Some people who work at Starbucks are not going to work on a very busy day to show they are unhappy. They are part of a group called Starbucks Workers United. They want more money, better work hours, and other things to be better at work. About 200 Starbucks places might be closed because the workers are not going to work.

The people in the group want more people to help them this year than last year. Starbucks has many places to get coffee in the United States, but they don’t think this will be a big problem. Workers at some Starbucks have joined the group, but Starbucks doesn’t like it. Some people say Starbucks is not following the rules and is being mean to workers who join the group.

Many people are watching what is happening with the Starbucks workers. What they are doing is making other workers want to ask for more money and better jobs too. The leaders of the group want to keep trying to make things better for the workers. They want to be treated fairly and have good places to work.

Original news source: Starbucks faces walkout at hundreds of US stores (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students are divided into pairs. One student plays the role of a news reporter, and the other plays a Starbucks worker who is part of the strike. The reporter asks questions about why they are striking, what they want to achieve, and how they feel about the situation. They should use the information from the article to make their role-play realistic.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements about the Starbucks workers’ strike such as, “Workers deserve higher wages,” or “Closing stores for a strike is unfair to customers.” Students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates whether they agree or disagree with each statement, tallying the results. Discuss the results as a class and encourage students to explain their opinions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article on slips of paper (e.g., strike, workers, united, fair treatment, wages). Students take turns drawing a slip and then drawing the word on the board without speaking. Their classmates try to guess the word based on the drawing. Once the word is guessed, the student who drew must use the word in a sentence related to the article.

– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Write down some keywords from the article on the board (e.g., unhappy, join, rules, mean, leaders). Students are challenged to come up with synonyms for each word without using their dictionaries. After they’ve tried, they can check their answers with a dictionary or thesaurus and discuss the nuances of each synonym.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to imagine what the outcome of the Starbucks workers’ strike will be. They write down their predictions using future tense verbs. Encourage them to consider different scenarios and use the article to support their ideas. Then, have students share their predictions with a partner or the whole class and discuss the likelihood of each scenario.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Why are some Starbucks workers not going to work on a very busy day?
2. What is the name of the group that the Starbucks workers are part of?
3. What three things are the Starbucks workers asking for?
4. How many Starbucks locations might be closed because the workers are not going to work?
5. What does Starbucks Workers United want more of this year compared to last year?
6. Does Starbucks like that some workers have joined the group?
7. What effect is the Starbucks workers’ action having on other workers?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some people who work at Starbucks are not going to work on a very (1)______ day to show they are unhappy. They are part of a group called Starbucks Workers United. They want more money, (2)______ work hours, and other (3)______ to be better at work. About 200 Starbucks places might be closed because the workers are not going to work.

The people in the group (4)______ more people to help them this year than last year. (5)______ has many places to get coffee in the United (6)______, but they don’t think this will be a big (7)______. Workers at some Starbucks have joined the group, but Starbucks doesn’t like it. Some people say Starbucks is not following the (8)______ and is being mean to workers who join the group.

Many people are (9)______ what is happening with the Starbucks workers. What they are doing is making other workers want to ask for more (10)______ and better jobs too. The leaders of the group want to keep (11)______ to (12)______ things better for the workers. They want to be treated fairly and have good places to work.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a strike and why do people do it?
2. How would you feel if you wanted to buy a coffee but the store was closed because the workers are on strike?
3. Do you think it is important for workers to get more money? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever been part of a group that asked for something together? What was it like?
5. Do you like going to places like Starbucks to get coffee or tea? Why?
6. What do you think makes a good place to work?
7. If you had a job, would you want to work many hours or just a few? Why?
8. Do you think all workers should be treated fairly? Why is that important?
9. Have you or someone you know ever been treated unfairly at work or school? How did that make you feel?
10. Why do you think some companies don’t like when workers join groups to ask for more money or better hours?
11. Do you think it’s a good idea for workers at Starbucks to ask for help from other people? Why might they need help?
12. If you were the boss of a store, how would you make sure your workers are happy?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Starbucks
2. workers
3. money
4. hours
5. group
6. closed
7. problem
8. leaders

Meanings:
(a) Something you need to buy things
(b) Not open for business
(c) Something that needs to be fixed
(d) The time you spend working
(e) People who have jobs at Starbucks
(f) People who guide and make decisions for a group
(g) A popular coffee shop
(h) A collection of people with the same goal
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why are some Starbucks workers not going to work on a busy day?
(a) They are unhappy and want better things at work.
(b) They are on vacation.
(c) They are sick.
(d) They have found a new job.

2. What is the name of the group that the Starbucks workers are a part of?
(a) Starbucks Workers Happy.
(b) Starbucks Workers Closed.
(c) Starbucks Workers United.
(d) Starbucks Workers Busy.

