A woman named Mitsuko Tottori is going to be the boss of Japan Airlines. She started working there as a flight attendant a long time ago, in 1985. Now she’s the first woman to be the boss of the company. She hopes other women will see her and want to be leaders too.

Mitsuko Tottori knows a lot about keeping people safe on planes and making sure they have a good trip. She says that making sure everything is safe will be the most important part of her job. She understands it’s hard for women to get to be leaders. But now, more women around the world are becoming bosses of big airlines.

The company picking Mitsuko Tottori to be the boss is a big deal in Japan. The people who run the country want more women to be leaders in big companies. They hope that by 2030, one out of every three leaders will be a woman. Right now, not many women are leaders in Japan, but having Mitsuko Tottori as the boss is a big step to change that.

Original news source: Japan Airlines appoints ex-flight attendant as first female president (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the students into two teams. Write down key words from the article on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat. One student from each team will come up and pick a word from the hat. They must then act out the word without speaking, while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students and words.

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students read the article individually or in pairs. Then, ask them to write a short summary of the article, focusing on the main points and important details. Afterward, have a class discussion where students share their summaries and compare them. This activity can also be done as a group, with each group presenting their summary to the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the students into small groups. Assign each group a specific question related to the article, such as “Do you think it’s important to have more women leaders in big companies?” or “What qualities do you think a good leader should have?”. Give the groups some time to discuss the question and come up with their opinions. Then, have each group present their opinions to the class, and encourage a class discussion where students can share their thoughts and debate different viewpoints.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat. Divide the students into pairs or small groups. One student from each pair/group will pick a word from the hat and try to draw it on the board without using any letters or numbers. Their partner/group members must then guess what the word is. The student/group that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different words and students/groups.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the students into small groups. Assign each group a specific topic related to the article, such as “Pros and cons of having more women leaders in big companies” or “Pros and cons of working as a flight attendant”. Give the groups some time to discuss the topic and come up with a list of pros and cons. Then, have each group present their lists to the class, and encourage a class discussion where students can share their thoughts and opinions on the different topics.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is going to be the boss of Japan Airlines?
2. When did Mitsuko Tottori start working at Japan Airlines?
3. Why is Mitsuko Tottori special?
4. What does Mitsuko Tottori think is the most important part of her job?
5. Why is it hard for women to be leaders?
6. What do the people in charge of Japan want to happen by 2030?
7. Why is Mitsuko Tottori becoming the boss a big deal in Japan?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A woman named Mitsuko Tottori is going to be the boss of Japan Airlines. She (1)______ working there as a flight attendant a (2)______ time ago, in 1985. Now she’s the first woman to be the boss of the company. She hopes other (3)______ will see her and want to be leaders too.

(4)______ Tottori knows a lot about keeping people (5)______ on planes and making sure they have a good trip. She says that making sure everything is safe will be the most (6)______ part of her job. She understands it’s hard for women to get to be (7)______. But now, more women around the world are becoming (8)______es of big airlines.

The company (9)______ Mitsuko Tottori to be the boss is a big deal in Japan. The people who run the country want more women to be leaders in big (10)______. They hope that by 2030, one out of every three leaders will be a woman. Right now, not many women are leaders in (11)______, but having Mitsuko Tottori as the boss is a big step to (12)______ that.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is the name of the woman who is going to be the boss of Japan Airlines?
2. How long has Mitsuko Tottori been working at Japan Airlines?
3. How do you think Mitsuko Tottori feels about being the first woman to be the boss of the company?
4. What does Mitsuko Tottori think is the most important part of her job?
5. Why do you think it’s hard for women to become leaders?
6. Do you think it’s important for more women to be leaders in big companies? Why or why not?
7. How do you think the people in Japan feel about Mitsuko Tottori becoming the boss of Japan Airlines?
8. Why do you think the people who run the country want more women to be leaders in big companies?
9. Do you think it’s a big step for women in Japan to have Mitsuko Tottori as the boss? Why or why not?
10. How would you feel if you saw someone like Mitsuko Tottori becoming a leader? Why?
11. What do you think the world would be like if one out of every three leaders were women?
12. Do you think it’s important for everyone to have the opportunity to be a leader? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. attendant
2. company
3. leaders
4. trip
5. safety
6. airlines
7. boss
8. important
9. understands
10. deal
11. country
12. step

Meanings:
(A) Companies that have planes to take people to different places
(B) When you are not in danger and protected from harm
(C) A journey from one place to another
(D) The person who is in charge of a business or group
(E) An agreement or something that happens that is very important
(F) People who are in charge and tell others what to do
(G) A person who helps others, especially on a plane or train
(H) A place with its own government and borders
(I) A movement you make with your foot when you walk or a single action in a series of actions
(J) Something that is very special or needs a lot of attention
(K) A group that makes or sells things or does business
(L) Knows how something feels or works
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who is going to be the boss of Japan Airlines?
(a) Mitsuko Tottori
(b) John Smith
(c) Maria Garcia
(d) Li Wei

2. When did Mitsuko Tottori start working at Japan Airlines?
(a) 1995
(b) 2005
(c) 1985
(d) 2015

3. What is the most important part of Mitsuko Tottori’s job?
(a) Making sure everyone has a good trip
(b) Managing the company’s finances
(c) Marketing the company’s services
(d) Making sure everything is safe

