3.2 How tennis began

English home language

Grade 4

Sport

Module 19

How tennis began

Activity 1

To use the clues from a text to find the answers to questions [lo 3.1.1, 3.1.5]

Let’s read and enjoy:

How Tennis Began

Tennis is one of the oldest sports. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Persians played a similar game. Long after these people French and English royalty and nobility played an indoor game called court tennis or royal tennis. The name “tennis” is said to have come from the French expression “Tenez!” (meaning “take”).

In 1873 a British army officer, Major Wingfield, introduced a racket-and-ball game he called Sphairistike or lawn tennis at a garden party in Wales. It was played on a court shaped like an hourglass and divided by a high-hung net. It required speed, agility, and a great deal of accuracy in hitting the ball. It quickly became popular with English youth.

Shortly after lawn tennis was introduced in Britain, an English army officer who was ordered to duty in Bermuda took along some balls and rackets. The game became popular there, too. When an American girl, Mary Outerbridge, visited the island and saw tennis played, she became very enthusiastic. She purchased some equipment and took it home to New York.

Miss Outerbridge hoped to interest her friends in the new game but the girls did not like it initially. They thought that it was not very ladylike to leap and dash about the court. But the boys, specially her brothers, thought it was a great sport. Gradually tennis spread throughout the eastern United States and Canada.

Author unknown

Did you understand what you read?

1. Name two nations that played a game similar to tennis.

(2)

2. What does the name “tennis” mean?

(1)

3. What skills were necessary when playing ‘lawn tennis’ in Britain?

(2)

4. Why were Mary’s friends not interested in playing tennis?

(1)

5. Read the following carefully and highlight the best answer in each:

(a) Tennis is one of the:

(i) fastest sports

(ii) oldest sports

(iii) most popular sport amongst all youth

(1)

(b) Major Wingfield first introduced

(i) royal tennis

(ii) indoor tennis

(iii) Sphairistike

(1)

(c) Which word best describes the game of tennis?

(i) popular

(ii) unusual

(iii) crude

(1)

6. Synonyms:

Find words from the passage that mean the same as:

excited:

eventually:

Activity 2

To explore a new topic [lo 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 4.2.1]

Find out who the current Wimbledon Singles champion winners are!

Male Singles Champion:

Female Singles Champion:

What do YOU think?

• Brainstorm in your group!
• Work in groups of 3 or 4. Choose a sport that you enjoy playing. Discuss and record ALL the advantages of “getting involved” and being a player. One member of your group must report back to the class!

Assessment

LEARNING OUTCOME 2: SPEAKING The speaker is able to communicate effectively in spoken language in a wide range of situations.

Assessment Standard

We know this when the learner:

2.1 communicates experiences, ideas and information in different contexts for different audiences and purposes:

2.1.3 shares ideas and offers opinions on familiar topics from personal experience;

• recalls and describes a set of actions or events.

LEARNING OUTCOME 3: READING AND VIEWING The learner is able to read and view for information and enjoyment, and to respond critically to the aesthetic, cultural and emotional values in texts.

Assessment Standard

We know this when the learner:

3.1 reads a variety of South African and international fiction and non-fiction texts for different purposes (e.g. poems, stories, myths, brochures, reference books and text-books);

3.1.1 reads independently using a variety of reading and comprehension strategies appropriate for different purposes;

3.1.5 makes predictions, uses contextual clues to determine meaning, and makes inferences.

LEARNING OUTCOME 4: WRITING The learner is able to write different kinds of factual and imaginative texts for a wide range of purposes.

Assessment Standard

We know this when the learner:

4.2 develops and organises ideas through a writing process:

4.2.1 chooses and explores topic and brainstorms ideas, using mind maps, flow charts, lists.

LEARNING OUTCOME 5: THINKING AND REASONING The learner is able to use language to think and reason, as well as to access, process and use information for learning.

Assessment Standard

We know this when the learner:

5.3 processes information:

5.3.1 discusses and compares information obtained from various sources;

5.3.2 selects relevant ideas;

5.3.5 summarises information in various ways (e.g. diagrams, paragraphs, mind maps, tables).

Memorandum

Activity 1 : How tennis began

1. Egyptians, Greeks, Persians (any two answers)

2. It means “take”.

3. People needed to be fast, agile and accurate (any two answers).

4. Her friends thought it wasn’t ladylike to leap around the court.

5. (a) (ii)

(b) (iii)

(c) (i)

6. (i) enthusiastic

(ii) gradually