Elon Musk, the boss of Tesla, said they will start making robot helpers next year. These robots are called Optimus and will first work in Tesla’s own factories. By 2026, Tesla hopes to sell these robots to other companies too. Tesla is doing this because they need new ideas to make more money, as they are selling fewer electric cars now.

Tesla’s car sales went down by 7% compared to last year, but they still made a little more money overall. This is because their energy storage business is doing well. However, Tesla’s stock price dropped by almost 8% because people are worried about the car market. Musk wants to use new technology like robots to help Tesla work better and save money.

Musk believes the Optimus robot can do boring or dangerous jobs. He wants to make a lot of these robots and sell them for less than $20,000 each. Musk often has big plans, but sometimes they take longer than he says. For example, his idea for self-driving taxis is still not ready because of rules they need to follow. Even with these challenges, using robots could be very important for Tesla’s future.

Original news source: Musk says Tesla to use humanoid robots next year (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Students will act out different jobs that robots might do, such as factory work, delivering packages, or cleaning. The rest of the class will guess what job is being portrayed.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Students will walk around the classroom and ask each other if they think robots are good or bad for jobs. They will record the responses and share the results with the class.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: Students will create catchy newspaper headlines based on the article about Tesla’s robots. They will then share their headlines with the class, explaining why they chose them.

– VOCABULARY PICTIONARY
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns drawing vocabulary words from the article (e.g., robot, factory, technology) on the board while their teammates guess what the word is.

– THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Instructions: Students will think about the question: “Do you think robots will help or hurt jobs in the future?” After thinking individually, they will pair up to discuss their opinions, and then share their ideas with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the robot that Tesla will start making next year?
2. Where will the Optimus robots first work?
3. Why does Tesla want to make robots?
4. By what year does Tesla hope to sell robots to other companies?
5. How much does Musk want to sell each robot for?
6. What happened to Tesla’s car sales compared to last year?
7. Why are people worried about Tesla’s stock price?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Elon Musk, the boss of Tesla, said they will start making robot helpers next (1)______. These robots are called (2)______ and will first work in Tesla’s own factories. By 2026, Tesla hopes to sell these robots to other (3)______ too. Tesla is doing this because they need new ideas to make more money, as they are selling fewer electric (4)______ now.

Tesla’s car sales (5)______ down by 7% compared to last year, but they still made a little more money overall. This is because their (6)______ storage business is doing well. However, Tesla’s stock price dropped by almost 8% because people are worried about the car (7)______. (8)______ wants to use new technology like robots to help Tesla work better and save money.

Musk believes the Optimus robot can do boring or dangerous (9)______. He wants to make a lot of these robots and sell them for less than $20,000 each. Musk often has big plans, but sometimes they take longer than he (10)______. For example, his idea for self-driving taxis is still not ready because of rules they need to (11)______. Even with these challenges, using robots could be very (12)______ for Tesla’s future.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a robot helper to you?
2. How would you feel if you had a robot to help you at home?
3. Do you like the idea of robots doing boring jobs? Why or why not?
4. What is a job you think a robot could do well?
5. Do you think robots can be safe to work with? Why?
6. How would you feel if robots took over jobs from people?
7. Do you think it is a good idea for Tesla to make robots? Why?
8. What is a dangerous job you think robots should do?
9. How would you feel if you could buy a robot for less than $20,000?
10. Do you think robots will change our lives in the future? Why or why not?
11. What is something you would want a robot to help you with?
12. Do you think it is important for companies to use new technology? Why?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. factories
2. companies
3. storage
4. stock
5. market
6. technology
7. dangerous
8. self-driving
9. taxis
10. challenges
11. important
12. future

Meanings:
(A) Using science to create new things
(B) Not safe, could cause harm
(C) Places where things are made
(D) Businesses that sell goods or services
(E) Shares of a company that can be bought or sold
(F) The time that comes after now
(G) Able to move without a person controlling it
(H) Difficulties or problems to solve
(I) Keeping things in a safe place until needed
(J) Cars that take people places for money
(K) Very needed or valuable
(L) A place where people buy and sell things
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the robots Tesla will make?
(a) Optimus
(b) Maximus
(c) Robocop
(d) Terminator

