Summary
This downloadable English lesson plan helps B1/B2 ESL students understand the employee handbook. This ESL class material covers key workplace vocabulary, policies, and professional communication, perfect for business English.
This practical lesson guides students through the essential elements of an employee handbook. Activities include a vocabulary matching task related to company policies, a listening gap-fill about a new hire's experience, and a reading comprehension task about a workplace incident. Students will also practice modal verbs for rules and recommendations, learn useful phrases for asking questions, and engage in a role-play between a new employee and an HR manager, consolidating their learning in a real-world context.
Activities
- Students start by matching common employee handbook sections like 'dress code' and 'sick leave' with their descriptions, activating prior knowledge and introducing the topic in a relatable way. This helps them understand the structure of a typical handbook.
- A listening comprehension exercise features a new employee discussing their handbook. Students listen to fill in the gaps in a short text, practicing their listening skills for specific information and reinforcing key vocabulary related to company policies.
- A reading activity presents a case study about a data breach caused by an employee ignoring company policy. Students read the text and answer true or false questions, developing their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in a business context.
- The lesson concludes with a communicative role-play activity. Working in pairs, one student acts as a new employee and the other as an HR manager, using learned vocabulary and phrases to ask and answer questions about company policies and procedures.
Transcript
Vocabulary focus
This lesson focuses on essential business English vocabulary related to workplace rules and documents. Key terms include: policy, procedure, confidentiality, grievance, probationary period, disciplinary action, benefits, code of conduct, dress code, and sick leave. Students practice these terms through matching exercises and communicative activities.
Grammar focus
The grammar section concentrates on modal verbs used to express rules, obligations, and recommendations in a professional context. Students learn the distinction between strong obligations (must, have to), recommendations (should), permission (can, may), and prohibitions (mustn't, cannot). They then apply this knowledge in a gap-fill exercise to solidify their understanding.
