Summary
This B2-level downloadable PDF lesson plan for English teachers explores the 'IKEA effect'. Combining business strategy, psychology, and practical vocabulary, this class material makes for an engaging and modern English lesson. Students will delve into IKEA's business model, discuss DIY culture, watch an explanatory video, and learn key business vocabulary. The lesson incorporates comprehension questions, vocabulary exercises, a grammar focus on the **passive voice** for describing processes, and culminates in a role-play where students pitch a new business idea, ensuring a comprehensive and interactive learning experience.
Activities
- Students begin by discussing their personal experiences with DIY projects and brands like IKEA, activating relevant vocabulary and making the topic relatable before the main tasks.
- Based on a video about IKEA's business strategy, this task includes comprehension questions that challenge students' listening skills and introduce the core concept of the 'IKEA effect'.
- Key business and marketing terms are introduced and practiced through a matching exercise and a contextual gap-fill, covering words like 'flat packed', 'manifesto', and 'runaway success'.
- The lesson provides a clear explanation and a focused exercise on using the passive voice to describe business processes, a key skill for formal and professional English communication.
- In a final role-play, students synthesise their learning by preparing and delivering a business pitch for a new company, using the lesson's target language in a creative and practical way.
Vocabulary focus
The vocabulary in this lesson centers on business and marketing terminology. Students will learn and practice words and phrases such as 'conventional', 'runaway success', 'flat packed', 'preassembled', 'mass market appeal', 'trade-off', and 'manifesto'.
Grammar focus
The main grammar point is the use of the passive voice. This lesson focuses specifically on its application in business contexts to describe processes where the agent is unknown or unimportant (e.g., 'The furniture is shipped flat packed.').
