Click here for the PDF handout or try the online quiz, reading, listening, and activities on grammar, spelling and vocabulary for this lesson on Financial Times. Click on the links below or see the activities below this article:
READ
The Financial Times (FT) is a respected British newspaper reporting on international business. It was founded in 1888 by James Sheridan to provide news to financiers. In 1957, it was bought by the publishing company Pearson. It is published every morning and is the only paper to provide full daily reports on the London Stock Exchange and world markets. It has a daily circulation of around half a million. The paper is as famous for its salmon-pink coloured paper as it is for its quality information. It’s also famous for the FTSE 100 index which it created with the London Stock Exchange to give an indication of the value of London stocks and shares. The biggest rival for the FT is ‘The Wall Street Journal’. The FT’s website FT.com has over 2 million registered users and more than 125,000 digital subscribers.
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WORKSHEET ACTIVITIES
WARM-UPS
1. BRAINSTORM: Write all the words you can think of about Financial Times on the board or on a piece of paper. Talk about these words with your partner(s).
2. FINANCIAL TIMES MORNING: Each student pretends to be an employee of Financial Times. They walk around the class and talk about the company and their job.
3. RUMOURS:Each student writes down a pretend rumour about Financial Times. They then walk around the class and talk to other students about their rumour.
4. GOOD AND BAD:Brainstorm good and bad things about Financial Times and write them on the board. Students talk about these in pairs.
5. TRUE OR FALSE:Students find out several facts about Financial Times. They write these down and add the same number of things about the company that are false. Students test each other on which of their points are true or false.
6. FACTS:In groups, students write down as many facts as they can about Financial Times. The winner is the group with the most facts. Teacher may wish to have groups share their facts to make sure they are real.
LISTENING / READING GAP FILL
The Financial Times (FT) is a respected British newspaper reporting on international business. _________________ 1888 by James Sheridan to provide news to financiers. In 1957, _________________ the publishing company Pearson. It is published every morning and is the only paper to provide __________________ the London Stock Exchange and world markets. It has a daily circulation of around half a million. The paper _________________ salmon-pink coloured paper _________________ quality information. It’s also famous for the FTSE 100 index which it created with the London Stock Exchange to give _________________ value of London stocks and shares. The _________________ FT is ‘The Wall Street Journal’. The FT’s website FT.com has over 2 million registered users and more than 125,000 _________________.
CORRECT THE SPELLING
The Financial Times (FT) is a dpceteres British newspaper reporting on international business. It was founded in 1888 by James Sheridan to provide news to crafiisenn. In 1957, it was bought by the liigsnbuph company Pearson. It is published every morning and is the only paper to idvproe full daily reports on the London Stock Exchange and world markets. It has a iyald circulation of around half a million. The paper is as famous for its mlsona-pink coloured paper as it is for its lyatuiq information. It’s also famous for the FTSE 100 index which it created with the London Stock Exchange to give an indication of the uelav of London stocks and shares. The biggest ialvr for the FT is ‘The Wall Street Journal’. The FT’s website FT.com has over 2 million registered users and more than 125,000 idlatig subscribers.
UNJUMBLE THE WORDS
The Financial Times (FT) is a respected British newspaper business international on reporting. It was founded in 1888 by James Sheridan to provide news to financiers. In 1957, the company was by publishing it bought Pearson. It is morning every published paper only the is and to provide the on reports daily full London Stock Exchange and world markets. around has daily of It a circulation half a million. The paper is as famous for its salmon-pink coloured it as paper information quality its for is. It’s also famous for the FTSE 100 index which it created with the London Stock Exchange an of value give indication the to of London stocks and shares. The biggest rival for the FT is ‘The Wall Street Journal’. The FT’s website FT.com has and over million users more 2 registered than 125,000 digital subscribers.
the financial times (ft) is a respected british newspaper reporting on international business it was founded in 1888 by james sheridan to provide news to financiers in 1957 it was bought by the publishing company pearson it is published every morning and is the only paper to provide full daily reports on the london stock exchange and world markets it has a daily circulation of around half a million the paper is as famous for its salmon-pink coloured paper as it is for its quality information it’s also famous for the ftse 100 index which it created with the london stock exchange to give an indication of the value of london stocks and shares the biggest rival for the ft is ‘the wall street journal’ the ft’s website ftcom has over 2 million registered users and more than 125000 digital subscribers
CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE
The Financial Times (FT) .......... (be) a respected British newspaper reporting on international business. It .......... (be) founded in 1888 by James Sheridan to .......... (provide) news to financiers. In 1957, it was .......... (buy) by the publishing company Pearson. It is .......... (publish) every morning and is the only paper to .......... (provide) full daily reports on the London Stock Exchange and world markets. It .......... (have) a daily circulation of around half a million. The paper .......... (be) as famous for its salmon-pink coloured paper as it .......... (be) for its quality information. It’s also famous for the FTSE 100 index which it .......... (create) with the London Stock Exchange to .......... (give) an indication of the value of London stocks and shares. The biggest rival for the FT is ‘The Wall Street Journal’. The FT’s website FT.com .......... (have) over 2 million registered users and more than 125,000 digital subscribers.