3. What do the Starbucks workers want?
(a) More vacation days.
(b) More coffee breaks.
(c) More customers.
(d) More money, better work hours, and other things to be better at work.

4. How many Starbucks places might be closed because the workers are not going to work?
(a) About 200.
(b) About 100.
(c) About 50.
(d) About 500.

5. What do the Starbucks workers want more of this year compared to last year?
(a) More coffee.
(b) More people to help them.
(c) More vacation days.
(d) More customers.

6. How does Starbucks feel about workers joining the group?
(a) They are happy about it.
(b) They don’t like it.
(c) They are indifferent about it.
(d) They are not aware of it.

7. What are some people saying about Starbucks?
(a) They are treating their workers fairly.
(b) They are giving their workers a pay raise.
(c) They are not following the rules and being mean to workers who join the group.
(d) They are closing down all their stores.

8. What effect is the Starbucks workers’ actions having on other workers?
(a) It is making them want to quit their jobs.
(b) It is making them want to work longer hours.
(c) It is making them want to start their own coffee shops.
(d) It is making them want to ask for more money and better jobs too.

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Other workers are not getting inspired by what the Starbucks workers are doing and are not asking for better pay and jobs.
2. Some Starbucks workers are not going to work on a busy day because they are unhappy.
3. The group wants more people to join them this year compared to last year.
4. Around 200 Starbucks locations might be closed because of the workers’ protest.
5. These workers are not part of a group called Starbucks Workers United.
6. The workers want less money, worse work hours, and other deteriorations at work.
7. Starbucks is not happy about workers joining the group and some people say they are being mean to them.
8. Starbucks has few coffee shops in the United States, so they don’t think this will be a big problem.
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 are some Starbucks workers not going to work on a busy day?
2. What is the name of the group that the Starbucks workers are part of?
3. What are three things the Starbucks workers want to improve at work?
4. How many Starbucks stores might be closed because the workers are staying home?
5. What do the leaders of the workers’ group want for the workers?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why are some Starbucks workers not going to work on a very busy day?
The Starbucks workers are not going to work because they are unhappy and want to show it.

2. What is the name of the group that the Starbucks workers are part of?
The group is called Starbucks Workers United.

3. What three things are the Starbucks workers asking for?
They want more money, better work hours, and better conditions at work.

4. How many Starbucks locations might be closed because the workers are not going to work?
About 200 Starbucks locations might be closed.

5. What does Starbucks Workers United want more of this year compared to last year?
They want more people to join them and support them this year than last year.

6. Does Starbucks like that some workers have joined the group?
No, Starbucks does not like that some workers have joined the group.

7. What effect is the Starbucks workers’ action having on other workers?
The action of the Starbucks workers is making other workers want to ask for more money and better jobs too.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) busy
(2) better
(3) things
(4) want
(5) Starbucks
(6) States
(7) problem
(8) rules
(9) watching
(10) money
(11) trying
(12) make
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Starbucks
Answer: (g) A popular coffee shop

2. workers
Answer: (e) People who have jobs at Starbucks

3. money
Answer: (a) Something you need to buy things

4. hours
Answer: (d) The time you spend working

5. group
Answer: (h) A collection of people with the same goal

6. closed
Answer: (b) Not open for business

7. problem
Answer: (c) Something that needs to be fixed

8. leaders
Answer: (f) People who guide and make decisions for a group
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why are some Starbucks workers not going to work on a busy day?
Answer: (a) They are unhappy and want better things at work.

2. What is the name of the group that the Starbucks workers are a part of?
Answer: (c) Starbucks Workers United.

3. What do the Starbucks workers want?
Answer: (d) More money, better work hours, and other things to be better at work.

4. How many Starbucks places might be closed because the workers are not going to work?
Answer: (a) About 200.

5. What do the Starbucks workers want more of this year compared to last year?
Answer: (b) More people to help them.

6. How does Starbucks feel about workers joining the group?
Answer: (b) They don’t like it.

7. What are some people saying about Starbucks?
Answer: (c) They are not following the rules and being mean to workers who join the group.

8. What effect is the Starbucks workers’ actions having on other workers?
Answer: (d) It is making them want to ask for more money and better jobs too.
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Other workers are not getting inspired by what the Starbucks workers are doing and are not asking for better pay and jobs. (Answer: False)
2. Some Starbucks workers are not going to work on a busy day because they are unhappy. (Answer: True)
3. The group wants more people to join them this year compared to last year. (Answer: True)
4. Around 200 Starbucks locations might be closed because of the workers’ protest. (Answer: True)
5. These workers are not part of a group called Starbucks Workers United. (Answer: False)
6. The workers want less money, worse work hours, and other deteriorations at work. (Answer: False)
7. Starbucks is not happy about workers joining the group and some people say they are being mean to them. (Answer: True)
8. Starbucks has few coffee shops in the United States, so they don’t think this will be a big problem. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