A man named Elon Musk is very angry with some companies. These companies stopped showing their ads on a place called X because they are worried about bad words and hate. Elon said sorry for something he wrote, but he is still mad. He told the companies that if they don’t want to work with him because of money, they can go away. Elon thinks if these companies don’t come back, X might stop working.

Elon is not just upset about one thing he said. The companies are also worried about their ads being next to mean or bad things. Before the companies got mad, X was already making less money from ads. Now, Elon has said things that might make it harder for X to get the companies to come back. X needs the money from these ads to keep going.

Original news source: Elon Musk says advertising boycott will kill X (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of vocabulary words related to the article. One person from each team will come to the front of the class and act out the word silently, while their team tries to guess the word.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns summarizing the main points of the article to each other. Encourage them to use their own words and keep their summaries concise.

– Keyword Taboo
Instructions: Write down key words from the article on index cards. One student will pick a card and try to explain the word to their partner without using the word itself. Their partner must guess the word based on the explanation.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a list of vocabulary words from the article. One person from each pair will choose a word and draw a picture to represent it. Their partner must guess the word based on the drawing.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask the students to think about the following question: “What are some potential consequences for X if the companies do not come back?” After giving them a few minutes to think, ask them to discuss their ideas with a partner. Then, have them share their thoughts with the class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Why is Elon Musk angry with some companies?
2. What is the place called where the companies stopped showing their ads?
3. Why did the companies stop showing their ads on X?
4. What did Elon Musk say to the companies if they don’t want to work with him?
5. What might happen if the companies don’t come back to X?
6. Why are the companies worried about their ads being next to mean or bad things?
7. Why does X need the money from these ads to keep going?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man named Elon Musk is very angry with some companies. These companies (1)______ showing their ads on a (2)______ called X because they are worried about bad words and hate. Elon said sorry for something he wrote, but he is still mad. He told the companies that if they don’t (3)______ to work with him because of money, they can go away. (4)______ thinks if these companies don’t come back, X might stop (5)______.

Elon is not just (6)______ about one thing he said. The companies are also worried about their ads being next to mean or bad things. Before the companies got mad, X was already making less (7)______ from ads. Now, Elon has said things that might make it harder for X to get the (8)______ to come back. X needs the money from these ads to keep going.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is Elon Musk angry about?
2. How do you think Elon feels about the companies that stopped showing their ads?
3. Do you like ads? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if someone said mean things about you?
5. Why do you think the companies are worried about their ads being next to mean or bad things?
6. What do you think X needs the money from ads for?
7. Do you think the companies will come back to X? Why or why not?
8. How do you think Elon feels about the companies leaving because of money?
9. What do you think X can do to get the companies to come back?
10. Have you ever said something you regretted? How did it make you feel?
11. How do you think Elon can make things better with the companies?
12. Why do you think Elon is still mad even after saying sorry?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. angry
2. ads
3. worried
4. sorry
5. mad
6. upset
7. mean
8. money

Meanings:
(a) Feeling very, very mad
(b) Pictures or videos that try to sell things
(c) The thing you need to buy things
(d) Not nice or kind
(e) Feeling bad for something you did wrong
(f) Feeling sad or frustrated about something
(g) Feeling very, very, very mad
(h) Feeling scared or nervous about something
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who is angry with some companies?
(a) Mark Zuckerberg
(b) Jeff Bezos
(c) Bill Gates
(d) Elon Musk

2. Why did the companies stop showing their ads on X?
(a) They didn’t have enough money.
(b) They didn’t like the design of X.
(c) They wanted to advertise somewhere else.
(d) They were worried about bad words and hate.

3. What did Elon say to the companies?
(a) If they don’t want to work with him because of his hair, they can go away.
(b) If they don’t want to work with him because of his favorite color, they can go away.
(c) If they don’t want to work with him because of money, they can go away.
(d) If they don’t want to work with him because of his pet dog, they can go away.

4. Why is Elon upset?
(a) He lost his favorite toy.
(b) He said something he regrets.
(c) He forgot his lunch at home.
(d) He got a new haircut.