The Financial Times (FT) is a ____________ British newspaper reporting on international business. It was founded in 1888 by James Sheridan to ____________ news to financiers. In 1957, it was bought by the publishing company Pearson. It is published every morning and is the only paper to provide full daily ____________ on the London Stock Exchange and world markets. It has a daily ____________ of around half a million. The paper is as famous for its ____________-pink coloured paper as it is for its ____________ information. It’s also famous for the FTSE 100 index which it created with the London Stock Exchange to give an ____________ of the value of London stocks and shares. The biggest ____________ for the FT is ‘The Wall Street Journal’. The FT’s website FT.com has over 2 million registered ____________ and more than 125,000 ____________ subscribers.
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PROJECT FINANCIAL TIMES
Part 1. Your mission is to increase the profits and sales of Financial Times. Complete this table with your project partner(s):
Main products
How to improve them
A brand new ‘killer’ product
How the Financial Times is better than the competition
How to beat the competition
Part 2. Change partners and look at their project. Suggest improvements. Ask for advice on your project:
Part 3. Make a presentation on your project. Give it to the class. Vote the best projects.
FINANCIAL TIMES – ROLE PLAY 1
Role A – Financial Times CEO
You believe your company is the best in the world. It pays its workers very well and working conditions are great. Your company is very green – it cares about the environment. You think your levels of customer service are great. Disagree with person B, C and D.
Role B – Financial Times worker
You think it’s a bad company to work for. You’re very unhappy with pay, raises and bonuses. You are very unhappy with the working environment. You don’t like the company’s policy on the environment. You keep hearing profits are more important than customers. Disagree with A and C. Tell D the truth.
Role C – Financial Times customer
You are a customer of Financial Times. You used to think it was great, but not now. Its workers are always very rude. No one ever answers the phone. You are shocked about its policy on the environment. You think all staff should get less pay. You disagree with person A and B. Tell D the truth.
Role D – A journalist
You keep hearing bad things about Financial Times. You want to tell the world in your newspaper. You heard the CEO gets a huge bonus every year. You found a company memo saying profits are more important than the environment. You want to know why so many staff are ill. Find the truth.
FINANCIAL TIMES – ROLE PLAY 2
Role A – Financial Times New Products Director
You have created a new product for Financial Times. You believe the new product will be the company’s best ever. It will be a bestseller. There are people who do not agree with you. You need B, C and D on your side. Tell them why this is a product that will bring great things to Financial Times.
Role B – Financial Times Marketing Director
You think the company’s new product is a really bad idea. It will give your company a really bad name. You think the New Products Director is trying to destroy the company. Try to get him/her to understand there’s no way the new product will sell. Try to get person C and D on your side.
Role C – Financial Times Market Researcher
You have interviewed thousands of people about the new product. They don’t like it or hate it. You think it will be successful if they make many changes. Tell the New Products Director he/she needs to change the product. You neither like nor trust person B. Disagree will him/her.
Role D – Financial Times Shareholder
You know a lot about Financial Times’ new product. You are worried it will not sell and share prices will go down. You think A is crazy and must find a new job. You agree with everything B says. You don’t agree with C. The new product should not go on the market.
Write a letter of apology to the customer. Explain why you cannot give a refund. Show your partner your letter. Correct each other’s work.
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HOMEWORK
1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. INTERNET INFO: Search the Internet and find more information about Financial Times. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE:Write a magazine article about Financial Times. What have they done recently? What are their plans? Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
4. FINANCIAL TIMES POSTERMake a poster about Financial Times. Make sure you sell the company to the public. Show it to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your posters.
5. MY FINANCIAL TIMES LESSON:Make your own English lesson on Financial Times. Make sure there is a good mix of things to do. Find some good online activities. Teach the class / another group when you have finished.
6. ONLINE SHARING:Use your blog, wiki, Facebook page, MySpace page, Twitter stream, Del-icio-us / StumbleUpon account, or any other social media tool to get opinions on the Financial Times. Share your findings with the class.
ANSWERS
Check your answers in the article at the top of this page.
