The NFL (National Football League) is in full swing and many exciting stories have already begun to unfold.
Although the league opened just three weeks ago, teams have already surprised their fans, for better and for worse.
Seven of the 32 teams in the league are now 3-0 (3 wins – no losses). But it may not be the teams you would expect.
Favourites such as The Seattle Seahawks, The Denver Broncos and The New England Patriots are 3-0, but so are The Kansas City Chiefs, The Miami Dolphins, The Chicago Bears, and The New Orleans Saints—four teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year.
On the other hand, six teams are still searching for their first win. Two legendary teams with winning traditions, The New York Giants and The Pittsburgh Steelers, are still looking to record a win. Both teams are 0-3 (no wins-three losses).
Meanwhile, 2013 playoff teams, The Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins have also gotten off to a slow start.
Rounding out this group are the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars and the unlucky Tampa Bay Buccaneers who lost their first two games in the final minute.
For these unexpected reasons, the 2013-2014 NFL season may go down in history as one of the most exciting and surprising of all-time.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
In sports, anyone can win on any day. Nothing is a guarantee. Are sports life-like?
Reading Prompt: Elements of Style
How is the style of a sports story different from the style of a current events news story? How is it similar?
Primary
Identify some elements of style, including voice, word choice, and different types of sentences, and explain how they help readers understand texts (OME, Reading: 2.4).
Junior
Identify various elements of style – including word choice and the use of similes, personification, comparative adjectives, and sentences of different types, lengths, and structures – and explain how they help communicate meaning (OME, Reading: 2.4).
Intermediate
Identify various elements of style – including foreshadowing, metaphor, and symbolism – and explain how they help communicate meaning and enhance the effectiveness of texts (OME, Reading: 2.4).
Grammar Feature: Proper Nouns
A proper noun is the specific name of a person, place, or thing. Therefore, the names of all of the football teams mentioned in today’s article, are proper nouns.
Pick 3 cities and create a football team name for each. For your favourite creation, draw a logo (team symbol).
