Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan for English teachers explores the recent crisis in the tech industry. This ESL class material for C1 students covers corporate layoffs, business strategy, and professional communication through a variety of engaging exercises.
This lesson helps advanced English learners discuss the complex topic of tech industry layoffs. Activities include a vocabulary matching exercise on corporate terminology, comprehension questions based on a news video, and a grammar practice section on formal reporting structures. The lesson culminates in a guided discussion and a strategic role-play where students debate corporate cost-cutting measures, practicing key business communication skills.
Activities
- Students begin by matching key business terms like "severance package," "reskilling," and "reputational damage" to their definitions, building the vocabulary needed to discuss corporate restructuring.
- Based on a short news video, learners answer comprehension questions about the recent wave of tech layoffs, exploring the causes and consequences for both workers and other industries.
- A focused grammar exercise teaches students to use impersonal and passive structures to report information formally, transforming active sentences into objective, professional statements.
- The lesson concludes with a dynamic role-play where students act as senior managers (CFO, HR, COO) in a meeting, debating the pros and cons of different cost-cutting strategies like layoffs vs. buyouts.
Vocabulary focus
This lesson focuses on professional and corporate vocabulary related to workforce changes and business strategy. Key terms include: layoffs, workforce reduction, precarious work, severance package, buyout, reputational damage, reskilling, and labor mobility.
Grammar focus
The grammar section concentrates on using impersonal and passive structures for formal reporting. Students practice rewriting sentences to create a more objective tone, using constructions like the passive voice ("were recorded"), impersonal 'it' clauses ("It appears that..."), and noun phrases.
