A lady named Kim Innes made a bakery that sells a dessert called crumble. She has sold lots of them. She talks about her work in a video. Kim says that pumpkins helped her bakery do really well, but they also caused some problems.

Kim tells us that pumpkins were very important for her bakery to make money. She had some hard times and made mistakes. But she learned a lot. Her story is part of something called CEO Secrets, where bosses give tips to help people who want to start their own business.

Kim’s story shows that you have to keep trying, even when things are tough. She wants to help people who are trying to make their own business work. Kim says you have to be strong and ready to change your plans to be successful. Her story is meant to give hope and help to others.

Original news source: CEO Secrets: ‘Pumpkins saved my business but almost squashed me’ (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide students into two teams. Write down key vocabulary from the article (e.g., bakery, dessert, crumble, pumpkin, mistakes, success, CEO, business, tough, hope) on separate pieces of paper. One student from each team will draw the word without speaking or writing letters or numbers, while their team guesses the word. Set a timer for one minute per word. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Write statements related to the article on the board (e.g., “Starting a business is easy,” “Pumpkins are the best ingredient for desserts,” “Learning from mistakes is important in business”). Ask students to stand in a line according to how much they agree or disagree with each statement, with one end of the room being ‘strongly agree’ and the other ‘strongly disagree.’ Then, select students to explain their position to the class, encouraging them to use vocabulary and concepts from the article.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Pair up students and assign them roles: one as a news reporter and the other as Kim Innes. The reporter will interview Kim about her bakery and the role of pumpkins in her success as well as the challenges she faced. Encourage the ‘Kim Innes’ students to use information from the article to answer questions. Afterward, they can switch roles. This will help students practice speaking, listening, and using new vocabulary in context.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Ask students to imagine they are editors for a newspaper and need to create an engaging headline for the article. Discuss what makes a good headline (e.g., concise, informative, attention-grabbing). Students write their own headlines and then share them with the class. This activity promotes creativity and understanding of main ideas.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Pose a question related to the article, such as “What qualities do you think are important for a business owner?” Students first think individually, then pair up to discuss their thoughts, and finally share their conclusions with the class. This activity encourages critical thinking, speaking practice, and the sharing of ideas in a supportive environment.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What kind of dessert does Kim Innes sell in her bakery?
2. How many crumbles has Kim sold?
3. What does Kim talk about in her video?
4. How did pumpkins help Kim’s bakery?
5. What is CEO Secrets about?
6. What does Kim’s story teach us about trying?
7. What does Kim say you need to be to have a successful business?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A lady named Kim Innes made a bakery that sells a dessert called crumble. She has sold (1)______ of them. She talks about her (2)______ in a video. Kim says that (3)______ helped her bakery do really well, but they also caused some problems.

Kim tells us that pumpkins were very important for her (4)______ to make money. She had some (5)______ times and made (6)______. But she learned a lot. Her story is part of something called CEO Secrets, where bosses give tips to help people who want to start their own (7)______.

Kim’s story (8)______ that you have to keep trying, even when things are (9)______. She wants to (10)______ people who are trying to make their own business work. Kim says you have to be strong and ready to (11)______ your plans to be successful. Her story is meant to (12)______ hope and help to others.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a bakery?
2. Do you like to eat dessert? Why or why not?
3. Have you ever tried a crumble? If yes, did you like it?
4. What is your favorite dessert and why?
5. How would you feel if you had to make a lot of desserts every day?
6. Can you think of a time when you had a problem but learned something from it?
7. Do you think it is important to keep trying when something is hard? Why?
8. What does it mean to be strong in a difficult situation?
9. Have you ever changed your plans? How did it make you feel?
10. Do you think it’s a good idea to start your own business? Why or why not?
11. What kind of business would you like to start if you could?
12. Who do you ask for help when you need to learn something new?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. bakery
2. crumble
3. pumpkins
4. mistakes
5. CEO
6. tough
7. successful
8. hope

Meanings:
(a) The boss of a company
(b) A place where bread and cakes are made
(c) Doing well and achieving your goals
(d) Difficult or hard
(e) A dessert made with fruit and a crumbly topping
(f) A feeling of looking forward to something happening
(g) A type of vegetable that is orange and round
(h) Things you do wrong when you are learning
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who is the owner of the bakery that sells crumble?
(a) Sarah Johnson
(b) Kim Innes
(c) Emily Smith
(d) Jessica Brown

