that inhibition sold
8)  Chantelle said her son is creating a stir with ______
     a.  his artistic flair
     b.  his artistry flair
     c.  his artistic flare
     d.  his artistic flyer
9)  paintings are inspired by the world around him - colours, shapes, textures ______
     a.  and his moody
     b.  and his mode
     c.  and his mod
     d.  and his mood
10)  There is no doubt that Ace-Liam has ______
     a.  an exciting carer
     b.  an exciting careen
     c.  an exciting car rear
     d.  an exciting career

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A toddler from Ghana (1) ____________________ recognized as the world's youngest artist. Guinness World Records acknowledged Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah when he was just one year and 152 days old. The little boy began painting at the age of six months, when (2) ____________________ became evident. His mother Chantelle, also an artist, said it (3) ____________________ son had artistic talent from that young age. She explained how he started painting. Chantelle had been (4) ____________________ a work for Miss Universe 2023. While she was working, she gave Ace-Liam a canvas and some paint. She said he clearly had (5) ____________________ colour as he crawled over the canvas. Chantelle named (6) ____________________ "The Crawl".

Ace-Liam is (7) ____________________ the art world. His work was exhibited at Ghana's Museum of Science in January. Nine of the 10 pieces on show at (8) ____________________. Art lovers have purchased a further six of his paintings this year. Even Ghana's first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo commissioned work (9) ____________________. Chantelle said her son is creating a stir with his artistic flair. She said: "He has created a buzz and heightened the conversation about art appreciation." She said: "His            (10) ____________________ inspired by the world around him - colours,      (11) ____________________ his mood." Guinness said: "There is no doubt that Ace-Liam has an (12) ____________________ of him, and we can't wait to see what comes next."

Comprehension questions

  1. How old was Ace-Liam when he was recognized?
  2. What is Ace-Liam's mother's job?
  3. Who commissioned Ace-Liam's mother to create a work?
  4. What did Ace-Liam's mother say her son had an affinity for?
  5. What is the name of Ace-Liam's first work?
  6. Where did Ace-Liam have an exhibition in January?
  7. Who commissioned a work from Ace-Liam?
  8. What did Ace-Liam's mother say he had created?
  9. What is inspired by the world around Ace-Liam?
  10. What did Guinness say Ace-Liam had ahead of him?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How old was Ace-Liam when he was recognized?
a) one year and 125 days old
b) one year and 215 days old
c) one year and 251 days old
d) one year and 152 days old
2) What is Ace-Liam's mother's job?
a) She's an accountant.
b) She's an artist.
c) She's a politician.
d) She's a teacher.
3) Who commissioned Ace-Liam's mother to create a work?
a) Miss World 2022
b) Miss Africa 2023
c) Miss Globe 2022
d) Miss Universe 2023
4) What did Ace-Liam's mother say her son had an affinity for?
a) watercolours
b) oils
c) colour
d) design
5) What is the name of Ace-Liam's first work?
a) The Paint
b) The Growl
c) The Awe
d) The Crawl

6) Where did Ace-Liam have an exhibition in January?
a) Ghana's Museum of Paint
b) Ghana's Museum of Children
c) Ghana's Museum of Science
d) Ghana's Museum of Art
7) Who commissioned a work from Ace-Liam?
a) Ghana's first lady
b) Ghana's leader
c) Ghana's culture minister
d) Ghana's Art Society
8) What did Ace-Liam's mother say he had created?
a) a mess
b) a new genre
c) a stir
d) a masterpiece
9) What is inspired by the world around Ace-Liam?
a) his playtime
b) his abstract paintings
c) his colour choice
d) his moods
10) What did Guinness say Ace-Liam had ahead of him?
a) an exciting career
b) many awards
c) lots of paint
d) fame and fortune

Role play

Role  A – Painting
You think painting is the best form of art. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their forms. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): graffiti, anime or photography.

Role  B – Graffiti
You think graffiti is the best form of art. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their forms. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): painting, anime or photography.

Role  C – Anime
You think anime is the best form of art. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their forms. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): graffiti, painting or photography.

Role  D – Photography
You think photography is the best form of art. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their forms. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): graffiti, anime or painting.

