Yesterday was golden for Canada’s female Olympians.
In one of the most exciting hockey games ever played, the Canadian women’s team took the top prize. It was a clash between long-time rivals US and Canada, the best versus the best.
The American women had a solid 2-0 lead going into the third period. But with less than four minutes to go, Canada’s Brianne Jenner put the puck past American goalie Jessie Vetter. The score was 2-1.
The Canadians pulled their goalie, to allow another forward on the ice and the Americans slid a long shot along the ice towards the empty net.
Fortunately for Canada, it bounced off the left-hand post and with 55 seconds left in the game, Marie-Philip Poulin scored to tie it up.
In overtime, it was Marie-Philip Poulin again, scoring the winning goal to give Canada the gold. The Americans were disappointed with their second-place finish but throughout the Olympics they had proved, once again, they are a great hockey team. Sweden took the bronze, claiming the first women’s hockey medal in Sweden’s Olympic history.
Canada’s curling team, led by Jennifer Jones, also won the gold in a tense game, defeating Sweden 6-3. The Canadian team had a perfect record, winning every single one of their Olympic games. Some people are calling Jones the best skip (captain of the curling time) in the world, not only as a player but as the team’s motivating force.
And gold medals were handed out yesterday to Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse, who captured the top prize in women’s bobsleigh on Wednesday. They had trailed the U.S. team after the first two runs, but they came back to win their third and fourth runs.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Kathleen Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
It was certainly a very exciting day for Canada! However, amidst all of the excitement, some people believe that women’s hockey should be taken out of the Olympics. They feel that because it is mostly a rivalry between two countries – Canada and the United States – it shouldn’t be in the Olympics. They think the Olympics should involve more countries who compete at a high level, not just two.
What is your opinion of this argument. Do you think women’s hockey should remain an Olympic event? Why or why not?
Reading Prompt: Analysing Texts
Sometimes journalists work hard to have a neutral tone to their article. They don’t want to appear to be too excited, sad or upset. Other times, journalists feel free to express their feelings.
How do you think the journalist felt about Canada’s Olympic wins when she was writing this article? How is her mood shown in the article? What words or sentences give you clues into how she feels?
Junior
Analyse texts and explain how various elements in them contribute to meaning (OME, Reading: 1.7).
Intermediate
Analyse a variety of texts, both simple and complex, and explain how the different elements in them contribute to meaning and influence the reader’s reaction (OME, Reading: 1.7).
Grammar Feature: Synonym
A synonym is a word that has a similar meaning but it is spelled and sounds different. For example, a synonym for beautiful could be gorgeous.
What are synonyms for the following words from the article:
1. best
2. win
3. exciting
4. disappointed
5. game
