Click here for the PDF handout or try the online quiz, reading, listening, and activities on grammar, spelling and vocabulary for this lesson on Pepsi. Click on the links below or see the activities below this article:
READ
PepsiCo is one of the world’s largest producers of soft drinks. Its most famous brand is Pepsi but its products also include Mountain Dew, Aquafina, 7up, Gatorade and Tropicana, among many other household names. Pepsi was first made in the 1890s by a pharmacist called Caleb Bradham. He wanted to create a tasty drink that boosted energy and helped with digestion. Since its creation, it has been involved in perhaps the world’s greatest business rivalry, with Coca Cola, which unsuccessfully tried to buy Pepsi three times in the 1930s. The company has over 200,000 employees worldwide and generates $50 billion of revenue a year. PepsiCo’s website says: “Our mission is to be the world's premier consumer products company focused on convenient foods and beverages.”
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WORKSHEET ACTIVITIES
WARM-UPS
1. BRAINSTORM: Write all the words you can think of about Pepsi on the board or on a piece of paper. Talk about these words with your partner(s).
2. PEPSI MORNING: Each student pretends to be an employee of Pepsi. They walk around the class and talk about the company and their job.
3. RUMOURS:Each student writes down a pretend rumour about Pepsi. They then walk around the class and talk to other students about their rumour.
4. GOOD AND BAD:Brainstorm good and bad things about Pepsi and write them on the board. Students talk about these in pairs.
5. TRUE OR FALSE:Students find out several facts about Pepsi. 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 Pepsi. 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
PepsiCo is one of the _______________________ of soft drinks. Its most famous brand is Pepsi but its products also include Mountain Dew, Aquafina, 7up, Gatorade and Tropicana, among _______________________ names. Pepsi was first made in the 1890s by a pharmacist called Caleb Bradham. He _______________________ drink that boosted energy and helped with digestion. Since its creation, it has _______________________ the world’s _______________________, with Coca Cola, which unsuccessfully tried to buy Pepsi three times in the 1930s. The company has over 200,000 employees _______________________ $50 billion of revenue a year. PepsiCo’s website says: “_______________________ world's premier consumer products company _______________________ foods and beverages.”
CORRECT THE SPELLING
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UNJUMBLE THE WORDS
PepsiCo largest is of world’s producers one the of soft drinks. but famous its brand products is Its Pepsi most also include Mountain Dew, Aquafina, 7up, Gatorade and Tropicana, household many names other among. Pepsi was first made in the 1890s by a pharmacist called Caleb Bradham. create boosted a He tasty wanted drink to that energy and helped with digestion. Since its creation, it perhaps world’s been in the has involved greatest business rivalry, with Coca Cola, which unsuccessfully times to in buy the Pepsi 1930s three tried. The company has over 200,000 employees worldwide and generates $50 billion of revenue a year. PepsiCo’s website says: “the world's premier Our mission is to be consumer products convenient on focused company and foods beverages.”
pepsico is one of the world’s largest producers of soft drinks its most famous brand is pepsi but its products also include mountain dew aquafina 7up gatorade and tropicana among many other household names pepsi was first made in the 1890s by a pharmacist called caleb Bradham he wanted to create a tasty drink that boosted energy and helped with digestion since its creation it has been involved in perhaps the world’s greatest business rivalry with coca cola which unsuccessfully tried to buy pepsi three times in the 1930s the company has over 200000 employees worldwide and generates $50 billion of revenue a year pepsico’s website says “our mission is to be the world's premier consumer products company focused on convenient foods and beverages”
CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE
PepsiCo .......... (be) one of the world’s largest producers of soft drinks. Its most famous brand .......... (be) Pepsi but its products also .......... (include) Mountain Dew, Aquafina, 7up, Gatorade and Tropicana, among many other household names. Pepsi .......... (be) first made in the 1890s by a pharmacist called Caleb Bradham. He .......... (want) to create a tasty drink that .......... (boost) energy and .......... (help) with digestion. Since its creation, it has .......... (be) involved in perhaps the world’s greatest business rivalry, with Coca Cola, which unsuccessfully .......... (try) to .......... (buy) Pepsi three times in the 1930s. The company .......... (have) over 200,000 employees worldwide and .......... (generate) $50 billion of revenue a year. PepsiCo’s website .......... (say): “Our mission .......... (be) to be the world's premier consumer products company .......... (focus) on convenient foods and beverages.”
PepsiCo is one of the world’s ____________ producers of soft drinks. Its most famous brand is Pepsi but its products also ____________ Mountain Dew, Aquafina, 7up, Gatorade and Tropicana, ____________ many other ____________ names. Pepsi was first made in the 1890s by a pharmacist called Caleb Bradham. He wanted to create a tasty drink that ____________ energy and helped with ____________. Since its creation, it has been involved in perhaps the world’s greatest business ____________, with Coca Cola, which unsuccessfully tried to buy Pepsi three times in the 1930s. The company has over 200,000 employees worldwide and ____________ $50 billion of revenue a year. PepsiCo’s website says: “Our ____________ is to be the world's premier consumer products company ____________ on convenient foods and beverages.”
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PROJECT PEPSI
Part 1. Your mission is to increase the profits and sales of Pepsi. Complete this table with your project partner(s):
Main products
How to improve them
A brand new ‘killer’ product
How Pepsi 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.
PEPSI – ROLE PLAY 1
Role A – Pepsi 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 – Pepsi 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 – Pepsi customer
You are a customer of Pepsi. 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 Pepsi. 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.
PEPSI – ROLE PLAY 2
Role A – Pepsi New Products Director
You have created a new product for Pepsi. 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 Pepsi.
Role B – Pepsi 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 – Pepsi 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 – Pepsi Shareholder
You know a lot about Pepsi’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.
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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 Pepsi. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE:Write a magazine article about Pepsi. 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. PEPSI POSTERMake a poster about Pepsi. 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 PEPSI LESSON:Make your own English lesson on Pepsi. 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 PepsiCo. Share your findings with the class.
ANSWERS
Check your answers in the article at the top of this page.
