A man named Adam had a big dream with his company, WeWork. His dream was too big and the company had to ask for help because it ran out of money. Adam wanted to make WeWork very big and even go to another planet, Mars. But he wanted too much too fast and the company could not keep up. WeWork used to be worth a lot of money, but then it was not.

Adam was very good at talking and making people excited about WeWork. Many people wanted to work with him. But his company was spending too much money, like losing money every minute. They tried to make the company look very special to get more money, but it did not work. In the end, Adam had to leave his job, and the company was not worth much anymore. But Adam still got a lot of money for himself.

Original news source: How WeWork’s founder flew too close to the Sun (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. Give each pair a keyword from the article, such as “dream,” “company,” “Mars,” “money,” or “job.” Without speaking, one student must draw the keyword while the other guesses what it is. This activity helps students associate words with images, enhancing their vocabulary.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Have students work in pairs to role-play a news reporter and an interviewee. One student acts as a reporter asking questions about the WeWork story, while the other plays the role of Adam or a company spokesperson. They should use simple present tense and practice basic question and answer formats.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “WeWork” on the board and ask students to say or write down any words they associate with this term based on the article (e.g., “company,” “money,” “dream,” “Mars”). This activity allows students to practice vocabulary and encourages them to make connections between words.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Ask students to create a catchy headline for the article they’ve read. Encourage them to use simple, impactful words that summarize the main idea. Share the headlines and discuss which words are most effective in grabbing a reader’s attention.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Conduct a simple opinion poll by asking students whether they think it’s a good idea to expand a company very quickly. Give them options like “Yes,” “No,” or “Maybe,” and tally the results on the board. Have students explain their choice using simple sentences, helping them practice expressing their opinions and reasons.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What was the name of the man who had a big dream?
2. What was the name of the man’s company?
3. What did Adam want his company to do that was very big?
4. What happened to the company because it wanted too much too fast?
5. What did Adam’s company do to try to get more money?
6. What happened to Adam at the end of the story?
7. Did Adam get a lot of money or a little money for himself in the end?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man (1)______ Adam had a big dream with his company, WeWork. His dream was too big and the company had to ask for help because it ran out of (2)______. Adam wanted to make WeWork very big and even go to another planet, Mars. But he (3)______ too much too fast and the company could not keep up. (4)______ used to be worth a lot of money, but then it was not.

Adam was very good at talking and making people excited about WeWork. Many people wanted to work with him. But his company was spending too much money, like (5)______ money every (6)______. They tried to make the company look very (7)______ to get more money, but it did not work. In the end, Adam had to leave his job, and the company was not (8)______ much anymore. But Adam still got a lot of money for himself.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a dream you have?
2. How would you feel if your dream was too big?
3. Do you like to go fast or slow? Why?
4. What is Mars? Would you like to go there?
5. Do you think it’s good to want many things fast? Why or why not?
6. How do you feel when you lose something?
7. What makes something special to you?
8. If you had a lot of money, what would you do with it?
9. Do you think it’s okay to get money if your work fails? Why or why not?
10. What job do you want to have when you are big?
11. Have you ever had to stop doing something because it was too hard? What did you do?
12. Do you think it’s important to ask for help? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. dream
2. company
3. money
4. planet
5. special
6. job
7. worth
8. leave

Meanings:
(a) To go away from a place
(b) What you use to buy things
(c) Something you think about when you sleep
(d) A big round thing in the sky that is not Earth
(e) How much something is valued
(f) Something that is different and important
(g) Something you do to get money
(h) A group of people working together
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the man in the article?
(a) Adam
(b) John
(c) Michael
(d) David

2. What was the name of the company the man worked for?
(a) WePlay
(b) WeWork
(c) WeLive
(d) WeLove

3. What did the man want to do with his company?
(a) Close it down
(b) Keep it small
(c) Sell it
(d) Make it very big

4. Where did the man want to go with his company?
(a) Moon
(b) Jupiter
(c) Earth
(d) Mars

5. What was the problem with the company?
(a) It was making too much money
(b) It was too small
(c) It was spending too much money
(d) It was too slow

6. What did the man have to do in the end?
(a) Leave his job
(b) Get a promotion
(c) Start a new company
(d) Buy a house

7. What happened to the company’s worth?
(a) It became very valuable
(b) It stayed the same
(c) It was not worth much anymore
(d) It went bankrupt

8. What did the man still get a lot of?
(a) Toys
(b) Money
(c) Candy
(d) Books

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Adam had no interest in expanding WeWork or going to Mars.
2. WeWork was never worth a lot of money, so it remained the same.
3. Adam was good at talking and making people excited about WeWork.
4. Adam chose to stay in his job, and the company maintained its high value.
5. WeWork ran out of money and had to ask for help.
6. Adam did not earn a significant amount of money for himself.
7. A man named Adam had a big dream for his company, WeWork.
8. WeWork was spending too much money and losing money every minute.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What did Adam want his company, WeWork, to do?
2. What happened because Adam’s dream was too big?
3. Where did Adam want to take his company?
4. Did WeWork have a lot of money all the time?
5. What happened to Adam at the end of the story?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What was the name of the man who had a big dream?
The man’s name was Adam.

2. What was the name of the man’s company?
The man’s company was called WeWork.

3. What did Adam want his company to do that was very big?
Adam wanted his company to be very big and even go to Mars.

4. What happened to the company because it wanted too much too fast?
The company ran out of money because it wanted too much too fast.

5. What did Adam’s company do to try to get more money?
They tried to make the company look very special to get more money.

6. What happened to Adam at the end of the story?
Adam had to leave his job at the end of the story.

7. Did Adam get a lot of money or a little money for himself in the end?
Adam got a lot of money for himself in the end.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) named
(2) money
(3) wanted
(4) WeWork
(5) losing
(6) minute
(7) special
(8) worth
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. dream
Answer: (c) Something you think about when you sleep

2. company
Answer: (h) A group of people working together

3. money
Answer: (b) What you use to buy things

4. planet
Answer: (d) A big round thing in the sky that is not Earth

5. special
Answer: (f) Something that is different and important

6. job
Answer: (g) Something you do to get money

7. worth
Answer: (e) How much something is valued

8. leave
Answer: (a) To go away from a place
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the man in the article?
Answer: (a) Adam

2. What was the name of the company the man worked for?
Answer: (b) WeWork

3. What did the man want to do with his company?
Answer: (d) Make it very big

4. Where did the man want to go with his company?
Answer: (d) Mars

5. What was the problem with the company?
Answer: (c) It was spending too much money

6. What did the man have to do in the end?
Answer: (a) Leave his job

7. What happened to the company’s worth?
Answer: (c) It was not worth much anymore

8. What did the man still get a lot of?
Answer: (b) Money
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Adam had no interest in expanding WeWork or going to Mars. (Answer: False)
2. WeWork was never worth a lot of money, so it remained the same. (Answer: False)
3. Adam was good at talking and making people excited about WeWork. (Answer: True)
4. Adam chose to stay in his job, and the company maintained its high value. (Answer: False)
5. WeWork ran out of money and had to ask for help. (Answer: True)
6. Adam did not earn a significant amount of money for himself. (Answer: False)
7. A man named Adam had a big dream for his company, WeWork. (Answer: True)
8. WeWork was spending too much money and losing money every minute. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