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2 the ARTICLE (for teachers) Some countries like France and Australia have experimented with vacation time. Businesses in these countries give employees more time off because they understand work and personal happiness must have some balance. But the trend in many other countries is the opposite. Employees are working longer and longer hours in recent years. "Extreme employees" are the result. Researchers examined more than two million surveys of high-salaried employees in the US. They concluded that people must work long hours if they want to climb the corporate ladder. However, the extreme employees are unusually dedicated to the company. With their commute and the hours at the office, extreme employees might work 70 hours or more. They are also available for clients and office emergencies every day of the week, including weekends. Lastly, they take far fewer vacation days. The researchers also discovered that most extreme employees are very unhappy. These employees would be healthier with less work. They also don't spend enough time with their spouse or children, which could be one reason for their unhappiness. Experts suggest the seventy-hour workweek should drop to forty-five hours, if possible. And despite the trend, some companies like American Express and Johnson & Johnson are trying to reduce the pressure and stress on managers. Teacher's Notes: * Underlined words in red typeface are the recommended vocabulary for this lesson. Heads Up English - 1

3 WARM-UPS Select one or all of the following warm-up activities. 1: Define: What does "workaholic" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples? 2: Brainstorm: Brainstorm with a partner words and ideas for "workaholic" for two minutes. Next, talk about the words and ideas for five minutes. 3: Title: Today's article is: "." What will you read about? 4: Do you agree or disagree? Why? a. People work too much nowadays. b. I should work harder for my company. c. People who work less than 40 hours per week are lazy. d. In the future, it will be normal for everyone to work more than 60 hours per week. e. I love my job!! Heads Up English - 2

4 VOCABULARY Select one of the following vocabulary acquisition activities. 1: Vocabulary match: Individually or in pairs/groups, match the words in column A (from the article) with the best choice in column B. a. time off u. different b. opposite v. travel c. dedicate w. leisure time d. commute x. decrease e. spouse y. husband or wife f. reduce z. work hard 2: Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word. dedicated opposite spouse time off reduce commute a. Businesses in these countries give employees more ( ). b. The trend in many other countries is the ( ). c. The extreme employees are unusually ( ) to the company. d. With their ( ) and the hours at the office, they work 70 hours e. They also don't spend enough time with their ( ) or children f. Some companies are trying to ( ) the tress on managers. 3: Define: Look in your dictionary for each word. Write the definition, correctly pronounce the word, and give an example sentence to the class. a. time off: b. opposite: c. dedicate: d. commute: e. spouse: f. reduce: Heads Up English - 3

5 WORD RECOGNITION These activities are optional. They reinforce vocabulary and increase reading speed. 1: Word Search: Find only the target words (in bold). Time yourself, and see how long it takes to find all the words. dedicated opposite spouse time off reduce commute D Z O B E T H R I F U U X U A E E P J W D E M F D Z Q S K S D T Z J M D T O N T O M A T Z I I V B U H E U J R C V I Z F C S L C B M M E M F V M F E B A O E F I S Z W P M E Q I P A T P P T Z N V M R O O P J A V E O Y S D O C Y N C Y C I H G D S Z P U J O O C O M M U T E T U P U Y V F N Z X F S U R R D F K O X F E T I S O P P O Q N O J S U P W B O F H C U S U W R R E A S X P C T F R D X F R O U G N E E P G R P Y N F I Z X O X O H G P Q C A X Z G D 2: Target Word Pool: Find only the target words (in bold) with their exact match. Time yourself, and see how long it takes to find all the words. dedicated opposite spouse time off reduce commute commuting spousal reduced delectable soused on time time off dedicated spouses reducing opposites commute identity timed reduces unopposed suppose deposition time on dedicates opposite commuted commuter dedication reduce reduction spouse opposition off time comment Heads Up English - 4

6 pre- or post-comprehension Select one or more activity to direct students before the article is read, or to check understanding after the article is read. 1: Brainstorm Questions: Brainstorm questions that you would like to ask about today's topic. Answer a partner the questions. He shouldn't look at the article when he answers. 2: True or False?: Guess (before the article) or answer (after the article) if the sentence is true or false. If false, correct the sentence. a. Most countries have moved towards longer and longer workweeks. T/F b. With their commute, extreme employees work more than seventy hours. T/F c. Extreme employees take phone calls from the office at night or on weekends. T/F d. Long hours don't affect the family relationships of extreme employees. T/F e. A few companies want a balance between work and personal lives. T/F 3: Questions: Answer the questions to check comprehension. a. According to the article, what has happened in France and Australia? b. What does someone need to do to climb the corporate ladder nowadays? c. How does the article describe "extreme employees?" d. What are some of the reasons extreme employees are usually unhappy? e. According to the article, what do experts want to see? 4: Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence. a. Businesses in these countries give employees more time off because... b. Researchers examined more than two million surveys of... c. The researchers also discovered that... d. They also don't spend enough time with their spouse or children, which... Heads Up English - 5