After reading / listening

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

'artist'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'paint'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • 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:

    • officially
    • just
    • obvious
    • explained
    • canvas
    • named
    • across
    • sold
    • six
    • stir
    • inspired
    • career

    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 - Artists

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'artist'?
    3. How important is art?
    4. What do you think of a one-year-old artist?
    5. What talents did you have at the age of one?
    6. Would you like to see Ace's paintings?
    7. Why are some children so precociously talented?
    8. What artistic talent do you have?
    9. What are the benefits of painting to mental health?
    10. In what way will A.I. change the art world?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'painting'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Do you like going to art exhibitions?
    5. Have you ever considered buying a painting?
    6. Are people born with artistic flair or can you learn it?
    7. What kind of art is the best?
    8. In what way does art inspire you?
    9. What kind of exciting career do you have ahead of you?
    10. What questions would you like to ask a famous painter?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    A toddler from Ghana has officially been (1) ____ as the world's youngest artist. Guinness World Records acknowledged Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah when he was  (2) ____ one year and 152 days old. The little boy began painting at the age of six months, when his precocious talent became (3) ____. His mother Chantelle, also an artist, said it was obvious her son had artistic talent from that young age. She explained (4) ____ he started painting. Chantelle had been commissioned to create a work for Miss Universe 2023. While she was working, she gave Ace-Liam a canvas and (5) ____ paint. She said he clearly had an affinity for colour as he crawled over the canvas. Chantelle named his first (6) ____ "The Crawl".

    Ace-Liam is attracting attention across the art (7) ____. His work was exhibited at Ghana's Museum of Science in January. Nine of the 10 pieces on show at that exhibition (8) ____. Art lovers have purchased a further six of his paintings this year. Even Ghana's first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo commissioned work from the toddler. Chantelle said her son is creating a (9) ____ with his artistic flair. She said: "He has created a buzz and heightened the conversation about art appreciation." She said: "His abstract paintings are (10) ____ by the world around him - colours, shapes, textures and his (11) ____." Guinness said: "There is no (12) ____ that Ace-Liam has an exciting career ahead of him, and we can't wait to see what comes next."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     recognition     (b)     recognized     (c)     recognizing     (d)     recognize     2.    
    2. (a)     justice     (b)     justly     (c)     adjust     (d)     just     3.    
    3. (a)     evidence     (b)     evident     (c)     evidently     (d)     evidential     4.    
    4. (a)     which     (b)     what     (c)     how     (d)     just     5.    
    5. (a)     some     (b)     many     (c)     that     (d)     any     6.    
    6. (a)     piece     (b)     bit     (c)     slab     (d)     component     7.    
    7. (a)     sphere     (b)     planet     (c)     globe     (d)     world     8.    
    8. (a)     sold     (b)     selling     (c)     sales     (d)     sell     9.    
    9. (a)     stirrup     (b)     stir     (c)     astir     (d)     stirrer     10.    
    10. (a)     conspired     (b)     aspired     (c)     inspired     (d)     perspired     11.    
    11. (a)     moodier     (b)     moodily     (c)     mood     (d)     moody     12.    
    12. (a)     nowt     (b)     doubt     (c)     clout     (d)     whereabouts

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. Guinness World Records adgndecwkleo Ace-Liam
    2. his uscrcoioep talent became evident
    3. it was ovsibuo her son had artistic talent
    4. nomsesiicodm to create a work
    5. he clearly had an affnyiti for colour
    6. he cewadrl over the canvas

    Paragraph 2

    1. His work was xidhetebi
    2. hecdarsup a further six of his paintings
    3. creating a stir with his artistic alrif
    4. art cppaaorienit
    5. tcbatars paintings
    6. colours, shapes, urettxes and his mood

    Put the text back together

    (...)   work from the toddler. Chantelle said her son is creating a stir with his artistic
    (...)   Ghana's Museum of Science in January. Nine of the 10 pieces on show at that exhibition sold. Art lovers have purchased
    (...)   a further six of his paintings this year. Even Ghana's first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo commissioned
    1  ) A toddler from Ghana has officially been recognized as the world's youngest artist. Guinness World Records
    (...)   was working, she gave Ace-Liam a canvas and some paint. She said he clearly had an
    (...)   appreciation." She said: "His abstract paintings are inspired by the world around him - colours, shapes, textures and his
    (...)   acknowledged Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah when he was just one year and 152 days old. The little boy began
    (...)   painting at the age of six months, when his precocious talent became evident. His mother Chantelle, also
    (...)   flair. She said: "He has created a buzz and heightened the conversation about art
    (...)   mood." Guinness said: "There is no doubt that Ace-Liam has an exciting career ahead of him, and we can't wait to see what comes next."
    (...)   Ace-Liam is attracting attention across the art world. His work was exhibited at
    (...)   an artist, said it was obvious her son had artistic talent from that young age. She explained how he
    (...)   affinity for colour as he crawled over the canvas. Chantelle named his first piece "The Crawl".
    (...)   started painting. Chantelle had been commissioned to create a work for Miss Universe 2023. While she