5. What are the companies worried about?
(a) Their ads being next to happy and good things.
(b) Their ads being next to mean or bad things.
(c) Their ads being next to the ocean.
(d) Their ads being next to a tree.

6. What was happening to X before the companies got mad?
(a) X was making more money from ads.
(b) X was giving away free ads.
(c) X was already making less money from ads.
(d) X was selling ads to other companies.

7. What might make it harder for X to get the companies to come back?
(a) Things Elon said.
(b) Things Mark said.
(c) Things Jeff said.
(d) Things Bill said.

8. What does X need the money from ads for?
(a) To keep going.
(b) To buy new toys.
(c) To go on vacation.
(d) To buy a new car.

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The companies stopped showing their ads on a place called X.
2. The companies are worried about bad words and hate.
3. Elon Musk thinks X might stop working if the companies don’t come back.
4. Elon Musk asked the companies to stay if they don’t want to work with him because of money.
5. Elon Musk is calm even after apologizing.
6. Elon Musk is satisfied with some companies.
7. Elon Musk refused to apologize for something he wrote.
8. X needs the money from the ads to keep going.
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. Why is Elon Musk angry with some companies?
2. What is the place called where the companies stopped showing their ads?
3. Why are the companies worried about their ads being next to mean or bad things?
4. Why does X need the money from the ads?
5. What might happen if the companies don’t come back to X?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why is Elon Musk angry with some companies?
Elon Musk is angry with some companies because they stopped showing their ads on a place called X.

2. What is the place called where the companies stopped showing their ads?
The place where the companies stopped showing their ads is called X.

3. Why did the companies stop showing their ads on X?
The companies stopped showing their ads on X because they were worried about bad words and hate.

4. What did Elon Musk say to the companies if they don’t want to work with him?
Elon Musk told the companies that if they don’t want to work with him because of money, they can go away.

5. What might happen if the companies don’t come back to X?
If the companies don’t come back to X, X might stop working.

6. Why are the companies worried about their ads being next to mean or bad things?
The companies are worried about their ads being next to mean or bad things because it might make people think they support those mean or bad things.

7. Why does X need the money from these ads to keep going?
X needs the money from these ads to keep going because it helps pay for the things they need to run the place.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) stopped
(2) place
(3) want
(4) Elon
(5) working
(6) upset
(7) money
(8) companies
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. angry
Answer: (a) Feeling very, very mad

2. ads
Answer: (b) Pictures or videos that try to sell things

3. worried
Answer: (h) Feeling scared or nervous about something

4. sorry
Answer: (e) Feeling bad for something you did wrong

5. mad
Answer: (g) Feeling very, very, very mad

6. upset
Answer: (f) Feeling sad or frustrated about something

7. mean
Answer: (d) Not nice or kind

8. money
Answer: (c) The thing you need to buy things
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who is angry with some companies?
Answer: (d) Elon Musk

2. Why did the companies stop showing their ads on X?
Answer: (d) They were worried about bad words and hate.

3. What did Elon say to the companies?
Answer: (c) If they don’t want to work with him because of money, they can go away.

4. Why is Elon upset?
Answer: (b) He said something he regrets.

5. What are the companies worried about?
Answer: (b) Their ads being next to mean or bad things.

6. What was happening to X before the companies got mad?
Answer: (c) X was already making less money from ads.

7. What might make it harder for X to get the companies to come back?
Answer: (a) Things Elon said.

8. What does X need the money from ads for?
Answer: (a) To keep going.
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The companies stopped showing their ads on a place called X. (Answer: True)
2. The companies are worried about bad words and hate. (Answer: True)
3. Elon Musk thinks X might stop working if the companies don’t come back. (Answer: True)
4. Elon Musk asked the companies to stay if they don’t want to work with him because of money. (Answer: False)
5. Elon Musk is calm even after apologizing. (Answer: False)
6. Elon Musk is satisfied with some companies. (Answer: False)
7. Elon Musk refused to apologize for something he wrote. (Answer: False)
8. X needs the money from the ads to keep going. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