THINK DIFFERENT
Elementary Level:
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Listening: Apple Products
•
Grammar: Comparatives
•
Functional Vocabulary: How to Describe Change
•
Cultural Awareness Point: Inventions
•
Pronunciation Point: /i/ – iPod, Invent, idea, interest
•
Reading: Apple’s Company History
•
Role-Play: Discuss Company Direction
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INTRODUCTION:
•
•
•
What Apple products do you use?
What products do you like the most?
What do you think of Apple
Corporation?
Vocabulary: Explain the meaning of
these words? You will hear them in
Listening 1.
release – mouse - colourful
LISTEN IN G 1:
Visit www.businessenglishstudy.com for the free M P3 listening file
Exercise: Listen to the audio and answer these questions:
1. When was the Apple 11 computer released?
2. What was the Macintosh 128K the first to use?
3. What does the letter ‘i’ represent in the name iMac?
4. How many iMacs did Apple sell?
The original iMac
CULTURAL AWARENESS POINT: BRITISH IDEAS
Britain has invented a lot of products that have changed the world e.g. the train,
the television, the World Wide Web.
SPEAKIN G PRACTICE:
What has your country / culture invented that is important?
What do you think is the most important invention for the world?
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GRAMMAR PRACTICE: Comparatives
The iPod 6 is better than the iPod 5
The iPod6 is faster, lighter but more expensive than the iPod5
When we describe something we use an adjective e.g. it is expensive
When we compare something we use a comparative e.g. iPhone is faster than
the Samsung
To form the Comparatives we use these rules.
One syllable
adjectives
Adjectives ending in
-y
Adjectives with 2
syllables or more
Irregular adjectives
Adjective
Old
Rich
Big
Hot
Easy
Happy
Expensive
Beautiful
Good
Bad
Far
Comparative
Older
Richer
Bigger
Hotter
Easier
Happier
More/less expensive
More/less beautiful
Better
Worse
Further
EXERCISE: Choose the correct words for the gaps.
1. The iPod 6 is
(expensive)
2. Apple made
(profit) this year
3. The market is
(good)
4. Apple computers are
5. The iWatch is
other MP3 players.
last year.
in 2013.
(popular)
(style)
Dell.
its competitors.
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FUNCTIONAL VOCABULARY: How to Describe Change
Exercise: Put these words into the correct category below
Increase - Drop - Fall - Constant - Decrease - Improve - Rock Bottom - Rise - The Peak
UP
DO W N
N O CHAN G E
AT THE TO P
AT THE BO TTO M
ROLE-PLAY:
W ith a partner, use the vocabulary of CO M PARITIVES and CHAN G E
to describe the sales in these graphs.
PREDICTED M P3 M USIC SALES TO 2011
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
250
200
Asia
150
CD
USA
100
MP3
Europe
50
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
0
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LISTENING 2:
Visit www.businessenglishstudy.com for the listening file.
Exercise: Listen to the audio and fill in the gaps with the words you
hear.
The iPod is the
most popular Apple product.
It is a stylish audio player that
personal music listening. Apple sold 350
million iPods between 2004 and 2012.
At number 6 is the Mac OS X operating system.
Microsoft Windows dominates the
operating systems market,
but compared to the Apple Mac OS X system it is
and complicated.
The MacBook Air is at number 5..
Many competitors try to copy the design of
and ultra-portable MacBook
Air, but this laptop is thinner and
than all the others.
The iPod mini family
SPEAKING PRACTICE: iPod
In pairs, discuss the iPod.
What are the positive and negative points about this product?
What is good / bad about using a personal music player?
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Steve Jobs started Apple in the family garage
READING: Apple’s Company Performance
EXERCISE: read the text and put these words into the correct spaces.
argument – introduces – garage – revolutionizes - inspirational - millionaires
1976: Apple Computers is born
Apple Computer Company begins in a
, by Steve Jobs and Stephen
Wozniak.
1980: Apple goes Public
Apple’s value is $1.8 billion. More than 40 of Apple’s employees became
.
1985: Steve Jobs resigns from Apple
Steve Jobs leaves Apple after an
.
1992: M icrosoft releases W indows 3.1
Microsoft dominates the market with Windows 3.1. Apple is in serious trouble.
1997: Jobs returns to save the company
Jobs returns and
the iMac.
2001: iPod and iTunes
The iPod and iTunes transform Apple, and the music industry.
2007: iPhone arrives
Apple launches the iPhone and
smartphones.
2010: iPad
Apple releases the first iPad in 2010. It is a huge success
2011: Steve Jobs dies
Apple suffers when its founder and
leader dies.
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PRONUNCIATION PRACTICE: The letter i
In English, the letter ‘i’ is pronounced in 2 distinct ways (lit & lite) and it needs to
be learnt with practice. Say these words and sentences with your teacher.
ice - idea - iPhone - interest - invent - item - pint - in - decide - mine - idiot - tiny - find
•
The inspector decided that the Italian ideas were more interesting than mine.
•
If you find a tiny mistake in the invoice please initial the error.
•
I invented the item before the island IT specialist. It is mine, not his.
LISTEN IN G 3.
Visit www.businessenglishstudy.com for the free M P3 listening file
Exercise: Listen to the audio and decide if these facts are true or
false. Correct any that are false.
1. The difference between the iPad and the iPhone is the size of the screen.
2. 16 billion downloads from the Apple Apps store?
3. Spotify is more expensive than iTunes.
4. iPhone changed mobile telephony forever.
