English, baby!

Sudoku

Date: Aug 03 2016

Themes: Hobbies, How To, Pop Culture

Grammar: Imperative Form

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Intro

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

Go Super to Listen

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

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Do you like words or numbers? If you like words, you probably enjoy crossword puzzles and word searches. If you like numbers, perhaps you are already a fan of Sudoku. It’s a very popular game of random numbers. Sudoku first came from Japan but is now played everywhere. Some people like to play at home or on the bus. If you’re a Sudoku pro, you might even travel to another country to play in an international contest.

In this game, you fill boxes with the numbers one through nine. Some numbers are missing from each box, and you need to fill them in. After you write down all the numbers, you should have the numbers from one through nine in each box. It’s easy to mess up though, so be careful. If you don’t line up the numbers correctly, you’ll have to stop playing and find your mistake. If you need help, you can look on the internet for different ways to play Sudoku. Good luck!

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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

Gary

Dominique

Gary: What is this box of random numbers? This looks ridiculous!

Dominique: Are you talking about Sudoku?

Gary: Oh, is that what this is?

Dominique: Oh my gosh, this is my favorite game ever.

Gary: Sorry, this is a game?

Dominique: Yes. I play five of these before going to bed.

Gary: This looks like just a color-by-numbers thing, where you just put random numbers in place.

Dominique: Don’t insult the game. Respect it.

Gary: OK.

Dominique: So you have your numbers and they have to line up one through nine…

Gary: OK.

Dominique: ... going down, and then, one through nine going across, and then you just fill them in.

Gary: So you just write down the numbers?

Dominique: Yeah. And don’t use pen, unless you’re really great like me.

Gary: It should be pretty easy though, no? Just add up nine, and then you add up…

Dominique: No. You’ll probably mess up.

Gary: Really?

Dominique: I’m just saying, I’m kind of like a pro.

Gary: Teach me.

Dominique: I will teach you the ways!

Gary: I’m so curious. Is this famous or popular?

Dominique: Yes, it’s hugely popular with people like me, that like math and numbers. It’s fun.

Gary: That makes sense. I like words and images more.

Dominique: Gotcha.

Gary: I should tell you about a game that I like.

Dominique: OK.

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Dominique loves to play Sudoku. In fact, she usually plays five of them before she goes to bed each night! She tells Gary that Suduko is popular with people who like math and numbers. She also tells Gary to respect the game and not insult it because Gary thinks the game is ridiculous. He says it looks like a child’s color-by-numbers activity.

Dominique explains how to play Sudoku to Gary. He’s a little confused and thinks it sounds pretty easy. She warns him to not use a pen, since he’ll probably mess up when it’s time to write down his numbers. Dominique calls herself a pro and agrees to teach Gary the ways of Sudoku. In return, Gary offers to show Dominique a word game that he likes to play.

What kind of games do you like to play? Do you play Sudoku?