7 post-comprehension Select one or more activity to discuss the contents of the article. 1: Vocabulary: Circle any other unknown words/phrases in the article. In pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand these words. Write an example sentence for each one. 2: Class Questions: Read through the article once more, and write down any questions that you would like to talk about in pairs/groups or as a class. Answer the questions. 3: Summarize: Work with a partner to summarize the article in your own words. 4: Discuss: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers and ask more questions with your partner. a. Did you like this article? Why/not? b. How many hours do your work per week? Is this too much, too little, or just right? c. Would you take a high-paying position if you had to work 70 hours per week? d. Would you take a 50% salary cut if it meant working only 25 hours per week? e. Why do you think people work so much if they hate it? Please explain. f. Could you do more for your company? Should you do more? Why/not? 5: Role play: Your company wants to change how many hours employees work, so everyone has more personal time. Assume the following roles, and decide on: 1) how much overtime is reasonable, 2) how to maintain the overall happiness of the employees, and 3) how to maintain overall job satisfaction. Executive A: The company comes first. Employees should work and make sacrifices so the company benefits. Everything else is less important. Executive B: The company has a responsibility to take care of its employees. Everyone should work hard, of course, which may mean 70-hour workweeks when necessary. Executive C: Happy employees are more productive employees. Therefore, if there were flextime or the option to telecommute, the company would prosper because everyone would be happier. Sacrificing all of your personal life, and then hating work, just isn't practical. 6: Google Search: Type "workaholic" into Google news and read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings. Heads Up English - 6

8 STUDENT HANDOUT (the article) Some countries like France and Australia have experimented with vacation time. Businesses in these countries give employees more time off because they understand work and personal happiness must have some balance. But the trend in many other countries is the opposite. Employees are working longer and longer hours in recent years. "Extreme employees" are the result. Researchers examined more than two million surveys of high-salaried employees in the US. They concluded that people must work long hours if they want to climb the corporate ladder. However, the extreme employees are unusually dedicated to the company. With their commute and the hours at the office, extreme employees might work 70 hours or more. They are also available for clients and office emergencies every day of the week, including weekends. Lastly, they take far fewer vacation days. The researchers also discovered that most extreme employees are very unhappy. These employees would be healthier with less work. They also don't spend enough time with their spouse or children, which could be one reason for their unhappiness. Experts suggest the seventy-hour workweek should drop to forty-five hours, if possible. And despite the trend, some companies like American Express and Johnson & Johnson are trying to reduce the pressure and stress on managers. Notes: Heads Up English - 7

9 STUDENT HANDOUT (fill in the blank) Fill in the blank with the correct word. dedicated opposite million commute reduce researchers spouse possible time off personal Some countries like France and Australia have experimented with vacation time. Businesses in these countries give employees more (a. ) because they understand work and (b. ) happiness must have some balance. But the trend in many other countries is the (c. ). Employees are working longer and longer hours in recent years. "Extreme employees" are the result. Researchers examined more than two (d. ) surveys of high-salaried employees in the US. They concluded that people must work long hours if they want to climb the corporate ladder. However, the extreme employees are unusually (e. ) to the company. With their (f. ) and the hours at the office, extreme employees might work 70 hours or more. They are also available for clients and office emergencies every day of the week, including weekends. Lastly, they take far fewer vacation days. The (g. ) also discovered that most extreme employees are very unhappy. These employees would be healthier with less work. They also don't spend enough time with their (h. ) or children, which could be one reason for their unhappiness. Experts suggest the seventy-hour workweek should drop to forty-five hours, if (i. ). And despite the trend, some companies like American Express and Johnson & Johnson are trying to (j. ) the pressure and stress on managers. Heads Up English - 8

10 STUDENT HANDOUT (extended listening) Listen and fill in the missing sentences. Compare your answers with a partner, and then listen once more. Some countries like France and Australia have experimented with vacation time. Businesses in these countries give employees more time off because a). But the trend in many other countries is the opposite. Employees are working longer and longer hours in recent years. "Extreme employees" are the result. Researchers examined more than two million surveys of high-salaried employees in the US. They concluded that people must work long hours if they want to climb the corporate ladder. However, the extreme employees are unusually dedicated to the company. b), extreme employees might work 70 hours or more. They are also available for clients and office emergencies every day of the week, including weekends. Lastly, they take far fewer vacation days. The researchers also discovered that most extreme employees are very unhappy. These employees would be healthier with less work. c), which could be one reason for their unhappiness. Experts suggest the seventy-hour workweek should drop to forty-five hours, if possible. And despite the trend, some companies like American Express and Johnson & Johnson are trying to reduce the pressure and stress on managers. Sentence #1: Sentence #2: Sentence #3: Heads Up English - 9

11 ANSWER KEY Vocabulary 1: Vocabulary Match: a. w b. u 2: Fill in the Blanks: a. time off b. opposite c. z c. dedicated d. v e. y d. commute e. spouse f. x f. reduce pre- or post-comprehension 1. True or False: 2. Fragments: a. F b. T c. T d. F e. T a. they understand work and personal happiness must have some balance. b. high-salaried employees in the US. c. most extreme employees are very unhappy. d. could be one reason for their unhappiness. Student Handout 1: Fill in the Blanks: a. time off f. commute b. personal g. researchers c. opposite h. spouse d. million i. possible e. dedicated j. reduce 2: Extended Listening: a. they understand work and personal happiness must have some balance b. With their commute and the hours at the office c. They also don't spend enough time with their spouse or children Heads Up English - 10