Click here for the PDF handout or try the online quiz, reading, listening, and activities on grammar, spelling and vocabulary for this lesson on Siemens. Click on the links below or see the activities below this article:
READ
Siemens is the largest engineering conglomerate in Europe. It is headquartered in Munich, Germany. It has three main areas of business. Its industry sector helps industry and infrastructure customers to increase their economic and environmental competitiveness; its energy sector offers products and solutions for the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy; and its healthcare sector offers products and solutions from prevention and early detection to diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. Siemens was founded by Werner von Siemens in 1847. His company revolutionized the sending of telegraphs and was responsible for the world’s first electric street lighting. Today, the company employs nearly half-a-million people in over 190 countries. It brings in operating revenues of $100 billion.
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WORKSHEET ACTIVITIES
WARM-UPS
1. BRAINSTORM: Write all the words you can think of about Siemens on the board or on a piece of paper. Talk about these words with your partner(s).
2. SIEMENS MORNING: Each student pretends to be an employee of Siemens. They walk around the class and talk about the company and their job.
3. RUMOURS:Each student writes down a pretend rumour about Siemens. They then walk around the class and talk to other students about their rumour.
4. GOOD AND BAD:Brainstorm good and bad things about Siemens and write them on the board. Students talk about these in pairs.
5. TRUE OR FALSE:Students find out several facts about Siemens. 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 Siemens. 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
Siemens is the largest __________________________ Europe. It is headquartered in Munich, Germany. It has three main areas of business. _______________________ industry and infrastructure customers ______________________ and environmental competitiveness; its energy sector offers products and _______________________, transmission and distribution of electrical energy; and its healthcare sector offers products and _______________________ and early detection to diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. Siemens was founded by Werner von Siemens in 1847. His company _______________________ of telegraphs and _______________________ the world’s first electric street lighting. Today, the company employs nearly half-a-million people in over 190 countries. It _______________________ of $100 billion.
CORRECT THE SPELLING
Siemens is the lsatgre engineering conglomerate in Europe. It is headquartered in Munich, Germany. It has three main areas of business. Its industry otscre helps nytsurid and infrastructure customers to increase their economic and environmental competitiveness; its energy sector offers products and utolsisno for the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy; and its healthcare sector ferfos products and solutions from prevention and early detection to dissongia to treatment and aeercfatr. Siemens was founded by Werner von Siemens in 1847. His company revolutionized the sending of telegraphs and was eoseslrnbpi for the world’s first electric street lighting. Today, the company ymelpos nearly half-a-million people in over 190 countries. It brings in operating vseeneru of $100 billion.
UNJUMBLE THE WORDS
Siemens is in conglomerate engineering largest the Europe. It is headquartered in Munich, Germany. It has three main areas of business. Its industry sector helps and customers industry infrastructure to increase their economic and environmental competitiveness; its energy and for sector products solutions the offers generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy; and its products offers sector healthcare solutions and from prevention to and detection diagnosis treatment early to and aftercare. Siemens was founded by Werner von Siemens in 1847. sending revolutionized His the company of world’s and responsible the telegraphs was for first electric street lighting. Today, the company employs million people in over 190 nearly half - a - countries. It brings in operating revenues of $100 billion.
siemens is the largest engineering conglomerate in europe it is headquartered in Munich germany it has three main areas of business its industry sector helps industry and infrastructure customers to increase their economic and environmental competitiveness its energy sector offers products and solutions for the generation transmission and distribution of electrical energy and its healthcare sector offers products and solutions from prevention and early detection to diagnosis to treatment and aftercare siemens was founded by werner von siemens in 1847 his company revolutionized the sending of telegraphs and was responsible for the world’s first electric street lighting today the company employs nearly half-a-million people in over 190 countries it brings in operating revenues of $100 billion
CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE
Siemens .......... (be) the largest engineering conglomerate in Europe. It is .......... (headquarter) in Munich, Germany. It .......... (have) three main areas of business. Its industry sector .......... (help) industry and infrastructure customers to .......... (increase) their economic and environmental competitiveness; its energy sector .......... (offer) products and solutions for the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy; and its healthcare sector .......... (offer) products and solutions from prevention and early detection to diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. Siemens was .......... (found) by Werner von Siemens in 1847. His company .......... (revolutionize) the sending of telegraphs and .......... (be) responsible for the world’s first electric street lighting. Today, the company .......... (employ) nearly half-a-million people in over 190 countries. It .......... (bring) in operating revenues of $100 billion.
Siemens is the largest engineering conglomerate in Europe. It is ____________ in Munich, Germany. It has three main areas of business. Its industry ____________ helps industry and infrastructure customers to ____________ their economic and environmental competitiveness; its energy sector offers products and ____________ for the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy; and its healthcare sector offers products and solutions from ____________ and early detection to diagnosis to treatment and ____________. Siemens was founded by Werner von Siemens in 1847. His company revolutionized the ____________ of telegraphs and was ____________ for the world’s first electric street lighting. Today, the company employs nearly half-a-million people in over 190 countries. It ____________ in operating ____________ of $100 billion.
Part 1. Your mission is to increase the profits and sales of Siemens. Complete this table with your project partner(s):
Main products
How to improve them
A brand new ‘killer’ product
How Siemens 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.
SIEMENS – ROLE PLAY 1
Role A – Siemens 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 – Siemens 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 – Siemens customer
You are a customer of Siemens. 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 Siemens. 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.
SIEMENS – ROLE PLAY 2
Role A – Siemens New Products Director
You have created a new product for Siemens. 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 Siemens.
Role B – Siemens 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 – Siemens 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 – Siemens Shareholder
You know a lot about Siemens’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 Siemens. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE:Write a magazine article about Siemens. 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. SIEMENS POSTERMake a poster about Siemens. 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 SIEMENS LESSON:Make your own English lesson on Siemens. 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 Siemens. Share your findings with the class.
ANSWERS
Check your answers in the article at the top of this page.
