Your work calendar: talking about meetings

Summary

This 90-minute ESL lesson for A2 learners explores Your work calendar: talking about meetings 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: Using 'can', 'could', and 'should' for scheduling with examples and practice
• Real-world phrases for suggesting a time for a meeting
• 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 Using 'can', 'could', and 'should' for scheduling — 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 suggesting a time for a meeting — ready to use in real conversations.
8. Cloze passage — Fill in blanks within a connected text to practise vocabulary in context.
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:

• check my calendar — to look at your schedule to see when you are free or busy.
• find a time — to look for a day and time that is good for everyone for a meeting.
• That works for me. — a phrase you use to say that a suggested time or day is good for you.
• call off — to cancel something, like a meeting or an event.
• send an invite — to send a message (usually an email) to ask someone to a meeting, often with a calendar link.

Grammar

This lesson focuses on Using 'can', 'could', and 'should' for scheduling.

We use modal verbs like 'can', 'could', and 'should' to ask about availability, make suggestions, and give advice about meetings. 'Could' is often more polite than 'can' when making a request.

Examples from the lesson:

• Can we meet at 10 AM on Tuesday? — Use 'can' to ask about possibility or to make a simple request.
• Could we move the meeting to Friday? I'm busy on Thursday. — Use 'could' to make a more polite or formal request.
• We should send the agenda before the meeting. — Use 'should' to give advice or say what is a good idea.

Key rules:

• Use 'can' and 'could' to ask questions about time and possibility.
• Use 'should' to give advice or make a strong suggestion.
• After 'can', 'could', and 'should', always use the base form of the verb (e.g., 'meet', not 'meets' or 'meeting').

Practical English

Suggesting a time for a meeting

You need to ask a colleague to meet. Here are some simple phrases to find a time that works for both of you.

Phrases you'll learn:

• "Are you free on Monday morning?" — to ask if someone is available.
• "How about 3 PM?" — to suggest a specific time.
• "Sorry, I'm busy then." — to say no politely to a suggested time.
• "I can do Thursday afternoon." — to say when you are available.
• "Does 11 AM work?" — to ask if a specific time is okay.