Level 4Work

Too Hot to Work?

Grammar: None

A Level 4 English lesson exploring work.

worknone — open discussion lesson

What's in this lesson

A Level 4 (upper intermediate) ESL lesson on work. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary and discussion questions.

From the reading: Too Hot to Work?

On a summer day when temperatures in Ireland climbed to 30 degrees, Labour Senator Neasa Cosgrove did something that surprised many people: she called on the Irish government to cap how hot a workplace can legally get. Ireland already has a minimum temperature law — employers must keep offices above 17.5 degrees in winter. But there is no upper limit. Workers in warehouses, kitchens, construction sites, and retail shops can legally work in 35-degree heat with no legal protection. Cosgrove wants to change that.

Vocabulary

  • cap temperatures
  • enforce legislation
  • manage risk
  • raise the bar
  • bring in
  • look into
  • push back
  • set out
  • take on

Discussion questions

  1. What temperature do you find comfortable when working or studying?
  2. Should workers be able to refuse to work if conditions are unsafe?
  3. Who should set rules about workplace conditions — governments or employers?

Too Hot to Work?

Grammar: None

What's in this lesson:

Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.

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