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C1 Business English Activity

💼 Calder Mills Memo Race

Unit: Mergers, Takeovers & Corporate Strategy • 25 Minutes

Group Size 3 - 4 Players

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Rules of the Game

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Teacher Setup & Facilitation

1 Divide the class into teams of 3 or 4 students and designate one scorekeeper per team.
2 Explain that teams will race to fill 8 memo gaps using correct phrasal verbs and exact grammatical forms.
3 Call out time updates and signal the start of Round 2 (Sentence Writing) once memos are checked.
4 Instruct teams to swap sentences for peer-checking against unit criteria.
5 Use the Teacher Key section at the bottom to verify official answer choices.

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Student Instructions

1 Goal: Earn the highest points by completing memos accurately and writing dual-meaning business sentences.
2 Round 1 (Race): Fill gaps 1–8 in Memo 1 and Memo 2 from the Word Bank. Note: two verbs are extra!
3 Shout "FINISHED!" as soon as all 8 gaps are filled to claim speed bonus points.
4 Round 2 (Sentences): Write sentence pairs using 1 verb in 2 distinct meanings plus Unit words.
5 Tally your points with your team scorekeeper as directed by your teacher.

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Timed Lesson Plan (25 Minutes)

Step 1

Hand out cards & assign team scorekeepers.

Step 2

Teams race to complete Memo 1 & Memo 2.

Step 3

Check memo answers against Teacher Key.

Step 4

Write sentence pairs with dual meanings.

Step 5

Peer-check sentences & tally bonus points.

Step 6

Announce the winning team!

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Word Bank & Memo Cards

Phrasal Verb Bank (Choose the correct verb and format into the right tense)

wind up carry out take over buy out phase out step down come up against set up roll out bring about

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MEMORANDUM #1

Subject: Dunbrae Foods Acquisition

Last month Dunbrae 1 ____ (paid for all the shares of) Calder's old owners.

Calder's founder 2 ____ (left her senior post).

A joint team will be 3 ____ (created) to plan the changes.

The old Calder brand will be 4 ____ (stopped step by step).

CONFIDENTIAL • INTERNAL USE ONLY CARD 1 OF 2

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MEMORANDUM #2

Subject: Calder Mills Operations Restructure

The new rota will be 5 ____ (started in every depot, one after another) next month.

When the head of delivery leaves, Mr Hale will 6 ____ (begin to do her job).

The owners may 7 ____ the Wexby subsidiary (close it for lack of money) if sales fall.

An outside team will 8 ____ (perform) the safety checks.

CONFIDENTIAL • INTERNAL USE ONLY CARD 2 OF 2

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Student Answer Sheet: Sentence Round

Dual-Meaning Sentence Challenge

Write pairs of sentences using one phrasal verb in two different meanings (for example one business meaning and one everyday meaning). Incorporate Unit vocabulary words for extra bonus points!

____ (Example: Sentence 1 (take over - business): The conglomerate decided to take over the struggling competitor. Sentence 2 (take over - general): My colleague will take over driving when I get tired.)

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Scoring Rules

1 Point

Per Correct Gap

Requires correct verb selection AND exact tense/grammatical form.

3 Points

Speed Winner

Awarded to the FIRST team that finishes and gets all 8 gaps 100% correct.

2 Points

Per Sentence Pair

For using 1 verb in 2 distinct meanings, verified and ticked by peer team.

1 Bonus

Per Unit Word

For each Unit word (e.g. merger, subsidiary, dividend) used correctly in sentences.

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Sentence Starters (Grammar & Unit Words)

Unit Words: merger, acquisition, subsidiary, shareholder, restructure, downsize, streamline, stake, dividend, monopoly

1. "Following the recent acquisition, the board decided to take over..."

2. "To maintain shareholder trust, the CEO had to step down after..."

3. "Before the corporate restructure, management planned to phase out..."

4. "If our main subsidiary fails to streamline operations, we might wind up..."

5. "In order to prevent a hostile takeover and maintain their stake, they had to set up..."

6. "To maximize the annual dividend, the executive team will carry out..."

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Teacher Key & Common Errors

Official Gap Answers

(1) bought out

(2) has stepped down

(3) set up

(4) phased out

(5) rolled out

(6) take over

(7) wind up

(8) carry out

📌 Distractor Verbs (Not Needed):

come up against and bring about are extra distractors provided in the word bank.

⚠️ Watch out for Word Order Error:

Listen out for incorrect pronoun placement with separable phrasal verbs, such as phase out it. Remind learners: "phase it out" is correct when using object pronouns.

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Activity Variations

Easy

Scaffolded Clues

Keep the parenthetical definitions right beside each blank (as formatted above) to assist lower C1 learners.

Standard

Competitive Relay

Run as a relay race: one student per team comes up to fill one gap at a time before tagging the next teammate.

Hard

No Word Bank

Remove the Word Bank entirely and fold over the parenthetical definitions so students rely entirely on context.

Fast Finishers

Create a Memo

Fast teams draft a 2-gap memo using the distractor verbs (come up against, bring about) for another team to solve.

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Closing Questions (Class Wrap-Up)

Which phrasal verbs change meaning most drastically when used in a corporate context vs. a general everyday context?

Why is precise language critical when communicating sensitive corporate announcements like stepping down or winding up a subsidiary?

How do phrasal verbs like roll out, phase out, and take over help structure a realistic business timeline during a merger?

Class activity: Calder Mills Memo Race