Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson for B1 ESL students helps them master the language of spreadsheets. A practical ESL resource for any business English class material that focuses on explaining data, charts, and calculations in a professional setting.
This B1 business English lesson helps students confidently discuss data. Activities include a vocabulary matching game, a listening exercise with a data expert, a grammar section on giving instructions, a reading comprehension task about a small business, and a final speaking practice where students present a budget. This class material provides a comprehensive introduction to using English for spreadsheet-related tasks in the workplace, making it a valuable resource for any professional English class.
Activities
- A matching exercise where students define key spreadsheet terms like "cell," "formula," and "sort," building foundational vocabulary for discussing data and understanding spreadsheet functions.
- A listening comprehension gap-fill exercise featuring a data expert, designed to improve listening for specific details and introduce relevant professional vocabulary in context.
- A reading comprehension task where students analyze a short case study about a small business using spreadsheets to improve efficiency, followed by a true/false check.
- A final speaking activity where students, in pairs, use a sample budget and useful phrases to prepare and deliver a short presentation, explaining data to their peers.
Transcript
Vocabulary focus
This lesson focuses on essential terminology for working with spreadsheets. Students will learn and practice key nouns such as "cell," "row," "column," "formula," and "data set." They'll also work with verbs like "sort" and "filter." In addition, the material introduces useful phrases for presenting data, such as "This sheet shows..." and "As you can see from the line graph..."
Grammar focus
The grammar section concentrates on giving clear and direct instructions, a crucial skill for explaining processes. Students will learn to use the imperative mood (e.g., "Enter the data," "Select the cells") for commands. They will also practice using the present simple tense to describe what a function or formula does (e.g., "This formula calculates the total"). A rewriting exercise helps solidify this practical grammar point.
