The people in the group want more people to help them this year than last year. Starbucks has many places to get coffee in the United States, but they don't think this will be a big problem. Workers at some Starbucks have joined the group, but Starbucks doesn't like it. Some people say Starbucks is not following the rules and is being mean to workers who join the group.
Many people are watching what is happening with the Starbucks workers. What they are doing is making other workers want to ask for more money and better jobs too. The leaders of the group want to keep trying to make things better for the workers. They want to be treated fairly and have good places to work.
Original news source: Starbucks faces walkout at hundreds of US stores (BBC)
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students are divided into pairs. One student plays the role of a news reporter, and the other plays a Starbucks worker who is part of the strike. The reporter asks questions about why they are striking, what they want to achieve, and how they feel about the situation. They should use the information from the article to make their role-play realistic.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements about the Starbucks workers' strike such as, "Workers deserve higher wages," or "Closing stores for a strike is unfair to customers." Students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates whether they agree or disagree with each statement, tallying the results. Discuss the results as a class and encourage students to explain their opinions.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article on slips of paper (e.g., strike, workers, united, fair treatment, wages). Students take turns drawing a slip and then drawing the word on the board without speaking. Their classmates try to guess the word based on the drawing. Once the word is guessed, the student who drew must use the word in a sentence related to the article.
– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Write down some keywords from the article on the board (e.g., unhappy, join, rules, mean, leaders). Students are challenged to come up with synonyms for each word without using their dictionaries. After they've tried, they can check their answers with a dictionary or thesaurus and discuss the nuances of each synonym.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to imagine what the outcome of the Starbucks workers' strike will be. They write down their predictions using future tense verbs. Encourage them to consider different scenarios and use the article to support their ideas. Then, have students share their predictions with a partner or the whole class and discuss the likelihood of each scenario.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
The Starbucks workers are not going to work because they are unhappy and want to show it.
The group is called Starbucks Workers United.
They want more money, better work hours, and better conditions at work.
About 200 Starbucks locations might be closed.
They want more people to join them and support them this year than last year.
No, Starbucks does not like that some workers have joined the group.
The action of the Starbucks workers is making other workers want to ask for more money and better jobs too.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Some people who work at Starbucks are not going to work on a very day to show they are unhappy. They are part of a group called Starbucks Workers United. They want more money, work hours, and other to be better at work. About 200 Starbucks places might be closed because the workers are not going to work. The people in the group more people to help them this year than last year. has many places to get coffee in the United , but they don't think this will be a big . Workers at some Starbucks have joined the group, but Starbucks doesn't like it. Some people say Starbucks is not following the and is being mean to workers who join the group. Many people are what is happening with the Starbucks workers. What they are doing is making other workers want to ask for more and better jobs too. The leaders of the group want to keep to things better for the workers. They want to be treated fairly and have good places to work.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a strike and why do people do it?
2. How would you feel if you wanted to buy a coffee but the store was closed because the workers are on strike?
3. Do you think it is important for workers to get more money? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever been part of a group that asked for something together? What was it like?
5. Do you like going to places like Starbucks to get coffee or tea? Why?
6. What do you think makes a good place to work?
7. If you had a job, would you want to work many hours or just a few? Why?
8. Do you think all workers should be treated fairly? Why is that important?
9. Have you or someone you know ever been treated unfairly at work or school? How did that make you feel?
10. Why do you think some companies don't like when workers join groups to ask for more money or better hours?
11. Do you think it's a good idea for workers at Starbucks to ask for help from other people? Why might they need help?
12. If you were the boss of a store, how would you make sure your workers are happy?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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