Click here for the PDF handout or try the online quiz, reading, listening, and activities on grammar, spelling and vocabulary for this lesson on Toys R Us. Click on the links below or see the activities below this article:
READ
Toys“R”Us, Inc. is the world’s leading dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. It currently sells merchandise in more than 1,560 stores, including 848 Toys“R”Us® and Babies“R”Us® stores in the United States, and more than 510 international stores and 200 licensed stores in 33 countries and jurisdictions. In addition, it exclusively operates the…FAO Schwarz® brand and sells…toys in the brand’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Headquartered in Wayne, NJ, Toys“R”Us, Inc. employs approximately 70,000 employees worldwide. The company is committed to serving its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need.” http://www.toysrusinc.com/about-us/
SEE A SAMPLE Mail this business English lesson to friends and teachers. Click the @ below.
WORKSHEET ACTIVITIES
WARM-UPS
1. BRAINSTORM: Write all the words you can think of about Toys R Us on the board or on a piece of paper. Talk about these words with your partner(s).
2. TOYS R US MORNING: Each student pretends to be an employee of Toys R Us. They walk around the class and talk about the company and their job.
3. RUMOURS:Each student writes down a pretend rumour about Toys R Us. They then walk around the class and talk to other students about their rumour.
4. GOOD AND BAD:Brainstorm good and bad things about Toys R Us and write them on the board. Students talk about these in pairs.
5. TRUE OR FALSE:Students find out several facts about Toys R Us. 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 Toys R Us. 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
“Toys“R”Us, Inc. is the world’s _____________________ juvenile products retailer, _____________________ shopping experience through its family of brands. It currently _____________________ more than 1,560 stores, including 848 Toys“R”Us® and Babies“R”Us® stores in the United States, and more than 510 international stores and 200 _____________________ 33 countries and jurisdictions. In addition, it exclusively operates the…FAO Schwarz® brand and sells…toys in the _____________________ on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Headquartered in Wayne, NJ, Toys“R”Us, Inc. _____________________ 70,000 employees worldwide. The company is committed to serving its communities as a caring _____________________ through programs _____________________ kids safe and helping them in times of need.” http://www.toysrusinc.com/about-us/
CORRECT THE SPELLING
“Toys“R”Us, Inc. is the world’s nagdile dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer, fgeiornf a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. It nyutclerr sells merchandise in more than 1,560 stores, guniindcl 848 Toys“R”Us® and Babies“R”Us® stores in the United States, and more than 510 international stores and 200 lesencid stores in 33 countries and jurisdictions. In todnidai, it exclusively orseptae the…FAO Schwarz® brand and sells…toys in the brand’s ihlfgaps store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Headquartered in Wayne, NJ, Toys“R”Us, Inc. employs approximately 70,000 employees worldwide. The company is committed to ngseirv its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs ceaddidet to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need.” http://www.toysrusinc.com/about-us/
UNJUMBLE THE WORDS
“Toys“R”Us, Inc. the toy world’s and leading is dedicated juvenile products retailer, offering a differentiated experience through its family of brands shopping. It currently than more in merchandise sells 1,560 stores, including 848 Toys“R”Us® and Babies“R”Us® stores in the United States, and more than 510 international licensed stores stores and in 200 33 countries and jurisdictions. In addition, it exclusively operates the…FAO Schwarz® brand and sells…toys in the brand’s New store Fifth in flagship on Avenue York City. Headquartered in Wayne, NJ, Toys“R”Us, Inc. employs 000 worldwide 70 employees approximately ,. The company its as committed serving communities is to a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated safe to and keeping helping kids them in times of need.” http://www.toysrusinc.com/about-us/
“toys“r”us inc is the world’s leading dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer offering a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands it currently sells merchandise in more than 1560 stores including 848 toys“r”us® and babies“r”us® stores in the united states and more than 510 international stores and 200 licensed stores in 33 countries and jurisdictions in addition it exclusively operates the…fao schwarz® brand and sells…toys in the brand’s flagship store on fifth avenue in new york city headquartered in wayne nj toys“r”us inc employs approximately 70000 employees worldwide the company is committed to serving its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need” http//wwwtoysrusinccom/about-us/
CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE
“Toys“R”Us, Inc. .......... (be) the world’s leading dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer, .......... (offer) a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. It currently .......... (sell) merchandise in more than 1,560 stores, .......... (include) 848 Toys“R”Us® and Babies“R”Us® stores in the United States, and more than 510 international stores and 200 licensed stores in 33 countries and jurisdictions. In addition, it exclusively .......... (operate) the…FAO Schwarz® brand and .......... (sell)…toys in the brand’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Headquartered in Wayne, NJ, Toys“R”Us, Inc. .......... (employ) approximately 70,000 employees worldwide. The company .......... (be) committed to .......... (serve) its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs .......... (dedicate) to keeping kids safe and .......... (help) them in times of need.” http://www.toysrusinc.com/about-us/
“Toys“R”Us, Inc. is the world’s leading ____________ toy and juvenile products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience through its ____________ of brands. It currently sells ____________ in more than 1,560 stores, including 848 Toys“R”Us® and Babies“R”Us® stores in the United States, and more than 510 international stores and 200 licensed stores in 33 countries and jurisdictions. In ____________, it exclusively ____________ the…FAO Schwarz® brand and sells…toys in the brand’s ____________ store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Headquartered in Wayne, NJ, Toys“R”Us, Inc. ____________ approximately 70,000 employees worldwide. The company is committed to ____________ its communities as a caring and ____________ neighbor through programs dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of ____________.” http://www.toysrusinc.com/about-us/
operates
serving
dedicated
merchandise
employs
family
need
flagship
reputable
addition
PROJECT TOYS R US
Part 1. Your mission is to increase the profits and sales of Toys R Us. Complete this table with your project partner(s):
Main products
How to improve them
A brand new ‘killer’ product
How Toys R Us 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.
TOYS R US – ROLE PLAY 1
Role A – Toys R Us 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 – Toys R Us 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 – Toys R Us customer
You are a customer of Toys R Us. 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 Toys R Us. 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.
TOYS R US – ROLE PLAY 2
Role A – Toys R Us New Products Director
You have created a new product for Toys R Us. 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 Toys R Us.
Role B – Toys R Us 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 – Toys R Us 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 – Toys R Us Shareholder
You know a lot about Toys R Us’s 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.
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
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 Toys R Us. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE:Write a magazine article about Toys R Us. 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. TOYS R US POSTERMake a poster about Toys R Us. 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 TOYS R US LESSON:Make your own English lesson on Toys R Us. 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 Toys“R”Us. Share your findings with the class.
ANSWERS
Check your answers in the article at the top of this page.
