Nvidia started in 1993 making graphics chips for video games. Today its chips power the AI boom, and it is the most valuable company in the world. This lesson tells the story of how it got there and gets students talking about business success, risk and the future of AI. This B1 version tells the story of the company, from a diner in California to the top of the world.
Level: B1 · Time: 45 to 90 minutes. Pick the activities that suit your class. They work in almost any order.
Lesson Activities
- Warmer: What Is It? – Reveal the picture tile by tile. What is it? What is it used for? Does anyone in the class have one?
- Vocabulary: Pre-teach the Key Words – Match 10 words from the text to their meanings before reading (bankrupt, launch, brand, demand, valuable, competitor…).
- Reading: Nvidia, From a Diner to the Top of the World – A graded text with 12 gaps. Choose with a word bank or without a word bank.
- Vocabulary: People, Money and Products – Sort 15 business words (founder, investor, revenue, profit, shares, chip, software…) into three groups.
- Discussion: Companies, Brands and AI – 10 conversation questions about successful companies, brands, AI tools and starting a business.
- Speaking: Ranking – What makes a company successful? Students rank nine factors, from a great product and a strong leader to luck and good timing, then compare with a partner.
Teacher Tips
- For a shorter lesson, use the warmer, the reading and the discussion cards.
- Language focus: the reading tells the story with the past simple and links to today with the present simple. Ask students to tell the story of a company they know in the same way.
- Business English classes: ask students to compare Nvidia with their own company or industry. Who are its customers and competitors? What are the risks?
- Follow-up: students prepare a one-minute pitch for a new company idea.
Teaching a stronger group? Try the B2 version of this lesson.