Famous People

Oprah
Winfrey
In this lesson, you will read about a famous media icon.
You’ll learn how Oprah Winfrey became famous, and
you’ll discuss one of her favorite topics—books!

Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. What is a talk show?

2. Have you ever seen The Oprah Winfrey Show?

3. Why do you think Oprah Winfrey is so famous?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match up as many words and meanings as you can.

Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context on page 2.

1. host a) to employ, to give someone a job

2. abuse b) a plan or activity
3. encourage c) liked by many people
4. hire d) to help, to give money to
5. local e) to suggest someone’s name for an election or award
6. popular f) a prize
7. famous g) to give hope or confidence
8. nominate h) to turn TVs (or radios) on to a certain channel
9. author i) to mistreat, to be cruel
10. support j) known by many people
11. award k) a person who entertains guests
12. project l) a writer
13. tune in m) in the area

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 Oprah Winfrey
Famous People

Reading
1. Oprah Winfrey is a very successful talk-show host. Millions of “I still have my feet
Americans and millions of people in other countries watched
The Oprah Winfrey Show every day. The show ran for 25 seasons.
on the ground. I just
On May 25, 2011, millions of people tuned in to watch the last wear better shoes.”
Oprah show. Oprah asked her viewers to follow their dreams. —Oprah Winfrey

2. Oprah was born in Mississippi in 1954. She lived with her

grandmother on a farm until she was about six years old.
She could read when she was three. She then went to live with
her mother, but she was mistreated and abused. When she
was 13, she went to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee.
She loved to read, and her father encouraged her.

3. In 1971, Oprah went to Tennessee State University. She was also

hired by a local radio station and TV station to read the news.
After she finished college, she moved to Baltimore, Maryland,
in 1976 to be the host of a TV talk show. She was very good at it.

4. Eight years later, she moved to Chicago to host another TV talk

show called A.M. Chicago. The show was not doing well, but after
she joined, people started to love it. The show was so popular that,
in 1986, it became The Oprah Winfrey Show. She was now famous and
had the chance to act in more movies. She was nominated for an
Academy Award in 1985 for her role in the movie The Color Purple.

5. T he Oprah Winfrey Show was one of the most popular shows on TV

for many years. One part of her show, called “Oprah’s Book Club,”
made many people want to read more books. It also made many
unknown authors very famous. Oprah now has a lot of power.
She owns her own network, she makes movies and programs for
TV and the Internet, and she has her own magazine called O: The
Oprah Magazine. Many of her projects are about women and children.

6. Oprah is also one of the richest women in the world. She gives money
to support many things. One of her special projects is keeping children
safe from abuse. She has won many awards for her work, including
the Cecil B. deMille Award at the 2018 Golden Globes for lifetime
achievement in the entertainment industry. After her empowering
acceptance speech, many wondered if Oprah was planning a run for
the 2020 presidency.

Copyright 2018, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T – H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 3 .1) 2
 Oprah Winfrey
Famous People

Comprehension
A. True or False?

Read the statements below.

If the statement is true, write T beside the sentence.
If it is false, write F and correct the information in your notebook.

1. As a child, Oprah Winfrey lived in several different homes.

2. She had a happy life when she lived with her mother.

3. Oprah worked as a news announcer before she became a talk-show host.

4. The Oprah Winfrey Show was only broadcast in the United States.

5. Oprah won an Academy Award for her TV show.

B. Ask & Answer

Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner.
Then write your answers in complete sentences in your notebook.

1. When and where was Oprah Winfrey born?

2. What kind of a childhood did Oprah have?

3. What kind of work did she do when she was in Tennessee?

4. What was the name of the show that later became The Oprah Winfrey Show?

5. Why does Oprah Winfrey have a lot of power?

6. How has Oprah helped many unknown authors?

7. What kind of projects does Oprah like to support?

Copyright 2018, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T – H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 3 .1) 3
 Oprah Winfrey
Famous People

Vocabulary Review
Complete the sentences using vocabulary from page 1.
You may need to change the word forms.

1. Mary loves to write stories and hopes to be a famous one day.

2. Ben goes to a university, so he can live at home.

3. Robert’s parents are going to him when

he goes to university, so he probably won’t have to find a part-time job.

4. Pat has a little difficulty in school, but her parents always

her to work hard and keep trying to do her best.

5. If parents their children, the

government may decide to remove the children from the home.

6. If you are looking for a job, you should apply to the new restaurant in town.
They are planning to 20 new employees this month.

Discussion
1. Do you watch talk shows? If so, which ones do you watch?

2. What characteristics should a good talk-show host have?

3. Do you like to read? If so, what kind of books do you like?

4. Oprah Winfrey’s production company is called Harpo

Productions. Where do you think this name came from?

5. Have you ever seen or heard of the

movie The Color Purple? What is it about?

6. Why do you think Oprah supports

many projects for women and children?

7. Do you think Oprah would make a good president? Why or why not?

Copyright 2018, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T – H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 3 .1) 4
 Oprah Winfrey
Famous People

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Int – High Int

In this lesson, students learn and talk about one of the most TIME: 1.5–2 hours
powerful women in the world. They learn about how Oprah
TAGS:  prah Winfrey, famous people, American,
O
got her start and discuss what is important to Oprah today.
African American, women, TV, self-help

Pre-Reading 7. Oprah likes to support projects that

help keep children safe from abuse.

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS
Vocabulary Review
Individual answers.

1. author 3. support 5. abuse

B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW 2. local 4. encourage 6. hire
1. k 3. g 5. m 7. j 9. l 11. f 13. h
2. i 4. a 6. c 8. e 10. d 12. b Discussion

Comprehension Discuss as a class, in groups, or in pairs. Answers will vary.

Note: You may want to show your students Oprah’s
A. TRUE OR FALSE? acceptance speech (with subtitles) at the 2018 Golden Globes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN5HV79_8B8
1. T
2. F – Oprah was mistreated and abused
SPELLING NOTE:
when she lived with her mother.
3. T This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Favorite,
4. F – Oprah’s show was broadcast in many countries. Color, and Practice. Most other English-speaking countries spell
5. F – Oprah was nominated for an Academy Award these words this way: Favourite, Colour (though it should not be
in 1985 for her role in The Color Purple. changed in an American movie title such as The Color Purple),
and Practise (when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun).
B. ASK & ANSWER Make it a challenge for your students to find these words in the
lesson and see if they know the alternate spellings.
1. Oprah Winfrey was born in Mississippi in 1954.
2. Oprah had a difficult childhood. She moved
around quite a bit and was abused by her mother.
3. When she was in Tennessee, Oprah worked for
local radio and television stations, reading the news.
4. The show was first called A.M. Chicago.
5. Oprah has a lot of power because she now
owns her TV talk show, makes movies and programs
for TV and the Internet, and has her own magazine.
6. Oprah has made many authors famous because of a
segment on her television show called “Oprah’s Book Club.”

Copyright 2018, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T – H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 3 .1) 5