Founders & Builders
Disney, Chanel, Ford, Honda, Jobs and Carnegie: the people who built companies, and what they cost. Levels A2 to C1.
Who it's for
Marked for all levels: the topic carries the lesson, and you set the difficulty by what you ask of the answer.
Life stories of scientists, leaders, artists, founders and athletes. More Famous People lesson plans
Skills it practises
- Speaking: discussion questionsevery lesson
- Vocabulary: a target word listevery lesson
- Reading: a text or news storyevery lesson
Lessons
- Walt Disney: A Mouse and a DreamA young artist lost his job and his first character, so he drew a new one: a cartoon mouse. A simple story about starting again, for A2 students.48 minA2Free
- Coco Chanel and the Little Black DressShe took a colour people wore to funerals and made it the most useful dress in the wardrobe. Simplicity, comfort and style for B1 students.48 minB1Outline
- Soichiro Honda: From a Bicycle Engine to the WorldA mechanic in a ruined post-war town put a tiny engine on a bicycle, and built a company from it. Failure, repair and stubbornness for B1 students.48 minB1Outline
- Henry Ford: The Assembly Line and the Five-Dollar DayHe cut the price of a car and doubled his workers' pay, and made the work itself far duller. Efficiency and its human cost, for B2 students.48 minB2Outline
- Steve Jobs: Taste, Focus and Second ChancesPushed out of the company he founded, he came back and cut the product list to four. Focus, taste and difficult leadership, for B2 students.48 minB2Outline
- Andrew Carnegie: Making a Fortune, Then Giving It AwayHe built thousands of libraries with money made in mills where men worked twelve-hour shifts. Wealth, philanthropy and reputation, for C1 students.48 minC1Outline
How to use it in a lesson
- Lessons run 48 minutes, with a timing on every stage, so you can see before you start what fits your slot.
- Start with "Walt Disney: A Mouse and a Dream": its whole plan is on this site, stage by stage, with the target vocabulary, free to read and to teach from on any video call.
- For a shorter slot, skip a practice stage or cut the discussion short: the stages are a guide, not a script.
Teach Founders & Builders with your student
Lesson 1 of this course is free. A free account opens it in the interactive player, and the rest of the course is included with Starter. Teaching it live with your student in the Tuton classroom starts with a 7-day free trial.
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