The Reading / Listening - Grow a Garden - Level 4

An online gardening game has broken the record for the most users being online at the same time. The Grow a Garden game broke the record on the 14th of June with 16.4 million users. This beat the previous 14.3 million set by the game Fortnite. Grow a Garden then shattered its own record a week later with 21.3 million players. It is the most‑played game ever at a single moment. The game's owners said its success is "fuelled by…vibrant social interactions".

In Grow a Garden, players care for a virtual garden. They buy seeds and plant vegetables and flowers. They then sell these to get in-game money. Users can upgrade their garden to get better tools. They can also unlock rare seeds, exotic crops, and underwater gardens and magical forests. A behavioural expert on the BBC said Grow a Garden may not lead to a love of gardening. He said that was like saying Super Mario would encourage plumbing.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Grow a Garden - Level 5 or  Grow a Garden - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4edkdxz2xo
  • https://sherwood.news/markets/roblox-hits-a-52-week-high-as-a-wildly-simple-gardening-game-created-by-a-16/
  • https://www.soapcentral.com/pop-culture/roblox-s-grow-garden-breaks-world-record-16-4m-players-surpassing-fortnite-s-peak
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grow_a_Garden


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. An online gardening
  2. the most users being online
  3. This beat the previous
  4. set by the game
  5. shattered its own record
  6. It is the most‑played game
  7. at a single
  8. fuelled by vibrant
  1. a week later
  2. moment
  3. at the same time
  4. 14.3 million
  5. social interactions
  6. game
  7. ever
  8. Fortnite

Paragraph 2

  1. players care for
  2. They buy seeds
  3. sell these
  4. Users can
  5. get better
  6. exotic
  7. A behavioural
  8. lead to a love
  1. to get in-game money
  2. of gardening
  3. crops
  4. and plant vegetables
  5. expert
  6. tools
  7. a virtual garden
  8. upgrade their garden

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

An online (1) ________________________________________________ broken the record for the (2) ________________________________________________ online at the same time. The Grow a Garden game broke the record on the 14th of June with 16.4 million users. This (3) ________________________________________________ 14.3 million set by the game Fortnite. Grow a Garden then (4) ________________________________________________ record a week later with 21.3 million players. It is the most‑played game ever (5) ________________________________________________ moment. The game's owners said its success is "fuelled by... (6) ________________________________________________".

In Grow a Garden, players care for (7) ________________________________________________. They buy seeds and plant vegetables and flowers. They then sell these to get in-game money. Users (8) ________________________________________________ garden to get better tools. They can also unlock rare (9) ________________________________________________, and underwater gardens and magical forests. (10) ________________________________________________ on the BBC said Grow a Garden may not lead to a (11) ________________________________________________. He said that was like saying Super Mario (12) ________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Anonlinegardeninggamehasbrokentherecordforthemostusersbeing
onlineatthesametime.TheGrowaGardengamebroketherecordonthe
14thofJunewith16.4millionusers.Thisbeattheprevious14.3millionse
tbythegameFortnite.GrowaGardenthenshattereditsownrecordawee
klaterwith21.3millionplayers.Itisthemost‑playedgameeveratasingl
emoment.Thegame'sownerssaiditssuccessis"fuelledby...vibrantsoc
ialinteractions".InGrowaGarden,playerscareforavirtualgarden.They
buyseedsandplantvegetablesandflowers.Theythensellthesetogetin-
gamemoney.Userscanupgradetheirgardentogetbettertools.Theyca
nalsounlockrareseeds,exoticcrops,andunderwatergardensandmagi
calforests.AbehaviouralexpertontheBBCsaidGrowaGardenmaynotl
eadtoaloveofgardening.HesaidthatwaslikesayingSuperMariowoulde
ncourageplumbing.

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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