Click here for the PDF handout or try the online quiz, reading, listening, and activities on grammar, spelling and vocabulary for this lesson on Yahoo. Click on the links below or see the activities below this article:
READ
Yahoo! is one of the biggest Internet service companies in the world. It is one of the top search engines and e-mail providers. Yahoo! was founded in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo. They originally named it "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" but changed it to "Yahoo!" Officially, ‘Yahoo’ means "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle". They chose the word because it has a generally understood meaning worldwide. The company has assets valued at $15 billion and employs 15,000 people around the world. The Yahoo! website says the company is very customer focused: “We respect our customers above all else and never forget that they come to us by choice…We listen and respond to our customers and seek to exceed their expectations.”
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WORKSHEET ACTIVITIES
WARM-UPS
1. BRAINSTORM: Write all the words you can think of about Yahoo! on the board or on a piece of paper. Talk about these words with your partner(s).
2. YAHOO! MORNING: Each student pretends to be an employee of Yahoo!. They walk around the class and talk about the company and their job.
3. RUMOURS:Each student writes down a pretend rumour about Yahoo!. They then walk around the class and talk to other students about their rumour.
4. GOOD AND BAD:Brainstorm good and bad things about Yahoo! and write them on the board. Students talk about these in pairs.
5. TRUE OR FALSE:Students find out several facts about Yahoo!. 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 Yahoo!. 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
Yahoo! is one of the biggest Internet service companies in the world. It is _________________________ and e-mail providers. Yahoo! was founded in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo. _________________________ "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" but changed it to "Yahoo!" Officially, ‘Yahoo’ means "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle". They chose the word because it _________________________ meaning worldwide. The _________________________ at $15 billion and employs 15,000 people around the world. The Yahoo! website says the _________________________ focused: “We respect _________________________ else and never forget that _________________________ …We listen and respond to our customers and seek to _________________________.”
CORRECT THE SPELLING
Yahoo! is one of the biggest Internet service companies in the world. It is one of the top search enesnig and e-mail providers. Yahoo! was founded in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo. They alroliyngi named it "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" but changed it to "Yahoo!" cfOaylfiil, ‘Yahoo’ means "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle". They chose the word because it has a elyrngael understood meaning worldwide. The company has assets vadeul at $15 billion and epslmoy 15,000 people around the world. The Yahoo! website says the company is very customer dcesufo: “We cprtees our customers above all else and never forget that they come to us by choice…We listen and oesndpr to our customers and seek to deecex their expectations.”
UNJUMBLE THE WORDS
Yahoo! is companies of biggest service one the Internet in the world. of is and search the one It engines top e-mail providers. Yahoo! was founded in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo. They originally named it "Jerry and the Wide David's to World Web Guide" but changed it to "Yahoo!" Officially, ‘Yahoo’ means "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle". They chose the word generally a has it because understood meaning worldwide. billion valued The at company $ has 15 assets and employs 15,000 people around the world. The Yahoo! is company the says website very customer focused: “We respect our customers above all else and never forget that they come to us by choice…We listen and customers seek respond our and to to exceed their expectations.”
yahoo is one of the biggest internet service companies in the world it is one of the top search engines and e-mail providers yahoo was founded in 1994 by jerry yang and david filo they originally named it "jerry and david's guide to the world wide web" but changed it to "yahoo" officially ‘yahoo’ means "yet another hierarchical officious oracle" they chose the word because it has a generally understood meaning worldwide the company has assets valued at $15 billion and employs 15000 people around the world the yahoo website says the company is very customer focused “we respect our customers above all else and never forget that they come to us by choice…we listen and respond to our customers and seek to exceed their expectations”
CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE
Yahoo! .......... (be) one of the biggest Internet service companies in the world. It .......... (be) one of the top search engines and e-mail providers. Yahoo! was .......... (found) in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo. They originally .......... (name) it "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" but .......... (change) it to "Yahoo!" Officially, ‘Yahoo’ .......... (mean) "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle". They .......... (choose) the word because it .......... (have) a generally .......... (understand) meaning worldwide. The company .......... (have) assets .......... (value) at $15 billion and .......... (employ) 15,000 people around the world. The Yahoo! website says the company .......... (be) very customer focused: “We .......... (respect) our customers above all else and never forget that they .......... (come) to us by choice…We .......... (listen) and .......... (respond) to our customers and .......... (seek) to .......... (exceed) their expectations.”
Yahoo! is one of the biggest Internet service companies in the world. It is one of the top search engines and e-mail ____________. Yahoo! was founded in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo. They ____________ named it "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" but changed it to "Yahoo!" ____________, ‘Yahoo’ means "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle". They ____________ the word because it has a ____________ understood meaning worldwide. The company has ____________ valued at $15 billion and ____________ 15,000 people around the world. The Yahoo! website says the company is very customer focused: “We ____________ our customers above all else and never ____________ that they come to us by choice…We listen and respond to our customers and seek to ____________ their expectations.”
officially
providers
forget
assets
chose
exceed
employs
originally
generally
respect
PROJECT YAHOO!
Part 1. Your mission is to increase the profits and sales of Yahoo!. Complete this table with your project partner(s):
Main products
How to improve them
A brand new ‘killer’ product
How Yahoo! 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.
YAHOO! – ROLE PLAY 1
Role A – Yahoo! 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 – Yahoo! 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 – Yahoo! customer
You are a customer of Yahoo!. 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 Yahoo!. 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.
YAHOO! – ROLE PLAY 2
Role A – Yahoo! New Products Director
You have created a new product for Yahoo!. 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 Yahoo!
Role B – Yahoo! 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 – Yahoo! 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 – Yahoo! Shareholder
You know a lot about Yahoo!’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 Yahoo!. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE:Write a magazine article about Yahoo!. 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. YAHOO! POSTERMake a poster about Yahoo!. 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 YAHOO! LESSON:Make your own English lesson on Yahoo!. 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 Yahoo!. Share your findings with the class.
ANSWERS
Check your answers in the article at the top of this page.
