A cheap airplane company called Ryanair is now very popular on TikTok, a place where you can share short videos. They have more than 2 million people who follow them, which is more than other airplane companies. The people who make Ryanair’s videos try to be funny and sometimes tease people. They want to show that their main job is to help people fly without spending a lot of money.

Some people don’t like how Ryanair acts on the internet because they think the company is not nice. But many people laugh at their jokes and even help Ryanair when others complain. Ryanair doesn’t talk about how they help the planet or do good things on TikTok. Some people who know a lot about companies say it’s important to talk about these things so people think good about the company.

Ryanair’s funny videos make people pay attention, but it might be hard for them if they need to talk about serious problems. If people start saying Ryanair is not good for the environment, their jokes might not seem so funny anymore. Right now, people like their videos, but we don’t know what will happen if they have to deal with big problems later.

Original news source: Ryanair: How a budget airline took off on TikTok (BBC)

Listen

Slow

Normal

Fast

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write some statements about airlines on the board, such as “Airlines should focus on being eco-friendly,” or “Humor is the best way for companies to engage on social media.” Students walk around the classroom and sign their names under the statements they agree with. Afterward, discuss the results as a class and relate the opinions to the article about Ryanair.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. One student is a news reporter, and the other is a Ryanair representative. The reporter asks questions about Ryanair’s social media strategy, their focus on humor instead of eco-friendliness, and the public’s response. The Ryanair representative answers based on information from the article. Swap roles after a few minutes.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key words from the article on slips of paper, such as “cheap,” “popular,” “TikTok,” “tease,” “spend,” “complain,” “environment,” and “serious problems.” Students take turns drawing the words for their team to guess without speaking or writing letters or numbers.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Ask students to create a catchy newspaper headline that summarizes the main point of the article. They can work in small groups and then share their headlines with the class. Discuss which headlines are most effective and why.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have the students work in pairs to discuss and write down their predictions about the future of Ryanair’s social media presence. Prompt them with questions like, “What do you think will happen if Ryanair faces an environmental scandal?” or “How do you think the public will react to their humor if there’s a serious problem?” Share the predictions with the class and discuss their feasibility.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the cheap airplane company that is popular on TikTok?
2. How many people follow Ryanair on TikTok?
3. What do Ryanair’s videos try to do?
4. Why do some people not like Ryanair’s behavior on the internet?
5. What do Ryanair’s videos not talk about?
6. Why do some experts think it’s important for companies to talk about helping the planet?
7. What might make Ryanair’s jokes not seem funny in the future?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A cheap (1)______ company called Ryanair is now very popular on TikTok, a place where you can share short (2)______. They have more than 2 million (3)______ who follow them, which is more than other airplane companies. The people who make Ryanair’s videos try to be funny and sometimes tease people. They (4)______ to show that their main job is to help people fly without spending a lot of money.

Some people don’t (5)______ how Ryanair acts on the internet because they think the company is not nice. But many people laugh at their (6)______ and even help Ryanair when others complain. (7)______ doesn’t talk about how they help the planet or do good things on TikTok. Some people who know a lot about companies say it’s important to talk about these things so people think good about the (8)______.

Ryanair’s funny videos make people pay (9)______, but it might be hard for them if they need to talk about serious problems. If people (10)______ saying Ryanair is not good for the (11)______, their jokes might not (12)______ so funny anymore. Right now, people like their videos, but we don’t know what will happen if they have to deal with big problems later.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a company that you think is funny? Why do you think it’s funny?
2. Do you like watching short videos on the internet? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if a company made jokes on the internet? Would you like it or not?
4. Do you think it’s important for a company to be nice on the internet? Why?
5. What is something that makes you laugh?
6. Do you think a company should talk about how they help the planet? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever seen a company’s video that you didn’t like? What didn’t you like about it?
8. Do you like when companies try to be funny or do you prefer when they are serious? Why?
9. How would you feel if your favorite company had a big problem? Would you still like them?
10. Do you think it’s good for companies to have many people follow them on places like TikTok? Why?
11. Have you ever helped a company by saying something good about them? What did you say?
12. Do you think Ryanair should make videos about serious things too, or just funny ones? Why?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. airplane
2. TikTok
3. videos
4. funny
5. company
6. jokes
7. environment
8. problems

Meanings:
(a) A group of people who work together
(b) Short films that you can watch on the internet
(c) A vehicle that flies in the sky
(d) Something that makes you laugh
(e) Difficult situations or things that need to be fixed
(f) The natural world around us, like trees and animals
(g) Funny stories or sayings that make people laugh
(h) A popular app for sharing short videos
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is TikTok?
(a) A popular social media platform for adults
(b) A website where you can buy cheap airplane tickets
(c) A funny TV show about airplanes
(d) A place where you can share short videos

2. How many people follow Ryanair on TikTok?
(a) Less than 1 million
(b) More than 2 million
(c) Exactly 2 million
(d) None of the above