5. iWatch will be introduced in 2015.
ROLE-PLAY: Company Direction
THE M EETIN G : APPLE directors discuss if the future of
the company is with iPhones and watches or computers.
Divide into 2 groups for role-play
CO M PUTER TEAM :
You think APPLE is a computer company. Phones and watches are a distraction.
Prepare an argument on why APPLE should concentrate on computers
iPhone TEAM :
You think the most potential is in iWatches and iPhones and that APPLE needs to
develop in this area. Prepare a presentation on why APPLE should concentrate on
iPhones.
Present to the lass and take questions
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Audio-scripts
Apple – elementary level - Listening 1
Here are 10 of the most popular Apple products created by the company.
At number 10 is the Apple 2 computer.
In 1977, Apple Computers released their first machine designed for personal use. The
company sold 6 million units of the Apple 2.
The Macintosh 128K computer is at Number 9
Apple launched the Macintosh 128K in January 1984.
It was the very first computer to use a mouse.
At number 8 is the iMac
In 1998 Steve Jobs introduced the first desktop computer for personal use.
He named it the iMac and explained that the letter “i” represented the Internet. It was
different from other computers because it had a colourful body.
Apple sold nearly 9 million of the iMac.
Listening 2
The iPod is the seventh most popular Apple product.
It is a stylish audio player that revolutionised personal music listening. Apple sold 350
million iPods between 2004 and 2012.
At number 6 is the Mac OS X operating system.
Microsoft Windows dominates the desktop operating systems market, but compared to the
Apple Mac OS X system it is slow and complicated.
The MacBook Air is at number 5
Many competitors try to copy the design of ultra-thin and ultra-portable MacBook Air, but
this laptop is thinner and lighter than all the others.
Listening 3
At number 4 is the iPad
On 27th January 2010, Steve Jobs introduced the Apple iPad to the world. It functions like
an iPhone but with a larger screen.
Apple’s App Store is at number 3
The company reported 15bn downloads from its Apps store between 2008 and 2013.
Apple takes 30% of all sales.
At number 2 is iTunes
iTunes started in 2001 as a support platform for the iPod and other music devices. Now it
has serious competition from Spotify because iTunes has a smaller music catalogue and it is
more expensive
The top product from Apple is the iPhone
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This smart phone appeared in 2007 and changed mobile telephony forever. By 2014,
Apple sold over 500 million iPhones.
And what about the future? The iWatch will be introduced in 2015.
How will this product compare to the Google Watch and the Sony Smartwatch?
LESSON PLAN - APPLE - ELEMENTARY
Key objectives – to practise aural and oral Business English
IN TRO DUCTIO N : Start by asking students if they have an iPod, or a Mac. Get
them to say what they think of them. Teacher (T) - Students (SS) 5 mins
LISTEN IN G 1: Go through vocabulary. Tell the students they are going to hear
a consultant talking about APPLE. They need to answer the questions at the end.
Play the listening and ask students the questions. (T) - (SS) 10 mins
CULTURAL AW AREN ESS: read the text on inventions and discuss. (SS) – (SS)
5 mins
G RAM M AR: Elicit comparatives e.g. New York is bigger than Rome, I am older
than you. Ask students to read rules and complete the exercise. They read out
loud. (T) – (SS) 5 mins
VO CABULARY - DESCRIBE CHAN G E:
Write down on the whiteboard ‘rise’ and ask students for the meaning. Relate it
back to the Comparative practice. Go to the exercise and they read out loud. (T)
- (SS) 5 mins
RO LE-PLAY: Move onto the role-play about graphs and ask students to work
together to describe the figures. (SS) – (SS) 5 mins
LISTEN IN G 2: Tell students they are going to hear the 2nd part of the listening
exercise. They need to listen and fill in the gaps. Play the listening (SS) – (T) 10
mins
SPEAKIN G PRACTICE: In pairs, student discuss the iPod product and listening to
MP3 players in general. Ask for feedback. (SS) - (SS) 10 mins
READIN G : Ask students about the history of APPLE. Go through reading text
instructions and ask students to read out loud and fill in the gaps with appropriate
words for the gaps. (S) – (T) 10 mins
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PRO N UN CIATIO N : Student says the words and sentence and correct any
mistakes. (SS) – (SS) 3 mins
LISTEN IN G 3: Tell students they are going to hear the 3rd part of the listening
exercise. They need to decide if statements are true or false. Play the listening (SS)
– (T) 10 mins
RO LE PLAY: Split students into groups and get them to read their role cards and
prepare to discuss the situation. Make sure they practice the grammar and
vocabulary learnt in the lesson and to try and use the case study material in their
argument. (SS) - (SS) 10 mins
EXERCISE AN SW ERS
LISTENING 1
1. 1977
2. A mouse
3. Internet
4. Nearly 9 million
GRAM M AR - COM PARATIVES
1.
More expensive than
2.
More profit than
3.
Better than
4.
More popular than
5.
More stylish than
VOCABULARY OF M OVEM ENT:
UP Rise – Increase – Improve
DOWN Drop – Fall – Decrease
NO CHANGE Stable - Constant
AT THE TOP The Peak
AT THE BOTTOM Rock Bottom
Help us to improve the quality.
If you notice any mistakes in this
module please report the error to:
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LISTENING 2
See audio script
READING: EXERCISE:
garage – millionaires – argument – introduces – revolutionizes - inspirational
LISTENING 3.
1. True
2. False – 15 billion
3. False, iTunes is more expensive
4. True
5. True
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