4. Why is Mitsuko Tottori’s appointment as boss a big deal in Japan?
(a) She has a lot of experience as a flight attendant
(b) She is the first woman to work at Japan Airlines
(c) The country wants more women to be leaders
(d) The company wants to improve its safety record

5. What does Mitsuko Tottori hope other women will do?
(a) Become flight attendants
(b) Want to be leaders too
(c) Start their own airlines
(d) Travel more often

6. What do the people who run Japan want by 2030?
(a) One out of every three leaders to be a woman
(b) All companies to have female bosses
(c) More women to become flight attendants
(d) Japan Airlines to have the best safety record

7. How many women are currently leaders in Japan?
(a) About half
(b) Most of them
(c) All of them
(d) Not many

8. What is Mitsuko Tottori’s role in changing the number of female leaders in Japan?
(a) A small step
(b) A big step
(c) No step at all
(d) A step in the wrong direction

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. She hopes that her position will inspire other women to become leaders too.
2. Mitsuko Tottori will not be the first woman to be the boss of Japan Airlines.
3. Mitsuko Tottori does not have much knowledge about keeping people safe on planes and ensuring a good trip.
4. Mitsuko Tottori is not going to be the boss of Japan Airlines.
5. She started working at the company in 1985 as a flight attendant.
6. The decision to choose Mitsuko Tottori as the boss is a significant event in Japan.
7. The country’s leaders do not want more women to be leaders in big companies and do not hope to achieve this by 2030.
8. Safety will be the most important part of her job as the boss.
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. Who is going to be the boss of Japan Airlines?
2. When did Mitsuko Tottori start working at Japan Airlines?
3. Why does Mitsuko Tottori think her job is important?
4. Why is it hard for women to become leaders?
5. What do the people in Japan want to happen by 2030?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is going to be the boss of Japan Airlines?
Mitsuko Tottori is going to be the boss of Japan Airlines.

2. When did Mitsuko Tottori start working at Japan Airlines?
Mitsuko Tottori started working at Japan Airlines in 1985.

3. Why is Mitsuko Tottori special?
Mitsuko Tottori is special because she will be the first woman to be the boss of Japan Airlines.

4. What does Mitsuko Tottori think is the most important part of her job?
Mitsuko Tottori thinks that making sure everything is safe is the most important part of her job.

5. Why is it hard for women to be leaders?
It is hard for women to be leaders because there are not many women in leadership positions.

6. What do the people in charge of Japan want to happen by 2030?
The people in charge of Japan want one out of every three leaders to be a woman by 2030.

7. Why is Mitsuko Tottori becoming the boss a big deal in Japan?
Mitsuko Tottori becoming the boss is a big deal in Japan because it shows that women can be leaders in big companies and it is a step towards having more women in leadership positions.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) started
(2) long
(3) women
(4) Mitsuko
(5) safe
(6) important
(7) leaders
(8) boss
(9) picking
(10) companies
(11) Japan
(12) change
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. attendant
Answer: (G) A person who helps others, especially on a plane or train

2. company
Answer: (K) A group that makes or sells things or does business

3. leaders
Answer: (F) People who are in charge and tell others what to do

4. trip
Answer: (C) A journey from one place to another

5. safety
Answer: (B) When you are not in danger and protected from harm

6. airlines
Answer: (A) Companies that have planes to take people to different places

7. boss
Answer: (D) The person who is in charge of a business or group

8. important
Answer: (J) Something that is very special or needs a lot of attention

9. understands
Answer: (L) Knows how something feels or works

10. deal
Answer: (E) An agreement or something that happens that is very important

11. country
Answer: (H) A place with its own government and borders

12. step
Answer: (I) A movement you make with your foot when you walk or a single action in a series of actions
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who is going to be the boss of Japan Airlines?
Answer: (a) Mitsuko Tottori

2. When did Mitsuko Tottori start working at Japan Airlines?
Answer: (c) 1985

3. What is the most important part of Mitsuko Tottori’s job?
Answer: (d) Making sure everything is safe

4. Why is Mitsuko Tottori’s appointment as boss a big deal in Japan?
Answer: (c) The country wants more women to be leaders

5. What does Mitsuko Tottori hope other women will do?
Answer: (b) Want to be leaders too

6. What do the people who run Japan want by 2030?
Answer: (a) One out of every three leaders to be a woman

7. How many women are currently leaders in Japan?
Answer: (d) Not many

8. What is Mitsuko Tottori’s role in changing the number of female leaders in Japan?
Answer: (b) A big step
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. She hopes that her position will inspire other women to become leaders too. (Answer: True)
2. Mitsuko Tottori will not be the first woman to be the boss of Japan Airlines. (Answer: False)
3. Mitsuko Tottori does not have much knowledge about keeping people safe on planes and ensuring a good trip. (Answer: False)
4. Mitsuko Tottori is not going to be the boss of Japan Airlines. (Answer: False)
5. She started working at the company in 1985 as a flight attendant. (Answer: True)
6. The decision to choose Mitsuko Tottori as the boss is a significant event in Japan. (Answer: True)
7. The country’s leaders do not want more women to be leaders in big companies and do not hope to achieve this by 2030. (Answer: False)
8. Safety will be the most important part of her job as the boss. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