Workplace routines: talking about your day

Summary

This 90-minute ESL lesson for A1 learners explores Workplace routines: talking about your day through a real article. Across 11 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 'at' for time with examples and practice
• Real-world phrases for asking questions on your first day
• Gap-fill and cloze exercises to test vocabulary in context
• Matching exercise to connect terms with their meanings
• Error correction to sharpen grammar awareness

Lesson activities (11 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 'at' for time — explanation, examples, and key rules.
6. Error correction — Find and fix the mistake in each sentence — a great grammar workout.
7. Odd one out — Spot the word that doesn't belong in each group.
8. Practical English — Learn phrases for asking questions on your first day — ready to use in real conversations.
9. Fill the gaps — Complete sentences with the correct vocabulary. Drag and drop or type your answers.
10. 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:

• have a meeting — to talk with people from your work about your job
• check emails — to look at new messages on your computer or phone
• work from home — to do your job in your house, not at the office
• co-worker — a person you work with
• lunch break — the time in the day when you stop work to eat lunch

Grammar

This lesson focuses on Simple present and 'at' for time.

We use the simple present tense to talk about routines and habits, like your daily work schedule. To say when something happens, we use the preposition 'at' with a specific time.

Examples from the lesson:

• I start my shift at 9 AM. — Use 'at' for a specific time on the clock.
• My manager has a meeting at 3 PM. — Remember to add '-s' or '-es' to the verb for 'he', 'she', and 'it'.
• We clock out at 5:30 PM every day. — The simple present is for actions that happen regularly.

Key rules:

• Use the simple present for routines and habits.
• Use 'at' before a clock time (e.g., at 8 o'clock, at 10:30 AM).
• Add '-s' to the verb for he, she, and it (he starts, she works).

Practical English

Asking questions on your first day

It's your first day at a new job. It's normal to have questions! Use these phrases to ask your manager or a co-worker for help.

Phrases you'll learn:

• "'Excuse me, can I ask a question?'" — to politely get someone's attention
• "'Where is the kitchen?'" — to ask for the location of a place
• "'What time is lunch?'" — to ask about the time for a daily event
• "'What do I do now?'" — to ask for your next task
• "'Sorry, I don't understand.'" — to say you need something explained again