3. Why do some people not like Ryanair on the internet?
(a) They think the company is too expensive
(b) They think the company is not nice
(c) They think the company is not funny
(d) They think the company is not popular

4. What do Ryanair’s videos try to show?
(a) That they are the biggest airplane company
(b) That they are the funniest airplane company
(c) That they help people fly without spending a lot of money
(d) That they are the most popular airplane company

5. What do some people think Ryanair should talk about on TikTok?
(a) Their favorite TV shows
(b) Their favorite jokes
(c) How they help the planet or do good things
(d) Their favorite airplane trips

6. Why might it be hard for Ryanair if they need to talk about serious problems?
(a) Their jokes might not seem so funny anymore
(b) They might lose followers on TikTok
(c) They might have to spend more money
(d) They might have to stop making videos

7. What might happen if people start saying Ryanair is not good for the environment?
(a) Their jokes might not seem so funny anymore
(b) They might lose followers on TikTok
(c) They might have to spend more money
(d) They might have to stop making videos

8. What do we not know about Ryanair’s videos?
(a) How many people like their videos
(b) How much money they make from their videos
(c) How many videos they have made so far
(d) What will happen if they have to deal with big problems later

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. If people start criticizing Ryanair’s impact on the environment, their jokes might not be as funny anymore.
2. Ryanair is not a popular airplane company on TikTok with over 2 million followers.
3. Some people like how Ryanair acts online because they think the company is nice.
4. However, many people find their jokes funny and even support Ryanair when others complain.
5. They make serious videos and never tease people to show that flying with them is affordable.
6. Ryanair’s funny videos might make it difficult for them to address serious problems in the future.
7. Experts say it’s important for companies to talk about these things to create a positive image.
8. Ryanair talks about their environmental efforts and good deeds on TikTok.
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 does Ryanair use TikTok for?
2. How many people follow Ryanair on TikTok?
3. Why do some people not like Ryanair’s videos?
4. What do people who know about companies think Ryanair should talk about on TikTok?
5. What could be a problem for Ryanair in the future if they have to talk about serious things?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the name of the cheap airplane company that is popular on TikTok?
The cheap airplane company popular on TikTok is called Ryanair.

2. How many people follow Ryanair on TikTok?
More than 2 million people follow Ryanair on TikTok.

3. What do Ryanair’s videos try to do?
Ryanair’s videos try to be funny and show that they help people fly cheaply.

4. Why do some people not like Ryanair’s behavior on the internet?
Some people think Ryanair is not nice on the internet.

5. What do Ryanair’s videos not talk about?
Ryanair’s videos do not talk about how they help the planet or do good things.

6. Why do some experts think it’s important for companies to talk about helping the planet?
Experts think it’s important because it makes people think good about the company.

7. What might make Ryanair’s jokes not seem funny in the future?
If people start saying Ryanair is bad for the environment, their jokes might not seem funny anymore.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) airplane
(2) videos
(3) people
(4) want
(5) like
(6) jokes
(7) Ryanair
(8) company
(9) attention
(10) start
(11) environment
(12) seem
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. airplane
Answer: (c) A vehicle that flies in the sky

2. TikTok
Answer: (h) A popular app for sharing short videos

3. videos
Answer: (b) Short films that you can watch on the internet

4. funny
Answer: (d) Something that makes you laugh

5. company
Answer: (a) A group of people who work together

6. jokes
Answer: (g) Funny stories or sayings that make people laugh

7. environment
Answer: (f) The natural world around us, like trees and animals

8. problems
Answer: (e) Difficult situations or things that need to be fixed
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is TikTok?
Answer: (d) A place where you can share short videos

2. How many people follow Ryanair on TikTok?
Answer: (b) More than 2 million

3. Why do some people not like Ryanair on the internet?
Answer: (b) They think the company is not nice

4. What do Ryanair’s videos try to show?
Answer: (c) That they help people fly without spending a lot of money

5. What do some people think Ryanair should talk about on TikTok?
Answer: (c) How they help the planet or do good things

6. Why might it be hard for Ryanair if they need to talk about serious problems?
Answer: (a) Their jokes might not seem so funny anymore

7. What might happen if people start saying Ryanair is not good for the environment?
Answer: (a) Their jokes might not seem so funny anymore

8. What do we not know about Ryanair’s videos?
Answer: (d) What will happen if they have to deal with big problems later
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. If people start criticizing Ryanair’s impact on the environment, their jokes might not be as funny anymore. (Answer: True)
2. Ryanair is not a popular airplane company on TikTok with over 2 million followers. (Answer: False)
3. Some people like how Ryanair acts online because they think the company is nice. (Answer: False)
4. However, many people find their jokes funny and even support Ryanair when others complain. (Answer: True)
5. They make serious videos and never tease people to show that flying with them is affordable. (Answer: False)
6. Ryanair’s funny videos might make it difficult for them to address serious problems in the future. (Answer: True)
7. Experts say it’s important for companies to talk about these things to create a positive image. (Answer: True)
8. Ryanair talks about their environmental efforts and good deeds on TikTok. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