Lesson Topics: worker alienation, capitalism, motivation
Skill Focus: Speaking, Vocabulary, Listening
Approximate Class Time: 1.75 hours
Lesson Plan Download: employment-alienation-upper-intermediate-022026.docx
Lesson Overview:
- Foreword: This lesson is centered around the award-winning short, El Empleo (The Employment). The video has no dialogue and a runtime of 5:30 minutes. Though it's a bit longer, it's an engaging video that many (I believe) students will enjoy. For vocabulary introduction, students are introduced to some new language in a (semi-fictional) comment section.
- After warm-up questions about entering the workforce, students watch a 6:25-minute short film (full running time with credits) called The Employment. The video depicts a worker going through his morning routine until he arrives at his workplace (I won't spoil the story). The video explores themes of interdependence and worker alienation.
- This is followed by comprehension and follow-up questions.
- To introduce vocabulary, I've created a fictional comments section (based on real comments) that includes nine B2/C1-level words to target in the lesson.
- After matching words with definitions, students use some of the new vocabulary to complete discussion questions.
- The lesson has two debate prompts on whether there is a job out there for everyone and working in the gig economy.
- The lesson's roleplay scenario has a young lady discuss her job-related complaints with her grandfather, a pragmatic man who believes that jobs are solely a means to an end.
- Continuing with the idea of debating the intrinsic and extrinsic value of our pursuits, the next speaking activity asks students to categorize several ideas according to whether they are a means to an end or valuable as ends in themselves. The activity is a little philosophical and hopefully introspective.
- Next, students discuss famous quotations and then review vocabulary and the lesson's collocations.
- As usual, the lesson ends with a few final discussion questions.
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2/C1) Lesson on Worker Alienation
- What jobs are considered the worst in your society? Why?
- Describe your dream job.
- In general, do young people from your culture think positively or negatively about entering the workforce and building a career?
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- Lesson plan written by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright). Site members may photocopy and edit the file for their classes. ChatGPT was used to generate vocabulary definitions and answer keys. For questions, contact the author. Permission is not given to rebrand the lesson, redistribute it on another platform, or sell it as part of commercial course curriculum. For questions, contact the author.
Comprehension Question Answer Key:
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- The muted colors, slow pace, repetitive movements, minimal sound, and expressionless characters create a bleak and uncomfortable mood
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Vocabulary Answers: a-alienation, b-soulless, c-express, d-routine, e-dull, f-illustration, g-isolated, h-means to an end, i-structure
Collocation Answers: 1-d, 2-a, 3-c, 4-b
[i] Original comments paraphrased and modified