    Put the words in the right order

    1. toddler   from   A   recognized   .   officially   been   Ghana   has
    2. artistic   talent   .   her   had   was   It   obvious   son
    3. Chantelle   create   been   a   to   commissioned   had   work   .
    4. worked,   she   a   she   canvas   .   gave   him   While
    5. colour   .   said   had   for   She   affinity   an   he
    6. the   attention   across   is   world   .   art   attracting   He
    7. on   the   of   10   show   .   pieces   Nine
    8. artistic   stir   a   He's   with   flair   .   creating   his
    9. has   He   an   exciting   career   him   .   ahead   of
    10. see   what   comes   wait   next   .   We   to   can't

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    A toddler from Ghana has officially been recognized / recognition as the world's youngest artist. Guinness World Records knowledgeable / acknowledged Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah when he was just one year and 152 days old. The little boy began painting at the age of six months, when his precocious / precarious talent became evident / evidence. His mother Chantelle, also an artist, said it was oblivious / obvious her son had artistic talent from such / that young age. She explained how he started painting. Chantelle had been / being commissioned to create a work for Miss Universe 2023. While she was working, she gave Ace-Liam a / the canvas and some paint. She said he clearly had an affinity at / for colour as he crawled over the canvas. Chantelle named his first bit / piece "The Crawl".

    Ace-Liam is attracting / attraction attention across the art world. His work was exhibited at / on Ghana's Museum of Science in January. Nine of the 10 pieces on / in show at that exhibition sold. Art lovelies / lovers have purchased a further / farther six of his paintings this year. Even Ghana's first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo commissioned work from the toddler. Chantelle said her son is creating a star / stir with his artistic flair. She said: "He has created a buzz / fizz and heightened the conversation about art appreciation." She said: "His abstract paintings are inspired at / by the world around him - colours, shapes, textures and his mood / moody." Guinness said: "There is no doubt that Ace-Liam has an exciting career ahead of him, and we can't wait to see what comes / goes next."

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    _  t_ddl_r  fr_m  Gh_n_  h_s  _ff_c__lly  b__n  r_c_gn_z_d  _s  th_  w_rld's  y__ng_st  _rt_st.  G__nn_ss  W_rld  R_c_rds  _ckn_wl_dg_d  _c_-L__m  N_n_  S_m  _nkr_h  wh_n  h_  w_s  j_st  _n_  y__r  _nd  152  d_ys  _ld.  Th_  l_ttl_  b_y  b_g_n  p__nt_ng  _t  th_  _g_  _f  s_x  m_nths,  wh_n  h_s  pr_c_c___s  t_l_nt  b_c_m_  _v_d_nt.  H_s  m_th_r  Ch_nt_ll_,  _ls_  _n  _rt_st,  s__d  _t  w_s  _bv___s  h_r  s_n  h_d  _rt_st_c  t_l_nt  fr_m  th_t  y__ng  _g_.  Sh_  _xpl__n_d  h_w  h_  st_rt_d  p__nt_ng.  Ch_nt_ll_  h_d  b__n  c_mm_ss__n_d  t_  cr__t_  _  w_rk  f_r  M_ss  _n_v_rs_  2023.  Wh_l_  sh_  w_s  w_rk_ng,  sh_  g_v_  _c_-L__m  _  c_nv_s  _nd  s_m_  p__nt.  Sh_  s__d  h_  cl__rly  h_d  _n  _ff_n_ty  f_r  c_l__r  _s  h_  cr_wl_d  _v_r  th_  c_nv_s.  Ch_nt_ll_  n_m_d  h_s  f_rst  p__c_  "Th_  Cr_wl".

