Going to the Ballpark

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

• pastime
• primary
• Big time
• unique

• Major League
• character
• home run
• retractable

• picturesque
• exuberant
• supportive
• root

• Cracker Jacks
• minor league

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Watching sports is a popular pastime all over the world. People in countries from Spain to South Korea watch sports in person and on TV. Soccer is the most popular sport across the globe, but in the U.S. the primary spectator sports are football, basketball and baseball. Big time sports fans watch football in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the summer.
If you’re in the U.S. during the summer, you should take the chance to go to the ballpark and watch a baseball game. It’s a fun experience and a unique part of American culture. Read on to learn more!

Dialog

1. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Going to the ballpark to watch a baseball game is a lot of fun. There are many traditions that are a part of watching baseball in person, so going to a game is much more interesting than watching on TV. Even if you don’t understand the game, you can still enjoy the baseball experience.
Here are some of the things that make going to the ballpark great:
The Ballpark
Some ballparks in the U.S. are worth the price of a ticket just because they’re so cool. In the last ten years, many new Major League ballparks have been built and they all have their own special character. For example, Pac Bell Park in San Francisco is right on the bay, so when players hit home runs, they often fall into the water. SAFECO Field in Seattle has a retractable roof, so depending if the weather is good or bad, they can open or close it. Wrigley Field in Chicago is one of the oldest, most famous and most picturesque ballparks in the U.S.
The Fans
Thousands of people attend baseball games, and most of them are excited, exuberant and supportive fans. It’s fun to root for the home team with so many other happy people.
The Seventh Inning Stretch
A baseball game is made up of nine sections, called innings. During the middle of the 7th inning, all the fans in the stands take part in a special tradition called the seventh inning stretch. Everyone stands up, stretches his/her arms and legs and then sings a famous song called “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Make sure to learn the lyrics before you go to the game!
Take me out to the ballgame,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks,
I don’t care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win it’s a shame.
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game

 

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