The 7 Steps December
1. CONTEXT
Mindmap
anything you
know about thetopic, including
vocabulary. Do
some research
online to help.

HasbroListening Questions 1
1. When was Hasbro founded?
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2. QUESTIONS
2. Where did the name Hasbro come from?

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3. What did Hasbro sell before it sold toys?

Read the listening
questions tocheck yourunderstanding.
Look up any new
vocabulary.

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4. What was Mr. Potato Head the first toy to do?
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5. Why were G.I. Joe toys called “action figures?”.
Listening Questions 2
1. In the 80s, how did Hasbro market the G.I. Joe and Transformers toy lines?
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2. Other than G.I. Joe and Transformers, what are 2 brands that Hasbrocontrols?
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3. What is one company it has a major licensing agreement with?
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4. What was Hasbro’s net revenue in 2018?
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5. How many employees did Hasbro have in 2018?
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3. LISTEN
Listen and answer
the questions
using full
sentences. Circle
the number oftimes and % you
understood.

1

Listening 1
2 3 4

5%%%

Discussion Questions

1

Listening 2
2 3 4

5%%%

1. What are some toys from your childhood that are no longer popular
or in production? How do you feel about this?
2. How much time should children be allowed to play? What are someof the benefits of playing for children?

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4. CHECK ANSWERS

Read through thetranscript andunderline theanswers. Checkthem against yourown answers.

TRANSCRIPT 1
It’s almost impossible to go to a toy store and not see products from Hasbro. It is one of thebiggest toy companies in the world and it started in 1923. The company started as Hassenfeld
Brothers and the name was later shortened to Hasbro. It was founded by brothers Henry andHillel Hassenfeld in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Although it is a major toy company now, itoriginally sold textile remnants and later sold school supplies. Hasbro sold its first toys, doctor
and nurse kits, in the 40s.

5. CHECK VOCABULARY

Hasbro made another major innovation in 1964 when it launched G.I. Joe, the first toy to becalled an “action figure.” G.I. Joe toys were 12-inch tall figures that looked like American militarymen. Hasbro called them “action figures” because they thought boys would not want to play withdolls.

Read thetranscript andcircle any new
vocabulary youfind. Look themup and add themto your list.

MATCH THE SYNONYMS BY DRAWING LINES BELOW:

6. READ ALOUD

Read thetranscript aloudat least 5 times,
focusing on
intonation andpronunciation.

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7. SHADOWING

223344

Impossible

Strategy

Remnant

Remainder

Innovation

Contract

DemandImpractical

TacticDesireAgreement

Modernization

TRANSCRIPT 2
Over the decades, Hasbro continued to innovate and acquire other companies. In the 80s, thecompany used animated series to help drive demand for its toy lines, in particular G.I. Joe andTransformers. Hasbro and other companies continue to use this marketing tactic to sell toys tokids.
In 1984, Hasbro acquired the board game company Milton Bradley and in the early 90s, itacquired Tonka, Parker Brothers, Kenner, and Nomura Toys. Hasbro now controls major
brands such as Play-Doh, Nerf, My Little Pony, Monopoly, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. It also
has major licensing agreements to make toys for Star Wars, Disney, and Marvel.

Say the transcriptaloud at the sametime as the audio
without reading
it. Circle how
many timesbelow.

11

In 1952, Hasbro launched its first hit toy, Mr. Potato Head. Mr. Potato Head was the first toy toever be advertised on TV and the toy line has been in production for over 60 years.

In 2018 Hasbro had total revenue of $5.2 billion and profits of $397 million. As of 2018 thecompany had 5,400 employees worldwide.

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