Work schedules: talking about your daily routine

Summary

This 90-minute ESL lesson for A1 learners explores Work schedules: talking about your daily routine through a real article. Across 10 interactive exercises, you'll develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, practical communication, speaking skills — all built around authentic English content.

What you'll practise:

• 5 key vocabulary items with definitions and usage notes
• Grammar focus: Simple present and prepositions of time with examples and practice
• Real-world phrases for talking to a new co-worker
• Gap-fill and cloze exercises to test vocabulary in context
• Matching exercise to connect terms with their meanings

Lesson activities (10 exercises)

Each exercise builds on the previous one. Work through them in order for the best learning experience.

1. Warm-up — Discussion questions to activate what you already know about the topic.
2. Comprehension — Answer questions to check your understanding of the main ideas and supporting details.
3. Vocabulary — Learn key words and expressions from the article, with definitions and usage notes.
4. Matching — Connect words, phrases, or concepts to their correct counterparts.
5. Grammar — Study Simple present and prepositions of time — explanation, examples, and key rules.
6. Fill the gaps — Complete sentences with the correct vocabulary. Drag and drop or type your answers.
7. Practical English — Learn phrases for talking to a new co-worker — ready to use in real conversations.
8. Multiple choice — Choose the correct answer from four options — testing comprehension and language use.
9. Discussion — Reflect on the topic and share your opinions using the language you've learned.

Vocabulary

This lesson introduces 5 key terms drawn directly from the article:

• Work from nine to five — to work the usual hours for an office job, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Take a break — to stop working for a short time to rest.
• Day off — a day when you do not go to work.
• Work overtime — to work more hours than your normal work time.
• Clock in / clock out — to record the time you start work (clock in) and the time you finish work (clock out).

Grammar

This lesson focuses on Simple present and prepositions of time.

We use the simple present to talk about routines and schedules. To say when things happen, we use prepositions of time like 'at' for times, 'on' for days, and 'from...to' for a period.

Examples from the lesson:

• I start work at 9 AM. — Use 'at' for specific times on the clock.
• He works on Tuesdays and Thursdays. — Use 'on' for specific days of the week. Remember to add '-s' for he/she/it.
• My shift is from 6 PM to 11 PM. — Use 'from...to' to show the start and end of a time period.

Key rules:

• Use the simple present for regular actions and routines.
• Add '-s' to the verb for he, she, and it (he starts, she finishes).
• Use 'at' for times (at 5 o'clock), and 'on' for days (on Monday).

Practical English

Talking to a new co-worker

Here are some simple phrases to ask a new colleague about their work schedule and make plans together.

Phrases you'll learn:

• "What time do you start?" — to ask about someone's start time
• "I work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m." — to tell someone your work hours
• "When do you take lunch?" — to ask about a break time
• "Oh, me too!" — to show you have the same schedule
• "My schedule changes every week." — to explain your hours are not the same all the time