Sweden is known for having high taxes and being fair to everyone. But now, more super-rich people live there. In 1996, there were only 28 billionaires, but by 2021, there were 542. This happened because of the growing tech industry, low interest rates, and tax rules that help the rich.
Sweden's tech industry is very successful and is called the Silicon Valley of Europe. Companies like Skype and Spotify started there. This has brought in lots of money and made many people rich. Low interest rates also made it easy for people to borrow money and invest in tech start-ups, making them even richer.
Even though Sweden has high taxes, some tax rules help the rich. They got rid of taxes on wealth and inheritance in the 2000s. Taxes on money from investments are lower than taxes on salaries. There is not much talk about taxing the super-rich, which has helped more billionaires to appear in Sweden.
Original news source: The rise of Sweden's super rich (BBC)
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– News Summary
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1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Have each group read the article.
3. Instruct the groups to summarize the main points of the article in a few sentences.
4. Have each group share their summary with the class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
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1. Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board.
2. Divide the class into pairs.
3. Give each pair a vocabulary word.
4. Instruct one student to draw a picture representing the word, while the other student guesses what the word is.
5. Set a time limit for each round.
6. After each round, have the pairs switch roles and continue with a new word.
– Speed Summarizing
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1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Give each pair a copy of the article.
3. Set a timer for 2 minutes.
4. Instruct one student to summarize the article as quickly as possible, while the other student listens and takes notes.
5. After 2 minutes, have the pairs switch roles and repeat the process.
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– Opinion Poll
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5. After the discussion, have each group present their opinions to the class.
– Think-Pair-Share
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π€ Comprehension Questions:
Sweden is known for having high taxes and being fair to everyone.
There were only 28 billionaires in Sweden in 1996.
There are more billionaires in Sweden now because of the growing tech industry, low interest rates, and tax rules that help the rich.
Sweden's tech industry is called the Silicon Valley of Europe.
Two companies that started in Sweden's tech industry are Skype and Spotify.
Low interest rates made people richer because it made it easier for them to borrow money and invest in tech start-ups.
Some tax rules that help the rich in Sweden include getting rid of taxes on wealth and inheritance, and having lower taxes on money from investments compared to salaries.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Sweden is for high and being fair to everyone. But now, more super-rich people live there. In 1996, there were only 28 billionaires, but by 2021, there were 542. This happened because of the growing tech industry, low interest , and tax rules that the rich. Sweden's tech industry is very successful and is called the Silicon Valley of Europe. Companies like Skype and Spotify there. This has brought in lots of money and made many rich. Low rates also made it easy for people to borrow money and in tech start-ups, making them even richer. Even though Sweden has high taxes, some tax rules help the rich. They got rid of taxes on wealth and inheritance in the 2000s. on from investments are lower than taxes on . There is not much talk about taxing the super-rich, which has helped more billionaires to appear in Sweden.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a billionaire?
2. How would you feel if you were a billionaire?
3. Do you think it's fair for some people to have more money than others? Why or why not?
4. What is the tech industry?
5. Do you like technology? Why or why not?
6. How do you think low interest rates help people become rich?
7. What is a start-up?
8. How would you feel if you started your own successful company?
9. Do you think it's fair for taxes on money from investments to be lower than taxes on salaries? Why or why not?
10. What is wealth?
11. How would you feel if you inherited a lot of money?
12. Do you think it's important to tax the super-rich? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
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π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
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