The right to rest and other employment laws

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Vocabulary - employment law

employment law English

photo of the author Leanne |

LESSON OVERVIEW

In this lesson students learn vocabulary related to the topic of employment law, watch a video about a new law passed in Portugal and share their views on employment regulations around the world.

B1 / Intermediate
B2 / Upper Intermediate75 minStandard LessonPremium Plan
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WARM-UP & VOCABULARY

The lesson begins with an activity in which students share their opinions on a statement: You should work to live, not live to work. Then, they get a list of vocabulary related to the topic of employment law (e.g. sick pay, minimum wage, sabbatical) and match the words and expressions with their definitions. Afterwards, students read some employment rules and regulations from around the world (e.g. regarding parental leave, career break, etc.). Then, they complete the gaps with the vocabulary introduced in the previous exercise. Next, they compare the regulations with the ones from their countries and decide if any of the laws they read about are useful and could be adopted by their country. 

VIDEO & DISCUSSION ON EMPLOYMENT LAW

Before watching a video about the right to rest law passed in Portugal, students predict what the law might be about. Then, they watch the video to see if their predictions were right. While watching the video for the second time, students need to complete some gaps with the information from the video. After that, they share their opinions on the right to rest law. This activity is followed by a multiple choice task in which students learn some more words useful when talking about employment law (e.g. sue for, penalize for, hefty fine). The lesson ends with a task which gives students plenty of opportunities to reflect on rules and regulations for employers and employees. Students come up with ideas on how to improve policies of overtime, annual leave, and similar, both in their company and on a national level. They can do the activity in groups, or simply exchange the ideas with a partner. 

WORKSHEETS

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  1. [email protected]

    Hello!
    This is a great lesson for 2 reasons:
    1. I’m Portuguese and it’s really great to see my country featured in an English Lesson Plan. Thanks!
    2. The rhythm of the lesson is perfect. The vocabulary sections are clear, formative and relevant. Great Stuff!
    Cheers!
    filipe

    1. Leanne

      So happy to hear you’ve enjoyed this one! Thank you.

      1. [email protected]

        Thanks for the hard work. I’ve used it several times and always to great results. Cheers.

  2. jpbruce

    This was a really interesting lesson, it prompted a lot of discussion. In fact it took me two lessons (2 hours) to get through the material! – but I think I had a particularly talkative class.
    Thanks!

    1. Leanne

      Great! Plenty of scope in this one then! Thank you.

  3. Crack Business English School

    Got plenty of mileage out of it in discussion. Stds loved it!
    Thank you.
    Barry

    1. Leanne

      That’s great to hear. Thank you.

  4. Aya Tougui

    Can I only receive the lesson if I have a premium account?

    1. Stan

      Yes, that’s correct! You either have to be a Premium or an Unlimited subscriber to get this lesson.

  5. bea102

    Hi, a big thanks for this lesson!! A very interesting topic and great vocabulary. I used it in 4 different groups of advanced adult learners and everyone enjoyed the conversation about employment laws in various countries. Well structured too, it flows really well. I turned the slide on improving employment laws into a negotiation role-play and my students loved it! Thanks 🙂

    1. Justa

      Hi! Thank you so much for the feedback! We’re really happy that the lesson worked so well with your students 🙂

    2. Leanne

      Very happy to hear that it worked well for you! Thank you for the feedback. 🙂

  6. Julia Hohush

    Thanks a bunch! Looking forward to more lessons regarding laws! 😉

    1. Justa

      Hi Julia! Just to let you know, we’ve just published a lesson plan that you might find useful. You can find it here 🙂

  7. [email protected]

    Thank you, The lesson was very interesting. Enjoyed it!

    1. Justa

      Thanks for the comment 🙂

  8. Caroline Aparecida Vaz de Araujo Medeiros

    This lesson is great! Such an interesting and real life topic. I loved it.

    1. Justa

      Happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂

  9. Emelda

    Very interesting lesson, my students loved it.

    1. Justa

      Thanks! We’re happy it’s useful 🙂

  10. conordaly

    Good lesson, I desperately need more materials about labour laws, especially for B2 level.

    1. Justa

      Thanks for the comment! You might also check out these two lessons: here and here

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