2. When does Tesla plan to start making the robots?
(a) This year
(b) Next year
(c) In two years
(d) In five years

3. Where will the robots first work?
(a) In schools
(b) In Tesla’s factories
(c) In hospitals
(d) In homes

4. Why does Tesla want to make robots?
(a) To sell more cars
(b) To make electric bikes
(c) To build new factories
(d) To make more money

5. By how much did Tesla’s car sales go down?
(a) 7%
(b) 5%
(c) 10%
(d) 15%

6. What is doing well for Tesla besides car sales?
(a) Robot business
(b) Bike sales
(c) Energy storage business
(d) Airplane sales

7. What does Musk believe the Optimus robot can do?
(a) Fly in the sky
(b) Cook food
(c) Drive cars
(d) Boring or dangerous jobs

8. How much does Musk want to sell each robot for?
(a) Less than $10,000
(b) Less than $30,000
(c) Less than $20,000
(d) Less than $50,000

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The idea for self-driving taxis is not ready yet because of rules.
2. By 2026, Tesla does not plan to sell these robots to other companies.
3. Tesla’s car sales have decreased by 7% compared to last year.
4. Elon Musk is the leader of Tesla.
5. The robots will not first work in Tesla’s factories.
6. Tesla will not start making robots called Optimus next year.
7. Tesla’s energy storage business is not doing well and does not help them make more money.
8. Musk wants to sell the Optimus robots for less than $20,000 each.
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 are the robots called that Tesla will start making next year?
2. Why is Tesla making robots?
3. How much does Elon Musk want to sell each robot for?
4. What kind of jobs does Musk think the robots can do?
5. What is one challenge that Tesla has faced with their self-driving taxis?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the name of the robot that Tesla will start making next year?
The robot’s name is Optimus.

2. Where will the Optimus robots first work?
The Optimus robots will first work in Tesla’s own factories.

3. Why does Tesla want to make robots?
Tesla wants to make robots to find new ideas to make more money.

4. By what year does Tesla hope to sell robots to other companies?
Tesla hopes to sell robots to other companies by 2026.

5. How much does Musk want to sell each robot for?
Musk wants to sell each robot for less than $20,000.

6. What happened to Tesla’s car sales compared to last year?
Tesla’s car sales went down by 7% compared to last year.

7. Why are people worried about Tesla’s stock price?
People are worried about Tesla’s stock price because they are concerned about the car market.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) year
(2) Optimus
(3) companies
(4) cars
(5) went
(6) energy
(7) market
(8) Musk
(9) jobs
(10) says
(11) follow
(12) important
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. factories
Answer: (C) Places where things are made

2. companies
Answer: (D) Businesses that sell goods or services

3. storage
Answer: (I) Keeping things in a safe place until needed

4. stock
Answer: (E) Shares of a company that can be bought or sold

5. market
Answer: (L) A place where people buy and sell things

6. technology
Answer: (A) Using science to create new things

7. dangerous
Answer: (B) Not safe, could cause harm

8. self-driving
Answer: (G) Able to move without a person controlling it

9. taxis
Answer: (J) Cars that take people places for money

10. challenges
Answer: (H) Difficulties or problems to solve

11. important
Answer: (K) Very needed or valuable

12. future
Answer: (F) The time that comes after now
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the robots Tesla will make?
Answer: (a) Optimus

2. When does Tesla plan to start making the robots?
Answer: (b) Next year

3. Where will the robots first work?
Answer: (b) In Tesla’s factories

4. Why does Tesla want to make robots?
Answer: (d) To make more money

5. By how much did Tesla’s car sales go down?
Answer: (a) 7%

6. What is doing well for Tesla besides car sales?
Answer: (c) Energy storage business

7. What does Musk believe the Optimus robot can do?
Answer: (d) Boring or dangerous jobs

8. How much does Musk want to sell each robot for?
Answer: (c) Less than $20,000
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The idea for self-driving taxis is not ready yet because of rules. (Answer: True)
2. By 2026, Tesla does not plan to sell these robots to other companies. (Answer: False)
3. Tesla’s car sales have decreased by 7% compared to last year. (Answer: True)
4. Elon Musk is the leader of Tesla. (Answer: True)
5. The robots will not first work in Tesla’s factories. (Answer: False)
6. Tesla will not start making robots called Optimus next year. (Answer: False)
7. Tesla’s energy storage business is not doing well and does not help them make more money. (Answer: False)
8. Musk wants to sell the Optimus robots for less than $20,000 each. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