2. What dessert does the bakery sell?
(a) Crumble
(b) Cupcakes
(c) Brownies
(d) Cookies

3. What helped Kim’s bakery do really well?
(a) Apples
(b) Pumpkins
(c) Bananas
(d) Oranges

4. What did Kim’s story teach us?
(a) You should never start your own business
(b) It’s easy to be successful in business
(c) You should never change your plans
(d) You have to keep trying, even when things are tough

5. What does CEO Secrets feature?
(a) Bosses giving tips to help people start their own business
(b) Recipes for desserts
(c) Stories about famous CEOs
(d) Interviews with celebrities

6. What does Kim want to do with her story?
(a) Make people feel bad about their own businesses
(b) Show off her success
(c) Scare people from starting their own business
(d) Give hope and help to others

7. What does Kim say you have to be to be successful?
(a) Lazy and unwilling to change
(b) Rude and disrespectful
(c) Strong and ready to change your plans
(d) Shy and quiet

8. What is the purpose of Kim’s story?
(a) To make people jealous of her success
(b) To show off her baking skills
(c) To help people who are trying to make their own business work
(d) To give up on your dreams

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Kim shares her experiences and tips in a video about her work.
2. She believes that being strong and flexible is important for success in business.
3. Pumpkins did not play a big role in helping Kim’s bakery make money.
4. Kim Innes opened a bakery that sells a dessert called muffins.
5. Kim’s story is not part of something called CEO Secrets, where bosses give tips to help people start their own business.
6. Kim’s story is not meant to inspire and help others who are trying to start their own business.
7. Kim’s bakery has been successful, but she also faced some problems because of pumpkins.
8. She faced challenges and made mistakes, but she learned from them.
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 Kim Innes make in her bakery?
2. What helped Kim’s bakery become successful?
3. Did Kim have any problems with her bakery?
4. What is CEO Secrets about?
5. What advice does Kim give to people who want to start their own business?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What kind of dessert does Kim Innes sell in her bakery?
Kim Innes sells a dessert called crumble in her bakery.

2. How many crumbles has Kim sold?
The article does not say exactly how many crumbles Kim has sold, just that she has sold lots of them.

3. What does Kim talk about in her video?
In her video, Kim talks about her work and how pumpkins helped her bakery but also caused some problems.

4. How did pumpkins help Kim’s bakery?
Pumpkins helped Kim’s bakery make money.

5. What is CEO Secrets about?
CEO Secrets is about bosses giving tips to help people who want to start their own business.

6. What does Kim’s story teach us about trying?
Kim’s story teaches us that you have to keep trying, even when things are tough.

7. What does Kim say you need to be to have a successful business?
Kim says you need to be strong and ready to change your plans to have a successful business.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) lots
(2) work
(3) pumpkins
(4) bakery
(5) hard
(6) mistakes
(7) business
(8) shows
(9) tough
(10) help
(11) change
(12) give
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. bakery
Answer: (b) A place where bread and cakes are made

2. crumble
Answer: (e) A dessert made with fruit and a crumbly topping

3. pumpkins
Answer: (g) A type of vegetable that is orange and round

4. mistakes
Answer: (h) Things you do wrong when you are learning

5. CEO
Answer: (a) The boss of a company

6. tough
Answer: (d) Difficult or hard

7. successful
Answer: (c) Doing well and achieving your goals

8. hope
Answer: (f) A feeling of looking forward to something happening
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who is the owner of the bakery that sells crumble?
Answer: (b) Kim Innes

2. What dessert does the bakery sell?
Answer: (a) Crumble

3. What helped Kim’s bakery do really well?
Answer: (b) Pumpkins

4. What did Kim’s story teach us?
Answer: (d) You have to keep trying, even when things are tough

5. What does CEO Secrets feature?
Answer: (a) Bosses giving tips to help people start their own business

6. What does Kim want to do with her story?
Answer: (d) Give hope and help to others

7. What does Kim say you have to be to be successful?
Answer: (c) Strong and ready to change your plans

8. What is the purpose of Kim’s story?
Answer: (c) To help people who are trying to make their own business work
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Kim shares her experiences and tips in a video about her work. (Answer: True)
2. She believes that being strong and flexible is important for success in business. (Answer: True)
3. Pumpkins did not play a big role in helping Kim’s bakery make money. (Answer: False)
4. Kim Innes opened a bakery that sells a dessert called muffins. (Answer: False)
5. Kim’s story is not part of something called CEO Secrets, where bosses give tips to help people start their own business. (Answer: False)
6. Kim’s story is not meant to inspire and help others who are trying to start their own business. (Answer: False)
7. Kim’s bakery has been successful, but she also faced some problems because of pumpkins. (Answer: True)
8. She faced challenges and made mistakes, but she learned from them. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