    _c_-L__m  _s  _ttr_ct_ng  _tt_nt__n  _cr_ss  th_  _rt  w_rld.  H_s  w_rk  w_s  _xh_b_t_d  _t  Gh_n_'s  M_s__m  _f  Sc__nc_  _n  J_n__ry.  N_n_  _f  th_  10  p__c_s  _n  sh_w  _t  th_t  _xh_b_t__n  s_ld.  _rt  l_v_rs  h_v_  p_rch_s_d  _  f_rth_r  s_x  _f  h_s  p__nt_ngs  th_s  y__r.  _v_n  Gh_n_'s  f_rst  l_dy  R_b_cc_  _k_f_-_dd_  c_mm_ss__n_d  w_rk  fr_m  th_  t_ddl_r.  Ch_nt_ll_  s__d  h_r  s_n  _s  cr__t_ng  _  st_r  w_th  h_s  _rt_st_c  fl__r.  Sh_  s__d:  "H_  h_s  cr__t_d  _  b_zz  _nd  h__ght_n_d  th_  c_nv_rs_t__n  _b__t  _rt  _ppr_c__t__n."  Sh_  s__d:  "H_s  _bstr_ct  p__nt_ngs  _r_  _nsp_r_d  by  th_  w_rld  _r__nd  h_m  -  c_l__rs,  sh_p_s,  t_xt_r_s  _nd  h_s  m__d."  G__nn_ss  s__d:  "Th_r_  _s  n_  d__bt  th_t  _c_-L__m  h_s  _n  _xc_t_ng  c_r__r  _h__d  _f  h_m,  _nd  w_  c_n't  w__t  t_  s__  wh_t  c_m_s  n_xt."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    a toddler from ghana has officially been recognized as the worlds youngest artist guinness world records acknowledged aceliam nana sam ankrah when he was just one year and 152 days old the little boy began painting at the age of six months when his precocious talent became evident his mother chantelle also an artist said it was obvious her son had artistic talent from that young age she explained how he started painting chantelle had been commissioned to create a work for miss universe 2023 while she was working she gave aceliam a canvas and some paint she said he clearly had an affinity for colour as he crawled over the canvas chantelle named his first piece the crawl

    aceliam is attracting attention across the art world his work was exhibited at ghanas museum of science in january nine of the 10 pieces on show at that exhibition sold art lovers have purchased a further six of his paintings this year even ghanas first lady rebecca akufoaddo commissioned work from the toddler chantelle said her son is creating a stir with his artistic flair she said he has created a buzz and heightened the conversation about art appreciation she said his abstract paintings are inspired by the world around him  colours shapes textures and his mood guinness said there is no doubt that aceliam has an exciting career ahead of him and we cant wait to see what comes next

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    AtoddlerfromGhanahasofficiallybeenrecognizedastheworld'syoung
    estartist.GuinnessWorldRecordsacknowledgedAce-LiamNanaSamA
    nkrahwhenhewasjustoneyearand152daysold.Thelittleboybeganpai
    ntingattheageofsixmonths,whenhisprecocioustalentbecameevident
    .HismotherChantelle,alsoanartist,saiditwasobvioushersonhadartist
    ictalentfromthatyoungage.Sheexplainedhowhestartedpainting.Cha
    ntellehadbeencommissionedtocreateaworkforMissUniverse2023.W
    hileshewasworking,shegaveAce-Liamacanvasandsomepaint.Shes
    aidheclearlyhadanaffinityforcolourashecrawledoverthecanvas.Cha
    ntellenamedhisfirstpiece"TheCrawl".Ace-Liamisattractingattention
    acrosstheartworld.HisworkwasexhibitedatGhana'sMuseumofScienc
    einJanuary.Nineofthe10piecesonshowatthatexhibitionsold.Artlover
    shavepurchasedafurthersixofhispaintingsthisyear.EvenGhana'sfirst
    ladyRebeccaAkufo-Addocommissionedworkfromthetoddler.Chante
    llesaidhersoniscreatingastirwithhisartisticflair.Shesaid:"Hehascreat
    edabuzzandheightenedtheconversationaboutartappreciation."Shes
    aid:"Hisabstractpaintingsareinspiredbytheworldaroundhim-colour
    s,shapes,texturesandhismood."Guinnesssaid:"Thereisnodoubtthat
    Ace-Liamhasanexcitingcareeraheadofhim,andwecan'twaittoseewh
    atcomesnext."

    Free writing

    Write about world's youngest artist for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Everyone should paint or create art. Discuss.

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    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 this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. ARTISTS: Make a poster about artists. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. ART FOR ALL: Write a magazine article about all of us creating art. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    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 an expert on artists. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your opinions on art. 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

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    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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